CompuServe Thread

Brandon, This thread has gotten huge! So I thought I would start at the beginning with my $0.02. (I won't be able to read all of this message in one sitting so I hope that I dont cover too much ground that has already be gone over.<g>) It's going to be very hard to convince an architect to do work that he might not be compensated for. The AIA general contract considers renderings and models as extra services. So unless an owner request them, there is little chance that this work will be done. I have been doing "study models" with AutoCAD for some years now. I would quickly generate an outline with thickness, place a roof on top with 3dface, and create 3dface windows and doors placing then in front of the wall plane. I could then create a number of views around the building, save as slide files, and replay as a script file in a sort of rough fly by. This was only good for internal-use quick studies however. Having worked with my current company for the last 7 years, I have worked with the translation from paper to CAD. (I do credit my boss with a lot of foresight. *Sometimes* there is a reluctance of those who are up in years to jump into new technologies when the old way works just fine. We started working with AutoCAD a few months after I started working for his firm. He was in his late 50's at the time. I also give him a lot of credit for recognizing good talent; I'm now the Vice President of the firm and part owner <g>.) Now 99.8% of our work is done in AutoCAD. We have been very fortunate to do some relativity big projects for a 4 person firm (including the secretary). I think our CAD capacities have help make this possible. But there was still a reluctance to go to computer rendering or animation. The cost was somewhat prohibited. We did hire out for renderings. These were give gratis to the clients. There good clients and we want to keep them calling us back. The cost of these renderings was in the neighborhood of $2500-$3500. When I saw the price of the new rendering packages drop and when I recently upgrade to a Pentium machine, internal production became a real possibility. We purchased _Accurender_ bundled with _Facade_. With these programs, I have been able to create two renderings for a client, one exterior and one interior. With the time I spent, I'm sure we're over the price that we would have payed for an outside rendering. But next time things will go quicker. (And I'm having more fun than I've had in years!) Sorry for rambling. Ken Thrasher, NAAUG AEC SIG Steering Committee