Overall its a nice image however I cant help but notice a couple of missing details that would have given the roof a less 'CG' appearance.

  The dormer window needs a gutter above the door and perhaps to the sides.

  The roof hips and ridge should have hip and ridge tiles respectively

There is detail in the image already (lead flashing adjacent to dormer cheeks, tile vents below ridge etc..) and with these added the roof would look less like a flat surface with a tile texture added to it and gain the realism that it deserves.

Good work again Kim!

Thanks for the newsletter. Looking forward to the next installment already.

Unlikely to be standing seam on domestic houses (Kalzip etc...)
I'm guessing either lead roll's or a mock lead roll profile on a single-ply membrane such as Sarnafil. Then again thats probably wrong so I suppose the man himself should verify.

Nice images. Where was the tricky parts to model?

@unknownuser said:

Here in London we have a similar system in place now through a planning portal. We can get most forms by email and send documentation in either PDF or DXF to local councils who are participating. It has helped speed things up and streamlined the system a little bit.

Agreed James. Its also happening up here and saves so much time and money (the latter being especially useful when working on small extensions outside of the office!)

Nice images. The lighting is very impressive.

@didier bur said:

(sight)
DzineTech, if you don't like FREE GOOD renderers, just don't use them
Do you REALLY think that if Jenujacob would have shown the quality of the renderings of the new KT version, he would have posted these images ?
And don't forget that the KT team is developing a software that you could easily be charged a several hundred bucks for.

Thats why I dont use it...

@frederik said:

@dzinetech said:

Seems like I touched a nerve and the KT users are on the defensive!

I guess you did... But does that come as a surprise to you..??

No and yes. No I'm not surprised that followers of KT will want to defend the software because they believe in it however I am surprised that you as quite a respected person in the SU community, can't do this without assuming I am some sort of idiot just because I don't think KT is the best thing since sliced bread.

@frederik said:

@dzinetech said:

Am I to expect that arch viz firms will now drop vray/mental ray etc.. for KT Echo because it can deliver the same high end images in a time frame that is the fraction of a Maxwell render?

It's very clear that you have no clue about what render methods are available in Kerkythea...

Please note that KT doesn't solely have unbiased render methods available... KT has both biased and un-biased methods... That's why I - in my first post - wrote that it all depends on which render preset you choose to use...

Again, the tone and attitude by this was not warranted. You would at least be wise to know who you are addressing before making such a slanderous statement. You know me back from the old SU forums (where I have posted renders using KT no less that you commented on) yet you seem so sure I've never gone near KT. How wrong you are especially as I have KT installed on this very PC.

@unknownuser said:

I don't know any other render engines capable of having both biased and unbiased methods available...

Well if you take off your KT tinted glasses and did a bit of research you would find that Vray is capable of this.

@unknownuser said:

Didn't you take a look at the Comparison among Unbiased Render Engines thread...?!?
On page 2 you'll see that for that particular scene, KT beat Vray in speed...

Yes I did but it does not provide any information on the settings used for vray so the test is somewhat irrelevant.

@frederik said:

@frederik said:

On page 2 you'll see that for that particular scene, KT beat Vray in speed...

I can only repeat... for that particular scene... ;

I know Vray very well and also the superior render quality and speed...
And I also acknowledge that Vray will beat KT in many scenes, but again it all depends on the render preset used...

You claim to know vray well yet aren't aware of its unbiased rendering capbilities? Interesting...

@frederik said:

@dzinetech said:

I'm not sure how many hours it would take for a KT MLT render to get anywhere near the quality of a vray render on the same machine but I doubt its worth the wait.

It seem that you're just ignorant here...
How can you state something like that..??
You might be a big fan of Vray (which btw is a very good render...), but claiming that it's not worth waiting for in KT proves that you don't know what you're talking about..!!

I suggest that you take a look at the Comparison among Unbiased Render Engines at the KT Forum...

Seems like I touched a nerve and the KT users are on the defensive!

Frederik: the point I make is perhaps a generalisation on unbiased renderers yet it is hardly unfounded. Whilst apps such as Maxwell can produce excellent images if using a correct setup, waiting a week for that image to be produced at working resolution is a joke. Unbiased renderers are notorious for the time they take and assuming KT's unbiased setting works on the same basis using the same algorithms etc..., I can't see why it would be any different. I don't think this is a particularly unfair deduction based on the evidence of every other unbiased renderer and professionals who can't use them because of how slow they are. Am I to expect that arch viz firms will now drop vray/mental ray etc.. for KT Echo because it can deliver the same high end images in a time frame that is the fraction of a Maxwell render? I doubt it very much but I do look forward to seeing what users can produce with the new build.

Normally assessing the market of the local area to see what is most in demand and also increasing the specification of the construction and finishes will increase the value. Additional 'green features' are generally quite costly to add and therefore a developer would want this to be absorbed and profited upon within the selling price as well.

Now you are putting words in my mouth. Sure KT "might" be able to produce a superior image using an unbiased render method (maxwell, indigo, MLT etc..) if it was given enough time but what use is that to us when we more often than not have to get images to our clients in a shorter time than we would like. This fire-fighting analogy makes unbiased rendering not an option for most professionals when biased rendering can be made to look like any unbiased render. I'm not sure how many hours it would take for a KT MLT render to get anywhere near the quality of a vray render on the same machine but I doubt its worth the wait.

I saw the following quote on another forum regarding such a topic which made me laugh:

*"This is all pointless really, because with a little cunning, you can easily reproduce Maxwell's superb quality of rendering from within Vray.Simply follow these steps:-

1. remove your current cpu from motherboard and replace with a nice i386 running at 33Mhz
2. Take out all 4 of your 1Gb memory sticks and replace them with a couple of 4Mb sticks
3. Pour some porridge over your harddrive (we dont want it spinning too fast)
4. Book your plane tickets to Hawaii, then hit "Render"
5. Go on holiday for 2 weeks
6. Hey Presto - by the time you get back your teapot will be beautifully rendered.

There is only one problem since Vray will have made a nice 'clean' render. DONT WORRY ! We can fix this. Open up Photoshop, go to Filters, select "Add Noise" (personally I prefer about 12%, Uniform & Monochromatic for best Maxwell effect).

Thats it ! your done. easy.
"*

I'm not claiming either. If you read my original post I'm saying that the examples shown don't do anything to impress me. What is the point in showing a half cooked image? Would you give that to a client and expect he/she to be all impressed by it. I'd imagine most client have never heard of MLT nor care either. What they care about is the final image they get from you, not how you get it. My comments on this thread are based on images posted here - not the overall capabilities of the software. I'll happily look at examples of KT that Frederik has offered to see how impressive this new build actually is.

Glad things worked out for you Craig

The problem with such unbiased spectral renders is time it takes for the renderer to run long enough and get the image right and converge on the final correct solution and that isn't an option for many people with deadlines..

I would expect any render engine's to have the capability to reduce or removed completely any noise/grain by amending settings /changing presets hence why I'm surprised that the images showcasing the next edition are so noisy. I may be the only one not impressed by what I see but I'm willing to be truthful in what I see rather than be a SketchUp community 'yes man'.

With all due respect to yourself Kim and JJ, there is a huge amount of noise on the first 2 images, far less on JJ's last image. I'm surprised you can't see it but perhaps seeing that you are exposed to KT on a daily basis and immersed within the KT team and community as a whole, you are familiar with this output. I dont believe there is any merit in myself slagging off anyone's work even via comparrison to what I would deem acceptable but I will say that if we agree these images fall into the category of photo-realism, then for any image to become acceptable I would elimate as much noise as possible.

@unknownuser said:

Read what's under the pictures, please.

Your point being? Of course I've read the annotation below the images. What counts is the quality of the final image produced before post-processing and in my opinion its not that impressive based on the examples provided. Yes the KT team do an admirable job working on a program that is free for all to use yet I personally dont think that it should be used as an arguement for the image quality it produces.

From the images posted, I really don't see what there is to get excited about. All the images are grainy and aren't anywhere near as good as what VrayforSketchUp (even in its frustratingly buggy first release) can produce.

Congratulations Jason. My daughter was born in October so I know how much fun awaits you.
Enjoy

Ours used to involve sending out office juniors to buy one of the following:

  A long stand

  A left-handed screwdriver

  A tin of tartan paint

Thats quite a unique workspace. Its very similar to my previous employers office which was a georgian building in Edinburgh's New Town though much more toned down on the decor.