Soft Edge lines

[Al Hart]

I have started on NprTools again. (S.S. if you are reading this - don't give up hope - I do plan to release it someday.)

Here is another idea, which is possible with PhotoShop, but would be a lot easier with a single button push in NprTools.

The upper left image was create from SketchUp with Sketchy Edges. But the edges may be to dark and too harsh.

The lower right image was run through the NprTools soft edges function, to make the edges transparent and patterned.

First: Is there a way to do this with SketchUp already?

Second: Would it be useful?

Here is a blow up of the transparent and patterned edge lines.
(Note how they let some of the color and detail of the image behind them show through)

[thomthom]

Not sure if it's possible exactly like that. I'm not using sketchy edges that often, but I did the other day. And I rarely like to use 100%, usually 80-90%. And I found that even with sketchy edges, you could set the line colour just like the straight lines.

That's my way of softening it.

I can't see, at the moment, any use of adding a pattern to line edges.
However, adding a patterm/texture and colour to shadows, that would be interesting.

[thomthom]

That's very interesting. I've not heard of NptTools though. IT's slippet past me. But I'll be keeping an eye on this.

I was working on a model once where I wanted to simulate the blueprint style, blue background, white hand drawn lines with shadows made out from a white hatch.

[Al Hart]

@thomthom said:

However, adding a patterm/texture and colour to shadows, that would be interesting.

That was the original idea of NprTools:

Model with Sketchy edges, but solid shadows.

This second image was created - again with a single user click - by creating and combining several images.

Hopefully I will get it completed and release something.

Al

[Al Hart]

@thomthom said:

I can't see, at the moment, any use of adding a pattern to line edges.

I think the difference between patterns and using a lighter edge color are subtle. However, there may be times when they can be useful.

Here is a sample of the steps from this white house, using normal (thin) edge lines (upper left) and making them light grey in SketchUp (upper right), 50% mask and 50% transparency (lower left) and 50% mask, 75% transparency (lower right).

The images are extracted as a detail from a larger model at the top and then blown up 4X at the bottom so you can see how the transparency and masking works.

I have put some larger examples on the RPS Wiki

Here is the whole image with 50% masking and 75% transparency:

And the same image with light grey edge lines in SketchUp

Again, the difference are subtle, but there may be uses for them.