New here with question...

[Meatcircus]

Hi all,

 

I'm a mechanical draftsman with alot of curiousity about this realm of work. I've done a few 2D and 3D renderings of houses but nothing real involved.

 

What I'm ultimately interested in is adding 3D images to existing photographs to show building additions on existing property. Any direction?

 

thanks!

[mattclinch]

Thats a broad question...

 

The general process of comp'ing 3D in 2D requires a model in a 3D software package and 2D photo-manipulation software.

The most common setup is 3D Studio Max and Photoshop, though the level of software is entirely guided by your budget. Sketchup, Lightwave, Modo etc are all capable 3D softwares with varying levels of depth.

For the comp'ing process, you'll need to read up on texturing, camera matching, direct light and GI solutions, the rendering process, colour correcting and masking.

 

There are some widely applauded books for varying levels available at http://www.3dats.com i believe.

 

Anything more specific you wanted to know?

[Meatcircus]

Yeah, I guess I could have been more specific. Photoshop and AutoCad are no problem for me. I can 3D model like a champ, and I have some limited knowledge of rendering AutoCad. For instance, I know how to apply colors/patterns/textures to the materials used.

 

I guess where I'm really lost is camera matching.

 

Recently I designed a deck for my home. I wasn't real interested in rendering it properly at first, but was more interested in getting the perspective to match the pictures I took. Am I going about it backwards? Should I set the perspective view of the deck, and then match that to where I take the picture from?

 

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.

[Claudio Branch]

For camera-matching I typically go on site and take all of my pictures. I will also make notes of where I am standing on the site (by marking up an aerial) and what my camera settings are.

 

After I have my structure modeled, I choose a photo to use in the background and work on getting my virtual camera to match my Nikon. I use the Matte/Shadow material to get the shadows cast properly and then the final tweaks in Photoshop.

 

Here is a photomontage I did last week using Max, Mental Ray, and Photoshop...the structure is a 1000' long steel bridge.

Edited July 3, 2008 by Claudio Branch