Architecture Visualization Tutorial: Brodie’s Sitework Method

Software used:
AutoCad (optional)
Sketchup
3ds Max (can be substituted for another 3d mod-
eler)
Photoshop (anything with a crop tool will do)

Plugins used:
Make Faces (optional)
Color by Z

Step 1: Create SU file with flat site

Model your building as you normally would. The site should be flat but not 2d (that is, there are no contours yet).
Typically I will model my asphalt roads at 0 elevation. Curbs, I’ll extrude up 6 inches. Grass and sidewalks will be at
5 inches so they’re just below the curb level. If you didn’t have any grade changes at this point you’d be done, but if
you didn’t have any grade changes you wouldn’t need to read this!

Above is a screenshot of a recent project at this stage. You’ll notice that this is quite a large site.

I almost always begin with a 2d site plan in CAD which I tweak, import to SU, use the Make Faces plugin and con-
tinue tweaking to get my flat site.
 Step 2: Create a contour
model

This will be a seperate model, but should

have the same overall width and length
as the site plan we made in step 1.

Typically these will also be coming from

a CAD file. You’ll almost always have to
do some tweaking in CAD to connect all
of the contour lines and such. Once it’s in
Sketchup and you’ve got all of the faces,
simply extrude each of the contours to the
appropriate level

Step 3: Smooth Contours

Use the “from Contours” button which

comes with SU in the Sandbox tools tool
set to smooth out the contours
Step 4: Color by Z

Here’s a great little trick to make a displacement map. I’m sure I’m not the first to use it this way, but thanks to Chris
Fullmer for this great little plugin. Download Chris’ Color by Z plugin (you can search for it here
http://www.sketchucation.com/extensions-index/ ). Use it on your smooth contour and it will ask you what color you
want the low point to be and the high point. Enter a value of 0 (black) for the low point and 255 (white) for the high
point.

Go to Top view and change your camera to Parallel Projection. Export image. I like to use a fairly large image, about
4000 pixels wide. I also like to use .png format. It creates a smaller file than a TIFF and it’s not compressed so you
won’t get any distortion like you might from a jpg. Probably overkill, but it keeps me warm at night.

Above you’ll notice that the overall shape has changed from the images before. I realized I didn’t need a lot of the extra
site and decided to shrink it down. If I’d been thinking I would have made it a rectangle however as this led to some
headaches later. Either way you’ll have to do some photoshopping to create your displacement map. Basically just
crop out everything except the black and white site area.
 Step 5: Getting the
Contours onto your
site

At this point you’ll export your

original flat site model to 3ds Max
or a program with similar tools.
Be sure to export it as a single
object by clicking Options in the
export dialog box. This will allow
you to apply your displacement
map to the whole site at once.

Step 6: Subdivide

Apply a subdivide modifier to the

site. This will allow the displacement
modifier to give the site its curves.
For my site I used a size of 150.0
Step 7: Apply Displacement

Now add the displacement modifier. In the Bitmap section you’ll pick the displacement map that we made earlier.

For Strength type in the elevation, in whatever units you’re using, at the highest point on your site. Mine was 46’
but my units were in inches so I typed in 552.0.

Next make sure the Map is set to Planer and enter in Length and Width that represents the overall length and
width of your site in real world units. Mine happened to be 1682’ x 1730’ respectively (again, converted to inches
as that’s how my units are set up).

Finally there is a Blur option there as well to even out the rather sharp color distinctions from the Color by Z plugin.
You could alternatively do this in Photoshop as well. My setting is 8.0.
 Step 8: Import back to
SketchUp

Last but not least save your site

as a .3ds file and import it back
into SketchUp. Done!

Other Issues

I found that one of the drawbacks of us-

ing the Blur method in 3ds Max was that
it blured the areas that should have had
sharp distinctions like the retaining wall
shown here. I grouped a good chunk of
the site to the right of the wall and then
used the Smoove tool to lower it. Maybe
selectively blurring in Photoshop would
eliminate this issue.

Also if you’re doing this for straight

SketchUp output rather than rendering it
you’ll want to make sure all of the lines
on your site are Hidden.