Programs to render by.

Thought I would put together a list of some of the rendering software that is out there and share it with you all. It is by no means comprehensive but you might find it a good jumping off point when considering a possible purchase. If I have made any mistakes, misrepresented any fact, or left out something of importance please let me know and I will make every effort to correct it.

I offer then, for your consideration (and in alphabetical order), the following...

Name: AccuRender

Version: v4.SR1

Company: Robert McNeel & Associates (Seattle, Washington)

Price: $495

Comments: High-end rendering package that can be fully integrated into AutoCAD, Architectural Desktop and Mechanical Desktop. Evaluation version available for download.

Website: www.accurender.com

Name: Final Render

Version: finalRender – Stage 2

Company: CEBAS Visual Technology

Price: $995

Comments: Plug-ins for CINEMA 4D and Maya. Newsletter and public forum available through website.

Website: www.finalrender.com

Name: Kerkythea

Version: 2008 Echo Edition v.2.0.5

Price: Freeware

Website: www.kerkythea.net

Name: Maxwell Render, The Light Simulator

Version: v1.1

Company: Next Limit Technologies (Madrid, Spain)

Price: $995

Comments: Physical-based light simulation and render engine with plug-ins available for CINEMA 4D, Maya, Archicad, SketchUp and 3ds max (plug-ins for Rhino and Solidworks due out this year); demo version, tutorials and user forum available at website.

Website: www.maxwellrender.com/

Name: Mental Ray

Version: 3.5

Company: Mental Images (Berlin, Germany)

Price: Contact reseller such as AutoDesk, Dassault Systemes, Solidworks, etc.

Comments: High performance, photorealistic rendering software. Application integration includes Maya, SoftImage ® SMI ®, 3ds max, VIZ, Photoworks & CATIA v4 and v5. Online user forum available.

Website: www.mentalimages.com

Name: Ogre

Version: v1.7.1.

Price: Freeware

Comments: Open-source graphics rendering program

Website: www.ogre3d.org

Name: VRAY

Version: 1.5

Company: Chaos Group (a Bulgarian company)

Price: $799

Comments: Third-party plug-in for AutoDesk ®3dsmax ® and Maya; evaluation version available for download.

Websites: www.chaosgroup.com and www.vray.info/

Tutorials: www.vrayelite.com/

to add another aleady mention as having plugins,

Name: Cinema 4D

Version: 10

Company: Maxon

Price: upto £2,200 (english pounds)

Comments: High end 3D animation, rendering and modeling software. Free trial download available.

Has variuos modules and plug-ins developed, including body paint, hair, shaders and rendering additions.

Website: http://www.maxon.net

add

Fryrender http://www.randomcontrol.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=16

795 EURO

and

Flamingo nXt, free beta

maybe even Indigo (free open source)

I would remove 3DS Max and FormZ from the list, since they are not rendering programs. They are full 3D modeling packages.

Also, Autodesk has discontinued VIZ and replaced it with 3DS Max.

You could add these to the list:

Brazil

Ogre

Kerkythea

I liked Vue 7 enough to but it.

http://www.e-onsoftware.com/

It likes DXF files and uses the right hand rule system. It is very affordable.

But I never found a way to permanently attach materials to layers.

-David

Yes, I also purchased Vue7. It's a great program for creating landscapes, but it's not quite what they claimed it would be. They boasted about fast render times and seamless integration into Max, but I've had trouble with both. I've figured out a workflow that seems to work, but it's a bit clumsy. Scale is a big problem. Whenever I transfer models from Max to Vue, or Vue to Max, I always have to fiddle with the scale of the objects to get them to the correct size. I'm hoping Vue8 will resolve this issue.

I liked Vue a lot better than Cinema 4D ( I got it when I took an online class ).

I also use Xara 3D6 but it a pretty specific field ( 3D text and buttons ) app. I know very little about Xara's other products. -David

Hi,

When you use the term "rendering programs" are you suggesting that you can just import the model - say you made it in Autocad - and just place materials, light sources, background, etc. to it?

eg, if you had windows on a layers, walls on another etc.

Those rendering programs will load the layers as well? and you will be able to assign the materials to the layers?

Does Renderman aviable for consumers? from what I know its a rendering engine of pixar.

Hi,

 

When you use the term "rendering programs" are you suggesting that you can just import the model - say you made it in Autocad - and just place materials, light sources, background, etc. to it?

 

eg, if you had windows on a layers, walls on another etc.

Those rendering programs will load the layers as well? and you will be able to assign the materials to the layers?

Sir to make it simple, 3d programs are like paper and pen and a rendering engine is like water color, crayon ect. so you can add life to your drawings, if you want to add life you have to render it using a rendering engine of your models.

for a technical side here is a link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendering_(computer_graphics)

Add

Simlab Composer

Bunkspeed Hypershot

When you use the term "rendering programs" are you suggesting that you can just import the model - say you made it in Autocad - and just place materials, light sources, background, etc. to it?

 

eg, if you had windows on a layers, walls on another etc.

Those rendering programs will load the layers as well? and you will be able to assign the materials to the layers?

Rendering engines are usually plug-ins for whatever modeling package you use. Not a separate program. For example, you could use 3DS Max to build your models, apply textures, set up lighting and cameras, etc., then you could use the Vray plug-in to render your scene. All of this would happen inside 3DS Max, not a separate program.

In some you can. Vue, Kerkythea and Octane are some that are separate. I kind of prefer this style but it has disadvantages.

Well, I said usually, not always. But Vue isn't a rendering engine though. It has a rendering engine, just like Max has Mental Ray, but Vue is a terrain and landscape modeling program. Yes, you can import your models into Vue and apply materials, set up the environment and render, but that's not really it's main purpose.

Hi,

eg, if you had windows on a layers, walls on another etc.

Those rendering programs will load the layers as well? and you will be able to assign the materials to the layers?

In accurender ( the one I am most familiar with ) you can assign materials:

• By Layers
  
• By Entity Color
  
• Directly To Selected Objects
  
• As Decals To Faces
  

I would think most would at least accept By Layers

The better programs will allow you adjust shadows, anitaliasing, caustics etc to selected entities as well. -David

-David

Well, I said usually, not always. But Vue isn't a rendering engine though. It has a rendering engine, just like Max has Mental Ray, but Vue is a terrain and landscape modeling program. Yes, you can import your models into Vue and apply materials, set up the environment and render, but that's not really it's main purpose.

No, it's not but I added it because a lot of SkethcUp users use it to render (and add landscape). That and a lot of people use it with the models you can buy from the 3D on-line store http://www.cornucopia3d.com/