CompuServe Messages

Actually I'm working through many of the same questions as you. I market primarily to architects and engineers, and am trying to interest some of the larger home builders in the area. As far as architects having access to the equipment, why shouldn't that access be through you?<G> Many of the architects I've talked with are interested in this technology but shy away from the investment in hardware, software, and learning time necessary to make it work. Some architects contract architectural illustrators to produce hand rendered perspectives to show clients what the project will look like. People are now setting up to offer similar services based on computer animation and rendering to video. You might also check out your local home center. I've noticed where some of them are offering CAD based kitchen layout services and a rendering service would be a natural extension. For cost of services, you'll need to do some research. Consider what you need to earn, how much billable time you think you can get, what is being charged by people offering similar services in you regional area. You may wish to check books on consulting to understand the relationship between earnings, overhead, and profit and how these are used to set fees. For capturing materials, there are others here with a better grasp of the hardware than me. In short, you can use a video camera, scanner, or create materials from scratch in ANIPRO. These images can resized and/or tiled across surfaces in 3D Studio. The best thing to do is experiment and add equipment as your need grow.