Jim Leggitt / Drawing Shortcuts

SketchUp Base for Photorealistic Rendering

I've designed numerous master planning projects in the Middle East from 2004 through 2009 and extensively used Google SketchUp models for concept design generation and as bases for presentation renderings.  Real estate speculation in Dubai and Abu Dhabi was at a frantic level and developers demanded high quality photorealistic renderings of their proposed master plans. Most of my early UAE projects required producing 10-20 renderings showing different scenes of which we outsourced to the Beijing rendering consultant Crystal CG. Although my office had in-house rendering capabilities, we could not produce the high number of images within the tight deadline.

I created many SketchUp models study models and used them to visualize different aspects of the development. The series of images below are from a large development named Shams, Abu Dhabi. My process is as follows:

Google SketchUp Scene. This view was one of many developed from a large planning model. The eye-level perspective was populated with people for scale. Being a simple massing model, I needed to add more detail to the composition before sending it to the Beijing rendering consultant.

Hand Drawn Overlay. I exported a jpeg of the SketchUp model scene and printed it in color on 11"x17" paper. I taped a sheet of trace paper over the print and sketched more detail into the scene such as landscaping, building facades, water feature and other elements not in the original SketchUp model. This scanned image was sent to the rendering consultant along with some notes and instructions.

Photorealistic Rendering. The final image was true to the original composition and successfully captured the basic character of the scene. Working with outside rendering consultants required patience and several draft versions before the final rendering was completed. This was one of over 30 proposed rendering views of which 15 different renderings were eventually produced to market the project.

If you would like to see more examples of using SketchUp models to create photorealistic renderings, look for other related articles on my blog, visit my website www.drawingshortcuts.com and read my new book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition.

 

SketchUp vs. Hand Drawing? Learn Both!

 

Designers are becoming more familiar with the benefits of visualizing with Google SketchUp models and many are losing sight of hand drawing as an important tool in the design communication process. I’m an advocate of LEARNING BOTH HAND DRAWING AND 3D COMPUTER MODELING - with an understanding about when to use each option for any given project. The visual exercise below shows a pair of sketches that I recently created for an urban design project request for qualifications. Our team photographed different buildings in the site area and I then generated some quick “overlay and trace” sketches showing a before-and-after view of how the buildings could be redeveloped. I printed the digital photos on letter sized paper, traced over them in red pencil and completed the pen and ink line work and marker color in about 30 minutes each.

THEN, out of curiosity, I took the same photograph and built a SketchUp model (I stopped after about 30 minutes of modeling) of the new building using Photo Match. The results were very similar between my hand drawing (pure guessing on the perspective) and the SketchUp model. Which is a better approach?

Neither!  It all depends on who your audience is, time, level of design accuracy and where you are in the process. AS A DESIGNER - IT'S YOUR DECISION!

Original Digital Photograph. 

Hand Drawing - traced over a print of the photo, drawn with a Pentel Sign Pen on trace and colored with Chartpak AD markers. Total time: 30 minutes.

Google Sketchup Model - created using Photo Match as a comparison to the perspective I created in the hand drawing. There is a slight difference in the window pattern but otherwise is quite close to the sketch.  It took 30 minutes to build the SketchUp model to this rough level of detail, which could easily be traced and integrated into a hand drawing. 

Original Digital Photograph.

Hand Drawing - traced over a print of the photo, drawn with a Pentel Sign Pen on trace and colored with Chartpak AD markers. Total time: 30 minutes.

If you would like to see more examples of creating SketchUp models and Overlay and Trace drawings, look for other related articles on my blog, visit my website www.drawingshortcuts.com and read my new book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition.

 

Drawing Furniture using a Google SketchUp Model

I have always had trouble putting furnishings into drawings - especially chairs, tables, plants and lighting. Here is an effective method for creating a scene, whether it is an outdoor patio or interior of a room. The process involves creating what I call a “stage set” Google SketchUp model, populating it with components (either ones you make or find from 3D Warehouse), and then creating your drawing using a Simple Composite Method. Each step is outlined below:

SketchUp Model Overview. This stage set model was created by placing a simple floor and wall into a scene in which the ground was given an aqua color to represent the ocean. All of the components were strategically placed once the exact scene was selected.

Step 1 Establish Your Scene. I chose the default 57mm focal length of the SketchUp model view and adjusted the view to create the illusion of an outdoor deck overlooking the ocean. Note: save your scene at this early point so you can populate the model and adjust your lighting.

Populate the Model with Furnishings. I inserted various SketchUp components that I found from 3D warehouse, borrowed from other models and from 3D warehouse. I did not construct any of these components myself. Note: it took a substantial amount of time to adjust the placement of each component to build the composition. Notice the careful positioning of the coffee cup and pillows on the foreground deck chairs.

Fine Tune the Model Lighting. Once the composition was complete, I worked for a while adjusting the sun position and shadow effects on the furniture. I placed a tree behind the camera (out of view) and moved it until the shadow cast over the foreground deck and chairs. Note: careful lighting adjustments on a model can really improve the character and drama of the scene.

Simple Composite Drawing. I exported the final scene as a 4000 pixel jpeg in two pieces - one with lines only and the other as a fully illuminated scene but without the lines. I combined them in Photoshop and lightened both the linework and overall image. I printed the view using a laser jet printer onto Epson heavy weight matte paper and colored the print with a few light Chartpak AD markers and Prismacolor pencils. Note: the hand drawn character of this composite drawing was established by "overdrawing" all of the edges with a black Prismacolor pencil and creating a loose hatching pattern with pencils. The final drawing was scanned as a tiff at 300dpi.

If you would like to see more examples of creating SketchUp “stage set” models and simple composite drawings, look for other related articles on my blog, visit my website www.drawingshortcuts.com and read my new book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition.

 

Easy Facades for Large SketchUp Models

Making a large Google SketchUp model demands up front strategic thinking about how much detail you should put into the model, how to organize layers, building components and many more decisions about how to approach the complexity of your model based on what phase of the project your are in. Urban planning projects often generate very large models such as the project shown here. I built the model during an early conceptual phase for a Middle Eastern development of 350,000 people. 

In order to avoid a serious challenge making different building window designs, I scanned a number of colored patterns, applied them to the faces of buildings and resized them to coincide with the floor to floor dimensions in the model. Within a short amount of time, I saved a number of different model scenes and created eight simple composite drawings for a concept design presentation.

 
 
Simple Composite Drawings. I selected various aerial and eye level views, printed them and then colored the images with Chartpak AD markers and Prismacolor pencils. The drawings were quickly generated and very effective during the concept design phase of the project.

Tower Facade Materials.  The faces of these building models have several line patterns applied to their faces. I used a variety of line and square patterns throughout the model. I colored a print of each scene with Charpak AD markers, Prismacolor pencils and added some ink line work for people, landscaping and entourage.

If you would like to see more examples of using SketchUp models for simple composite drawings, look for other related articles on my blog, visit my website www.drawingshortcuts.com and read my new book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition.

Avoid Exporting Mistakes with SketchUp Models

It is easy to get caught up building complex Google SketchUp models and lose sight of strategic “exporting” decisions that can affect the outcome of your visualization project. In the urban planning project highlighted below, I was tasked to create an aerial perspective of the mixed-use development.  Without knowing any better, I exported the scene using the default resolution setting from SketchUp.  

What a mistake!  The linework was much too fat and muddy, limiting my ability to color, create a sense of distance and control the drawing detail.  I was very dissatisfied with the final aerial perspective and later learned that I needed to simply increase the resolution of the exported image.  

To avoid making the same exporting mistake I made, make sure to export your scene at a very high image size. For this blog post, I reopened my original model and exported it at the default width of 1389 pixels and then at 5,000 pixels. Those two examples are shown below.

Original Model Exported Scene.  I made the mistake of exporting this complex model at the default low resolution setting in SketchUp. The detail became very muddy and fuzzy.

 

Final Colored Perspective.  I plotted the B&W image on heavy weight paper and colored it with Chartpak AD markers, some colored pencils and additional entourage. The drawing looked acceptable from a distance but appeared very muddy when viewed up close.

 

Muddy Detail. The low resolution exported scene caused heavy lines around all of the model components. This is evident in the heavy outlines of the houses.

 

Low Resolution Export. This image represents the scene exported at the default width of 1389 pixels. Compare this with the high resolution image below.

 

Change Your Export Image Size. In the exporting options, I changed the image width from its default size to 5,000 pixels. Depending on your computer, you may have to adjust the number. 

 
 

High Resolution Export. This image was exported at a width of 5,000 pixels and is much sharper and detailed compared with the low resolution export shown above.

If you would like to learn more about making SketchUp models and integrating them in the drawing process, look for other related articles on my blog, visit my website www.drawingshortcuts.com and read my new book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition.