Continue reading »]]> Ever got a messy ArchiCAD file from a client? Yes I know you did, so did I ! As there are still enough Company’s out there who don’t no how to use ArchiCAD’s layer and material system correctly, messy files will always come into your office.This is just a short tip in cleaning up a file. It’s a very old one but I bet most new user would not no this one and it is a really cool way to clean up a messy file.

Let’s just say you got this file:

• - 20 stories
• - hundreds of layers with many empty ( but which ones ? )
• - heaps of materials you don’t need
• - pen settings you could do without
• - layer combos which are useless
• - etc

To clean this up the way you like to use this, would take at least a couple of hours if not all day. Well let me tell you there is an easy way to do this in less then 10 min. Here we go.

• Step 1: open the file
• Step 2: make only the layers visible you really need for your work ( if you lucky you get a layer combo, which the client set up for you )
• Step 3: SELECT THE DOUBLE MARQUEE TOOL
• Step 4: draw the marquee around the whole project
• Step 5: copy ! ctrl -c on PC
• Step 6: open an new file, best your own new template you always use. You don’t have one ? Please create one !
• Step 7: paste ! ctrl – v on PC and click outside the marquee tool to place it, that’s it.

ArchiCAD is able in the new file to create all the associated settings from the file you copied everything from and places it correctly ( correct origin too ) . It even creates the correct amount of story’s including the heights and RL’s for you.

I think this tip proves that experience always counts a lot. Don’t you think ?

Continue reading »]]> Ok this one is an old one, at least for me, but a “hot”one ! So I thought I might refresh this tip for newbies and for all the others who never thought of this. This modeling tip you can apply in pretty much all CAD software. I am using ArchiCAD for my 3D models.

All right , I would bet my house on this that everybody that is using CAD has come across this little annoying problem, especially if you are under pressure and have a tight deadline. You are modeling away and come to the next bit, which as example is a balcony and  to the right the same balcony but larger. So as clever as we are we model the first balcony and then drag a copy to the larger one next to it. Now we adjust the copied items in no time and voila the larger balcony appears almost out of nowhere in no time at all. We are extremely happy and want to continue, but just have a quick check in 3D to see how these two balcony’s look now.

NO ! Instead of drag a copy we ONLY dragged the balcony, which means the original balcony is not there anymore ! ( this usually happens if you use short keys, which again 90% of do use after while in CAD software right? )

No worries here comes the good bit. I show you how to fix this in no time at all . . . . It’s not magic but let me tell you it feels like it.

Let’s start with the DWG drawing which we use  to build up the 3D model.

Then we model the 3D elements

Check out the 3D

So far so good, next step drag a copy

Insert it to the larger balcony to the right

Now quickly adjust the elements to fit the larger balcony

check the 3D model

well what can I say ? Am I good or what ? Or am I . . . . .

Check both balcony’s in 3D

Now this is annoying isn’t !! But this is where the magic begins. Instead of having to drag another copy back and adjust the elements back to the smaller balcony, this is what I do and after reading this tip, you probably do too from now on.

You go back to your 2D view and select the elements of the larger balcony you just adjusted.

Now this is the magic tip. You copy the selection with ctrl – C ( alt- C on a Mac ) , then you do as many undo steps as you need to get back to the first balcony 3D model ( just before you tried to drag a copy ) . All you have to do now is, pan back again to the larger balcony and do a PASTE with ctrl – V ( alt – V on a Mac ) !! Good CAD software places the copied larger balcony back into the exact space where you it copied from.

Just like magic this is the result

and 3D check

You must admit this is still pretty cool today and will be cool, way into the future.

Continue reading »]]> This is a quick way to add a vignette effect. It is sometimes purposely introduced for creative effect, such as to draw attention to the center of the frame.

Open an image you like to try this vignette effect on.

Now go to: Filter > Disort > Lens correction

In here the only option you have to adjust is the vignette

In my example I changed the vignette amount to -90 and set the midpoint to +70, then click ok.

That’s all there is to it ! Of course it depends on the image and your own preference in how much you like to use the vignette effect.

Check out the Result: First the Image I started with, then the one with vignette effect.

Continue reading »]]> There are a large range of effects and post-processing techniques you can apply to your 3D visualisation images and as always, there many ways to achieve a certain effect.

What I like to recommend to all post-production effects is, duplicate your image before you do anything to it ! Photoshop  “eats up” undo steps like no other application. This means you usually run out of undo steps before reaching back to the original image.

Let’s start with an 3D Visualisation image:

To create an illusion of HDR to your 3D image just follow these simple steps. First make a duplicate of the original image and name it ‘Black & White’

Now make this layer greyscale by pressing Ctrl – Shift- U.

We have to inverted this by pressing Ctrl – I

and set the blending technique to Overlay

Your image should look something like this. Obviously every image will have a slightly different result, so don’t worrie if yours looks not similar to mine for know.

Next step is to go to Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur.

Increase the amount until you are happy with a slight glow at the edges of the image. ( the larger the resolution of your image the larger the radius amount will be, mine here on the blog is only 600 x 338 pixels, so my radius amount is fairly small )

You can see now the slight glow at the edges. ( especially around the sofa )

Now go back to your original image layer and duplicate it again. This time name it Linear Light.

drag it to the top of the stack and change the blending mode to Linear Light.

which makes it look something like this.

Now all you have to do is play with the opacity which should be anything between 10% and 30%

The end result is this.

For any created 3D image the outcome is always going to be different. Each image has a different reason for being produced,it could for commercial, for marketing, for printing, for media adverts or just for yourself. So this HDR effect won’t be ever ones “cup of tea “

Continue reading »]]> Modelling a 3D model with correct material split up, to get it “clean” into your preferred render software ( if they are not the same of course ) ,  seems an obvious thing to do. I thought I give you a couple of tips to achieve this without having to go back and forward between your 3D modeller and render software until it’s right.

Tip 1 :

One of the main thing is to have clear visual feedback , when viewing it in 3D. What I do is, instead of having all color materials represent the final color as close as possible, model with full clear to distinguish colors, even if they not represent the final color at all. To show you what I mean look at this screenshot of a simple model.

As you can see there a lot of colors which won’t match the final materials but this way I would see straight away if, as example, I made a mistake in alocating the same color to the cutter as to the fascia or side board of the roof. ( cutter is red, fascia and side board of roof is in blue ) In reality these two materials are in many cases the same or very similar. Would you use original material colors and you made a mistake, you would probably only see this later in your rendering software after applying the final materials.

Sending the 3D model like this to your client for a model check, gives the client also the advantage to see if all the materials are split up correctly. The drawback is some clients call you straight away and tell the color don’t represent anything close to what they should ! Even so you explained this in your email….

Tip 2 :

Naming of the different materials is always a challenge, especially if you are the 3D modeller and someone else will use your model in the render software. So a clear structure is extremely use full. As example I don’t think it is a good idea to call a material brick brown, because as it happens all to often the client changes his mind and likes now instead of brown bricks, grey bricks ! So if your client changes a lot of material colors the naming in your rendering software, where you apply the materials, will soon be a disorder and confiuson could take over. Not really what you want being under the usual short deadline. So here is what I do:

Material list example:

• brick_01
• brick_02
• brick_03
• glass_01
• glass_02
• glass_03
• render_01
• render_02
• render_03
• roof_01
• roof_02
• roof_03
• windowframe_01
• windowframe_02
• windowframe_03
• wood_01
• wood_02
• wood_03
• etc.

This way you can easy apply a different color or material in your render software without getting confused after many changes. It is of course useful to have a template file in your dedicated 3D Modeller so you can pick easy while modelling, and keep it consistent. Even adding at a later stage some more material names if necessary keeps the list completely in order and easy to use.

Tip 3 :

When exporting the finished 3D Model for your dedicated rendering package, export the actual building separate to the terrain. 9 out of 10 times the client won’t ask you to change the terrain as he is more interested in the building design, which usually still get’s a late change just before you want to hit the render button…. ( In my models the terrain includes: pavements, kerbs, roads, grass, mulch, street lamps etc )

Tip 4 :

Short but sweet. Rather split the model into more materials then not enough. ( with more then a century of modelling experience, you got to trust me on this ! )

Enjoy your next modelling project

Continue reading »]]> Many times we get a photo from a client or one we have taken ourselves, which is not quite up to scratch.I like to show you how to improve a photo. In this particular case I will mainly concentrate on the sky and the trees at the back. The sky and trees at the back are washed out, this is a common case in a lot of photos. We use Photoshop for this, as I use in all my post production.

Lets start with the main photo, taken on a good day ( In Switzerland ) . Even so the sun is coming from the back left, there is still a haze at the back which makes the trees and sky look washed out.

First before I do anything to a photo I double click on the Background layer and give it a name:

After this a duplicate the background photo original layer – hide the original and work with the copy. This way we can always access the original if needed

Next I open the levels under: Image – Adjustments – Levels.. or hit Ctrl+L . As with all photos over or under exposed you usually always can adjust the levels to make the image look better, without doing much else. This is a good example, you can see the black arrow on the left at O and the white arrow on the right at 255, both having some flat levels to adjust inwards.

So let’s move the arrows along the flat levels until the levels start to show some “movement”

Notice the black arrow on the left now at 15 and the white level now at 237

You can see now all ready a good improvement. The lower half of the photo looks much crisper and the contrast is great, even the upper half has improved but there is more work to be done.

Next I choose the Burn Tool with  the following settings:

Make sure the brush is large enough to cover most of the trees at the back, so this obviously depends on the resolution you have. In my case I went from left to right with the burn tool and back to left again. Make sure you use a smooth motion. Depending on the image you have to trial an error yourself a bit. Don’t be shy to undo a couple of steps and try a couple of times until you get it right and you are happy with it. Some of the tools in Photoshop need a bit of experience and a bit of an artistic stroke, which will come automatically over time.

You see an improvement, the trees don’t look as washed out anymore.

The next step is to delete the sky and replace it with a nicer more contrasty sky. There are several ways to delete the sky. I used the Polygonal Lasso Tool. It’s important to zoom in to get it right. After I fine tuned the tree horizon edge with the Eraser Tool ( zoom in again ). I also left a tiny bit of sky leftover at the tree edge as this will help smoothing the connection to the new sky.

Now we create a new layer and name it sky, which we place at the bottom of the stack.

Let’s create two different sky’s, one with the Gradient Tool and the other one with a new cloudy sky taken from another photo.

First we select the Gradient Tool and choose there the option: Linear Gradient, which is usually the default setting. For the foreground color we choose a nice blue and for the background color we use the Eyedropper Tool. With the Eyedropper Tool we zoom in somewhere near the tree edge. As I mentioned I left a bit of the old sky in there, this is where we pick our background color from. So it should look like this:  

Now we use the Gradient Tool and draw from the top left hand side, vertical down a bit to the right ( because the sun is coming from the left ) past the tree line a bit.This is what we have now.

If you prefer a cloudy sky the just search on google images for cloudy sky. Make sure you look for the right resolution in regard to your photo and of course it should be without copyright. I found a sky I am happy with and inserted it above the Gradient Sky Layer. The reason is so you can erase a bit of the cloudy sky just above the tree line which helps smoothing the transition by showing a bit of the Gradient Sky behind. Here we go:

Here the photo we started with:

As always there are many ways with Photoshop to get to the end result, this is one way.

Hope you enjoyed my first tutorial and if you have any question, please feel free to drop me a line.

Continue reading »]]> This is always the million dollar question and should be determent before hitting the render button. Seams obvious but trust me many times people render a certain resolution, which they think is sufficient, just to get a message from the client, asking if he could use this as a large print for his marketing stand or even worse , her likes to put up a billboard !

Most people think now, no big deal I just render out a larger image, this will keep him happy. After the larger image is successfully rendered, you just remember, after opening your Photoshop file, that the rest of the layers in Photoshop, which you added post production, are fixed in the lower resolution. ( like additional plants, people, new sky or background, etc ). Sounds familiar?

So here is a guideline I have been using over the years, which kept me out of trouble.

• Make sure you ask the client for what he intends to use the image for.
• Always render as a minimum A4 size with 300 dpi anyway, don’t go lower.

Size, resolution and purpose:

• A4 = 3508 x 2480 pixels ( 29.7 cm x 21 cm ) @300dpi
• used manly for standard marketing brochures, Magazines, flyers and smaller versions for websites

• A3 = 4961 x 3508 pixels ( 42 cm x 29.7 cm ) @ 300 dpi
• used for larger marketing brochures, at Real estate show windows, showrooms

• A2 = 7016 x 4961 pixels ( 59.4 cm x 42 cm ) @ 300 dpi
• used on real estate billboards and showrooms. As people usually stand further away from larger prints, you can easy increase the image size and lower the dpi. As example, you can double an A2 by halving the dpi from 300 to 150 dpi and it is still plenty sharp enough from 2m away.

• A1 = 9921 x 7016 pixels ( 84 cm x 59.4 cm ) @ 300 dpi
• well not used very often but you could obviously use this as a billboard on the road side to promote your ( the clients )  building. In this case you could even lower the dpi to 50 dpi and still get away with it. So 300 dpi divided by 50 dpi means you can increase an A1 by 6 times the size which would give you around 5 m x 3.5 m @ 50 dpi

Continue reading »]]> This category should help you get the most out of your rendering engine. Certain tips and tutorials will focus on a particular software, others can be applied to any render software. I know there a lot of render engines out there but most of them have similar settings, so a lot of my blogging will be helpfull to anyone using 3D rendering software. As in all categories I like to show tips for beginner to the expert.

Continue reading »]]> This category will focus on post production in 3D Visualisations. Furthermore you will get some tips, how to create great textures. As example: seamless textures, larger texture to fit certain sections of your model and create easy bump maps.

Photoshop all ready has an immense amount of tutorials and tips online but 80% of them are for Graphic designers, Digital Artist etc. My tips and tutorials will all relate to Architecture.

Continue reading »]]> In this category I will blog about the importance of setting up your 3D model correctly, before you export to your chosen rendering package. There is nothing worse then having to go back over and over again to adjust you 3D model in your modeling software, then re import to your rendering software.

There will be tips from beginners to the expert. Yes even after a century of being in this environment there is still always new stuff to learn or the odd tip that makes live easier.