I may be the right Guinea Pig at the right time. I've just decided to switch over from WYG to ESP ... I recently bought VectorWorks 2009 and ESP 2.3, waiting eagerly for 3.0, and would be happy to let you know what I discover in the coming weeks. In the meantime, below find my mini-treatise on what led me to the change, apart from a burning desire to ultimately rid my life of Microsoft:
I am a very longtime WYG user ... My first serial dongle is #252. I really like the program in many ways. However, I've had the same mixed feelings about the program as many others have posted.
WYG to me was a great concept, a totally innovative product at it's inception, very easy to use for the most part, a nice integration of paperwork. But WYG still has some stumbling blocks that remain unresolved. It crashes when pushed very hard, and other times as well. Presentation isn't great, and requires a whole series of "work-arounds" to force the look I want out of it. WYG has served us very well as a way to draw quick and dirty plots, and at the same time basic 3D Cad Flats to sell a concept, or to communicate to other elements of production. Oddly, we use the actual visualization component very little. I find it's useful to clean up palettes, double-check things, basic organization, but doesn't provide enough nuance or detail to be relevant as a true "Pre-Viz" program to me. Maybe none of them do ... but ESP looks the closest to me right now.
One of the fundamental advantages of WYG is also one of it's downfalls ... specifically that it's a totally integrated program: CAD program, 3D modeling, lighting pre-visualizer, and spreadsheet ... all in one lighting specific package. This is incredibly ambitions, and commendable. The problem is that CAST has developed a program that is both ambitions, and serves a very small niche, and therefore has limitations in terms of resources ... hence the higher average cost per user I would assume. They are "lighting people" which makes their understanding of the end user greater, but being relatively small for a software company, they can't possibly pour the resources required in developing a world-class CAD component to their program, like AutoDesk or Nemetschek can. Plus they started so early, they became invested with both PC, and by necessity at the time, with OpenGL, rather than more powerful DirectX available later.
I am beginning to see the whole dilemma as akin to buying a home stereo ... you can either pick the pieces separately, and get the best quality from each component, at greater cost probably ... or you can buy everything integrated into one box, save some money and time figuring it out, and have an easier to use "out of the box" experience. So, I think the underlying question, as many pointed out, is ask what your real goals are. It's a series of trade-offs. If you want the very best, with the highest learning curve, and highest overall cost, probably 3D MAX, Viz, or VW, coupled with ESP. If you don't have 6 months to learn VW, or more for the others, go with WYG, which is very easy to get going on. If you demand great presentation and fast real-time rendering, go with ESP/VW. If you want to spend less initially, go WYG, but prepare to pay more for updates. If you want it all, at a low price ... go fish.
Ultimately I've decided that the "component" approach is the way for me to go ... Get the drawing program, the pre-visualizer, and the spreadsheet separated to get the most control and power. Re-learning a new program and workflow, and dropping 10K was not that exciting to me ... but the prospect of finally getting where we want to be is. We shall see.
... I'll know a lot more in a few months.
PS - I also think it would be great for the Hog to ... umm ... "Host" a pre-viz solution in a more integrated fashion, like the GrandMA does. However, I don't think it's a good idea for HES to actually develop their own application head-to-toe. I imagine their hands are full with the Hog OS, and are best concentrating resources on perfecting that to the extent possible.
I may be the right Guinea Pig at the right time. I've just decided to switch over from WYG to ESP ... I recently bought VectorWorks 2009 and ESP 2.3, waiting eagerly for 3.0, and would be happy to let you know what I discover in the coming weeks. In the meantime, below find my mini-treatise on what led me to the change, apart from a burning desire to ultimately rid my life of Microsoft:
I am a very longtime WYG user ... My first serial dongle is #252. I really like the program in many ways. However, I've had the same mixed feelings about the program as many others have posted.
WYG to me was a great concept, a totally innovative product at it's inception, very easy to use for the most part, a nice integration of paperwork. But WYG still has some stumbling blocks that remain unresolved. It crashes when pushed very hard, and other times as well. Presentation isn't great, and requires a whole series of "work-arounds" to force the look I want out of it. WYG has served us very well as a way to draw quick and dirty plots, and at the same time basic 3D Cad Flats to sell a concept, or to communicate to other elements of production. Oddly, we use the actual visualization component very little. I find it's useful to clean up palettes, double-check things, basic organization, but doesn't provide enough nuance or detail to be relevant as a true "Pre-Viz" program to me. Maybe none of them do ... but ESP looks the closest to me right now.
One of the fundamental advantages of WYG is also one of it's downfalls ... specifically that it's a totally integrated program: CAD program, 3D modeling, lighting pre-visualizer, and spreadsheet ... all in one lighting specific package. This is incredibly ambitions, and commendable. The problem is that CAST has developed a program that is both ambitions, and serves a very small niche, and therefore has limitations in terms of resources ... hence the higher average cost per user I would assume. They are "lighting people" which makes their understanding of the end user greater, but being relatively small for a software company, they can't possibly pour the resources required in developing a world-class CAD component to their program, like AutoDesk or Nemetschek can. Plus they started so early, they became invested with both PC, and by necessity at the time, with OpenGL, rather than more powerful DirectX available later.
I am beginning to see the whole dilemma as akin to buying a home stereo ... you can either pick the pieces separately, and get the best quality from each component, at greater cost probably ... or you can buy everything integrated into one box, save some money and time figuring it out, and have an easier to use "out of the box" experience. So, I think the underlying question, as many pointed out, is ask what your real goals are. It's a series of trade-offs. If you want the very best, with the highest learning curve, and highest overall cost, probably 3D MAX, Viz, or VW, coupled with ESP. If you don't have 6 months to learn VW, or more for the others, go with WYG, which is very easy to get going on. If you demand great presentation and fast real-time rendering, go with ESP/VW. If you want to spend less initially, go WYG, but prepare to pay more for updates. If you want it all, at a low price ... go fish.
Ultimately I've decided that the "component" approach is the way for me to go ... Get the drawing program, the pre-visualizer, and the spreadsheet separated to get the most control and power. Re-learning a new program and workflow, and dropping 10K was not that exciting to me ... but the prospect of finally getting where we want to be is. We shall see.
... I'll know a lot more in a few months.
PS - I also think it would be great for the Hog to ... umm ... "Host" a pre-viz solution in a more integrated fashion, like the GrandMA does. However, I don't think it's a good idea for HES to actually develop their own application head-to-toe. I imagine their hands are full with the Hog OS, and are best concentrating resources on perfecting that to the extent possible.
