Tag Archives: Microstation

BIMRendering? What is Maxwell Render?

Maxwell Render is a standalone render engine for making perfect images, films and animations from 3D models. It is the complete solution for anyone who demands immaculate results on a deadline.

Maxwell Render offers maximum quality, speed, and compatibility for architects, designers and visual effects artists.

 UPDATED. Attend a Maxwell Webinar 

 
      
 
Want to make photo-quality renders of your Revit scenes? In this free webinar, Next Limit plugin developer Mihnea Balta will take you through the workflow rendering Revit scenes with Maxwell Render. 
 
 
We’ll cover installation, setup, handling Revit materials and MXM materials, lights, grass, and exporting with Maxwell Studio and 3DS Max.
 
 
When: Thursday, April 18, 2013 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PDT
 
Use the link below to reserve your Webinar seat.
 

Revit

  • Compatibility: Revit 2012 and 2013 (any edition) Revit LT not supported
  • Support for Revit lights, including IES
  • Support for many built-in Revit materials
  • Ability to override scene materials with MXM files
  • Maxwell Grass
  • Multilight read back: changes made to lights in Multilight can be imported back into the Revit scene
  • Easy access to the Maxwell material library and gallery from inside the Revit UI

Download:
Existing clients access: Client Gateway
Not a client or don’t have gateway login: Demo Version

ArchiCAD
  • Compatibility: AC14-AC16 Windows 32 and 64 bits, OSX (we have dropped AC12 compatibility after 2.6.1 and AC13 compatibility after 2.7.2)
  • Complex scene export from ArchiCAD to Maxwell
  • Maxwell Render panel to adjust Maxwell specific parameters
  • Maxwell Physical Sky, IBL environment, sun and all the other Maxwell Sky parameters inside ArchiCAD
  • Automatic and semi-automatic material conversion
  • Maxwell MXM materials inside ArchiCAD (as referenced materials)
  • Maxwell material preview inside the Material Settings dialog
  • Maxwell Grass
  • Maxwell FIRE (Maxwell Interactive Renderer within ArchiCAD)
  • Supports referencing external MXS files containing geometry and materials
  • Automatic animation export from ArchiCAD (Sun Study… and Fly -Through…)

Download:
Existing clients access: Client Gateway
Not a client or don’t have gateway login: Demo Version

MicroStation
  • Compatibility: Microstation V8i SELECTseries 2, Windows 32 and 64 bits.
  • Maxwell Render plugin for MicroStation performs direct geometry and materials export from MicroStation to Maxwell Render MXS scene and optionally to MXM material files.
  • MXM material files can be reused by subsequent exports which will refer to the MXM files in the cache folder, rather than re-translate.
  • Large parts of the plugin’s user interface intentionally mimic their counterparts in Maxwell Studio and convey the same functionality. This addresses Maxwell Render functionality which is not present on the MicroStation side.
  • Different plugin settings can be stored in the same DGN file, for different purposes. They can also be exported and imported.
  • All plugin options have balloon help pop-ups, and for the most part are self-explanatory.

Download:
Existing clients access: Client Gateway
Not a client or don’t have gateway login: Demo Version

SketchUp Pro Plugin
  • Compatibility: SketchUp Pro 6,7,8 for Windows 32 and 64 bits, OSX (Intel)
  • Provided for free with a Maxwell Render Suite license.
  • Scene Manager provides an easy-to-use tabbed interface.
  • Includes unique interactive wizard-style material editor.
  • Material model provides Embedded and MXM-Linked modes.
  • Provides interactive camera tools, and auto-focus function.
  • Implements custom automatic ground-plane feature.
  • Extensive use of instances reduces memory requirements.
  • Includes a very high performance C++ -based MXS Exporter

Download:
Existing clients access: Client Gateway
Not a client or don’t have gateway login: Demo Version

“Time” to rethink? COBie Challenge Results (are in)

The full bSa Challenge Overview and Information can be found here: http://buildingsmartalliance.org/index.php/newsevents/proceedings/buildingsmartchallenge13

OK OK OK … Get to the Results!!

The results of the COBie Challenge for Architectural Design, Coordinated Design, and Construction Handover phases are shown in the table below.

So, of the “Big Three” … Autodesk out performed Bentley by a factor of 24x? By 210 minutes?
And in comparison to Graphisoft? Well their results were shocking (***so much so that I will have to look into this further).

But, to highlight the three main criticisms for each of the “mainstream” vendors:

Autodesk


“Format Compliance: This company successfully completed the construction COBie challenge by producing the handover COBie file of the Medical Clinic model. Based on the quality control report, there was only one small error that incurred a one minute penalty with respect to the internal consistency of the output format that would require an estimated 5 minutes to correct.

Content Quality: The vendor did not produce the 100% of the sample data; however the produced data was very accurate to expected sample data found on the project drawings. Based on the content quality criteria a 4 minutes penalty was applied as described in the session above. In sum a total of 5 minutes was applied for the submitted file. This means that a user utilizing Autodesk Revit 2013 software is estimated to have to spend 9 minutes cleaning/fixing the COBie file for a facility of comparable size and complexity.”

Bentley

 

“Format Compliance: This company successfully completed the construction COBie challenge by producing the handover COBie file of the Medical Clinic model. No errors were encountered based on the quality control report; therefore no penalty was applied for the data format, delivery of required fields, and proper referencing across the worksheets.

Content Quality: The quality of the produced data did not match 100% to the sample data provided and penalties were applied as described above. A total of 218 minutes (3.6 hours) penalty was applied for the data mismatch. This means that a user utilizing Bentley software would have to spend 3.6 hours fixing/cleaning the COBie file.

Graphisoft

“Format Compliance: This company successfully completed the construction COBie challenge by producing the handover COBie file of the Medical Clinic model. Based on the quality control report, were zero errors identified.

Content Quality: The vendor produced the architectural data of the model for a portion of the original clinic model. However, the provided data was inconsistent with the sample data which resulted in a penalty of 503 minutes (8 hours). This means that a user utilizing this product is estimated to have to spend 8 hours cleaning/fixing the COBie file for a facility of comparable size and complexity.”