HOW TO RENDER IN SKETCHUP
SketchUp is one of the most vital and strong tools which one needs while editing and creating projects that involve 3D designing. One of the simplest and most accurate techniques is ‘The Photographer Method’ which is in short a mental model. You can also visit google sketchup rendering by LiveTrainingLab.
Mental models:
• Are like shortcuts
• They help us solve problems more effectively
• Make better decisions
• While learning one is creating mental models
The Photographer Method:
It enables the student from knowing absolutely nothing to being able to render on the job. It is the focus on the mental model of how a photographer thinks. For instance, Imagine you are a photographer and been hired to take three beautiful photographs of a room.
So imagine you are photographing something in Sketchup instead of a camera. Which includes three parts;
Three parts:
These are the following:
The right gear:
Your rendering extension gives you all the gear you need. This includes cameras and lights. No matter which one you choose.
They all come up with cameras that have settings. Some of which are simplified and automated settings like the camera on your phone. Some give you more details settings or professional settings like a DSLR.
They also let you add or configure lights. Likewise, some give the basic options and some give detailed options.
In the photographer method you can get great rendering through any extension.
Great Lighting:
One of the great part of the photography method is setting up of the great lighting.
Think like a real-world photographer and use 2-Point Lighting to light your shoot;
2-POINT LIGHTING:
i. Setting up a camera angle using the navigation tools.
ii. Hide and show layers to figure out what looks good. Once you like what you see, remember to save the scene to lock everything in.
iii. Add a key lighting (main light). This will provide primary lighting and shadows you want to see. Sometimes your key lighting is the sunlight. When sun is your key light you can use Sketchup’s geo location and then use shadow’s dialogue to set the position of the sun and the clouds. Then dial in the final rendering settings in your extension.
In some other cases your key light in an artificial light. With the role of thumb point the key lighting above the camera.
iv. Balance your camera exposure to key Light. Remember your key extension is like your camera.
You need to adjust your camera’s exposure relevant to the key light. Beware! It is a common mistake to skip the exposure section. So they end up wasting a lot of times. Add a secondary fill light. This light should fill up everything that is very dark to enhance important details. Try adjusting the secondary light ninety angles to the key light with your camera between the two lights.
Once the secondary light is added you will need to repeatedly adjust the exposures and colors. Since your camera is focused to key light you first need make adjustments to the secondary light. The secondary light should be softer than the fill light.
Of course! Some projects might need more lights too. Like in a real world the photographer will click the photo once the light is adjusted, in Sketchup you need to click the render button. Once you do, you are ready for the final piece on finishing through Photoshop.
Finishing through Photo Shop:
In the real world, photographer does not get photos just by clicking them. They need to edit through photo shops. It is like adding enhancement to it.
You don’t need a photo shop expert to do so.
3 recipes to quickly improve renderings:
i. Use Levels Adjustment Layer to enhance brightness, contrast and tone by opening the image in phot shop. Add levels of adjustments. In the property window select ‘auto options’. Let photo shop adjust colors, contrast and enhancements. You can also make manual adjustments. Sliders underneath the histogram.
ii. Add Hue/ Saturation Adjustment Layer to change the mood of the shot. From the hue and saturation panel slide the arrow to add richer or duller looks according to your demand on your image.
iii. Paint lighting with the Brush Tool. With your image open in photo shop add a blank image to it. Set your layer blend mode to ‘screen’. Then select the brush tool, give it opacity of 15%, then pick a brush sixe slightly bigger than the light source. Click on the light source and you will see a subtle glow. Continuing clicking on it, to strengthen the effect. For more info you can visit google sketchup online by LiveTrainingLab.