Thea - is it the best? ;)
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@unknownuser said:
I wonder ... what sort of stuff do you render? Interiors? Exteriors? Product shots?
pm'd
@unknownuser said:
Yeah, its UI doesn't look very inviting. There's a lot of parameters, tick boxes and other stuff in there. Don't let that put you off. I learned how to use it.
http://www.lynda.com/Google-SketchUp-tutorials/SketchUp-Rendering-Using-V-Ray/105502-2.html
that's the thing though.. it doesn't look inviting so when there are lots of other options out there, it drops from the contenders list pretty quick. fwiw though, i think all render apps are still too nerdy..
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I do too. I'd like nothing more than a rendering app with a 'make pretty pic' button. But we're not going to see that one any time soon. So, like it or not, we're stuck with the nerdy interfaces for the time being. Those have an upside too, btw. Lots of parameters? Lots of control. Lots of control = shorter render times.
Vray's not that hard learn, by the way. The Lynda tutorial should help you, or anyone else, for that matter, to get up to speed in a matter of days. I learned to use VfSU before there were any comprehensive tutorials available, and I'm not bl**dy Stephen Hawking, I can tell you that.
Rambling. Time for a healthy dose of shut-eye.
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@unknownuser said:
how much would you guys charge for, say, 8- 2000px wide renders? you do the texturing too. (unless it's some oddly mapped thing which i'd handle).. ? not for right now- but future thinking
Running a business where i can render all day long for good money is one of my future dreams
...but i guess i still have to learn alot, so that's not really realistic. And also i don't think it's that profitable to live from it 
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Hi Jeff, As I'm writing this I have a render going in Thea and I am amazed how much faster it is compared to the Maxwell version done a couple of weeks ago...
I was a staunch supporter of Maxwell since the beginning but Thea is have changed the benchmark in my opinion.
Good luck
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Possibly useful to those interested in Thea.
http://www.thearender.com/resources/Adaptive_BSD_engine_Guide.pdf
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Hello,
Long time no posting, but follow with full attention all interesting discusses here.
Of course, in my opinion Thea render is a superior render engine, I absolutely love it.
From the release date of Thea render version 1.2, I keep waiting and wating and waiting
for download trial version, please, why not everybody can't enjoy and test the new version? - maybe a limited download time if it is possible, please! -
I render out of MODO and V-Ray but it's worth pointing out that Thea is a stand alone application so, unlike V-Ray, you won't need a separate license for Rhino and SketchUp. I envy that. Like you, I work in several applications and I'm not happy about the idea of paying for a separate rendering license for each one.
I'm not a rendering genius (mentally challenged would be more accurate) plus I'm not that interested in rendering. My clients have been shown enough photo real stuff that they don't really see it anymore. It's a necessary component of a presentation but it doesn't make a presentation like it used to. So exorbitant amounts of time rendering seem to be a bit of a waste. I'd like a one button 'pretty pic' solution as was said above but that's not going to happen anytime soon.
Let us know how it works out - I'd like more info about the Thea / Rhino plugin.
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well, the proposal i was working on when i started this thread was sent out a few days ago.. it looked good. the renders were fine and served their purpose..
since then, i've done a little experimenting and i'm pretty sure i'll just stick with indigo.. i mean, it gives good results and i already know how to use it for the most part so...
i guess i should also mention i'm currently rendering on an old computer (1,1 macpro from 2006.. quad 2.66 ghz with an amd 5770).. i started shopping around for a new computer about 2 years ago then decided to wait on the new mac pro unless my 1,1 died (which it hasn't).. then i decided waited some more
..but it's now been announced and looks like it's going to be sweet for me and indigo.when indigo first integrated gpu acceleration, i had an 8800gt.. so i used cuda with indigo and saw some good improvements but broke the card fairly quickly.. replaced it with the 5770 and didnt' really try out the openCL features until now..
but with openCL enabled, i'm seeing ~30% performance increase.. with the new mac and it's dual gpus, i imagine i'm going to see some great performance boosts.. maybe to the point of what i'd see with using a 32core machine vs a 12..
but thanks for letting me whine last week
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Now use Thea Render and its great, i found it a steep learning curve (though helped by a great support team and brilliant forum) after years of vray, but now find the ability to work with huge files a massive boost to my work flow and the results are fantastic.
Beta testing Vray 1.6 which is fantastic with the new proxy system, but will be continuing with Thea.
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@unknownuser said:
(...) ..but it's now been announced and looks like it's going to be sweet for me and indigo.
It'll probably cost a small fortune, though. [didn't say this] I'd consider a Hackintosh. Way more power for less money. [/didn't say this]
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@unknownuser said:
well, the proposal i was working on when i started this thread was sent out a few days ago.. it looked good. the renders were fine and served their purpose..
well, after all that, i get this response today:
"xxxxxx did not approve the design. He didn't like anything about it"
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@unknownuser said:
@unknownuser said:
(...) ..but it's now been announced and looks like it's going to be sweet for me and indigo.
It'll probably cost a small fortune, though. [didn't say this] I'd consider a Hackintosh. Way more power for less money. [/didn't say this]
No thanks! If you're trying to cut corners and save money... don't use Apple at all. Hackintoshes just don't cut it imo. All or nothing!
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Jeff, why not just buy a real computer?
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@solo said:
Jeff, why not just buy a real computer?
haha. thanks- it's been a few months since i've heard that one!
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@dkendig said:
No thanks! If you're trying to cut corners and save money... don't use Apple at all.
My thoughts exactly, but Jeff's an Apple guy, so ...
I have both a Mac and a pc. Mac (4 core/8 gb iMac) for surfing the web, watching vids etc, pc (12 core/32gb i7) for modeling, rendering, etc. Works for me.
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@unknownuser said:
@dkendig said:
No thanks! If you're trying to cut corners and save money... don't use Apple at all.
My thoughts exactly, but Jeff's an Apple guy, so ...
I have both a Mac and a pc. Mac (4 core/8 gb iMac) for surfing the web, watching vids etc, pc (12 core/32gb i7) for modeling, rendering, etc. Works for me.
i bought a $3200 computer 7 years ago.. 3200/7 = $460 per year.
come on- that's not expensive.. it's good value from where i'm sitting. (though this 7year plan isn't my normal idea of how long i need a computer to last.. more like 5-6 years but even then, it's good value)the thing still works perfectly fine with all my applications.. just kinda slow when rendering but rendering isn't my job or finished product..
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A valid perspective. Thing is, when your Mac starts to age, you'll find it is nigh impossible to find replacement parts.
I tried to buy new ram and a new gpu for my 2008 Mac Pro (which I was fond of) about a year ago. Long story short, I got me a pc.
Don't get me wrong now, Apple makes great products. Mac OS is fabulous. But -at the end of the day, Apple's relatively small market share makes for less choice and higher prices for the end user.
Not to mention the fact development for the Mac is ... er, slower. 'The Mac version will be out later this decade.'
Oh well. If you want a new Mac Pro, and are willing to pay for it, by all means, get one. Let us know how it goes. That thing looks wicked.
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@unknownuser said:
Oh well. If you want a new Mac Pro, and are willing to pay for it, by all means, get one. Let us know how it goes. That thing looks wicked.
this guy is supposed to be paying for it
@unknownuser said:
well, after all that, i get this response today:
"xxxxxx did not approve the design. He didn't like anything about it"
geez.. anything? back to the drawing board i guess
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Ah, reminds me of my days as a copywriter. 'Client wants better ... everything.'
Good times.
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we do all of our development for V-Ray for SketchUp on Macs. We use windows more than OSX, but we hop back and forth between them. I love this this machine, and have never found a Windows-only mobile device (technically Macs are PCs) that compares to it.
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