AUTOCAD and RENDERING

I'm a graphic designer and am getting into the interior design industry next month. I would like to know 2 things:
What the best/latest rendering programme is to use in conjunction with Autocad?
Is Photoshop compatible with Autocad?

Being a recent graduate from Greenside Design Center with a BA(Int) degree and having studied design software in subjects, I know that right now Revit2009 is a great rendering programme that can be used in conjunction with AutoCAD as well as 3D max. If there are any job openings available for graduates please let me know.

Concepts in Johannesburg, South Africa said: I'm a graphic designer and am getting into the interior design industry next month. I would like to know 2 things:
What the best/latest rendering programme is to use in conjunction with Autocad?
Is Photoshop compatible with Autocad?

Sketch up. It's a fantastic and fairly easy to learn software. You can download the software for free only and learn it with online tutorials or classes. The program is truly amazing!

Photoshop is great for rendering floor plans. Just plot the floor plan to a PDF and import it into shop. If your looking to render a perspective drawing just build it in Sketch Up and import your materials on the painting pallette. Save the model as a two-point perspective PDF and do lighting effects and entrouage in Photo Shop. Using more than one program is really the only way to get quality renderings. 3D Studio Max is great but is too time consuming and really not too many clients will have the budget for too many rendering billable hours.
If youre a graphic designer this will be a fast process for you. And learning Sketch Up is simple once you know the tools on Cad. They are pretty similar. Don't rule out hand rendering though. Its more artistic and less forced than digital renderings. To get a good I.D. job you will have to be good at both and have both in your portfolio.