I am a beginner since 4 months and I am coming along fine with Vue/Sketchup/Rhino and so on but the problem is the postwork in Photoshop.
This is the result so far (without PS). How can I change this into art? The complete Photoshop file is here, http://80.216.143.5/main_06.zip
(50 MB with all the layers)

It would be interesting to see different realizations of this. For example, I admire the work of Diane Miller http://www.dianedmiller.com/,
obviously she is an expert photographer and Photoshop user but surely advanced photoshop technique can be applied to 3D digital works too?

It would be wonderful if some of you took up the challenge.

with wishful hopes
tess_linn

Some of photoshops built in filters can create this effect...its all about experimenting.

Here's a tutorial I found that may be useful http://www.uoregon.edu/~graphics/resources/sketchup/downloads/TheDennisTechnique.pdf

Je

Thank you! Definitely better than anything I have done. Now I will take the time to follow your link and read carefully. Again thanks I am constantly amazed by the generosity of the members in this forum.

I followed the link and have tried The Dennis Technique, for a couple of hours. It is definetly an improvment, but still not good enough. If you see the examples in post #2 and #3 you can see the beautiful surface finish of those models.

Futhermore, my workflow is from Sketchup to Vue. In Vue I can add entourage as trees, ground and flowers etc, and do the mapping of textures (with bumpmap, specularity and so on). I have tried to use Piranesi. But the computer are not capable of rendering in  9000x6000 px size  Or even 6000x4500. If I try to use 'Render Area' and stich together several multipass renders Vue complains that "zDepth buffer (needed for Piranesi) is not compatible with Render Area". Moment 22. Anyhow I would prefer to work in Photoshop anyway.

Thaat could be useful and the dfx filter plugin sounds interesting. I am downloading a demo version. But with 1000+ filters and no manual/describtion It probably will take some time..

Its possible that both of your examples were done within the 3D program.

I've just started playing with 'sketch & toon' in cinema.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XdsJCFUNyQ&feature=related

is there an equivalent in vue or rhino?

"is there an equivalent in vue or rhino?"

Not that I know of. So I have to learn C4D too? sigh.. :)
There is also Maya Toon but I have never seen any of the 3D programs accomplish anything similar to what Diane Miller do with her photographs. I don't want TOO much watercolour and not 'Toon' like look and feel. You must be able to paint on the surface like with a real brush. You should be able to mix photos and 3D without anyone noticing. The examples I posted in #2 and #3 was done with Piranesi. #3 was made by Wangwang, a chinese artist who have a chapter in the latest book 'Mastering Piranesi', and the other #2 by David Walker, an experienced architect who is generally considered the most acclaimed artist at their forum.

I am determined though that there is nothing you can do in Piranesi that you can not do in Photoshop.

It looks like Piranesi does things Photoshop can't, but then I don't have any experience with the EXTENDED versions of Photoshop for 3d work.

Found this vid of Piranesi in action...thought you might be interested  to see, as it shows some of the painted effects that can be achieved:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn96Lgp4F7I

l8rdaze,

The main thing that Piranesi has that Photoshop hasn't is the depth channel. That makes it possible to place the entourage like trees, plants, rocks under and over each other just like in a 3D program (although Piranesi is a 2D program like Photoshop). However that functionality is better implemented in Vue, and Vue has superior plants and trees too not to speak about landscape and if you move everything to its own layer in Photoshop you have the same control and no need to use Piranesi for that reason!

But when they do the painting and the post work it do seems like magic. Thank you for the link to the Video! :) But what can it be other than colors, blend modes and textures? I guess there is no way around it I have to buy the Piranesi book. But I suspect that once I master it, I will also know how to do it in Photoshop. i e by learning Piranesi I will learn Photoshop better.
 

sigh Well you said you wanted art.. xD

Oh well. Didn't take me but 2 minutes anyway. >.>

"then I see you actually already made something you like"

I were satisfied only because I had a minor aha experience, that’s all
I am studying Piranesi and other tools in a year or two I might be able to do something I can stand for. I hope I can publish my pityful attempts here now and then  though, to get some useful advice . The examples here including yours have set me on the right track. Thank you.

But you must admit that none have done anything like #2 and #3. The reason might be that Wangwang and Walker used more than 2 minutes perhaps…
 

#2 and #3 look both to be done traditionally with markers and watercolor.
We can get "close" at best to something like that.

-Lew

But -Lew what kind of defeatist attitude is that? :)

As much as I admire the above it is by no means the final word of what I have seen on the web. Digital art rules!

What do you say for example of this for example?

Oh no - not defeated ;-)
Me loves me digital art as well! In fact more and more I'm finding that I PREFER it!

Just pointing out the above #2-3 images seem to be done in traditional means - something even Painter has a difficult time REALLY EXACTLY matching - and that's what it's supposed to do!

A 3D render matching light-opacity markers...? That's all I was getting at.

I tried to dowload the above ZIP to give it a go myself but it seems to not be available anymore :-(

-Lew
 

"not available anymore?"

Sorry, now it is online again. I would love it if you give it a go!
Whatever your skills are, I can tell you are a man of taste and style.

And here is the orginal Sketchup file too! In case you should need it.

http://80.216.143.5/house_27_c.skp (2MB)

Flattery will get you anywhere ;-)

Thanks for the file - just downloaded it, lemme see what I can do with it tomorrow.  I had already started painting the original jpeg you posted, but that will obviously be put on hold for a while.

More tomorrow night - sleep well everyone!
-Lew

Attached Link: http://www.cgarchitect.com/vb/13586-site-plan-watercolor-effects.html

Joe

Attached Link: http://www.snoopywang.com/

No! I didn't had Wangwang's webadress, it must be quite new, thank you! Very much obliged.
I may try to ask him after I have read his chapter in the book (Mastering Piranesi). Not ALL people have the patience of the members of Renderosity.

As for making watercolors, or sketch or art or whatever, I think it is clear that there is not any easy way or technique by which you can just render a 3D model in Photoshop in 2 minutes. Wangwang and his peers work many hours on a drawing. And they don't even consider themselves artists, they are architects!

l8rdaze

BTW,I visited your photo gallery, you have some truly amazing photographs there!
In the gallery Odds & Ends especially. I very much appriated "D&R canal IR" and "Portal",
but "Reflecting on PADS" was my all time favorite, the piece de resistance of the collection.

http://www.pbase.com/l8rdaze/image/43233855