Whats hardest to learn

[spursnutter]

3DSMax or Autocad 2009?

 

Just curious as I have always fancied playing around with 3DSMax but looks very complicated.

[NuttZ]

I would say it depends on how long you've been using autocad.

In my opinion...if both programs are new to you then it would be best to just learn to model in 3DsMax (because of the quality is better)...but if you have a good foundation on how Autocads user interface works, then it may be eaiser to learn in CAD.

 

I feel that after learning 3Ds Max I will never model in Autocad again, and I have been modeling in 3d Cad since 2000.

 

It comes down to how much time you have to learn.

[spursnutter]

I have been using Autocad for about 18months and can do most of what I want in 3D and was wondering if this is a good basis to start to learn 3Ds Max. I am hoping it will be easier to learn because of Cad or is it totally different.

[tzframpton]

It's as easy as you want it to be. It depends on how passionate you are about learning it. It is definitely different than modeling anything in AutoCAD.

[shift1313]

its totally different in how you approach a model. I started acad and 3dstudio at the same time in like 94-95. I didnt find one harder to learn than the other, but i kept with acad. Several years later i picked up 3ds again and used it for a little while. A few months back i downloaded the trial of 3ds max and it was even harder this time around. If you are oriented with acad and how you model things in acad i think you are at a slight disadvantage. TUTORIALs are your friend:)

[spursnutter]

its totally different in how you approach a model. I started acad and 3dstudio at the same time in like 94-95. I didnt find one harder to learn than the other, but i kept with acad. Several years later i picked up 3ds again and used it for a little while. A few months back i downloaded the trial of 3ds max and it was even harder this time around. If you are oriented with acad and how you model things in acad i think you are at a slight disadvantage. TUTORIALs are your friend:)

 

Damn. Just what I wasn't hoping.

[apatel094]

Im in both a Graphics Class and a CAD class and i feel that AutoCad if more realistic for me. 3ds max seems to make believe for me. However, I have used alot of Autodesk softwares such as, Viz, Revit, Inventor, 3ds, Civil, and i think that Cad is the easiest after you learn the basics.

[tzframpton]

Im in both a Graphics Class and a CAD class and i feel that AutoCad if more realistic for me. 3ds max seems to make believe for me. However, I have used alot of Autodesk softwares such as, Viz, Revit, Inventor, 3ds, Civil, and i think that Cad is the easiest after you learn the basics.

3D Studio MAX is a NURBS Modeling program. AutoCAD is not. Once you understand the NURBS Modeling system you can do much more with it. Honestly, IMHO, it's crazy to me that AutoCAD is still lasting this long with 3D....

[Guest Xenophon]

Then again you can do it all in Rhinoceros w/o touching either

[shift1313]

3D Studio MAX is a NURBS Modeling program. AutoCAD is not. Once you understand the NURBS Modeling system you can do much more with it. Honestly, IMHO, it's crazy to me that AutoCAD is still lasting this long with 3D....

 

NURBS is non uniform rational b-spline in case someone was curious.

 

Stykface, i agree acad is behind the curve on this one. I think in the next few years acad and inventor will be one but i think autodesk doesnt want to drop the acad name. I prefer solidworks. My main gripe with Acad is not having a design tree and parameter based modeling.

[Lazer]

I started both Viz (3d max little brother) and Autocad 3d at the same time, I took to Acad butr never really got to grips with Viz (after say 2 hours playing with it), I found it quite hard to use, I ended up spending my time on Autocad 3d, so my answer is Max is harder to learn.

[tzframpton]

NURBS is non uniform rational b-spline in case someone was curious.

 

Stykface, i agree acad is behind the curve on this one. I think in the next few years acad and inventor will be one but i think autodesk doesnt want to drop the acad name. I prefer solidworks. My main gripe with Acad is not having a design tree and parameter based modeling.

AutoCAD and Inventor are two completely separate programs, and in my opinion should stay that way. AutoCAD is a great 2D drafting tool, probably the best (maybe not the best for the price, however). At the end of the day at my company, we are pushing out 2D Plans of construction documents that represent to our field workers how something needs to be installed and routed. Inventor could never do this as effecient as AutoCAD, nor would combining the two programs make anything really faster or more beneficial. It would actually complicate drafters in my trade, especially the 3D aspect of it, because we simply do not use 3D.

 

Plain jane version of AutoCAD is not smart. It's not parametric. And working in a vertical AutoCAD product has other benefits but speed of creating 2D construction documents is not one of them. For what my company does, we 100% do not need a paramentric modeling program at all. We strictly make 2D plan drawings, nothing more or less.

[Guest Xenophon]

Have you used ArchCut? and there is a new GumBall

 

ACIS/SAT solids very interoperable geometry language taking NURBS into or out of Autocad/Revit , McNeel & the IntelliCad Consortium's member's products

[BenGoble]

You've already got quite a few comments and replies but thought I'd add mine. Here's the level of 3D I achieved with AutoCAD 2007 (the images get better as you go on). It shows that even with my basic knowledge at the time good results can be produced (mine were a little conceptual).

 

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?t=13512&highlight=bengoble

 

However, I've just started working in 3DS, and whilst undoubtably more complex, I've found its actually quite easy once you get to know your way around things. The modelling is just of another level. I can create objects that would be far harder to create in CAD. I would say that architectural modelling is not as easy as in Sketchup, in terms of the whole boolean operations, which I'm sure you're used to with CAD anyway.

 

The below link shows two chairs I've made so far in 3Ds. Both modelled in completely different manners, one by splines and one by primitives, the possibilities are just far greater in 3DS. Stick with it and you'll have a much better program on your hands.

 

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?t=30656&highlight=bengoble