[mgroeteke]

how do you deal with complex models and last minute requests of your clients to change, for example all fassade elements within LW, modo or max? do you have a complete symbols management system like in formz? just wondering... i could not work anymore without these CAD features within FZ.

markus

Could you explain that feature? Looks interesting.


Yog, you made me lose the thrill with LW

Thanks all for the info.

you are welcome! have a look here:
http://www.formz.com/products/formz/symbols.html

the point is that you can place instances accurately and build your own library of symbols. mass editing of symbols is possible and of course, all symbols can be edited in the library at any time like any other model. symbols can be layered and you have also 3 degrees of individual levels that can be modeled and which you can set for high, mid and low poly versions, for example.

the learning curve for FZ is a bit steep, but well worth the time you invest imho. also, the support service from autodessys is really second to none!

ciao

markus

[big K]

i am also using formZ for archVis.
for me it is also the best tool for this kind of work. very good snapping enables precise modeling.
i use it in combination with cinema4d (for rendering and animation) and now maxwell.

michael

[Dexel]

Yeah. Lets have a formZ party here.. while the cat is on vacation.. not implying you're a mouse, Markus.
formZ is good for arch. Not just arch viz.. drawbacks are UV mapping (just very basic - need a third tool for that) and the still buggy Maxwell plug-in.. Studio is imperative.

[Fernando Tella]

I'll give it a second try. What about the price?

[desclarke]

Fernando, Autodessys (FormZ) don't post prices or provide a buy off the web service. You have to contact their sales department or a local distributor, Fz sales can help you there as well. There are three versions; FormZ, FormZ Renderzone, FormZ Radiozity. The latter being the most expensive.
It's a great program, so accurate. The amazing forum support makes up for any steepness in the learning curve. Try out the latest demo, and make sure when installing to disable any virus protection, it's a bit sensitive that way. You can re-enable the virus protection after it's installed.

Des

[Fernando Tella]

Thank you Des! I have just downloaded the pdf tutorials from FormZ's site and asked for the price to the sales dept.

So Maxwell is not yet well integrated with FormZ?

Do you have plans to improve this Juan?

[Dexel]

Juan says next formZ plug-in will be improved. No announcement of course but it won't be long I think.. I hope..
It is definitely usable with Maxwell now. Caution: strictly mxm materials. Easy for you I guess.
With Maxwell you can easily skip the pricey Renderzone/Radiozity packages, "simple" formZ is ~1200 EUR (plus tax) in Germany.

[Fernando Tella]

With plain FormZ without RenderZone you don't have UV projectors, do you? So you make the modeling process in FormZ, export to Maxwell and then do all the mapping job.

By the way, thank you all for this insight to these programs. Great people in this forum.

[giacob]

notwithstandig the good Lwcad tool ...Lw is not the ideal for architecturall stuff. ... above all because:
- snap system is not as good as max's;
- it has no history and as a consequence u cannot make groups and instances and update them whic is quite important for architectural modelling..

[ludi]

IMO
If you want a fast building modeling, you should give a try to a BIM modeler. => Like Revit.
Make the turn from creating shapes and cubes, to design and change Building informations. And you'll never want backward

[lebbeus]

ahem…you guys are lucky 8etty's not here…

I've tried formZ, but found its workflow cumbersome. If you're used to AutoCAD or MAX, you might also find it cumbersome.

Rhino works the way that I'm used to: it has a block feature (like ACAD) that allows you to "instance" geometry, its OSNAPS are very similar to ACAD, it has NOUN/VERB command structure…shall I go on?

oh and it's way cheaper than FormZ, close to 1/4 the price if I'm remembering correctly

[Mihai]

It's just that Rhino doesn't seem the first choice for working on assembly type constructions, where you need a good workflow for managing part libraries which can easily be replaced/remodelled.

[Fernando Tella]

IMO
If you want a fast building modeling, you should give a try to a BIM modeler. => Like Revit.
Make the turn from creating shapes and cubes, to design and change Building informations. And you'll never want backward

Yep, I thought too about a more specific program for architecture, but they usually are too specific. I mean, what happens when you want to insert a sculpture, trees, or modeled grass or want to model a special lamp. I think I prefer a general porpouse modeler with enhanced tools for architecture. If you tell me you can do all that in Revit I'll think about it.

ahem…you guys are lucky 8etty's not here…

I was think of her too. I was surprised she hasn't said anything yet.

Rhino works the way that I'm used to: it has a block feature (like ACAD) that allows you to "instance" geometry, its OSNAPS are very similar to ACAD, it has NOUN/VERB command structure…shall I go on?

oh and it's way cheaper than FormZ, close to 1/4 the price if I'm remembering correctly

I took a look to Rhino too some time ago. Its way of working is very similar indeed to autocad's (good for me) but it seemed to be more oriented to product creation and engineered pieces. Also it makes quite dense meshes as it works with nurbs (maybe I'm wrong with this) which is a problem when making big urbanizations.

[mgroeteke]

ahem…you guys are lucky 8etty's not here…

I've tried formZ, but found its workflow cumbersome. If you're used to AutoCAD or MAX, you might also find it cumbersome.

Rhino works the way that I'm used to: it has a block feature (like ACAD) that allows you to "instance" geometry, its OSNAPS are very similar to ACAD, it has NOUN/VERB command structure…shall I go on?

oh and it's way cheaper than FormZ, close to 1/4 the price if I'm remembering correctly

what's exactly wrong with FZ's workflow? of course it's not an easy tool to use, but after an initial learning process i guarantee that it's one of the best workflows you can find around.

rhino at 900 USD is not that much cheaper than FZ, for sure not 4 times. it is also depending on the version you get: you don't need the renderzone render options if you use another engine, anyway.

just my extra 2 cents

[glebe digital]

ahem…you guys are lucky 8etty's not here…

I too found fmz a bit of a dog to use, but I'm going back some years now so I'm sure things have improved.
Lightwave with LWCAD is a workable solution, but it's definately a workaround rather than a full Architectural package.