CompuServe Messages

ahem, I am jumping in way at the end here, but I thought I might just say… Yes, the place to do this work *is* where the money is. The Architect will have a fee (from the client) to support Schematic Design, Design Development, etc. These fees obviously have to cover the entire effort of designing the building for the client. Unfortunately, many projects are not large enough to produce a fee to the Architect which will allow for 3D Computer Imaging. Or, on the smaller projects, the clients are not progressive enough to see the positive aspects of what that money can buy. Developers, on the other hand, will pay for sales tools and are excited about the aspects 3D Computer Imaging can bring to their efforts. In my mind, for the tool to be used properly, it has to BE A INTEGRAL PART OF THE DESIGN PROCESS, not just a method of presenting an idea. Once it matures to a point where a designer can sit in front of the workstation, and have it (the 3D software) become an extension of his work is when it will become more practical for Architectural use. In this way, the design effort also produces a 3D model which may be used as a basis for the presentation images. Currently, most of the software is one directional. By that, I mean that (for example) 3DS does not suport iterative design work, where I may want to develop an idea, render it into it's context, and then work on the base model some more. I blame the seperation of the modules for this; it is ridiculous to have to jump from the shaper, into the lofter, and into the editor to make alterations to medium-complexity building massings! I think the right environment may be something like Alias Sketch or Upfront which provides an integrated environment, and is based on splines (you listening, AutoDesk? I once thought 3DS4 was to have spline editing). Or, better -tranparent- links to drawing/modeling programs, along with more helpful tools within those programs (you listening, Softdesk?). In other words, it takes an awful lot of effort to create a quality image in 3DS. And that effort is IN NO WAY TIED TO THE EFFORT AT HAND WHICH IS PRODUCING GOOD ARCHITECTURE. When the design changes, it is not easy to change the model and re-render. Also, there is wasteful duplication of the modeling effort; the designer uses hand or more traditional computer techniques to aid him in his quest for the proper design, and than that is all handed off to the 3D person who duplicates much of the drawing process to create his models. Why pay for the duplication? When the two processes of Design and Presentation start to overlap is when there will be more and more use of this technology by Architects. Just my $0.2 -Mike