So, let's say I have CAD data/drawings and I want to add textures, lighting, color etc. What program is out there that can do that. Can I do that right inside autoCAD? I was looking into Adobe Felix, but that's only a Windows 10 proposition. Unfortunately, that's out of my hands and is a deal breaker.
What does the hive say?
You mean renderings? There are a lot of programs that do that.
Rhino 3D Studio Max Keyshot Bunkspeed etc.
What level of fidelity do you need?
Do you need 3d?
On the cheap/free, if you don't have to remain in CAD environment, Inkscape is the free equivalent of Adobe Illustrator, which is a vector-based graphics package. It'll import DXF/DWGs fine. 2d only, though.
Unfortunately, I don't have enough recent experience with ACAD, I think my last go was 2004? At that point, you couldn't do texture or lighting, but you could do solid colors and crosshatching.
Doesn't Acad fusion do that?
It's been a really long time,but I remember doing something similar when we did 3d shapes in my auto cad class years ago.
Sounds like you need to import your CAD object into an artistic 3D modelling program like Blender.
This might be of interest to you.
AutoCAD is primarily 2D. Unless they have made drastic changes in the last 2 years, doing 3D in AutoCAD is like a Reliant Robin trying to compete at Pikes Peak. It will do it but you aren't gonna be happy and it will be bad.
You need to import your 2D drawings onto a layer and build up your 3d model from that (at this price point - free) Its not hard. Just recognize the lines and use them for the geometry and then fill/shell/surface to whatever you need.
As far as "I have 3 views 2D and want a 3D part by pushing a button", I have tried AutoDesk Inventor's (READ $8k license) feature and it was OK. Still needed work.
There is the website Selva3D that claims to be able to do it but I have no idea how well or the terms of service (i.e. you uploaded it and we get to keep a copy and the rights to use it no matter what)
After you go from 2D to 3D there are a myriad of texturing and surface detail programs out there, some great ones said above.
With 3D printing being what it is today. I suspect that the conversion from 2D to 3D will be coming along swiftly.
BTW, I posed this question to a friend here (our resident rendering expert) and he simply said "You can render within AutoCAD".
I wasn't very clear, partially because the task given to me wasn't clear either.
I'll be given 3D models digitally and neet to make them look realistic.
I used to work with Right Hemisphere. I think that'll do it.
So, to clarify:
I neet to make a digital 3d model look realistic, like applying textures and lighting to the model. Anybody have any experience with a program you'd recommend, or recommend I stay away from?
In reply to ProDarwin:
Caveat Emptor on the first link
Applies to AutoCAD 2016, AutoCAD Architecture 2016, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016, AutoCAD Electrical 2016, AutoCAD MEP 2016, AutoCAD Map 3D 2016, AutoCAD Mechanical 2016, AutoCAD P&ID 2016, AutoCAD Plant 3D 2016, AutoCAD Structural Detailing 2016, and AutoCAD Utility Design 2016
Yeah, he didn't specify what version, but I figured that covered most of them.
Back to Dr. Boost's question: 3DS Max will keep things Autodesk and is very powerful. If you want more of an easy button from a rendering side, you can use Keyshot. Its super popular because its simple.
Personally I find it to be annoying because while the rendering is excellent, the visuals for the controls are not intuitive.
Of course, your definition of 'realistic' is going to have an impact as well. None of these programs are 'easy'.
Also keep in mind the power required to create renderings. Our renderings happen on our farm of ~300 cores. If you wanted to render on your local machine you'd have to let it sit for 12+ hours every time.
Define realistic (Doom 64 or Avatar?) and exactly what programs (2D/3D/related) do you currently have?
In reply to ProDarwin:
Yeah, I didn't think so. You went in-house which usually means up-to-date. Autodesk (who bought AutoCAD) has Inventor and that is where the new AutoCAD capability is coming from. According to the rep, they are migrating toward AutoCAD essentially being an old style interface laid over Inventor.
What I find really interesting is how far the free stuff has come. Other than a few BOM manager tools I could just about ditch the licensed stuff all together.
I found Rhino/Penguin to be pretty versatile when I used it, but that was several years ago. It allowed easy import of almost any file type. It was impressive from a rendering perspective 7 years ago. No idea what's out there now.
Realistic isn't important. They just don't want the items to look completely like 3D models.
No avatars of people or animals, just products.
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