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Minnesota University 2013 (HD) - Autodesk Discussion Panel
This is a panel of representatives from Autodesk who discuss questions from Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) customers about Autodesk software, and where the industry is going.
Minnesota University is a regional professional development event where attendees learn about new and emerging technologies, new features of Autodesk software, tools and techniques that keep architects and building engineering firms competitive.
Everything about Photo-Real Architectural Rendering
For those of you who aren’t familiar with photo-real architectural rendering and want to learn more about it you’ve landed on the right side of the web.
Also called architectural illustration, architectural rendering is the art that refers to the creation of 2D and 3D images or animations in order to highlight the most important attributes and facets of the given architectural design.
While architectural rendering has been used in the construction and design industry for decades now, its more modern form uses computer-generated renderings, also known as photo-real renderings.
What is the main use of photo-real architectural renderings?
Well, the combination of 3D drawing art and software technology has led to a variety of uses of these renderings. First and foremost, architectural renderings are used for presentation of new architectural and design purposes, as well as for marketing and advertisement. Another use of architectural rendering is the design analysis purpose.
Still, one of the most powerful uses it has is to help people see how their house or property will look when it will be done constructed and decorated. Nowadays more and more architect bureaus and construction companies use photo-real architectural rendering in order to show their clients the final product and make sure that this is what they want.
Moreover, architectural renderings we see today are to the right proportion, scale and even use real life textures or materials and even color and finishes.
Another important use of these types of renderings are in real estate sales because they facilitate the possibility to make slight changes in design well before the house or property is actually built.
Are there more types of photo-real architectural renderings?
The answer is yes. And this depends on what the client wants and needs. Hence, architectural renderings can refer to still renderings, animations, virtual tours, renovation renderings, as well as 3D and panoramic renderings.
Depending on the purpose of the rendering, a professional architectural illustrator can help you with the exact type of rendering that you need. Basically, the job of the architectural illustrator is to put complex concepts or objects into reality and elaborate photo-real or non-realistic 3D images or animations. The renderings are used to communicate design ideas to clients, customers, to the general public or to owners and committees.
What does it take to be a professional architectural illustrator?
Although there are very many softwares and technologies that architectural illustrators use to create this type of artwork, not everybody can create a photo-real rendering. You need to have the knowhow in order to operate the special softwares and create the final version of this architectural art.
All of the professional architectural illustrators are artists at their core and they know a vast deal about proportions, sections, parameters and the architecture of buildings, besides having a tremendous imagination and creativity. Besides, a professional render knows all about the psychology of color, he understands how light and shadow works in other words, he sees like an artist, and this is visible it the final product.
Last but not least, in order to deliver spectacular art pieces such as design renderings, a pro needs to be passionate of his work. Every great man in the history of mankind has been passionate of his work to the point in which he managed to revolutionize the world.
How does a photo-real rendering come to life?
If you’ve ever wondered how one can “bring to life” such abstract concepts in a sheer visual manner, you’ll find the answer right away. Well, an architectural rendering is the direct result of combining the fundamentals of art with the latest software technology.
A render engine is included with every major 3D software suite nowadays, and it depends on the artist on which software he uses. Due to the evolution of technology, the softwares available today come with easy to use and understand parameters that help a whole lot the illustrator editing his art in order to come out as realistic and complete as possible. The material and lighting packages that come with most rendering softwares help even more with achieving that over the top level of realism.
Some of the most used software in architectural rendering to get that photo-real feel to the final product are 3D MAX Design Studio, ArchiCad, Revit, Maya, AutoCad Architecture, Google Sketch Up as well as Rhinoceros.
The architectural illustrator uses one of these softwares, adds texturing, transparency, shadows as well as radiosity and caustics for the finishing touches. With a bit of magic, a lot of knowhow and an artistic touch, the photo-real architectural rendering comes to life and is ready to use.
Why do we need photo-real architectural renderings?
We live in a world where taking risks, especially when it comes to constructing or renovating a property, is not worth it, in fact, is quite risky. Photo-real renderings come to help those who face difficulty in choosing among the infinite options when building, designing or decorating their place.
We need photo-real architectural rendering because it eases our imaginative work and it shows exactly how things will look after completion. Architectural rendering excludes all the unexpected and unpleasant surprises that could come along and shows to the client the final look and design of their property.
In the world, we live in today we can take no more risks. We work all of our lives to purchase the home of our dreams, and we don’t want that moment to turn into a nightmare. This is why photo-real architectural rendering is the answer to designing and decorating a house before taking action and completing the construction.
Keynote: BIM Adoption in North America
This is the first keynote address for Minnesota University 2013, as presented by Dan Hamilton from Autodesk. It provides information about BIM adoption in North America.
Minnesota University is a regional professional development event where attendees learn about new and emerging technologies, new features of Autodesk software, tools and techniques that keep architects and building engineering firms competitive.
See Like An Artist
Check critical proportions and locations while using "transparent mode", which creates a virtual projection onto your work surface.
Simplify your subject into its basic value patterns. Train your eye to see the lights and darks before you get into the detail of color and modeling.
Throughout the history of art, artists have searched for ways to produce their work more quickly and more accurately. Research has been written that argues that even the old masters - people like Rembrandt, Vermeer and Caravaggio likely used innovations like the camera lucida and camera obscura. Artist's Eye re-imagine's these devices using the power of modern technology!
Vray 3.0 renderer with Vladimir Koylazov
Chaos Group, have published an online magazine covering a preview of their upcoming Vray 3.0 renderer with Vladimir Koylazov, (Vlado, creator of Vray), plus some great interviews with artists from studios like Blur and Factory Fifteen. You can download or read the magazine online via the Chaos Group website.
Teaching to See
One of the best presents of art education, designer and educator Inge Druckrey says, is "to enjoy seeing. Suddenly you begin to see things in your daily life that you never noticed." In this acclaimed video, Inge explains how she teaches design students to see.
It's a long, 38-minute video (bookmark it if you don't have time now), but it contains many lessons on creativity, such as how limitations can be a structure for finding creative solutions and why just staring can help you see what's possible. It's also a beautifully made film.
Whether you're an aspiring artist or not, the video can teach you how to really look, notice and appreciate design details, and become more critical and curious in the process.
The World Needs All Kinds Of Minds
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I'm an Architect Rap
"Yo, Where my red lines at?"
I picture Frank Lloyd Wright, while you think I'm Mike Brady
And engineers devour our work and call us crazy
We got rounded specs, but they ain't for looks
It's from staring at our screens and all those history books
We turn an empty space, into a world of possibility
Maintaining privacy, and tranquility
Graduate from school, about to change the world,
But I'm stuck designing thrones with a clockwise swirl
CHORUS
We're architects oh! With creative flair
Re-designing the world, from buildings to chairs
It's a daily grind, but we love what we do
A satisfying job giving you a better view
Lord of the Elmer's, and king of scraps
Making models our of paper, and plastic bottle caps
I'm a master of BIM, making lines with dashes,
Except I'll lose my mind, if Revit *bleep* crashes
GREEN is gold, and LEED is big,
Know the golden triangle, and learn your trig
Challenge the formula, push the envelope,
Put more glazing over here. That looks really dope!
CHORUS
Crank the A/C in the office just to stay awake,
Espresso and Red Bull till I got a stomach ache.
With our cotton blazers high, we have a sense of style,
But to the rest of the world we just point and smile
I read code books, while I'm on vacation
Take pictures of, my latest creation
We wear black and gray, with no logos on our threads
So many sleepless nights we're like the walking dead
CHORUS
Got so many scales, myswell (might as well) call me a fish
Does your lawn look boring? I'll design you a dish
Starchitects, no!, call them Hollywood actors,
Cause they can't deal with general contractors
Spec book wasn't clear so I got these RFI's
Clients making changes that we all despise.
We got better FORM, than Jordan's jump shot
And designs that function like a million dollar yacht.
CHORUS
I'm an architect, "Oh you mean like Ted Mosby?"
Understanding How Light Works
Understanding how light works are essential to creating dimension in your architectural rendering—there’s no way around it.
Let there be light!
Think about it, without the contrast of light and dark there is no way to show depth or dimension, everything would just be flat and lifeless. You’ve probably seen examples of this with flash photography. When the flash is used improperly it can blast light into every crack and crevice, completely eliminating the contrast created by the shadow areas. When this happens, your subject goes flat, and you lose the dimension that brings life to your work.
Whether you think you understand how light works or not, your brain does. I know that probably sounds a little creepy—your brain has a mind of it’s own—but it’s the truth. If you look at a rendering where light hasn’t been used properly, you’re brain is going to know that something isn’t right. That’s why it’s so important to learn how to harness the power of light in your architectural renderings!
When Is Noise In A Rendering Okay?
Noise and grain are not necessarily bad. Architectural illustrators sometimes intentionally generate this texture for interesting, creative effects. For one thing, it can add to the mood of a rendering. Think of the kind of image you often see on jazz or rock album covers (remember those?). The photographers who create these images often go for as much noise and distortion as they can, because it seems to best suit the subject matter and environment.
Generally though, most people want a rendering with rich colors and sharp, smooth detail.
SolidRocks V1.2.4 is out !!
SolidRocks V1.2.4 is out !!
SolidRocks adjusts and optimise all needed Vray parameters to reach the best rendertime/quality ratio.
Learn Vray progressively, see in realtime changes made by SolidRocks when you change resolution/quality.
SR V1.2.4 includes new tools for both VrayMasters and Beginners:
- Works with V-Ray 2.4 ;) and max 2014
- New RT button (Max 2013 and 2014 only) for easy one clic RT launch !
- Now Includes MOA Wizard (animation wizard) - More info here !
- New DR and BB buttons for network rendering
- FlyThrough animation Wizard !
- Compatible with SigerShaders
- 1 click process for complete Vray setup !
- Modular and small interface (GUI)
- mini preview for fast feedback
- auto Exposure and Auto White balance tools
- friendly and Very simple usage
- Full LWF gamma correction with useful options
- modifiable presets : exterior, interior...
- learn Vray watching SolidRocks at work !
- shareLightcache tool to speedup slaves warmup
- materials and lights optimisation for best rendertimes
- switch from draft to production settings in one click !
- gain time... Lot of time !!
New Vray users can also learn essential rules of Vray, observing changes made by SolidRocks when resolution and/or quality are changed.
Vray Masters can customise SR and presets and use SolidRocks as a custom settings automator.
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Copying Rendering Techniques
Copying rendering techniques is one of the most challenging and revealing ways for, 3D artists to test themselves and further their abilities.
Copying the 3D artwork of the masters are something every 3D artist can relate to. Copying is a form of inquiry that can bring significant understanding to an artist. And the practice is not just for beginners; even master 3D artists have returned to copying for their own edification.
The practice of copying drawings dates as far back as the 14th century and has long been considered one of the best ways to learn.
V-Ray for 3ds Max New Service Pack
Dear V-Ray users,
A new V-Ray for 3ds Max service pack is now available for immediate download at the Chaos Group Downloads page. This is a free update for all V-Ray 2.0 customers.
Important highlights include:
• Support for 3ds Max 2014;
• Support for MultiScatter instancing in V-Ray RT: The new service pack further improves the integration between V-Ray and MultiScatter allowing the user to effectively render millions of polygons of instanced geometry with V-Ray RT;
• Changed default settings of VFB's sRGB button, "Don't affect colors" option and "Gamma" value: V-Ray’s default settings have been modified to allow the use of Linear Workflow from the very beginning.
See the full list of optimizations and fixes in V-Ray 2.40.04 for 3ds Max.
Thanks for being part of the V-Ray experience!
The Chaos Group Team
3M’s Projected Capacitive Multitouch Technology
The Platform 46 combines Ideum’s design and build-quality with a 3M high-performance multitouch display to present a rugged turnkey multitouch table. Along with its innovative design, the Platform 46 comes with an integrated and powerful desktop Intel i7 and is the only touch table to feature the ultra-fast and precise 3M™ Multitouch Display (C4667PW) with support for 60 touch points. - See more at: http://ideum.com/redefined/#sthash.9PuVXNdb.dpuf
3D Virtuality Sketching
Sketches and working models are without a doubt one of the most widely used tools in the architect’s repertoire. In the early phases of the design process in particular, they represent an essential part of the exploration process. For the most part, however, sketching and model building are separate and sequential steps. This project examines how both media can be linked to each other more effectively so that the design process is more continuous and the transition between the two media more fluid. Using a multi-touch table with additional 3D real-time object recognition, a prototypical system was developed and realised as part of a research project in which an interactive 3D sketching tool was linked with a real 3D working model.
The CDP-Environment extended to support interactive Sketching on real models. An additional Touchscreen is connected to the Multitouch Table. This allows two views of the same scene: One is the top-down view on the Table, the other one is a perspective view of the same scene on the additional touchscreen. This constellation allows the user to draw directly in the scene based on GIS-Data and real models. In addition, the drawings are mapped perspectively correct to the real object.
CDP // 3D Virtuality Sketching from Schubert on Vimeo.