Since the last posting showed that determining the rendering program of choice is very individual, here is my situation:

I have built a model in SketchUp and want to render it now, ideally photorealistic, to montage it into a site photo.
The result should be believable, but achievable in a reasonable amount of time.
In the office we have FormZ v4.1.2 and the VIZ Render that is integrated into AutoCAD Architectural Desktop 2006, but I have never worked with either one, only 3D Studio Max in the past, but we don't have it in the office.

So I should learn FormZ and try render the model there (although I've heard it has trouble with importing from SketchUp plus we have an old version).
Or should I import the model into Architectural desktop and render it with VIZ Render? Is that similar enough to 3D Studio Max that it will be quick to learn? Is it capable of fotorealistic rendering?
Or should I suggest for the office to buy 3D Studio Max (which I would have to built a strong case for since we are a small office and it ain't cheap...)?
Or should I suggest for the office to buy one of the other (less expensive) rendering programs around, like Maxwell or Podium and then learn that?

What do you guys think make sense? I don't just want to get that one model rendered, but also find a strategy for the office for future projects.

Thanks so much!

I think you should give a try with Indigo (http://www.indigorenderer.com/joomla/).

It's not fast, but it's free, works well with sketchup and can achieve great results.

My understanding is that Viz is Max's little brother - and if so you should know enough to get around in it (export your file as a 3ds).

Alternatively you could also use Kerkythea - it's free too! http://www.kerkythea.net/joomla/

Artlantis is another one that works well with SU (and for quickly inserting into background photos) - but it's not free - http://www.artlantis.com/

I'm only going to tell you what NOT to do. Don't bring it into VIZ. The VIZ you have with Architectural desktop is the older, stripped down version of the program (also called VIZ Render)that likely won't allow you to achieve the results you are looking for. If you had the stand-alone, full version copy of Autodesk VIZ then you could accomplish with it what you are looking for, but unfortunately you don't have that version.

Definately Kerkythea.....
get your feet wet in a free and very powerful program. Should you choose to become an advanced user it will still work for you.

Should you become independantly wealthy pay for software that came at a time when free and equal alternates were not available.

Form-Z is a relatively easy program to learn and begin applying surface styles and textures (faster learning curve than I would say than other modeling software if you are starting from scratch). Of Course, I don't know all the rendering programs mentioned previously in this post but based on your options form z may be the best. Try exporting the .skp file as a 3d file then saving it as a .dwg then take it into form z (only allowed if you have the pro version).

You can also get a 30-day trial of the newest version of max from autodesk.

I would think a practice like yours might be better off with Artlantis R myself as it's quick to learn and interfaces with sketchUp really well.

(I'm not a fan personally as I use a bunch of other gear for Macs that I won't go into).

But for creating realistic photomotages V quickly it's pretty good once you have mastered the basics.

The other software mentioned above like Kerkythea, Indigo. is good but the render times are horribly long

And if like 3dmax, why not stick to that, it's industry standard !

herewith a sample from a UK studio I like, which tend to get some real slick results out of Art R

check out their site

http://www.anderson-terzic.co.uk

dpiero - some of us mac users would like to hear about the "other gear" that you use!

dpiero - some of us mac users would like to hear about the "other gear" that you use!

OK

Here goes.

My secret weapon is Cheetah as it's got a simple intutive Mac interface ( see attached ) with very powerful features a great modelling environment and superb physically correct lighting modes, it renders real quick, like in minutes not days .

Then Silo is part of my modelling armour as their really isn't a lot to touch it when it comes to sub div modelling ( so cushions, organic shapes etc. are a doddle in this app)

Then there's Vue which I use for, natural atmosphere, vegetation and terrain modelling as well as OEM terrain mapping, which on those counts it's pretty much Number one. Vue also allows you to export UV mapped objects and environments for use in other programs

Combine the above three and it satisfies pretty much any job that comes my way, as they all interface well together by common export and import formats ( I read a lot of people in this forum going to excruciating lengths to get a SU model to work correctly in their main render app !)

To that end is where I started with Artlantis and soon learnt of it's limitations. Mainly Artlantis want's you to work in it's own environment exclusively, Which I can understand from a marketing point of view, but in practice it is very frustrating, because once you have bought in the SU model, stuck a few trees and billboards in the scene etc. and saved the file, that's all you can do ! You can't then export it to any of the above for further embellishment.

So to that end it's a shellfish app and to which could be it's biggest downfall. Having said that clients who want quick lighting studies without much texture work it's a good side tool to have and yes the sample I posted earlier shows how good it can get but with a lot and I mean lot of tweaking and testing, Mr Nicolas Rivera proved that with his 5 day development of a model that already existed and was already UV mapped ready to render

Finally there is a copy of C4D lying around which doesn't get much of run these days as Cheetahs animation capabilities have taken over on that score (for me at least) the reason I originally bought C4D

So to sum up. The apps I use, allow me to switch from one to another without any mapping or conversion problems, the renders from Cheetah are a match for any high end render program and a damn sight quicker than most and all three apps allow me to work productively without endless hours of searching for "help on this bit" topics on user forums

Oh almost forgot, SU the best, most powerful Architectural communication tool I have ever used.

Mac users should get in on the Rhino beta testing (http://community.irhino3d.com/). I've loaded it up and run it a few times, it looks very promising. Maybe a bit unstable for primary use, but good to know.