Looking for help with rendering software/websites

[Creig]

The Development Engineer in our office wants me to research and begin experimenting with rendered video and photos. The intent is to be able to show members of the public who can't read a set of plans what a particular road/bridge project will look like before and after. Rendered still images would be good for smaller projects but he would like to see full motion video drive/fly throughs for the larger ones.

So I'm hoping to get some advice from some AT members with experience in this area. We have half a dozen 2.8 GHz/1 Gb RAM Dell Precision 360 machines with a Quadro FX 500 that we use for our regular MicroStation/Geopak designs. We also use Caice to manipulate the data gathered by our surveyors. So I would have access to survey data which, I assume, can be imported into some of these programs to use as a base wireframe.

I'm also assuming that some of these software packages can slave the other machines in our office to use as a mini rendering farm. But the software I end up going with will have to be able to allow the users of the machines priority use of its CPU cycles so that their normal work won't be affected during regular business hours.

At this point I'm open to suggestions. And if there are any good websites/forums on this topic, I'd appreciate a point in the right direction.

 

[JonnyBlaze]

you dont want to start with wireframe data. you need surfaces to render.

here are some tutorials on 3ds max, thats what i would go with for software. very easy to setup a rendering farm.

good luck

JB

 

[Creig]

Thanks for the link JB.


Anybody else have some thoughts?

 

[notfred]

Are you jsut looking for a rendering package, or are you gonig to be doing modelling as well? I wouldn't want to be doing architechtural modelling in 3ds MAX, but if you're exporting models from autocad or something, then 3ds MAX should make a perfectly decent renderer.

 

[Creig]

I am looking for a rendering package for our application that I will then be using myself. I may end up doing some modelling as well.

About the only data that I will be importing will be from our surveyors showing the coordinates/elevations of roads, shoulders, driveway, power poles, gas lines, ground elevations, ditch shots, buildings, structures, etc...

Basic topography of the area that's going to be improved.

 

[Creig]

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