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3-d Modelling and Rendering Field
IanJC
Registered User new member
Registered User new member
Hi Everyone,
I've been playing around with SketchUp/3DS MAX/AutoDesk VIZ/Maya etc. etc. and the like for a while, and I've recently been thinking about starting my own business providing architectural renderings for companies. I was wondering if anyone here knows someone (or themselves is someoone) who works in this field. I just want to get an idea on the demand for these kind of services. I would be providing the higher end stuff, not the easy stuff you can do with Revit 2009 and that. I appreciate any help you guys can give me, even if it's just an educated guess. Thanks!
I've been playing around with SketchUp/3DS MAX/AutoDesk VIZ/Maya etc. etc. and the like for a while, and I've recently been thinking about starting my own business providing architectural renderings for companies. I was wondering if anyone here knows someone (or themselves is someoone) who works in this field. I just want to get an idea on the demand for these kind of services. I would be providing the higher end stuff, not the easy stuff you can do with Revit 2009 and that. I appreciate any help you guys can give me, even if it's just an educated guess. Thanks!
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Depending on the style/budget of architect you're working for it can be quite fun and challenging... Or incredibly boring and soulless. Freelance teams in China/India have basically refined the process thoroughly to be able to provide semi-decent images and animations for tiny tiny costs and most architects will go for this cheaper option as few really see the benefit of higher-end imagery.
Our industry is also heavily affected by any changes in the housing market such as the current slump/recession. The construction industry/architecture is always seriously heavily affected and we're feeling the pinch at the moment. I've heard of a lot of studios laying people off.
Do you have any architectural training such as a university degree? I have my M.Arts in Architectural Design and would say that many in-house teams working for an architect would expect/prefer a formal architectural education. Freelance teams might not be as bothered.
Have you looked into any external rendering packages that work in conjunction with the software you mentioned? Every architectural firm can use sketchup now so there's really no market there. 3dsMax is the industry leader for modelling software however very few use MentalRay (it's inbuilt rendering package) and prefer to use Vray. It can be powerful but is very difficult to learn and pretty expensive. Autodesk Viz doesn't exist any more, Autodesk have discontinued it now. Maya is a great piece of software but many don't find it particularly good for architectural visualisation, it's better for more organic modelling. Other options include Maxwell render which can give great results at the expense of huge render times, or FryRender which I have no experience with.
Can you post any examples of work you've done? It would be better to get an idea of what level you're at just now.
Basically it's not an impossible field to get into. However other than a sort of part-time job it would be near impossible for you to make a living at it with the current market if you wanted to start your own business. Start up costs for hardware and software are massive. You could try getting a job with a freelance firm however they would expect a very good portfolio. Getting a job with an architecture firm would more than likely require some sort of previous architectural education.
To be honest i'd advise looking into the more fun parts of 3d modelling, such as character-modelling and animation/rigging. They are much more satisfying to do as a hobby. The Gnomon series of DVD's are a fantastic resource for learning this sort of work. Modelling the same ugly little McMansion for the 40th time isn't a fun way to spend the day!
Any other questions just ask. Sorry if i'm not too coherent, had a few beers!
However, as Ponge said, the industry (pretty everything tied to real estate and development) is in a huge slump and there are massive lay offs going on everywhere, not just mortgage brokers and loan companies. So be careful with that.
I have looked into some 3rd party rendering packages, one of the guys who used to work for the company I'm at used V-Ray alot, so he taught me a bit about it. Mental Ray I can pretty much navigate my way around, but V-Ray would be a different story. I'm sure I could hit him up for some lessons though, he's a good guy. I had forgotten that they cancelled VIZ, but it's decendant is just going to be a bare bones 3DSMAX isn't it? 3DSMAX Design or something? I may look into the Gnomon series of DVD's for fun, character modelling seemed to be incredibly difficult when I was trying it a few years ago, but I think that was before the better tools to use bones and that came around.
I know AutoCAD like the back of my hand, it's one of the core components of my course, which is why I was going to try to leverage that skill into an archi-vis business. Taking a clients drawings, interpreting them and making a rendering or animation for them would be an easy and fun thing for me that I could do all myself.
One of the largest architectural companies in the world eh Ponge? Can I have a hint? :P I don't suppose you're hiring a dedicated self-starter who can accomplish complicated tasks easily and efficiently? :winky: haha I'm only kidding, although the idea of knowing someone like you seems like it would be very benificial to me, I'd really like to pick your brain as much as I can
As for the economy situation - I had a feeling that it would have an impact, but I didn't really think it was as negative as you're saying it is. Maybe I could start this as a (very) part time job and work up from there? I'm only 23, the downturn can't last that long ..... hopefully.