STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL

NOTE: I have inserted a Google Earth map image on the ground plane. This adds a little more interest and texture to the final

rendering.

1: First, a view should be saved because multiple images will be exported and overlayed in Photoshop. Accidentally moving the

view will make it almost impossible to get the images to line up later. This can be done by going to View>animation>add scene

2. Export two images from Sketchup with the following settings:

    FACE STYLE: Shaded with textures, EDGE STYLE: no edge lines, shadows on

    FACE STYLE: X-ray and Shaded with textures, EDGE STYLE: edge lines on, shadows on

 

3. Open the first image- Shaded with texture, no edge lines- in Photoshop

    Open the second image-X-ray with edge lines- on a new layer above the first image in the same document. Be sure the images

line up over each other exactly.

    Next, set the blend mode of the x-ray layer (the top layer) to overlay. Blending modes are found in a drop-down menu in the top

left corner of the layers palette. The composition should look similar to the image below:

 

4. Create a new layer and move it to the top.

    This layer will be used to create the illusion of fog in the distance and also to hide the edge of the Google map.

    Select the paint brush tool and use the following settings: soft brush size 250, opacity set to 35%

    Slowly paint the background so that the edge of the Google map and model disappears.

    (NOTE: to avoid painting areas you don't want, use the polygonal lasso too to select areas to only be painted)

 

5. Next, a new layer is created and a sky inserted. As the clouds get closer to the horizon, I erased them more as well as around

the building

    In this rendering, I really toned down the sky by desaturating it and lowering the opacity. I don't want to draw attention away from

the building by using bright colors and well-defined clouds.

 

6. Create one more layer and move it again to the top.

    Select the paint brush tool and use similar settings as: soft brush size 1000, opacity set to 35%

    With the color set to black, paint around the edge of the rendering until you get a similar effect as the image below. Because it is

on a different layer, you can play with the opacity to get the right amount of shadow.  I typically apply this step to many of my

renderings. It makes the rendering a little more dramatic and draws the focus to the building.

 

In the final image, you will notice I Photoshopped an image of water into the river and adjusted a few other areas which is more

rendering specific. What I like about this rendering is that it is very quick to produce, but also that it has more of an artistic look to it

compared to the traditional Sketchup look, with out using complicated external rendering programs

NSTRUCTIONS

1. The first step, as always, is to save a scene of the preferred view in sketchup.

     This can be done by going to View>animation>add scene

 

 

2. Next export (File>export>2D graphic) 2 images with the following face styles and edge styles :

      FACE STYLE: Shaded with textures,  EDGE STYLE: shadows OFF, edge lines OFF

      FACE STYLE: X-ray on, Shaded with textures, EDGE STYLE: shadows OFF, Edge lines ON

3. Open the exported image -shaded with textures, no edge lines- in Photoshop

     Duplicate this layer (right click layer>select duplicate) and move it to the top

4. With the top layer selected, open the Hue Saturation dialog box   (Image>adjustments>hue/saturation)

     Check the COLORIZE box in the bottom right hand corner

     Adjust the HUE, SATURATION, LIGHTNESS similar to the image below, you can see the settings I used.

 

 

 

5. With the same layer selected, open the LEVELS dialog box (Image>Adjustments>Levels)

    Move the left triangle slider to the right until the dark colors in the image are almost black. You can see the settings I used in the

image below. Typically, you want to move the sliders to where the curves on the graph are the highest.

 

 

6. Duplicate the original layer (the one straight from Sketchup),  move it between the two layers already created, and turn OFF the

blue layer (click the eye next to the layer)

    Open the Levels dialog box (Image>Adjustments>Levels), but this time, move the center triangle to the left to make the image

brighter. You can see the settings I used below

 

 

7. Above this layer, create a new layer (icon next to the trash can in the bottom right of the layers palette)

    Fill this layer with a faded out yellow color using the paint bucket tool (shift G)

    Change the Blend Mode (drop down menu on the top left side of the layers palette) to OVERLAY

    Set the OPACITY (top right of the layers palette) to 35%

    Your layers palette should look something like the one below

 

 

8. Now we can begin to add lights

     Select and Turn ON the top blue layer created earlier (the eye next to the layer in the layers palette)

     Select the Polygonal Lasso Tool (shift L for PC's)

     With the blue layer selected, begin lassoing windows or areas you would like to light up

 

 

9. With the area selected, select the ERASER tool (shift E for PC's)

    Set the hardness to 0, size to 125 or so, and the opacity to 35%

    Begin erasing away the blue layer, and you will see the other layers show through giving the appearance of light.

    (NOTE: it would probably be more appropriate to use a layer mask for this step if you plan on making many changes. For

simplicity reasons, I am just using the eraser tool for this tutorial)

 

 

An important thing to remember is how light will be reflecting off of surfaces and the ground. This will ultimately bring realism to the

image. Here is what the image looks like after this step. Notice how the green color of the grass shows through and how light is

fading out on certain surfaces.

10. These next few steps are personal preference that add a little interest to the final image

      Create a new layer and move it to the top

      Select the paint brush and use the settings: Hardness=0, Size=200, and Opacity=10%

      With the new layer selected, paint around the windows to give a glow effect. This step is very subtle, but adds a little more

drama to the image

11. This last step I like to do when I am using Sketchup images that have a lot of flat, evenly shaded areas. This will add a little

texture and excitement to those areas.

     Open the -X-ray with edge lines- image exported from Sketchup at the beginning of the tutorial

     Move this layer to the top and set it to Overlay

     With the eraser tool, erase away areas where you may not want the x-ray showing.

The final image:

SKETCHUP TO PHOTOSHOP, NO RENDER ENGINE REQUIREDALEX HOGREFE SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2011

As the title implies, this architecture illustration tutorial doesn't use a rendering engine. I have done a few other tutorials in the past

that don't involve a rendering program, however this tutorial does things a little differently, and in less time. You will probably notice

some similarities to the Ambient Occlusion tutorial I posted a while back. I realized after making the ambient occlusion tutorial that I

could take advantage of the export options of Sketchup, and use the line work of the model to generate the shading. Because of

this, the process is extremely streamlined and can be done in minutes.

Here's how it works,

1. In Sketchup, save a view/scene that you want to use for the illustration that way you can get back to the same view later if need

be.

2. Switch the Face Style to "HIDDEN LINE". Under VIEW>EDGE STYLE, check "DISPLAY EDGES." Make sure shadows are off.

3. Go to FILE>EXPORT>2D GRAPHIC and save the image as a JPEG.

4. With the Face Style still set to "HIDDEN LINE", turn ON shadows and again export the image as a JPEG.

5. Now, switch the face style from "Hidden Line" to "Shaded with Texture." Again, export the image as a JPEG.

6. With the 3 images complete, it's time to combine them in Photoshop. Begin by opening the first image (Sketchup export with only

line work, no shadows) in Photoshop. Right click on the background layer (Click in the space next to name of the layer) and choose

"Duplicate Layer".

7. At the top, select "FILTER>BLUR>GAUSSIAN BLUR".

8. When the dialogue box appears, choose a radius of about 6.5. This number may need to change depending on the resolution of

your image.

9. With the lines now blurred, we need to darken them. I prefer to use levels although you can probably get away with adjusting the

contrast. For levels, go to "IMAGE>ADJUSTMENTS>LEVELS". Move the left black triangular slider to the right until the line work

darkens to almost black.

Below, is what the image should look like at this stage:

10. Next, duplicate the layer just created and move the new layer to the top. This duplicated layer will be blurred again using the

Gaussian Blur Filter. However, use a higher radius such as 35 this time.

11. I want the original line work layer to show through the two, now blurred, layers just created. To do this, select the two blurred

layers and set the layer blend mode to "Multiply".

12. The next step is sort of the "secret sauce" of the tutorial. Open the Sketchup exported image that showed both the line work

and shadows. Drag the new layer to the top layer. Set the Layer Blend mode to "Hard Light".

 

13. To add some color to the image, open the Sketchup exported image that had the face style "Shaded with Textures" turned ON.

Drag the new layer to the bottom, just above the "Background" layer.

14. I like to add color overlays to my illustrations to give them more of a mood. Create a new layer and move it to the top layer.

Select the "Brush Tool", and adjust its settings to have 0 Hardness as well as lower the opacity down to 25 to 30%. Begin painting

in color in areas you want more color.

15. Set the Layer Blend mode to "Overlay".

16. One last thing, I want the shadows to be a little more darker. To do this, select the layer with lines and shadows that was set to

"Hard Light" in Step 12, and "Duplicate" it. Now, select the new duplicated layer and change the Layer Blend mode from "Hard

Light" to "Multiply". You can adjust the layer opacity if the shadows are too strong.

That's it! It may seem like a lot of steps, but I think once you go through them a few times, you will realize they are relatively simple

and the whole illustration can be created in a matter of minutes.

For the final shot below, I added some vignetting (tutorial HERE). I also overlayed another exported Sketchup image with the face

style set to "Xray" mode for a more detail in the light areas of the illustration.