WOW Super work Alan! I'm impressed!

God that set from Rocket Box is really over priced! I purchased a massive set from AXYZ which are great and much better priced.

Might I suggest that a low res and high res map be included so they can be placed in SU and then the Map substituted when exporting for render in most higher end apps! Oh and normal maps!

Can't wait to see more of your handy work!

@tomsdesk said:

Richard, mainly showcasing the trees I suppose...though not as blatantly as here: http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=179&t=17149 Hope you can help out with the render app conundrum.

Good luck with that Tom.

I think for rendering they probably lack a bit of detail and are a bit flat, the ones that Kwistenbeibel made up with my old "Tree Factory" are probably about as light on as you could go for rendering. Cutouts can work if you have a great enough collection of very high res maps that show a variety of shadow casts, though these are often better added post processing.

Just fo shadow casting (hidden to the camera) these are probably fine though even a fairly simple cut out works well for those!

Though someone will possibly prove me wrong! Though I've got a massive collection of 3d skp trees and pretty much no matter how good they are they still produce pretty poor results in renderings palm trees aside! Though probably 90% of work is done for areas that palm trees are only seen in James Bond movies!

Good wishes with this project mate!

Mate like Pete and Kim start on the details - though don't plaster the kitchen like many would - KISS!

I'd straighten up the camera and maybe pick a not so much "show all" camera angle! Even exclude the window from the view that way it doesn't become a issue as pete mentioned! Maybe try a bit of shadows and highlights filter in PS to liven the back corner if your having trouble illuminating it! Maybe even just a tad of noise and slight desaturate.

Great work mate!!!! Look forward to seeing more if this is only your first!

Hmmm? Are these meant to demonstrate the Architecture or just a scene? In either way I probably prefer the last one but maybe with 1/3 - 1/2 the trees, darker shadows and maybe the trees desaturated a bit!

Thanks Majid

I hope now I get to see some people trying it out for great results (hint, hint)!

@linea said:

However you did it Richard, I look forward to your tutorial.

Still trying to get back to playing with this!

Richard's Render Technique:

These images where taken with fog on monotone SU (road normals flipped), default colours changed to suit. The Fog needs to be onto the subject to get good depth.

The ground model was unsoftened edges and some small random pushpull to subtly disjoint the surface.

Images where exported for two sun angles, both lines (sketchy edges) on and off.

Images layered in PS:
Play with layer blending (no set blend, sun angles make a difference) - when correct the effect will jump out.
lense distortion (CS3 - lens blur older not as good) to some.
film grain filter to some.
AND the big one - Render lighting!!! Render two or more? spotlights (best to separate layers) from the directions of your sun! Remember also lights in PS can be used as light suckers which are useful!
A bit of shadows and highlights filter on some of the layers will if the radius is tuned will provide an almost added render effect of sticking shadow to edges.

The blurr tool can help to blurr the outer for DOF effect. And sharpen edges filter on the top layer as final.

As suggested earlier yeah the film grain what you want but I upped it a bit to give texture to the board!

I said "to some" a bit as the weight of your layers will bear on the effect apllied, layer weight will be effected by your sun angles. I find you want two differing intensity shadows with the PS lights adding to the sources and dominance of the lighting direction.

And its all just light bits most effect you may want to Edit > fade: "last effect".

Cheers, Richard

@kwistenbiebel said:

Hi Richard,

Thanks for that little tut.
Together with the Dennis technique and Worncall (or is it Cornwall?) this produces nice images.

I am going to do more NPR images again as I find that photoreal rendering in pre-design gives you nothing but trouble towards clients.

And like you said on the PPB mate they are MUCH more fun!!!

Thanks guys!

I possibly do agree with Chris F. that the noise is a little over done (film filter) though I went that way though as the model has no textures!

At the moment the process is still a bit hit and miss, though I hope to get that worked out and will post a workflow!

It is interesting as to what makes an image look convincing! Here for starters (particularly the second) is a quick and dirty trick it get fairly close to rendered output with less mucking around then any render app just a few image exports! I do't think this will work as well, well it wont, for fully textured works as there are no reflections or spec and the lighing really only suits these type of massing studies. Though using lower res textures on the model could certainly give a better idea of the finishes as if the surfaces where printed on paper and stuck to board prior to model construction.

At the moment I'm finding it a case of getting the shadows fog and line style right then the rest is a bit of trial and error (at this stage) in PS with layer weights, blending and filter application.

@teezer said:

Very nice model, Richard. It must be someplace where it never snows...

You're right mate! 7m height limits roofing too! Dam!

@kwistenbiebel said:

Is this default SU output and Photoshop?
In that case. Wow!

Yes mate just SU image export! Then little bit of PS! Got it bit close third time! Still the next one!!!! Not tonight though! Excuse the model this is still being designed now! Lots of ground remodelling to go! And about the large images though they lose the effect quickly when too small!

This is seriously simple and fast! and Controllable!

I'd be happy to get that from maxwell!

Three exported images, now just a few min post work in PS and presto about as close as I reckon I've seen to a render from SU!!!

This is cool!

@crazy eyes said:

Once being an avid plastic-puller (contrary to popular befief, this is not a dirty term!) I was drawn to your movie. I think that in New Zealand we don't use the V-grade, but purely numeric, and can get past a 25 on the wall.

I really liked the way the panel moved onto the wall and was trying to do a similar with a wall in a building, may I ask how you managed it?

Mate New Zealand follows the same grading as here! The John Newbank scale which is currently up to around 33/34 though that rating is for routes not boulder problems which again you guys have the same V grade that we share with the states as opposed to the Euro's who follow a Font Grade which developed from the famous bouldering area of Fontainbleau in France!

The animation of the panels mate was done long hand (very long hand) - the panel was copied in a linear array and then each consecutive panel allocated a layer that turned on then off with each consecutive scene / page representing each frame of video. As the movement was only short it didn't take long and I can recall it to be about 30 frames! Luckily this could now be done with a few of the rubies out there!

Thanks guys for actually downloading it to have a look! I just cant seem to get the Vimeo video embedded - tried the correct script though it still doesn't work.

I did this some time ago (years) and would probably do it different now as the fog settings can change from scene to scene where it didn't in earlier versions of SU.

@linea said:

Richard

I first looked at this thread last week, i really like your technique, I've been copying the style a bit for an animation at work. Black is the new black.

Thanks mate! I posted a video to the gallery here - I was digging through my HD the other week and found this old animation I did which gave me the idea for the style of these posted images.

301 Moved Permanently

(www.sketchucation.com)

Further to a post from last week to the Gallery using black fog to punch out the design from the rest of the image I though I would post this video that I dug up from my system that actually gave some ideas for myself toward the previously posted images!

This Intro video for a self assembled domestic bouldering wall (artificial climbing wall) I was working on the concept for. I never went further with this for several reasons, one being someone registered a company under the same name! Buggers!

I thought I would post it to give others some idea of exporting video from SketchUp using the Fog feature for a nice effect.

All animation including the panel movement was done in SU and the final compiled in Windows Movie Maker. I had to compress the video a great deal to get it in a sub 2Mb zip for posting - so please excuse the lower quality!

Interestingly this animation in SU I did even before ruby scripting was included as an option!

Hope someone gets some ideas from it!

BTW the V12 name is a reference to the grades for Boulder problems which currently tops out at about V15 - until humans evolve claws!

Movie file

Movie

MediaFire is a simple to use free service that lets you put all your photos, documents, music, and video in a single place so you can access them anywhere and share them everywhere.

MediaFire (www.mediafire.com)

Will post the Vimeo file when converted.

@putnik said:

Richard, I like the 1st two images and the last one a lot! As an architect that is. Very fresh and sleek looking. Apocalyptic black sky, hmm.. I'd be interested to know what your client's response is.

Thanks mate! The client loved the images - given though they are for planning not for marketing! Certainly that would need to be considered as they don't create that bright always sunny emotion!

Brodie

I think what gives the renderings a lack of realism is the overly clean textures! Particularly in the car park!

For that area I'd possibly do a very large weight map so you can mess up the area with oil, tyre marks, water streeks etc, even some leaves! You could even use the same map/s for your grassed areas to give some variety in the grass colours!

With maxwell to get realism I really find you have to dirty up surfaces.

Also I might be incline to stick with a better more rigid landscape theme - the mix of landscaping (mainly the palms) reduces the realism for me!

@earthmover said:

Does anyone know how to calibrate a monitor? I just opened these images on my other monitor and I know see why everyone said they are so dark. Hmmm, must've been my main monitor all along.

Mate I have exactly the same issue editing images on my shinny screen laptop, they come out really dark when I view them on another monitor.

I must say try to make a friend of PShop's shadows and highlights filter it can really allow you to trick up images where the shadowed areas are too dark.

I think it is your 4th posted image (the one looking down on the pool) mate if I didn't know this as a CG forum it had me! Brilliant!

Thanks again all!

Here are a two other images for a small design I did last week for a small river side boathouse.

In this below (draft design) I tried using the PS render > lighting filter to add a subtle spot light effect.

@unknownuser said:

Hey Richard, really cool style and so simple, makes you sit back and think "why did I never think of that before"?
Well Done.

Sorry to digress a little but how are you guys doing down there with the tragedy of these bush fires?
We here in South Africa are thinking and praying for you all!

Thanks for those words mate! Although I live in another state about 12 hours north this tragety is heart felt nationwide! The lost of life and property is seeing the community donate over $1mil an hour to the relief fund - and although this support will mean alot to the recovery of these areas it can in no way relieve the grief these people will feel over their losses!

Thank you mate!