Best Way to do Color?

[east§ide]

So I mainly design rooms within a house that contain cabinetry, whether it's the kitchen, bathroom, or any other room. My boss has asked me to find a way to color in these pictures as realistically as possible. He understands that coloring in CAD isnt the best thing, but he's gotten renders from people and wants something similar. I dont have time to do renders, however, so I was using hatch to color in. Is there a better way to do this, or even a better way to use hatch? Also, is there a directory somewhere for skins or colors i can bring into Cad?

Finally, is there a way I can just bring the line information into photoshop and just color them in there?
Thanks in advance.

[James]

hi

as impression is my topic for today, this could handle what you want but it is a program you have to buy and not a free plugin you could use in autocad.

here is a link to impression http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=9246650&siteID=123112

there is a free trial to!

here is a gallery of interior work from using impression http://impression.autodesk.com/gallery/renderings/details/3026/

[east§ide]

thanks for the info. i dont think that that's what im looking for right now as i doubt my boss will want to spring for another program, and i already have photoshop on my computer. that stuff does look great though. im just looking for a quick way to throw on some wood patterns and marble countertops..stuff like that

[SLW210]

Try using Materials.

[east§ide]

i just want to reiterate that i DO NOT want to render..idk if that makes a difference

where is/what are "materials"?

[Cad64]

Finally, is there a way I can just bring the line information into photoshop and just color them in there?
Thanks in advance.

I do this all the time. I just plot to .eps format and then open that in photoshop. Here's a little tutorial on how to set up a post script plotter. http://www.cadtutor.net/tutorials/autocad/postscript-plotter.php

Once you get the .eps file plotted and you open it in photoshop, you will be presented with a "Raterize Generic EPS Format" dialog. Be sure to set the resolution high, 300 pixels/inch or higher, in order to get sharp crisp lines. Then just throw in a new layer underneath, fill it with white and you're ready to start coloring.

[east§ide]

thank you!

would you say that that's the best way to go about doing this?

[Cad64]

Best way?
I don't know, who's to say which way is best?
The method I described in my previous post is just my own personal workflow that I've been using for many years and it works really well for me. It's something you should definitely try and see if you like it. You already have Photoshop and it doesn't cost anything to set up the post script plotter.

Otherwise, as stated earlier, you might want to check out the Impression software. I've never used it myself, but it looks pretty good. Or you might even want to consider learning sketch up.

[brassworks]

If the renderings your boss has seen from others is done in Photoshop, it will likely be difficult, if not impossible, to produce something similar using AutoCAD.

I don't know about this .eps stuff, but it sounds intriguing. I'll have to look into it.

Using Photoshop, I make color renderings frequently here, though not always very sophisticated ones, primarily to show a client or a town body generally what a site will look like once built. The easiest way I have found to do this is to save a copy of the AutoCAD drawing off the network onto my local drive (C:\), since the Photoshop renderings tend to get very large. (Once I am done with the rendering, I burn it onto a CD for later use or edits, and to take it off my C:\ drive.)

Then I make a PDF of the AutoCAD drawing showing all the linework I want, having first turned off any AutoCAD shading that I might not want in a rendering.

Then I make a second PDF showing only outlines of the stuff I want to color (hence the value of having a separate layer for everything), making sure that I have first changed all of the layers in Layer Manager to 'continuous' so that when I color, the colors have a closed boundary to color up to. (Photoshop only sees a dashed line, for example, as several separate items, not as a single entity as does AutoCAD.)

Then I open the second PDF, which is my working drawing to which I apply the colors, and create the several layers I will need for different items or surfaces. (To really speed things up, I have created a folder full of PDF models that I can open and drag-&-drop into my working PDF, for consistency in every rendering of colors for buildings, pavement, grass, water bodies, trees and shrubs, and so forth.) Then I use the magic wand to create an outline (in the lines layer), switch to the color layer I want, and use the bucket to fill it in. This is the quickest part of rendering. Once I have the working PDF the way I want it, I drag-&-drop the color and symbol layers into the first PDF, using Shift+move to allow for exact registration. Pull the linework layer to the top so that the lines print solid black, and you are ready to plot.

I usually do not flatten the image, so that I can edit it later if need be. (If I do want to flatten it for a client or to send to another discipline, I make a copy, and flatten the copy.) Changes to the original drawing can be made in AutoCAD and a new linework PDF created and drag-&-dropped in, with (usually) minor corrections necessary in the color layers which are done quickly. Photoshop has a bunch of fill patterns for things like stone surfaces, and you can create your own patterns, as well.

If you have to do renderings, you might as well have some ideas about quick ways to do them. Good luck, and happy coloring!

[SLW210]

Best way?

Or you might even want to consider learning sketch up.

I didn't think about using Sketch Up (http://www.sketchup.com/), that would be a good alternative. You could do what you need in the free version, but the Pro version adds the ability to share with other software .

You can also get a free version of Inventor LT (http://labs.autodesk.com/technologies/inventor_lt/) from Autodesk.

[east§ide]

well..heres an example of my work..i used photoshop to make some wood grain, and then colored it all in..all lines were dne in photoshop..i realize it isnt the prettiest, but it was done for experimenting
original:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/njhardc0re/photoshopkitchenblank.jpg
colored:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/njhardc0re/photoshopkitchen.jpg

[f700es]

You can do this in AutoCAD using true color hatches, gradient fills and textures as hatches (Super Hatch). Yes, you can print out your CAD files to either PDF or Tiff files and then open in either PhotoShop or Illustrator and add color there.



So I mainly design rooms within a house that contain cabinetry, whether it's the kitchen, bathroom, or any other room. My boss has asked me to find a way to color in these pictures as realistically as possible. He understands that coloring in CAD isnt the best thing, but he's gotten renders from people and wants something similar. I dont have time to do renders, however, so I was using hatch to color in. Is there a better way to do this, or even a better way to use hatch? Also, is there a directory somewhere for skins or colors i can bring into Cad?

Finally, is there a way I can just bring the line information into photoshop and just color them in there?
Thanks in advance.

[f700es]

well..heres an example of my work..i used photoshop to make some wood grain, and then colored it all in..all lines were dne in photoshop..i realize it isnt the prettiest, but it was done for experimenting
original:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/njhardc0re/photoshopkitchenblank.jpg
colored:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/njhardc0re/photoshopkitchen.jpg

Very nice!!! Is it all 2D, if not that would ROCK in SketchUp!
Here is a book that I have that offers some tips and advice on using CAD files with PhotoShop...
http://www.amazon.com/Enhancing-Drawings-Photoshop-Scott-Onstott/dp/0782143865/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202149523&sr=1-2


EDIT: I would use gradient fills for the glass areas and maybe even for the cook top. These add a more realistic feel.

[f700es]

You know, this would be a great contest/competition. Everyone gets a sample 2D elevation and we see you can make it the prettiest!