Some basic architectural questions

[phix95]

#1)

I saw this company that does 3d-looking "blueprint" drawings...It's a top down view and everything's colored in Illustrator. They supply a library of objects. Basic shadows are applied. It looks really nice and not cheesy like those can turn out looking. They are hiring people to do these drawings. I'm just wondering if anyone has experience in this and if I would have to set up the actual blueprint lines or just color it or what. I am decent in graphic design and know Illustrator and am very interested in this job.

 

#2)

I thought of learning Vectorworks to model architectural things. And I wondered, just in general with any Cad package, in order to use a blueprint for your model, can you create the entire drawing in the CAD program? I'm guessing yes. Or you could import it and trace over it?

Ok. Then how do you go about creating the 3d space FROM that? I dont need a step by step, but rather is it a common procedure in any cad program as to how to do this? Or do you have different methods? Is it all extrusion?

 

Thank you so much!!

[manta]

extrusion is one way to create an object in 3d, other ways are lofting, lathing, sweeping and probably a dozen more, it depends what object you are trying to create, and there is always more than one way to do it...sorry I probably just made that even more confusing...

[Horhe]

#1)

The 3d "blueprints" are done both in autocad and illustrator. The drawing is exported from autocad into ilustrator or photoshop (with apprioprate scale in which it will be printed later) as an .eps file and then it is coloured in one of the graphic programs. Thats all there is to it.

 

#2)

The process basically looks like this:

- Everything - all the 2d drawings and blueprints if you will are done in CAD programs.

- Blueprints exported from cad and imported into 3d program

- The drawing is then altered - sections of the drawings that (eg. walls) just have height are extruded; objects that have a specific section and are running across a specified area (eg. cornice) are done using lofts or sweeps; objects that are symmetrical (eg. minaret) are done using lathe; other objects that are more complicated are done using mesh modeling or nurbs modeling

 

Hope that makes it more clearer

[neko]

the only thing i would add to that is that autocad .dwg files open directly in illustrator - you don't need to import as an .eps

 

there is often a need to prepare the drawing file before using illustrator, so that the colouring is easier to manage (closed boundaries and good layer management are important).

 

attached is a simple example of what you can do with autocad and illustrator (converted to jpg).....not much time/effort involved.

 

best of luck

 

paul

[phix95]

Thanks guys.

But I was thinking more of modeling in the cad program (such as vectorworks) where there is more control over measurements and specific tools for objects. Then importing in, say, 3ds and rendering it in vray or the like.

 

I've attached a sample of the kind of Illustrator drawing I'm talking about.

[AJLynn]

That Illustrator graphic is no big deal. Actually, it's not all that good. But if somebody's giving you the cad drawing and the library of cheesy furniture icons and a wad of cash, this would be 30 minutes worth of work. Depends on the Illustrator version - if you have CS with the smart paint feature, just make the whole thing a smart paint object and use it to poche the walls and do the floor pattern fills, then drop the furniture in wherever it is in the furniture plan, stick a gradient fill in the bathtub and drop the whole thing into an Indesign layout with the title block.

[neko]

yup - andrew is correct, you really don't need to create any 3D objects to produce that kind of work.

 

and he is right that it isn't all that great. with a little practice and experience, you can do much better, i'm sure.

 

i'm struggling to find examples of plans i can show you, but here is an elevation drawn in autocad and coloured in illustrator - maybe six hours work.....much easier than modeling/rendering in 3D.

 

illustrator is a great tool.

[AJLynn]

I like that one.

[phix95]

Thanks.

But my second question was independent of the first. I just wanted to know how you go about modeling from a blueprint in a cad program.

[alexg]

Manta and Horhe has laid it out quite clearly in their post. It may sound confusing at first, but once you try modelling something out it will make sense.

 

This might be a simplified version of 3d modelling method if you'd like to use extrusion.

 

- First thing is to trace the drawing, all the walls especially.

- Next step is extrude the walls up so they become 3d object. If you go to the help file, in Max or Acad or VW, you can find how to do this.

- Once walls are set up, trace the floor and ceiling. You can extrude them into solid object or make it a 3d face. This stage done, you've got yourself an enclosed space.

- Now is the detailing stage, punch holes for windows, making the windows frames, glass, cornices, stairs, balustrades, roofs, etc, etc.

Put as much detail as you'd like, more detail on the prominent features.

 

There are, of course other methods. I don't know about Vectorworks, but Brian Smith's book titled 3dsMax8 Architecture Visualization is a great resource to understand 3d modelling.

[phix95]

Hey, thanks for that. I'll check that out in the prog. I've been through the very basics in Autocad and havent looked at VW yet, but as far as the more complex things, like balustrades, cornices and the like, are those library objects at all or are those made from scratch?

[id_ivan]

Oh yes, complex things usually start from scratch. Unless you have something very common in a geometry, you can't use library. I even remodel existing library because it cost me more time to adjust rather than build it.

[DaveMBarb]

Also, I would recommend importing the CAD file into Illustrator as a PDF, otherwise (in my experience) you won't get your proper lineweights. Though then again, I'm still working with archaic color pen settings... maybe if I moved to object settings it would fix it.

[phix95]

Thanks for the tip.