[fv]

I put some of my SU/Maxwell work online.

http://web.me.com/fillieverhoeven/bouwe ... ebouw.html (maxwell for wooden lookalike of SU model)
http://web.me.com/fillieverhoeven/bouwen/archviz.html
http://web.me.com/fillieverhoeven/archi ... ntoor.html (maxwell for the light shading)
http://web.me.com/fillieverhoeven/archi ... slijn.html (scroll down and see the design sketches made with SU and rendered in Maxwell)
http://web.me.com/fillieverhoeven/archi ... plund.html (maxwell for wooden lookalike of SU model)

This is not very complicated or refined modeling or maxwell work but it works for my clients. I do most of my work in design and so prototyping and simple models work often best. Further down the proces the arch viz guys are asked to make it look real. But for me that is often too late. By then the decisions have been made I like to be involved with. Sketchup and Maxwell do work well together especially where it come to design and architecture in plain modern designs. When things get a bit more exciting with curves we would model in Modo.

Francois

[fv]

Second link is broken, here is the proper one
http://web.me.com/fillieverhoeven/bouwe ... chviz.html

[thinkbuild]

François -

I really appreciate your renderings, especially the "look-alike" models. It would be nice, perhaps, to study how to make them look like photos of physical models; ie., to look for a way to scale the wood properly, and also to use wood patterning in a way like an actual model. I see that you have done that in a few, but for the Asplund project it was too smoooooth somehow. Just an idea.

I also like how your work overall is very "real" and connected to the world, ie., I understand what you say when you are talking about how your clients appreciate to see visualizations of the spaces you are creating for them. I think probably your builders might appreciate the lightness in the details and drawings, they are colorful and playful but also (as far as I can see on the screen) very clear. Which software are you using (I would guess Vectorworks....) for CAD and which for layout? (Just curious)

And, I also like the SU sketches, the ones which look like charcol drawings, with high contrast and deep black. In this case I liked the brick tower building with the "bird hair" top - you know which one? There is a small SU rendering which is on the upper left, just of the top of the building, which is really nice. Any chance of sharing this style (or sharing some tips) on how you made it?

Thanks for sharing!

best wishes from Berlin,

Jason

[messire]

Francois,
- Ok the sketch work with the futuristic middle age castle like town is just incredible!!!

- i see you also dared to touch asplund's sacred work ( silly you hehe: no one dares to touch a holly building in sweden)...( i also see you master levitating buildings with no structure ..

- i love the wood polygonal work too ( were all the drawings based on SU geometry?) gee i wish my drawings were as clean!

- the stone work in your build project is just fascinating!

- congrats on your son's birth ( 1st?)

I like to watch your work because it reminds me its possible to improve lots when it comes to rendering, and also architecture wise...

thnx
Nils

[fv]

thanks Nils,
Asplund ...yeah...that was a bummer looking at the winners submissions.

But our submission was not good either. Too big and rather fussy to read on the boards. On our site we kept things more simple and left out most of the Maxwell work. The concept stands out better now. We had a good lesson learned.

We only work in Sketchup in 3D. But we have began to use Modo since a year now. There is only one Modo project on the site. http://web.me.com/fillieverhoeven/archi ... groep.html
But its not yet very well done as we are just starting out with Modo. Modo is just great though, once you get into Modo you are addicted. Its a fantastic modeller far beyong anything SU can deliver.

This is a favorite project of mine and my colleague did it;
http://web.me.com/fillieverhoeven/archi ... joens.html
Done in SU and rendered in Maxwell. Very simple. Actually I think he has even better drawings to show, its an artist studio in a back yard.
The black and white line drawings were made in Vectorworks out if section exports of SU.

Making wooden models is very easy to do with SU/Maxwell. Actually lots of fun too since its basic modeling and texturing. And the results are almost always pleasing. And easy to alter allong the design proces.

The credit crisis is actually affecting our office seriously. We have postponed updating our systems and software and all other expences. Only SU7, we might just get today......

[fv]

thanks Jason,
you are right on the texturing of the wooden models. Much to be improved. The wooden model of the library in Stockholm was one of our first attempts and indeed too glossy.
Most of our work is paid for by clients and we like to keep it simple. They do not pay serious money for wooden CAD model. Unfortunatly I do not have really good texture maps for wood. All I have is the MXM gallery. The majority of the textures there is messed up. But this oak is ok but a little to small for larger textures and it lacks the "end grain". Usually renders like the wooden models are made in less than a day inclusing rendering itself. So we have not had the time to invest in better textures. We will once I get a better feeling of what a client is looking for and some more feedback on the recent models we made.

We do use Vectorworks 2008 and might update to version 2009. Vectorworks is just great for 2D work. Horrible in 3D. Haven't used Vectorworks in 3D now since SU came out.

To share the technique, its simple really, but for the one you mentioned I have to say I forgot. But what I do is I import the JPG from Maxwell into Photoshop and get it in grayscale mode. Then I just use filters like watercolor, paint daubts and sometime a noise filter or sketchfilter. But as I render images at about 2400x1800 dpi in Maxwell I upres them in Photoshop to about 50Mb. Then I apply the filters and after the work is done I resback to about 10-15Mb. Photoshop's filter work best for me at high resolution images. At lower res the filters make things dark and course.
Hope that helps.
Francois