GETTING UP TO SPEED WITH VIZ

[BRYANSCUBA]

Good Morning to All

Thought this forum would be the best place for Viz Expertise
I am currently working as a senior CAD Technician in Civil Engineering,
I have always been interested in using/learning Viz and now may have an opportunity to do so
as the company i work for want to bring it in to better demostrate to a client through walkthroughs
and rendering the designs that we are producing rather than showing them cross section and long sections etc.

As a chance to start using Viz I want to offer to produce the required work using the new software and
learn as i go along, my questions are:

1. how difficult is it to produce basic walkthoughs/flythroughs
2. how long would it take to produce a visual flythrough containing the following -
(a) model of a bridge (b) road design from MX or KTF (c) bring in a 3D ground model from MX or KTF and add texture etc

Many Thanks for any help in advance

Bryan Carter

[hendie]

how long is a piece of string?

that's it in a nutshell really. A basic flythrough/walkthrough can be done in anything from minutes to hours to days. Are you including rendering time in that scenario ?
I've done flythroughs that took a few hours to set up but took over a weekend to render.
it all depends upon the complexity of the model, lighting, shadows etc etc.
are you doing the model in Viz or importing it from somewhere ?
it's an excellent programme and is capable of tremendous graphics presentations but it does have a very steep learning curve
I had used Acad for years and was very capable with it but it took me a long time using Max & Viz before I became any good

[BRYANSCUBA]

cheers for the prompt reply...

can walkthroughs be done with basic block colour shading rather than a full render, like in AutoCAD?

cheers

[hendie]

yes, they can even be done in wireframe if that's what you want. It's a very versatile programme.

[BRYANSCUBA]

Ever heard of Key-3D, as my company are planning to use it within Viz for the 3D capability they want..

Many Thanks

Bryan

[hendie]

never heard of it. What 3D capabilities does it offer over and above what Viz already offers ?

the name would suggest keyframing which Viz already does. ~ oops, just checked, it's a rapid prototyping setup. Sorry never had the need for stereolithography

[BRYANSCUBA]

http://key-3d.co.uk.... see what you think... runs as toolbar inside Viz

[hendie]

I must have been on a different key3d website :shock:

from what I can see, I think I'd rather spend the money on getting some decent training.
most of what they're offering is freely available within Viz or available as plug-ins (probably)

that said, I don't have the cash to get a copy or evaluate it so...

I think I'd still go for the training though

[BRYANSCUBA]

Cheers, see what u mean...

My situation is im currently working as freelance on CAD my company want me to go perm so are pushing the Viz training etc as an incentive, means a big drop in wages though so im thinking it maybe best to pay myself for some training.. problem is i dont want to be seen to want my cake and eat it etc... are there any good Tutorial CD's/books so I could learn that way... found a place offering weekend courses for £750 + vat..

My boss is keen for me to decide asap so he can get the ball rollin... puts pressure on me though then...!!! :?

Am bored of 2D CAD though would like to move towards 3D and viz etc maybe architecture... sound realistic or a pipe dream....

Cheers

Bryan

[hendie]

>> Am bored of 2D CAD though would like to move towards 3D and viz etc

if you can find 3d work, go for it !
I've been at this game now for around 8 years professionally. (gawd is that all ???) I've only managed to do 3d work for brief periods. the 1st company I worked for didn't want to know about it. The second company loved it but couldn't justify having me do it full time as the customers wouldn't pay for it, and my current company just don't have a need for it, though I've managed to find a couple projects where I could use it.
the only 3d work I've done recently is for the competitions here at this forum !

I wouldn't want to advise you on training... I've only had "professional" training once ~ and I ended up helping the trainer ~ not because I was so good but because the trainer was so crap !

If you are going to take training ~ get some references from them and make sure you check them out !

[BRYANSCUBA]

cheers

i will bear it in mind.. have you seen
http://cgarchitect.com/jobs/default.asp

what sector do you work in civil/architecture or mech?