Architectural Rendering (photorealistic images)

Dozz

Hi
I am just wondering if any of you might be able to help me??
I am thinking of starting up a company that provides photo realistic architectural renderings to the construction & real estate industry.
I have an architectural background and am proficient in AutoCAD but haven't practiced for a number of years and because of this I do not know what the industry standard software is for this type of work.

Ideally I want to undertake some training on the software package/packages then practice, practice, practice until I can produce top end work. Only then will I offer my services to the industry.
Any info is greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Dozz

5uspect

Blender, with its cycles renderer, is an excellent FOSS tool for general purpose photorealistic rendering. There are also plenty of commercial tools like Rhino.

Here's a nice Blender resource:
http://www.thearchitectureacademy.com/sp/28053-buy-now

hal9000

Autodesk 3ds Max or Maya with mental ray can produce decent results, V-ray/Arnold renderer can produce amazing results. You can import CAD plans very easily.
There are 30 day trials for both, lots of help on youtube also.
http://www.autodesk.com/products/3ds-max/free-trial
http://www.autodesk.com/products/maya/free-trial

They also have a Free 3 year student version.

You will also need Photoshop or GIMP (free) to do some texture work, unless you are using simple materials