Pro Photorender ?, Photoworks?, 3dmax ? etc. 1

[DavidLeech]

I am trying to decide on a rendering pakage to learn and am wondering if any comparisons exist between any of the above or other rendering packages which might help in deciding on which option is best. The models wil probably be native ProE but can be exported if necessary. I am looking for ease of use, maximum rendering capability, fastest learning curve etc. If anyone has experience in rendering and has advice on the pros and cons of a particular package then I would be most appreciative of your feedback.

With thanks in advance.

 

[TXS]

We use 3d max to render out stuff. We export STL files and they read in pretty well usually, occasionally you will have to do some work on them, but generally it is just breaking up assemblies into individual parts. I think the Pro/photorender is difficult to use, the interface and controls on 3d max are much better, especially in regards to setting up the room. You also have alot more control over your materials.

MM

http://www.txsdesign.com/

 

[DavidLeech]

Thanks for the reply TXS. Having checked out your website your views carry considerable weight given the type of products you develop. Having only recently being exposed to ProE (after using Solidworks for years)it appears that considerable improvement is required on the quality of the interface's with the program and it comes as no surprise that you do not favour Pro/Photorender. I wonder if anyone has any views on Photoworks?

 

[xbot]

Hi David how is the rendering going?

I'm in the same position as you, starting out on rendering after using Pro/E for quite a while.
Can anyone tell me where to find good tutorials on mapping graphics onto imported models in 3ds max?
Is there any other way than manually mapping UV co-ordinates as I've seen in some tutorials?
Cant one just position and scale decals onto surfaces as one does in Pro/E's renderer?
Any suggestions on rendering tutorials and mapping to help me fast-track the process will be appreciated.

 

[coolntn]

One of the easiest, least expensive and fastest is CINEMA 4D.

The rendering quality is excellent if you have a little time to tweak and adjust lighting setups.

It' available from

http://www.maxoncomputer.com

Not a super strong modeler, but for rendering it's great.

Shadows, reflections, refraction, caustics, radiosity, the list goes on and on.

[glasses}

 

[jdt020471]

We use Rhinocerous 3D with the Flamingo render plug-in, getting some good results.

http://www.simplyrhino.co.uk

See what you think.

JDT

Jeff



It's all part of life's rich tapestry!

 

[Guest0527211403]

I would recommend taking a look at PovRay Raytracing software at

http://www.povray.org

.

It doesn't quite meet your requirement for ease of use, but once you get the hang of it, you will find that it is a very powerful rendering package.

It's biggest selling point, though, is its cost: NOTHING! It is open-source software.

To use it with Pro/E, you need to export an *.SLP file of your part(s) (hint: set your chord height to zero and press enter, Pro/E will enter the lowest possible chord height). Then, use a converter (rend2pov or slp2pov) to convert this data into Pov-ray information.


The best practice, I have found, is to convert your data into *.inc files and declare each part as an object. Then, in a master *.pov scene file, call each of these objects and assign textrures, materials and so on to them, as well as setting up the cameras, lights and other global settings.

Like I mentioned, the learning curve is somewhat steep, but with time, the results are much better than Pro/Photorender could ever put out.

Other (free) recommended software for use with PovRay (google any of the terms to learn more):

Wings3D (with wingspov converter)
SPatch
povlab

 

[Hora]

Blender3D (

http://www.blender3d.com)is

also a nice free package.

-Hora