| |
|
|
|
|
| |
Below
is a listing of all articles and products reviews on CGarchitect.com |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
Articles |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
NEC 30" PA301W Review
I recently received the brand new flagship NEC 30" display and was able to put it through its paces over the past several months. Around 800 hours of on time as of the time of this writing. The new NEC MultiSync PA301W might very well be the best display money can buy. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
SIGGRAPH 2011
Review by Jaclyn Turner
A mere three weeks post SIGGRAPH and my mind is still spinning. Being that this was my fourth time attending the conference, I was not expecting such a whirlwind of emotion. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
3ds Max Design 2012 New Features Webinar (June 17, 2011)
Eddie Perlberg demos the new features in in Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design 2012. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
3DATS – '3ds Max 2011 One Project from Start to Finish' Review
This book and project is excellent in the respect that it covers a wealth of techniques that quite simply aren't covered anywhere else. I would fully advise you to pick up a copy as I can almost guarantee you will learn something new. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
NVIDIA Quadro 2000 Review
With low power consumption, Quadro drivers and the more robust engineering of this line, we think this card is a good choice for anyone looking for a reliable professional series card for moderate sized scenes and a minimal budget. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
modo 501 Reviewed
Review by Neil Hayes
"If asked if it's worth upgrading from modo 401 or if you should consider modo 501 for Arch-viz work then I would say, "Yes" on both counts and without hesitation." |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Autodesk University 2010
A few weeks ago I attended Autodesk University 2010 in Las Vegas. 2010 saw 30,000 attendees, a record number, participate from more than 72 countries in all five gatherings - Las Vegas, Tokyo, Beijing and AU virtual. The theme of this year's event was "The Power of the Possible". |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2011
Review by Chad Warner
With the latest version of 3ds Max Design, Autodesk has delivered one of the most feature-rich updates to their product in several releases. Interface refinements, new data import/reference components, material editor improvements, and additional feature sets make this release of 3ds Max Design a product worth looking at. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Canadian Company ICE edge Debuts New 3D Viewer
A few weeks ago I spent several hours touring the facilities of ICE edge and DIRTT environmental solutions in my hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Ice Edge is a software company that dedicates their time to developing visualization tools for the architectural market. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
CGarchitect SIGGRAPH 2010 Review
An in depth review of the SIGGRAPH 2010 conference in Los Angeles. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
CGarchitect Graphics Card Review Roundup
by CGarchitect and Renderstream
Anyone who has worked in this industry for any length of time has at one point found themselves specifying a video card for their rendering workstation. The seemingly endless lineup of models and often cryptic specifications make selecting the best card a daunting task. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
3ds Max 2010 Architectural Visualization Advanced to Expert Book by 3DATS Reviewed
by Chad Warner - Blue Lime Studio
"I would highly recommend this book (as well as the other two) to anyone involved with the architectural visualization industry, not just those that use 3ds Max." |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Autodesk University 2009 In Review
by Jeff Mottle
AU is Autodesk's annual user event which hosts hundred of courses and end user sessions, as well as various industry specific keynotes, where attendees are allowed a glimpse into the future of the industry. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
New Mexico Architect Dennis Holloway Uses CINEMA 4D to Reconstruct Ancient Indian Ruins
by Meleah Maynard
Architect Dennis Holloway has been fascinated by Native American architecture since he was a kid growing up in Michigan. But it wasn’t until 1990, when he moved to New Mexico, that his passion for the subject really began to take shape. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
3ds Max 2010 Reviewed
by Tom Livings
"I'm happy I now on this platform. I really like the viewport improvements and it forced me to take a fresh look at mental ray." |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
QA Graphics Uses CINEMA 4D to Help a McDonald’s Franchise Tell the Story of its Green Building
by Meleah Maynard
Most eco-friendly building materials don’t look much different from traditional ones, so people often can’t tell they’re looking at sustainable, green features when they see them. To help raise awareness about all that goes into a green building, Ric Richards hired Iowa-based QA Graphics to create an interactive, in-store educational tool. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
CGarchitect 2009 Industry Survey Results - Spotlight on the Future of the Architectural Visualization Industry
by Jeff Mottle
Earlier this year we conducted our third worldwide industry survey to help determine the current state of the field and how the current economy has impacted businesses. Our last survey was conducted in 2006. The survey this year was taken by almost 3,000 respondents and provided some very insightful information about where things are headed.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
2009 NVIDIA GPU Conference
by Jeff Mottle
The inaugural GPU Technology Conference took place in San Jose from September 30 to October 2, 2009 at the Fairmont San Jose hotel. Despite the stagnant economy, attendance was high with a reported 1500 people in attendance. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
SIGGRAPH 2009 New Orleans in Review - The Year of the GPU
by Jeff Mottle
This year a hot and muggy New Orleans hosted SIGGRAPH 2009. As expected, the economy played havoc with attendance hitting only 11,000 attendees. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Autodesk University 2008 – From a Visualization Perspective
by Jeff Mottle
Last week I got back from Autodesk University in Las Vegas, the whirlwind event that is everything Autodesk. The show took place at the Venetian hotel where Autodesk hosted 8700 attendees and 130 exhibitors from over 60 countries. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
30 inch NEC MultiSync LCD3090WQXi Reviewed
Review by Jeff Mottle
This review features the flag ship 30 inch display from NEC. This monitor boasts an impressive list of features and it designed for the high end grapahics professional.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2009
Review by Chad Warner
With the release of Autodesk’s new 3ds Max Design 2009, the era of Autodesk Viz officially comes to a close. Positioned to take over the market that Viz filled, Max Design 2009 essentially replaces AutoDesk Viz for the Architectural Visualization market, while the original Max 2009 is still geared towards the traditional visual effects and entertainment industries. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Mundos Digitales 2008
A few weeks ago I got back from the Mundos Digitales conference in La Coruna, Spain. For those of you who were not able to attend this event in person, this article will cover the highlights. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
3DATS 3ds Max for Architectural Visualization Books Reviewed
Those of you who have been around CGarchitect for the last year or so will surely have seen Brian Smith and/or his company 3DATS mentioned on the forums or in a handful of architectural visualization tutorials on the site. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Curves without the Cost
Builder AWI adopts 3D in processes that take the pain out of complex designs. Advancements in 3D design tools have given manufacturers tremendous productivity gains over the last two decades. Automotive development, for example, is nothing like it was twenty years ago. In this industry, not just styling and engineering revolve around 3D data, but downstream factory processes have evolved to take advantage of the efficiencies that 3D technology offers. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Cozimo Review
by Jason Knott
Media Collaboration
Anytime, Anyplace.
Cozimo introduces a smarter, easier and more advanced way to review and collaborate on images, video and other digital media with colleagues and clients. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator Review
So what is a SpaceNavigator you might ask? All of 3Dconnexion’s product offerings are in a word, 3D mice. They allow you to push, pull, tilt, and twist a controller cap using a six degree-of-freedom optical sensor. This allows you to navigate through 3D space, without the cumbersome constraints of standard mouse and keyboard shortcuts.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Jeff Stikeman Architectural Art, Arch Viz As Concept Design Tool
Jeff Stikeman has been a practicing architect for over twenty years and speaks the language of architectural visualization well, moving fluently between traditional and digital media. His is a unique combination of CG and traditional picture production methods using MAXON’s CINEMA 4D for his 3D application. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
VisMasters Design Modeling and Visualization Conference & IMAGINA 2007
March 12 , 2007
There are few conferences in the world where large numbers of professionals in the architectural and design visualization field all get together in one place to attend sessions and network with each other, but VisMasters and IMAGINA have been working to change this over the last several years. While independent organizations, both succeeded jointly this year in pulling off the largest event of it’s kind yet. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Review of Craft Director Tools
March 5 , 2007
by Chad Warner
Craft Director Tools is a suite of real-time animation tools useful for everything from making a car drive down the street to animating jitter in a camera. The set of tools is relatively easy to install, use, and animate and the results are very impressive with the amount of time that goes into the setup. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Digging for Details: Painstaking Research results in Brilliant 3D re-creation of Mayan Ruins
March 5 , 2007
by Rachael Taggart
Being offered the chance to record, reconstruct and then create a documentary about a 1,000 year old Maya city is not something that many of us get. Clement Valla, an architectural designer by profession and a 3D freelance modeler by choice, was offered the opportunity in 2005, and has spent the last year planning, traveling, and working on the project. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Why as an Architect, my next Computer could be a Dual Core MAC?
January 22, 2007
by Artemis Fradelou
IDEA is the IntelliCAD-based BIM solution, designed to meet in a very friendly and flexible way all the needs of an architect, including advanced architectural design, rendering and virtual walkthrough. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Why as an Architect, my next Computer could be a Dual Core MAC?
November 20, 2006
by Rohit Arora
Beginning this year, the makers of Machintosh Computers, made an important announcement, presented on stage by CEO Steve Jobs, telling the astonished audience that they are going to put in the Intel Chip in future Macs and part way from Power PC platform.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Cheetah 3.4 Review
October 18, 2006
by Tim Danaher
Here we'll be looking at Cheetah3D version 3.4. Cheetah (or C3D) is a Mac-only modeling rendering and animation program that has found great favor with architects due to its streamlined interface, great rendering options – and its extremely low price.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
modo 202 Reviewed
October 3, 2006
by Wm Alexander
modo is said to have a cult following amongst the ArchViz community. Why then is a 3D application, known for its subdivision modeling capabilities, in its early to middle stages of development gaining favor so strongly in a specialized 3D discipline such as Architectural visualization? |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
SIGGRAPH 2006/VisMasters Design Visualization Conference
August 18, 2006
Having now recovered from this year’s SIGGRAPH, I’ve finally found some time to do a small write up about the event this year. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
2006 Screampoint International Consultants Conference
April 3, 2006
A few weeks ago I was invited to attend the first annual Screampoint International Consultants conference in Shanghai, China. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
SketchUp 5 Book Review
January 6, 2006
by Tim Danaher
We all love SketchUp. However, what the program has traditionally suffered from is a lack of reference materials. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
How Old is the Network
November 2005
by Brian O' Hanlon
Everyone talks about the information economy as if it were something new. But the information economy had its roots back in 18th and 19th century France. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Review of REALVIZ Stitcher 5
November 28, 2005
A few years ago I reviewed Stitcher 3.1, but with version 5 having been recently released, I thought I would take a look to see what had changed. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Review of Evermotion Archmodels
November 13, 2005
I recently had the opportunity to review many of the model collections offered by Evermotion. I had access to volumes 1-12 for this evaluation and will look at model quality, ease of use, file setup, variety and overall usefulness. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
The Digital Window
September 2005
by Brian O' Hanlon
The popular image of an architect, is someone carrying a 'bundle of drawings' and a great deal of responsibility. The famous 'bundle of drawings' is an architect's perceptual window into a design problem. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Shade 7 Professional
August 29, 2005
by Lambros Potamianos
Shade is really quick and efficient to work with, especially for illustration or design purposes. The learning curve is far from steep, and if the user finds that he can get along with the UI, it will prove to be a good choice. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Sugar3D Car Models Reviewed
August 29, 2005
No doubt these are some of the best car models I have seen. In fact some of the best models I have seen period. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
FileFlow 2.0
June 6, 2005
I recently had the opportunity to take FastSend 2.0 for a testdrive, a new digital file transfer service by FileFlow. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Final Render Stage-1
May 9 , 2005
By John Dollus
During the course of producing this review, it became apparent that rendering engines seem to have developed somewhat of a cult-like following. Users of rendering engines are very defensive when it comes to comparisons. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
IMAGINA 2005
February 21 , 2005
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending IMAGINA 2005 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. The show brought roughly 2500 participants to Monaco for four days at the Grimaldi forum which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Vue 5 Reviewed
January 31, 2005
The first thing one realizes 5 minutes after launching the program is what the developers claim: a piece of software that actually “grows” with the user, as one can choose the way he approaches the software's features |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Cinema 4D R9 Reviewed
January 17, 2005
Cinema 4D is a modular software package involving a base application complimented by expansion packages of specialty features such as character animation tools, advanced lighting tools, advanced particle effects, and networked rendering capabilities. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
A First look at Illuminate labs’ Turtle for Maya
December 13 , 2004
By Christopher Nichols
You will remember that in my prologue, I mentioned that the archviz subgroup of CG artists have the most experience in GI then any other group. So while I was not completely blown away by this product, I was pretty happy with what it could do.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Piranesi ® 4 Painting Space for Windows Review
December 13 , 2004
By Mike White - Bit Contructs.com
I started out in 2003 with Release 3 of the popular painting software Piranesi, which takes its roots in the work and style of the 18th century architectural draftsman, Giovanni Battista Piranesi. After seeing the demo CD I was astounded with the amazing range of capabilities that this software can provide to the architectural illustrator, landscape architect and interior designer. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
World Builder Pro 4 Review
December 6 , 2004
By Wm Alexander WDA Design
There are almost a dozen camera tracking softwares on the market today ranging in price from about $500 upwards of $10,000 US, but the software that caught my eye at this year’s SIGGRAPH was 2d3’s Boujou Bullet. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Boujou Bullet Review
November 29, 2004
There are almost a dozen camera tracking softwares on the market today ranging in price from about $500 upwards of $10,000 US, but the software that caught my eye at this year’s SIGGRAPH was 2d3’s Boujou Bullet. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Metropoly Review
November 15 , 2004
by Josh Presseisen, Art Director (Neoscape, Inc.)
Metropoly by Axyz-Design offers multiple sets of 3d people that are low to medium poly (3-6k). These sets contain mostly casually dressed people with high quality textures and well laid out texture maps
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Architectural Visualization - An Analysis from Human Visual Cognitions Process - by Liang Chen
October 12 , 2004
This article describes the problems in the current architectural communication
process. It starts with the discussion of the problem of the current communication
methods used in architectural design followed by the discussion of the popular
communication theory. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
ArchVision Hi-Res Deciduous RPC Collection
October 4 , 2004
Marking the first of many upcoming hi-res RPC libraries, ArchVision recently released a North American Deciduous collection containing 75 trees each 2500 pixels high. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
ArchVision Composer
September 13 , 2004
The tool itself is very straight forward and while it only has a few settings to content with, allows you to very quickly drop in and position the RPC content within your scene.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
ArchiCD for 3dsmax
September 6 , 2004
The CD, entitled ArchiCD for 3dsmax 6, is described as an intermediate level video training CD covering the areas of modeling and rendering. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
SIGGRAPH 2004 Trip Report
August 23 , 2004
SIGGRAPH 2004 ended on an up note this year marking a 14% increase in attendance from 2003. A total of 27,825 professionals from nearly 90 countries attended this year’s show. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
The
Future of Architectural Visualization
May 25, 2004
For
those of you that were not able to attend my session at this year’s
3DFestival in Copenhagen, I thought I’d summarize many of the
items I presented. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
3DFestival/AVC
2004
May 17, 2004
Trip report from the 2004 3DFestival/AVC Conference in Copenhagen
Denmark. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Second
Annual Radiance Workshop Report - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories
October 6, 2003
By Rob Guglielmetti (rpg@rumblestrip.org) |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Field
Report from Autodesk University 2002
December 23, 2002
By
Gary Rackliff (garyr@rmillervisualization.com) |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
A
field report on the Inaugural RADIANCE Workshop
October 7, 2002
By Rob Guglielmetti (rpg@rumblestrip.org)
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
TurboCAD
v.10 Professional Reviewed
July 11, 2004
By
Wm Alexander (wda@asapnet.net)
This is an out of the box review of TurboCad v.10 professional.
Having never used TurboCad and being heavy on experience with
AutoCAD and Discreet 3D software, this has been a very interesting
excursion. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Hyperfocal
Terrains from Hyperfocal Design
June 28 , 2004
Recently Hyperfocal design released a new collection,
Hyperfocal terrains, featuring 92 high-resolution terrain textures
including grass, rock, sand, gravel and more.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Greenworks
Xfrog 3.5
February 12, 2004
I’ve tested most of the commercial tree and plant applications
out there over the past few years and I have to say I was pretty impressed
with the capabilities of Xfrog. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Anark
Studio 2.0
October 1, 2003
Anark Studio 2, a multimedia authoring software, that
may possibly be able to give you the edge in the originality
category. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
ACADLighting
v1.0 Review
By Rob Guglielmetti
(rpg@rumblestrip.org)
August 3, 2003
ACADLighting, an AutoCAD plug-in from Design & Drafting
of Oak Lawn, IL, allows you to create volumetric and other lighting
effects inside of AutoCAD. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Hyperfocal
Skies from Hyperfocal Design
June 1, 2003
Is
your collection of panoramic skies incomplete, or are the versions
you have now not cutting it? Well, if you answered yes to either of
these you will be excited to find out that there is a new kid in town. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
ArchVision's™
RPC™ Helpers and Mass Populate
Tools
April 7, 2003
In
a follow up article to last week's review of ArchVison's
RPC™ Parking Lot Cars™, we bring to light some exciting
developments that have made their way into the just released RPC™
3.4 Plug-in. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Maya
4.5 Fundamentals
By Christopher Nichols (cpnichols@attbi.com)
March 31, 2003
A
few months ago, I was asked to write a review about an educational
book on Alias / Wavefront’s Maya. The book is Maya 4.5 Fundamentals.
Having been a teacher that taught Maya to architects, I was fairly
interested in doing the review. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Archvision's™
RPC Parking Lot Cars™
March 26, 2003
For those of you who often include large numbers of
vehicles in your scenes you will be happy to note that the latest
release by ArchVision: RPC™ Parking Lot Cars, has hit the virtual
car dealership. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Battle
of the Matchmovers - An in-depth Review
December 1, 2002
By
Christopher Nichols (cpnichols@attbi.com)
The
concept of perspective matching may not be uncommon to many architectural
illustrators. You have a photograph of your site and you want to insert
your building or space into that photograph... |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Inside
Brazil r/s 1.0
October 1, 2002
The highly anticipated release of Brazil r/s 1.0 arrives for AEC visualization
artists using discreet’s 3ds max™ or Autodesk Viz™.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
SpeedTree
MAX vs Bionatics natFX
September 26, 2002
As most of us know a successful exterior architectural
rendering required more than just the architecture itself. To achieve
true realism, a scene requires anchor objects to tie the real to the
not so real. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
A
Designer’s Look at 3ds max 5
August 21, 2002
By Christopher Nichols (cpnichols@attbi.com)
|
|
| |
 |
|
Vue
d'Esprit 4
June 23, 2002
Vue 4 is the ideal tool for realistic 3D scenery. It features a completely
new interface design optimized for ease-of-use and productivity.
|
|
| |

|
|
Aurora
1.0
June 8, 2002
Digital Element, the makers of World Builder, have recently released
a new product called Aurora, a natural FX plugin for PhotoShop. |
|
| |

|
|
Vray
May 7, 2002
Christopher Nichols, a visualization and animation specialist
for a major architecture firm in Santa Monica California, take a look
at the use of Vray in an architecural setting.
|
|
| |

|
|
ArchVision
Automobiles Volume 1
May 7, 2002
ArchVision's latest RPC content library. |
|
| |
 |
|
REALVIZ® MatchMover 2® and MatchMover Professional®
March 4. 2002
MatchMover is an advanced solution for capturing camera path and
camera parameter information from 2D video or film footage.
|
|
| |

|
|
Animax
Texture Collection
February 24. 2002
A collection of 1000+ medium and high resolution textures from
the guys at Stack!Studios. |
|
| |
|
|
REALVIZ® Stitcher® 3.1
February 3. 2002
REALVIZ® Stitcher® is the way to build high quality panoramas
for the web, film, print, and 3D.
|
|
| |
|
|
Quadrispace
Presentation Suite
January 14, 2002
The QuadriSpace Presentation Suite integrates dynamic, real time
views of your 3D models and CAD drawings with standard presentation
elements.
|
|
| |
|
|
Autodesk
VIZ 4®
December 15, 2001
The latest release of the popular architectural modelling and
rendering package by Autodesk.
This is a two part review focusing on VIZ
4, written by Jeff Mottle and a special feature on VIZ
4's lighting analysis tools, written by Rob Guglielmetti. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|