3DS Max Importing DWG

Hi there this is my first post so please be easy on me.

I am looking into using 3DS Max to render extremely detailed models of Airplanes.

I have never used 3DS Max so i am just at the research stage ATM and was just wondering how easy/difficult would it be to import a DWG with potentially 100's of Assemblies and render it but i only want to render the outside visible assemblies and in as short time as possible.

It's very simple to Import dwg's into Max.

Rendering time is relative to the complexity of the model, the render settings you choose and the computer you are working on. Very detailed, photorealistic renders can take quite a while to produce, even on a high powered machine.

I have moved your question to the 3DS Max section.

It's very simple to Import dwg's into Max.

 

Rendering time is relative to the complexity of the model, the render settings you choose and the computer you are working on. Very detailed, photorealistic renders can take quite a while to produce, even on a high powered machine.

 

I have moved your question to the 3DS Max section.

Ok thanks for that i was in a bit of a hurry as i had a couple of minutes to Register inbetween jobs. Thanks for letting me know about this section.

In a nutshell and without much knowledge of CAD i would say that the Model would be pretty complex as they would be the Orig CAD drawings of Airfix products.

I have been reading up a little on 3DS Max and would i be right in thinking that this would be a problem especially considering i would have no input into the CAD drawing.

P.S I will not be likely to be using a super quality computer, i may even wait to see weather they will be making the software compatible with the Intell Mac's

I have been told that for this kind of Job i would be better off drawing from scratch?????

The problem with Importing CAD dwg's into Max is that if you don't have good geometry, to begin with, you could end up with a big mess. You have to really think ahead, if you're going to build your model in Autocad and then render in Max, and take care to produce a quality model. If someone else is building the model, you really won't know what you've got until you try to Import it. I have Imported CAD files in the past that have had missing pieces or faces were flipped inside-out and they required a lot of cleanup to make them work. But if your models are good to begin with, then you shouldn't have too many problems.

The problem with Importing CAD dwg's into Max is that if you don't have good geometry, to begin with, you could end up with a big mess. You have to really think ahead, if you're going to build your model in Autocad and then render in Max, and take care to produce a quality model. If someone else is building the model, you really won't know what you've got until you try to Import it. I have Imported CAD files in the past that have had missing pieces or faces were flipped inside-out and they required a lot of cleanup to make them work. But if your models are good to begin with, then you shouldn't have too many problems.

Well not coming from a CAD background i wouldnt really know what the geometry would be like so ill just have to get the software and see what happens i suppose.

Well i have spoken to my prospective client and it would seem that i wouldnt be able to use there CAD drawings as they are far too complex and it would be easier to build it ourselves.

I have one quick question, would i have to use something like Autocad to make the model or is this possible in 3ds Max.

Thankyou

Stuart

It really just depends on which program you feel more comfortable with. Both programs are capable of creating the models. You could create them in Autocad and then Import them into Max or just create them completely in Max.

One thing to keep in mind is that it's easier to build models accurately and to scale in Autocad. It can be done in Max, but it's a little more difficult. But on the other hand, Max is much more flexible and easier to work with. So I usually do a little mixture of both programs to get the results I require.

Well a lot of it would be cost as we are only a small business and we would be unlikely to make much of a profit if any on these renderings, but we are considering doing it to make our business a one stop shop for our client. Then they are less likely to take their business elsewhere. They are likely to do this as they can get things a lot cheaper by using freelancers who arent going to be anywhere near as good as us at graphic design as they dont have other people to bounce ideas/learn off and can quite possibly make the work a bit stale.

We are under a shed load of pressure as the client are getting quotes for the work that we are currently doing from else where but what the other companies dont know is that the client is very VERY bad at giving briefs so we end up doing jobs a multiple of times upping the cost by a vast amount but by the time another freelancer or agency realize that we could very well be in deep ***** by loosing the con tract's.

Since the client is so flaky and bad at giving you direction, have you thought about using Sketchup? It allows you to design and build 3D environments very quickly and easily with minimal cost. You could use the Sketchup models to work out the design and then, once you've worked out all the kinks, you could use Max to build the final presentation renders.