mvarchitect Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 I'm looking for the ideal specifications for a laptop capable of making presentation in my clients homes. I'd like it to be fast enough to do interactive virtual tours in real time using their TV screens as my monitor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbuttery Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 caution some clients get nervous about someone connecting to their electronics etc it's better to take a projector Lew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCKD Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 A projector? Really? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
country Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 I've never had a client that wasn't thrilled to see their project on their TV. Packing around my laptop is more than enough equipment for me. I sometimes have clients that can't remember their network logo so I just use my cell phone hotspot if I want to access Dropbox on line but usually I have everything I need on board. My Asus N53S is old but still does a fine job. It has an i7, 8 GB & a GT540M NVIDIA graphics card. I will probably replace it with a new Asus when Windows 10 comes out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HumbleChief Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 A projector? Really? I work with a contractor who takes his lap top, a projector and a screen for his presentations- just sayin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkMc Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Last time Lew mentioned the projectors I looked into them, certainly small enough, really interesting. I don't want to lug a screen though. Maybe if it was one presentation to sell a job but over half my meetings are at clients homes. usually at the dining room table. I need room for drawings and samples. I bring a 14.5" monitor DisplayLink Monitor, powered by USB, fits my laptop bag, light, fast and easy. I mirror my display,clients are happy with that. I bring along an extra HDMI cable to connect to TV but that is rarely used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcaffee Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 http://www.amazon.com/G751JY-DH72X-17-3-inch-GeForce-Graphics-i7-4860HQ/dp/B00NWE9SBS/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1426360838&sr=1-10&keywords=asus+rog Easy Peasy. jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKitchenAbode Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Have mixed feelings on in-home presentations like that. Certainly if you do not have an office then there is no choice. All our presentations are done at the studio where everything is setup to work correctly. Undoubtedly this type of presentation leads to many questions concerning materials. In the studio I can just reach over and show them the real thing or an alternative. The other thing I have found is that most people's home screens are so far of colour calibration that they can make your design look really awful, especially if you are focused on the interior design elements. May undermine your effort. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
country Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Many of us have home studios. I do have custom home clients in quite often but if I am doing a Reno/addition it can be easier to review on site. My main preference is to do presentations on line as my clients tend to be all over the province and the driving distances can take an entire day or sometimes two. Seeing a site once is usually enough. @jon. That is exactly what I will want by next year although there will probably be something even better by then. My Asus has been a great computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKitchenAbode Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Jon, please help me out on this. Why does everyone feel the need for this level of performance? What specifically are users doing? Is it that they are running camera views with shading & line smoothing? I don't see any other condition other than this. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcaffee Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I won't speak for anybody else, but yes, depending on where I am in my process, I will have multiple standard camera views (OpenGL) open with the possibility of a ray trace running in the background performing a light check. Not to mention Spotify, Netflix, and a full Amazon shopping cart to keep my attention during those activity lulls. Seriously, if you ray trace out of Chief or any third-party render engine, then this "level of performance" is really bare minimum. If all you're doing is modeling in 2D and assembling ConDocs, then... why are you using 3D capable tools? Throw in multiple monitors, wireless HDMI to a display array, Adobe AfterEffects, Photoshop, etc., etc. I am not a one trick pony. Then, of course, the cool factor. jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidJPotter Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I have had and used a laptop in the field for over two decades. Most people find 3D modeling interesting and enjoy watching me work. Regular renders are quite acceptable to most people. I often tweak the materials based upon their choices and often with an Interior Decorator also there. It's fun for just about everyone. Obviously if I sense that the client is NOT interested in the creative process, then I do not force it upon them, people are different but most find my own enthusiasm infectiously pleasing. DJP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard_Morrison Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 If people are not willing to come to my office, I do online presentations (GoToMeeting, or Skype, or join.me, etc. all work.) It hasn't been a problem, and saves a bunch of commuting time. Years ago, I used to drag a projector, small screen, and laptop to clients' houses, but no more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKitchenAbode Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I really don't offer or promote in-home services. Fortunately, our client base is never more than 20 minutes away, pretty easy for them to drop by. Yes there is a need to visit their home for site measures and confirmations but this is only done after a consultation at the studio first. Have always found that those who are willing to make an appointment along with the effort to visit me tend to be the more serious. Obviously if you are servicing a rural area then this is not likely going to work. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKitchenAbode Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I won't speak for anybody else, but yes, depending on where I am in my process, I will have multiple standard camera views (OpenGL) open with the possibility of a ray trace running in the background performing a light check. Not to mention Spotify, Netflix, and a full Amazon shopping cart to keep my attention during those activity lulls. Seriously, if you ray trace out of Chief or any third-party render engine, then this "level of performance" is really bare minimum. If all you're doing is modeling in 2D and assembling ConDocs, then... why are you using 3D capable tools? Throw in multiple monitors, wireless HDMI to a display array, Adobe AfterEffects, Photoshop, etc., etc. I am not a one trick pony. Then, of course, the cool factor. jon I can fully appreciate your particular circumstances. For the purposes of discussion I base my experiences on this type of workflow set-up. Windows 8.1 Chief - 1 plan tab, 3 elevation tabs, 3-4 camera view tabs. Raytrace - running in background MS Office - Outlook, Word, Excel, Onenote Browser - 4 or 5 tabs Photoshop at times Music always Two monitors This runs on an 8 year old Dell Workstation, Intel quad core 6600 2.4GHz (assign 3 cores for Raytrace), 4gb ram, 560TI 1gb video card. Everything certainly seems to run fine. Never an out of memory. The only time things get ugly would be if I have edge smoothing & shadows turned on during camera panning. Just don't have much need for this when working, always run a Raytrace for colour/texture confirmation and finals. This same configuration also runs fine on my Lenovo T420s ThinkPad and it only has an integrated HD3000 video chip. I know these hardware discussions will always draw in many differing opinions with each having their own merits. From what I have been able to deduce is that the most significant factor concerning performance is primarily on whether the user needs to live pan with smoothing & shadows. If this is required then there is no doubt your going to need a top of the line laptop or gaming type machine. If not then users may have a wider breadth of laptops to choose from that are less costly, significantly lower in weight and with much greater battery life. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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