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Thread: DV System/Software Requirements

  1. #1
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    Question DV System/Software Requirements

    Our office is looking to start getting into DV with more realistic renderings and movies. What kind of hardware and/or software recomendations do any of you have to achieve this.

    We are not looking into Rivit so please don't suggest it. We may be interested in 3ds Max but would need advanced material & lighting training, which I can't seem to find anyone offering classes (most are just the basics just to get you started).

    Here is what we have right now:
    - We are a full service architectural firm looking to do Photo Realistic Renderings of
    building exteriors, interior spaces and site development
    - Windows XP Pro (V2, SP3), 32 bit
    - AutoCAD 2010
    - Newest & fastest computer in our office is a Dell Precision T3400 (abt 2 years old)
    Intel Core2 Quad CPU
    Q660 @ 2.40 GHz
    2.39 GHz, 3.00 of Ram
    NVidia Quadro FX 1700

    Drawing in 3D is not an issue. We are having issues with the system crashing if we increase the resolution output beyond 800X600. Lowering the resolution and trying to ad advanced lighting causes the system to take forever to process just one rendering or one slide of a movie.

    Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

  2. #2
    Design Visualization Moderator stusic's Avatar
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    Default Re: DV System/Software Requirements

    I don't really think it's the hardware that's causing the problems; I think it may be due to the render settings. Albiet, many systems are significantly faster than your setup, it should be capable of completing a rendering without crashing. 800x600 is a very manageable size, and 8x10 print @ 300dpi would need a resolution of 2400x3000...

    Are you using 3ds Max now? Can you post your render settings?

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    Design Visualization Moderator stusic's Avatar
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    Default Re: DV System/Software Requirements

    Hi dcrispin (sorry, I don't know your real name)

    Please note I have moved this thread from the DV - Gallery forum to this one, as I believe it will be better served here.

    Thanks, stusic

    Forum Moderator

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    Default Re: DV System/Software Requirements

    The latest hardware and software will certainly help, but I can't help but wonder if you have someone who can achieve the photo realism your firm is after. It's not like that comes with the software. All too often I hear of firms starting up viz groups in-house but not getting the right talent. Ultimately it never goes anywhere. There are tons of hungrey and very talented viz artists out there who woudl jump at the chance.

    Viz is not as interchangable as some people may think. A concert pianist can't one day decide he's going to give a classical guitar concert without ever playing a guitar. Sure they can read music, but that's not how to play a guitar. If you don't necessarily have someone already slated with experience or who's shown good promise, at the very least use this forum to display WIP to get feedback. VisMasters and CG Architect are good resources, but there tends to be some rather large egos there.

    Good luck with this and certainly keep us posted.

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    Design Visualization Moderator stusic's Avatar
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    Default Re: DV System/Software Requirements

    Oh, pick me! Pick me! I'm hungry!

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    Default Re: DV System/Software Requirements

    Reading over your post again and a specifci answer to your questions:

    One huge step up would be to invest in 64X OS and software and fill the workstations up with RAM. That will assist with the slow renders. A graphics card is usually only good for viewport settings and doesn't contribute much to rendering. However, go for somthing substantial will help during modeling. I'm using an NVidia Quadro FX 3700 and it's been holding up for the most part. Some of my bigger scenes get a little chunky at times.

    It sounds like you are most likely using Mental Ray. Just be careful of Raytraced shadows and reflections as those are big resource hogs at render time. There are some great sites and threads out there that discuss tuning MR for render performace while retaining good quality.

  7. #7
    Design Visualization Moderator stusic's Avatar
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    Default Re: DV System/Software Requirements

    It seems more like the render settings than actual hardware; I've done some pretty intense renderings working from less. I agree that better hardware would help, but I don't think dcrispin's setup would crash on anything larger than 800x600 unless it's a very complicated model or there's render settings that are exorbitantly high. I'd like to see the setup they're using - the render settings and poly count would help a lot.

    My $0.02

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