Google SketchUp is a phenomenal application that lets you quickly develop 3d objects. I had the pleasure of using it on a recent commissioned assignment. Ultimately, the client wanted a simpler, cartoony look for his house – but learning opportunity was worth the effort.
Below you can see the original SketchUp model I created. The nice thing about this program is that you can make the model and view it from a number of angles. The free version is limited by the number of formats it can export to. For my purposes, it was more than adequate. After I had completed the model, I saved it out as a JPG.
Once I had the file as a JPG, I was able to bring it into Photoshop. On a new layer, I replicated the look of the original model. This approach was much easier for me than having to create the model from scratch using only Photoshop. Below is the ‘worn look’ for the house.
And the brand new look:
As I mentioned before, the client felt the models were too rigid – he wanted the house to be more abstract and cartoony – so I effectively chucked the work and started over again. The panel below is one of three. Once I get the client’s final approval, I’ll post up the entire image.
-Krishna
