donkidonki wrote:
And Capture replied in red
Hello Everyone, this is my first post in this forum.
I currently use Wysiwyg Perform (From R16 up-to R28 as I simply don't get enough of the kind of work that warrants continuing with such a significant level of annual investment.
(I can understand Cast asking such a high Premium for entry to the platform as it is great but I dislike the membership scheme which penalises loyalty rather than rewards it. Currently their lease scheme is far more cost sensible but membership is terrible)
Capture has an optional paid upgrade model whereas wyg has a subscription model.
My work starts with lighting plotting, mostly on quite modest size corporate events. Room plans and set drawings are usually a requirement too. Producing pitch visuals is a fairly new thing for me which developed off the back of test visuals when plotting in Wyg.
I rarely do events that have budget for pre-vis but I use it a bit for my own benefit, and it is nice to have it available automatically once the lighting plot is done. (The one side that my version of Wyg is getting increasingly useless for as the fixture library is not updated outside of current membership)
Capture libraries get updated on a daily basis and this is one of the reasons why the paid upgrade is considered optional. You can read more in our licensing policies page.
It seems that most other users (and supporting software like Capture) really splits what I want into two areas; CAD and tools for plots and pretty visuals and separate software for lighting pre-vis.
Capture is an all in one solution, however there are no 3d modelling tools.
Now that I have decided to totally give up on Wyg (eventually)I need to pick an alternative solution. Wyg will continue to be the main tool until I get myself up to speed with something else but that may take some time hence I am starting the process now.
Capture has the fastest learning curve from all relevant software. Please spend 30 mins on our video tutorials and you will be up and running. Afterwards you can always visit the manual for further details.
I could manage with my old wyg for plots and visuals and use my console for pre-vis (Chamsys MagicQ) but the internal vis is crude and I really don't want to have to do the same work twice on every project.
Understandable, Capture has a very smooth connection to Chamsys so make sure you try it.
So far, Capture Atlas seems to be best alternate choice for what I want, with only the lack of built-in CAD stopping it from being a total no-brainer. (last time I checked out Capture the paperwork side looked far too primitive but Atlas looks much better)
You can import dwg/dxf/3ds/obj and skp files and there are many software that are powerful and free like sketchup and blender.
The other stand-out option I've found is the combination Vectorworks with Spotlight and (was ESP)Vision.
So far I haven't given Vectorworks any serious investigation as the initial investment is close to Wyg levels and I haven't checked to see what the ongoing annual cost is likely to be either. (it will be interesting to see if they get more aggressive pushing Vision now that it has been incorporated into Vectorworks)
Capture is priced very competitively for entry and even better for ongoing costs. (zero for fixture additions and very reasonable charges for edition upgrades)
This brings me to my current dilemma; which CAD software to use if I decide to try Capture.
Obviously whatever I create needs to import seamlessly but I hope that would be easy with most CAD options once I understand what construction methods Capture (I know it's Atlas at the moment but I keep calling it Capture in my head) prefers.
Capture is the software, Atlas is a product version, so referring to Capture is better for future readers of this post. Hello readers of the future...
So, is there a guide anywhere on how to build CAD models that work 100% with Capture?
There would be no such guide and our goal is to make import and export as seamless as possible.
Another consideration is compatibility with CAD drawings supplied from numerous sources. Venue and set drawings most often turn up as pdf's but can come in all manner of different formats. The one's I would hope to be able to work with the minimum of fuss would AutoCAD, Vectorworks and Sketch-up.
dwg and skp import as mentioned above. pdf import is not supported as we speak (Capture Atlas)
dwg files in particular are often bastardised copies of the original site architect CAD which have had numerous tinkerings and additions from god-knows who. These are often a challenge to clean up in a non-native program but it needs to be done. It's also a bonus if a version of the file can be exported back to dwg or whatever once I've finished with it on occasions where a production manager is trying to co-ordinate multiple departments.
So far I have managed to avoid having to buy any of these additional programs as Wyg has just about creaked it's way through most of the challenges. That will change if I move over to Capture.
What are peoples opinions on which CAD software to use alongside Capture?
Help with deciding which option is best would be extremely welcome.
Having mentioned a few free options I will let other users mention their preferred ones.
Obviously the cheaper the better but I am prepared to shell out for proper stuff if it is the sensible route to achieve my goals. (although while I can stomach a chunky initial outlay if warranted, I would prefer not to have to continuously pay ridiculously high annual charges to keep it usable, a token amount for support is OK)
It would be extremely helpful if anyone would be prepared to share experiences and even examples of using Capture with more complex geometry (detailed sets/ venues, lots of furniture and the like) and pleasant/unpleasant findings when working with outside-sourced CAD files? (most of the examples I've seen are more gig lighting than corporate event, un-surprisingly)
Thanks to anyone who has bothered to read this far and an even bigger thanks to anyone who can offer a little help.
Thanks indeed!
Cheers.