A Comparison of Realtime Rendering Software like Unity and UE4

First of all, I will temporarily classify software such as unity, lumion, mars (光辉城市) and twinmotion(both based on ue4) into one category for analysis, which can be called real-time rapid rendering software.

Advantage:

1.  Time-saving:

   I used to use lumion when rendering samples in design process. Compared to render a picture for several hours, even to open the computer rendering all night in Vary, the speed of such software is self-evident, which gives the architects more time to think and improve the design.

2.  Good quality:

   Under the premise of proper settings, you can get a good visual effect. Especially the scenery of plants and water systems. For most cases, it is acceptable.

3.  Real-time modification:

  It enable us quickly modify the program on site and discuss with teachers or customers, greatly reducing the communication cost.

4.  Abundant special effects:

  We can process pictures easily and quickly to meet the needs of different situations.

5.  Simple to get started:

   Learning cost is very low compared to 3dsmax

6.   Virtual reality:

   We can quickly connect virtual reality devices to achieve space roaming. It will be more common in the future.

 

Disadvantages:

1.  Quality limit:

  The picture has an upper limit. If it is a competition or the final big picture, the performance ability of such software cannot meet the demand.

2.   Detailed background setting:

   The pursuit of results often requires detailed consideration of surrounding background settings.

3.  Fixed style:

   Most of them are cartoonish (Mars maybe slightly better). It cannot be used to express a specific desired style, such as a collage style.

In terms of classification,

1. The difference between special software and open source software (unity + ue4 vs. lumion + mars + twinmotion):

     We know that unity and ue4 are mainly used to make video games, so compared to other software that specifically displays architecture, the work required is greatly increased. The application of light source, material and cameras needs to be set from zero. The advantage is that the code is open source, you can set some judgment conditions according to your needs. For example, you can achieve the effect of transforming walls from wood to steel or an elevator that can be truly moved in unity, which can't be done in software such as lumion.

2. The difference between unity series and ue series (unity vs. ue4 + mars + twinmotion):

     There is no doubt that unity occupies an absolute dominant position in the development of mobile terminals, especially mobile games and vr games. Because it is easier to learn, and the supporting assets store is also rich in content. The configuration requirements are also much lower than ue4. But the effect of ue4 is obviously better, and there are more possibilities for the cooperation of blueprint and c ++ language, which is not available in unity. This is why software such as mars and twinmotion chose ue4. By the way, lumion uses quest3d.

indoor render in unity from official website

indoor render in ue4 from personal production

Personally, I think Mars built on ue4 (I haven't used twinmotion which should be similar) is the main direction in the future. Its designers take into account most of the architectural display. Architects can quickly produce simple animations. The camera movement of the building roaming is also very convenient. Its material editor and lighting are also very comprehensive and practical.

Overall, both the rapid rendering software and 3dsmax are used to present architectural effects. The most important thing is the architectural design itself, because what we finally experience in person is the real space in reality.