Below is a quick break down of the illustration and the simple process I used to create the aerial forest.

1. Base Rendering

I first setup the view in Sketchup and rendered it out using V-Ray. I also dropped in some trees (hidden in this view) to cast some shadows on the roof. I could have Photoshopped in these shadows but decided to go the 3D route because of all of the geometry happening on the roof.

2. Ground Vegetation

Next, I setup a new group in Photoshop and added in some ground vegetation. I wasn’t too concerned about how clean the Photoshop was on the vegetation because it was largely going to get covered up with trees. The texture is made up of about three images Cloned Stamped together.

3. Ground Shadows

The first thing I typically do when setting up the ground shadows is to extract the shadows from the base rendering. In this case, I grabbed the shadow that the building was casting on the ground, brought it into my “Ground Vegetation” Group, and set the layer blend mode to “Multiply”.

Since there will be a lot of trees covering the site, there will also be lots of tree shadows on the ground. Therefore, I created a tree shadow by taking one of my cutout trees, darkening it, giving it a blue tint to match the ground shadows of the base rendering, and finally added some motion blur. Once I had the tree shadow ready to go, I simply copied it untill the ground was mostly covered.

One quick tip, I setup a new group to contain all of the shadows including the ground shadows from the base rendering. All of the Layer Blend Modes of the individual shadow layers were set to “Normal” so that they did not multiply on top of themselves. I then set the group Layer Blend Mode to “Multiply” to get the final effect.

4. Adding Trees

I compiled five cutout trees that were more or less the type that I need for the forest. Some were older and some were younger for some more diversity. I then copied them throughout the site making sure that I was angling the trunks to match the perspective of the image. Since I only had five different trees, I did a lot of flipping and toning to avoid the trees feeling too copied.

I created a tutorial a while ago going into more depth on this idea of avoiding that copied look Here.

5. Roof Gardens

The steps used to add in the roof gardens were identical to those used to add the ground vegetation and shadow. I compiled a group of textures, stitched them into the illustration, and then multiplied the base render shadows on top. I also reworked some of the glass and brought in a few people.

6. Final Toning

Finally, I adjusted the toning of the image. Not much was done here though. I adjusted the contrast, ran some Topaz filters to pull out some detail, and added a slight atmospheric haze over the entire image.

1. Create Base Renderings of All Frames

I setup my 3D Sketchup model to show the shade structure at different positions of operation. I then placed each shade position on a different layer, and rendered each option out using V-Ray.

2. Photoshop Each Position

The image above shows some of the main moves that I made in Photoshop to get the final look. Each one of these moves had to be setup in a way so that I could easily carry them over from one shade position rendering to the other.

This meant organizing the layers as carefully and cleanly as possible. The background trees remained the same for all frames, so I placed that at the bottom of the layer stack. Above the background group, I setup groups 1 through 5 representing each shade structure position. In each one of the numbered folders, I placed the base renderings of the corresponding position and other elements that changed with the shade positions such as tree shadows, reflections, etc. I then placed final effects like haze and sun glare into the “Effects” group at the top since these remain unchanged no matter what shade position group was turned on.

3. Turn on the Timeline

Once the layers are setup, it’s time to create the GIF. First, turn on the Timeline by going to “Window>Timeline”. This should bring up the Timeline interface at the bottom of the program window. Also in the Timeline interface, choose “Create Frame Animation” in the drop down menu.

4. Create the Timeline Frames

Assuming the layers were setup properly, this part goes pretty fast. To add new frames, simply turn off and on the layers you want, then choose “Duplicate Selected Frames” in the Timeline palette. Under each frame, you can also set a length of time by selecting it in the drop down menu.

5. Export the GIF

Once the frames are setup, its time to export. Go to “File>Export>Save for Web”. In the “Save for Web” dialogue box, there are quite a few options that influence the balance between quality and file size. Because my image has a lot of detail and gradients, I wanted to maintain better image quality which meant a larger and thus slower file to open and run . A) For the preset drop down, I chose “GIF 128 Dithered” which gives me the best color reproduction and smoothest gradients. B) To get the file size down, I changed the resolution from 5500px wide to 1200px which reduced my file size down to 2.5 MB. I should also note that I wanted my GIF to loop, so I chose “Forever” in the “Looping Options” dialogue box. Finally, I clicked “Save” to export the GIF.

The Final GIF

1. Compile Base Images and Renderings

Sketchup Line Work

V-Ray Ambient Occlusion Rendering

V-Ray Clay Rendering

Three Layers Combined

I used three base images to compile the bulk of the illustration. I used a line work export from Sketchup, an ambient occlusion rendering from V-Ray, and a clay rendering from V-Ray. I then combined them in Sketchup to get the above image. The line work and AO pass add detail that help articulate what is happening with the geometry. Since I am going for more of a diagrammatic image, I leaned on these passes more than the clay rendering.

2. Poche

The focus of this illustration is to describe the floor plan design. Therefore, I want to play up the cut of the section. To do this, I painted the section cut in Photoshop with black paint.

3. Extra Details

I ended up painting the floor a dark grey to create more of a contrast between it and the walls. I also abstractly introduced sticks representing trees to give a some texture to the illustration.

4. Stretch

At this point, I stretched the image to make it a plan oblique before I add text. Again, the process of creating a plan oblique image from a Sketchup model can be seen here. 

5. Annotation and Final Coloring

Finally, I dropped in some annotation and did some quick color editing using Topaz. I expect coloring may change again once I start developing final page spreads for the project.

1. Sketchup Model

Above, a screenshot of the Sketchup model

2. V-Ray Base Rendering

For the V-Ray rendering, I turned off the wall screens on the exterior so that I could use the material ID to select the interior information for later use.

3. Context and Light Adjustments

I adjusted the levels of the image to increase the contrast and darken the underside of the architecture. I then added in some ground textures and background trees. The ground is made up of 3 different snowy textures with a shadow draped over everything.

4. Screens and Interior Light

In Photoshop, I added screens on the exterior and the suggestion of a translucent material in the core of the building. I am considering creating a quick tutorial on this later.

5. Trees and Entourage

Trees and entourage were added for scale, narrative, and depth.

6. Topaz Color Adjustments

Finally, I tweaked the colors towards a much warmer range. All my past winter specials were all on the cool side, so I decided to go a different route this year.

Winter Special # 1 (2011)

Winter Special # 2 (2012)

Winter Special # 3 (2013)

Winter Special # 4 (2014)

Winter Special #5 (2016)

1. Sketchup Model

Above is the Sketchup at its current state. Like I said earlier, I still need to study material options but the form is more or less finalized. The model looks relatively simple from this far out but I have taken the time to model in better details which will be more visible in later illustrations.

2. V-Ray Base Rendering

This image actually started off as a fall scene, hence the extremely yellow foliage. I ended up switching to a spring scene in Photoshop, but was able to still use the initial base renderings. I also ran a second rendering with the white side panels turned off so that I could play with the transparency of the side panels in Photoshop.

3. Background

Once I removed the baked-in yellow foliage and replaced it with spring colors, the mood of the image changed completely. I tweaked the colors and lighting of both the new spring background image and the rendered architecture so that both had a slightly cooler feel and meshed better together. I also added some grass at the base of the building and spent some time blending it into the background image.

4.  Foreground Vegetation and Vertical Garden

Next, I introduced the vegetation in the foreground which plays up the hilly features of the site, but also gives me an opportunity to play with the light and drama of the composition. Creating such a strong dark shadow in the foreground amps up the contrast of the overall illustration and really draws the eye through the trees to the lighter and brighter architecture beyond. Also, ivy was added to the base of the architecture. This was one of the areas that I wanted to study and the main reason for this illustration.

5. TREES

Next, trees were carefully placed in the foreground and mid-ground to help frame the architecture. Nothing too difficult here except to gradually lighten the trees as they thin out near the clearing.

6. Entourage and Details. 

Entourage is minimal but selective. The project is of a research lab, so to reinforce this concept, a small narrative is introduced of scientists returning from a long day of research out in the field. Other elements were adjusted such as the transparency of the side screens and the interior warmth. I used a second rendering of the architecture with the translucent panels turned off to allow me to make selections of the interior in Photoshop and precisely control the opacity and softness of the panels.

7. Color Adjustments and Material Options

Finally, I jumped in to Topaz and pushed the image slightly cooler in tone. I now have a completed image that clearly shows the relationship of the architecture to the landscape and that would now allow me to better compare material options. The biggest decision was whether to draw the vegetation up the base of the building or leave it as a hard, but textured surface.

This style of illustration is building off of my “Culture Center Intro Illustration” which took on a minimal/vintage type look. Again, landscape elements are abstracted and shading is simplified. Colors are also diagrammatic to broadly represent basic elements of glass, vegetation, interior, etc. You can get away with a lot more going with a style like this. A fully detailed model isn’t necessary and mistakes can be concealed through paint and poche.

1. Sketchup Model

Like I said, I didn’t want to spend the time modeling each idea. Therefore, I used just one model, then copied it 3 times in Photoshop.

2. V-Ray Rendering

I used the material override in V-Ray to generate a simple clay model rendering, standard stuff here on this website.

3. Poche

The first thing that I did in Photoshop was poche or fill in the cut areas of the model with black paint. This helps clarify the reading of the section and hides mistakes in the model. I also edited the base rendering in Photoshop to test out some of the other sectional ideas that I had. In this case, I sculpted the ground around the support columns as well as some other minor changes.

4. Landscape Highlight

The section diagrams are meant to show two levels of information in the cut. The black poche represents the cut through structure and red represents vegetation. These three studies are looking at how the vegetation flows in and around the architecture. I will probably create a key or annotate these ideas later on down the road.

5. Color

At this point, color is introduced to help define material and further clarify the reading of the diagram. I am not too concerned with how the colors are reading. I just need to get the layers setup knowing that I most likely will tweak them later. I Also know that I will make sweeping color adjustments towards the end with topaz.

6. Background

A simple background was inserted which abstracts the trees into long linear elements. I wanted to avoid the background getting too busy with branches and distracting from the section.

7. Topaz and Texture

Finally, I adjusted the tones using Topaz and overlaid some textures. Since so many edits were made in Photoshop, the textures help hide some of the imperfections and tie a lot of the different elements together. Above, I used a sketch texture that I stretched vertically and a noise texture generated by a Photoshop filter.

The Final Images

Finally, a big thank you to everyone who has purchased a copy of my Portfolio Volume 04. I am amazed at how well it has been received and the interest people have shown in it. If you did purchase a copy, please take some time to leave a review on Amazon or Barnes and Noble depending on where you purchased it. I am always looking for your feedback!