Topic: Software used next to Lumion

[b.lamein]

I was wondering which software everyone uses next to Lumion or with Lumion.

I mean do you make the 3d models with SketchUp or with 3ds max or other software?

And wat is the best software to make the models with or what is de best software to use next to Lumion? Maybe there is other software you recommend with Lumion?

I`m hoping to hear from you!

[See3D.be]

Question to that can be, what do you want to model, whats your expierence in 3d and your budged.

I guess most used will be 3ds max and sketchup

[cbcarch]

From an Architect's view:

We model everything in Revit, then export via FBX to 3dsMax, then export to OpenCollada
and import into Lumion. Not an easy workflow, and all materials ( Mental Ray from Revit/Max )
must be replaced.

It would be VERY helpful if Lumion provided a plug-in for Revit ( TwinMotion has such a plug-in. )

cheers

[cpercer]

Another Architect's view:

We used to do it like cbcarch; however, due to the extremely large size of our models (cities), we have begun modifying everything in 3ds max.  We remove unwanted faces, i.e.the bottoms and sides of floors. We are very careful to make curved faces from segmented lines to reduce the poly count.  We do not spend time tweaking materials in Revit, we only make sure material assignments are different.  We also use Sketchup for massing and such.

[marvins_dad]

Sketchup to Lumion via 3d export from Collada.
Occassionally if we have the model worked out in Revit we will do Revit->SketchUp->Lumion...with lots of detail work and all material mapping done in SketchUp.

[Gga_Mars]

Hi there...  
I work on Archicad and export in 3ds or .obj
For urban planning i also use Arcgis.

Personally i don't think that most of architect use 3ds max before going in lumion and for those  who do so i think they hope to be able to go to Lumion directly.  

If the slogan of Lumion is "quick and easy architecture visualization" i think that the place of Lumion in "our" work flow (i mean for us "humble architect")  is just after an architecture software .

There is not dozen Architecture software... (Autodesk/Revit, Sketchup, and Nemetschek product: ALLplan, Archicad, vectoworks)
Of course maybe some user here use some "exotic product" lol

And what about the Industry foundation classes (IFC) most of software are compatible, isn't it ?
(i know that ifc is not only a geometric file and keep all informations of the BIM. When i was a student we test ifc to exchange with seismic simulator, thermal software or acoustic isolation simulation. I can also say that i never work with someone who use it but we are a very small agency... )

bye bye

[b.lamein]

Indeed an Revit plugin would be great, because I think Revit has an very large market. Autodesk is starting now with showcase but that not as far as Lumion. Cool thing about showcase though is that you can also show some 'design options' like different colors or different entrances or something like that (mayby something for Lumion in the future???).

If Lumion could handle IFC that would be great to, because of you use a BIM model with different software the best exchange file is IFC. An IFC should contain all the infomation you need for Lumion.

For now I personally use the most SketchUp and ocassionally I use Revit. But I`m still a bit testing with that...

[RAD]

To add to the list.
I've also used Rhino3D to get into Lumion as both FBX and 3ds.

 

[Gaieus]

I use SketchUp and export both as collada and fbx (SketchUp Pro only). Fbx seems to work better when you need to reload your model (with minor changes) as the SU-to-Collada exporter renames all materials and messes up linked textures.

Now I wonder if the Revit FBX export could not be used directly in Lumion?

[Michael Betke]

Artist view working with architects and all kind of other planing guys:

Import .dwg into 3dsmax and build model/scene there or import from sketchup if client delivered it.
Then OpenCollada to Lumion.

I also fire up CG rendering from the same model. depends what clients wishes.

[BMcIsaac]

My pick is Sketchup. My architect customers have a very short season and so the key to the workflow for me is speed. They just can't get it out in-house fast enough with some of the traditional drawing products. Sketchup is the only speed demon out there that I am aware of. When Lumion came along it was a natural for Sketchup. Lumion is a speed demon as well.

[RT-Visualization]

( Autodesk ) Softimage, which is much more used in Animation and Cinematics, but the tools for modeling are amazing and the workflow is very very smooth...
But everyone keeps complaining that you can't setup the units, which is a very lame excuse 
Poor architects, without an unit near the numbers they're lost ( no offense, but is true  )

[tug]

We use Sketchup and Acad 2012, as Gaeius said exporting in FBX and DAE, if the model is very heavy and must do changes after check how was imported, SU-DAE rename always the textures and it's boring to reasign the materials again, so FBX runs better.

[Michael]

We use FormZ, currently 6.7.2, for set-design and occasional archviz. It´s a flexible and rather speedy modeler. Export to Lumion is 3ds, since Lumion does not read FormZ's Collada files. There is an open beta for FormZ V7 out right now at autodessys.com, in case anyone is interested.
We do use Revit as well, but have no Max-license for the conversion. Revit (DWG) > FormZ (3ds) > Lumion works but takes too much time. Therefore +1 for the Revit plugin.

[RAD]

i used form-z 14/15yrs ago 

Remember when Sketch-up was developed by @Last?  by those radical people in Boulder, Colorado before being GOOGLEDup

Thanks for the heads-up for the beta testing for Form-Z.   
Is it better?  Any parametric modeling tools?