Comparison between Revit and Other Modeling Software

[oddarchitect]

Forgive me if this topic is frequently brought up or if I should be posting on a different Forum, as this is my first time posting on this website.

I am a draftsman who specializes in Revit, although I have experience with some of the other industry leaders: 3DS Max, SketchUp, Rhinoceros. After years of using the Revit cloud renderer, Lumion, and other antiquated rendering tools, I have ambitions to enter the domain of photo-realistic renderings and I believe V-ray to be the best road towards that goal. My hope for this thread is to spark a discussion about whether one should learn v-ray thru Revit or one of the other modeling software that Chaos Group has built a plugin for.

[Ana Lyubenova]

Hi oddarchitect,

The best thing of having V-Ray compatible with all those 3D platforms, is that you don't need to learn a new platform to start using it. V-Ray for Revit is less complex, very easy to use and outputs the same high quality images as the rest of the V-Ray products. One more thing, it is designed specifically for the Revit user group, considering the type and specifics of their workflow.
From the point of 12+ years Revit user, I would advise you to start with V-Ray for Revit. Learning one software instead of two is always better.

Regards,
Ana

[dphorvath]

oddarchitect,
While there is no perfect solution to all, there are perfect solutions to specific users and their situations. We categorize two types of rendering needs; Visualization Renderings and Design Renderings. In my opinion, without doing really any post processing, Vray for Revit is a great Design Rendering Tool. While working on the project in Revit, I can quickly show my client rendered views as we work, all without exporting into another software and making a separate rendering file. I do think that Vray for Revit can also achieve the Visualization level if you choose to post process and get really good with rpcs, etc.... For me, I don't have the luxury of time on my projects, so I commit to Design Renderings, which my clients really love. When I'm done with the project, or close to it, I then make a much nicer rendering with nicer finishes and a little post process as a final marketing tool for the client to lease the building with, etc...
So as you see, Vray for Revit can be whatever you choose to make of it; from basic modeling, to visualization level, all in the same revit file and revit software, which makes the process very efficient in my opinion.
Cheers
DpH

[Ana Lyubenova]

Very well said and well explained, dphorvath

[Bighouse]

OP,

You used one word in your statement that would typically indicate that V-Ray, used within Revit as a plug-in, will not suffice for your work. That word is "photo-realistic". Revit has some severe limitations that V-Ray, in spite of V-Ray's GREAT materials, atmospheric and other effects, and rendering capability, cannot overcome. One such issue is the lack of any serious UVW mapping capability in Revit. SO, while it might be a good stepping-stone to understanding and using V-Ray, these two programs along will never let you achieve the kind of results you could get in using V-Ray combined with something like 3D Studio Max.
I think that Autodesk likes to encourage their user base to purchase additional titles in their stable of software. By not putting UVW mapping capability in Revit, it forces one to use another program to get really great, photorealistic effects elsewhere. I personally think it would be great if Chaosgroup could write more into their software to overcome some of those limitations of Revit, but that might put them in jeopardy with having plug-ins for the Autodesk ecosystem.
I do agree with DpH's analysis above. It works GREAT using the plug-in inside of Revit for Design renderings. It gets me 100% of what I need 90% of the time. 5% of time it gets me what works and another 5% of the time it just can't ever do what I want.