Expert: J. B. Borge - 1/16/2009

Question
Hello

I was just wondering if you can use just autocad to get a realistic render or would you use a program like viz render?

Thank You
Alysa

Answer
Alysa,

Autocad is geared more towards drafting in 2D environment. & over the years, it kept adding more & more 3D modules as a supplement & also to keep up w/ the competition. You can do great renderings w/ the software but not as realistic as you might think. In the end, you are very limited to what you can do - polygon mesh, texturing, revision control (nondestructive 3D layers), etc.
3DS Max or Maya are programs that you might consider looking in. The learning curve is a bit high but these softwares spits out the most realistic renderings you could ever imagine.
Hope this helps...