CompuServe Messages

Sounds like you make great use of 3DS, Robert! I have just recently used 3DS for helping in material selection for a interior renovation. Worked well… It helped the client (and us) see the relationships between the different palattes when they were applied to the space. Some combinations of paint and carpet loooked very dull/dirty/exciting. We would not have been as succesful as we were if we were simply using a Finish Board. We had our workstation at one of the meetings and the client and I worked through some new schemes together. It was truly an interactive process. 3DS is certainly a powerful design tool in this respect. It sounds as though you have utilized it for similar functions… Mostly lighting / materials. It appears that we have both used it for activities that happen some steps after the initial design inspiration occurs. I guess my complaint is the modeling. While 3DS has very powerful lofting features, I think the seperation of the different modules really gets in the way of the creative process. I wish that I could create and change building geometry as quickly in 3DS as you can change material / lighting / camera characteristics. I would like a program that really helps you design and communicate the building massing and creation of space and articulation. This stage of thinking might be best to describe as the `chip-board model' phase. Focus on building form / articulation, and perhaps mock up some important interior spaces. Here, rendering quality is secondary to facile manipulation of the building. If the images looked only like beige cardboard that would be just great! Perhaps there is no program out there that can do what I am thinking, and maybe 3DS *is* the best compromise of power, quality, and price. I don't know. I am getting a copy of ALLPLAN soon and maybe I can evaluate it against 3DS for design activities. I'd love to see some of your images. Have you thought of uploading them here? -Mike.