Importing photo into Design Workshop ??

[gmeadows]

I am new to Design Workshop and I have just downloaded Design Workshop Lite.

I would like to know if I can import a JPEG picture file. I want to take a picture of an existing building and then use Design Workshop to render what the new design of an addition would look like. Would I need a more advanced version such as the Classic or Professional versions?

Also, is there a feature list to compare the Lite, Classic and Professional versions to compare?

[David Owen]

There are a couple of ways to align a digital photo with a DesignWorkshop model view, for the purposes of showing the model in its context. And these techniques work equally well in all editions of DesignWorkshop!


For starters, I'd recommend you quickly and simply model the existing building in DesignWorkshop to use as a reference both for building the model addition and for aligning with a photo, later. If modeling the whole building is undesirable, try modeling only the part nearest to your addition.

Also, if you model the existing building to a high enough level of detail, you might not need to use a reference photo at all! But if you'd still like to put your model into a photo of the site and context, there are two essential techniques.

1. Compositing in Photoshop
Once you've modeled your addition, you can export a rendered view from DesignWorkshop; and using a pixel editing program (eg, Photoshop, Paintshop Pro, Corel Draw, etc.) you can overlay the rendering on the photo.

I'd recommend exporting from a Lights & Textures window using the "File -> Export 2D -> Pixel Image..." menu command. You'll probably also need to select and delete the sky and ground from the model rendering together with any other undesired elements of the rendering, once the image is open in the pixel editor you're using.

For this technique, you'll need to use the Eye, Look and Zoom tools to match the view in DesignWorkshop as closely as possible to the photo. It's a good idea to make some notes about where you're standing when you take the photo. If possible, establish your position from a known reference point (like one corner of the existing building).


2. Background image in DesignWorkshop
It's also relatively easy to display a photo backdrop within DesignWorkshop, adjusting the view using the Eye, Look and Zoom tools to align the model with the photo. The simplest way to do this is with the "File -> Background -> Open..." menu command. This will load an image or photo as a 2D image on screen. The image will always stay in the same place on screen; you just adjust the position of the model view to align with the photo.

Once you have the view just right, be sure to use the "View -> Set View" menu command to save the viewpoint for later.

Please note that for 2, your photo must be saved in PICT format. And this technique works for quick, on-screen viewing and printing. The background will not be saved with the model file.


Of the two techniques, 2 is probably the simplest and quickest, though 1 can be used to produce more technically accurate images.


You can see a detailed side-by-side feature comparison for all DesignWorkshop editions online at:

http://www.artifice.com/dw_family.html

Whenever you have other questions, please don't hesitate to ask!