Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
How to use depthmaps in image editors:
I am using Photoshop CS3 in this minitutorial, but the same process
can be done in many other image editors with a layer function. In the
following tutorial, all operations are done in the Layers palette unless
otherwise indicated.
1.
Open the SketchUp images in Photoshop.
2.
In the colored image, double-click the background layer to turn it in to
a normal layer.
3.
Add a new layer, fill it with white using Edit > Fill, and move it to the
bottom of the layer stack.
4.
Add a layer mask to the colored image layer: Layer > Layer Mask >
Reveal All. Alt + click the layer mask and paste the depthmap into the
layer mask created.
FiG 2.17
Photoshop's Layers palette.
5.
Select the colored image, then choose Filter > Blur > Lens Blur.
6.
In the Lens Blur panel, choose Layer Mask as the source of your
depthmap. Play around with the Blur Focal Distance slider to set
the depth at which the pixels are in focus.
7.
Adding some noise will give the image more air and a realistic
feeling. Click OK.
8.
Right-click the layer mask and disable it.
If you create a separate line-drawing layer on top of the colored
image layer, you have much more control over the look of the
image. If you do this turn off all edges from the colored image and
switch the line-drawing layer to Multiply and add a layer mask and
depthmap as you did for the colored image layer.
The first image is a straight output from SketchUp, and the second
is a Photoshopped image with DOF.
When Lewis wrote a depthmap tutorial on one of the SketchUp
forums, it was an instant success and the word spread quite fast.
Now, you can easily find many depthmap-related tutorials and
videos on Internet.
Conclusion
In the last 15 years, I have used many CAD packages, both in the
offices I worked for and in my own office, to make construction
documents, to create a base for physical models, or to make an
impressive presentation. However, SketchUp must be the first (and
still the only) CAD program I have used for designing, and I believe
many other architects use it in the same way.
It doesn't have B-splines or Bezier-type curves (although some of
these are now available through Ruby scripts), and it can be a pain
to work on a big project with these shortcomings. However, in spite
FiG 2.18
Photoshop's Lens Blur palette.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search