How to get the best quality sketch render into a layout

[Anonymous]

Aloha,
What is the best way to get the best quality sketch render into a layout. I'm been trying a few different ways. Each time I print out the layout the sketch rendering looks muddy. When I open the rendering in Photoshop it is obvious that I'm generating very pixelated, chunky images.
I'd like the sketch render lines to be crisp and yet sketchy--like a good artist.
I am generating the sketch renderings with the with the resolution set to 2400 dpi but the resulting rendering are very pixelated--like a poor digital reproduction.
I've tried saving the renderings a JPGs, TIFs, PSDs and PDFs.
I'm putting them back into the layout with the figure tool.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Mahalo,
John

[Anonymous]

Hi,

To get the best image quality, you should focus on the amount of pixels you are generating and forget about the dpi. At least, in ArchiCAD versions that I have used, Sketch render will always produce an image at 72 dpi regardless of what resolution you enter. So, to get good quality for an A4 or "letter" size sketch render, you should make sure that the pixel dimensions are at least 3300 x2550 pixels. After rendering, you should open in photoshop and can change the dpi from 72 to 300. If you are pressed for time, I also have success printing at 150 dpi, which would mean 1650 x 1275 pixels.

It seems you are already happy with the line types you have chosen, so that is not an issue? Just the pixelation? If so, then the above should help.

Best,
John

[Eduardo Rolon]

The rule is (final print size) X resolution.

For a 4"x6" image at 300 DPI= 1200 x 1800 Pixels

My personal setting is to raise the size of the image until it takes between 5 to 10 minutes to render.

[Anonymous]

While experimenting with all of the setting in the PhotoRender Settings I discovered that I could set the dialog at resolutions so high that I only got an error message that indicated that my computer didn't have enough memory to render the image. I experimented with the settings until I found a combination that does render. 1260x900 at 300dpi.
I also discover that I could render the image then Select All on the rendered image then Copy and Paste the rendered image right onto a layout.
Unfortunately, the image pastes in using the Drawing tool which is less flexible that the Figure tool. Still this combination of settings and workflow give me a "good enough" image on the layout.
Please let me know if there are any better techniques for placing a good (or even better) rendered image on a layout.
Thank you,
John

[Laszlo Nagy]

If you save the rendered image as an image file then you will be able to place that on a Layout using the Figure Tool.

[Karl Ottenstein]

johncassel wrote:
While experimenting with all of the setting in the PhotoRender Settings I discovered that I could set the dialog at resolutions so high that I only got an error message that indicated that my computer didn't have enough memory to render the image. I experimented with the settings until I found a combination that does render. 1260x900 at 300dpi.
I also discover that I could render the image then Select All on the rendered image then Copy and Paste the rendered image right onto a layout.
Unfortunately, the image pastes in using the Drawing tool which is less flexible that the Figure tool. Still this combination of settings and workflow give me a "good enough" image on the layout.
Please let me know if there are any better techniques for placing a good (or even better) rendered image on a layout.
Thank you,
John

Hi John,

If the purpose is to get the image on a layout, then you should not be copying/pasting or saving as an image file (unless the render time is excessive).

Instead, you should be placing a 3D View ... which is created to display not the 3D window, but the Photorendering Window. (If you have to change your photo rendering settings, then do so, click the "Get Current Window's Settings" button at the top of the View Settings, and then re-select "Photorendering Window" in the "3D Only" panel. See screenshot.

Drag this view onto a layout as any other view. BUT... then open the drawing settings for the placed drawing and under Properties set the Resolution to 300 dpi.

Now, no matter what pixel sizes you may change the saved view to, it will be automatically resized on the layout to display at 300 dpi, and your image will print well.

In your example, 1260 x 900 is terribly small - 4" x 3" image at 300 dpi. If that's big enough, great. It is hard to believe that your machine cannot render a larger image... What is the amount of available (free) disk space on your machine - not total disk capacity? I can generate huge images without issue.

Last fine-tuning: doing as described above keeps your project "live" - any changes will automatically reflect in an updated Sketch render on the layout. No copy/paste; no publishing; no saving. But, if the render is complex and slow, it will be painful to open the layout sheet that it is on, having it regenerate each time. In that case, open the drawing settings for the placed render view and change the update type to "Manual". If you do this here or anywhere, make a note to yourself in a checklist - perhaps in a Worksheet that is part of the project - to remind yourself to update all manual-update drawings prior to printing. (Updating is most easily done in Drawing Manager where you can sort the list to show the un-updated drawings and select them and click the update button.)

Cheers,
Karl

[Karl Ottenstein]

P.S. Last post assumes that the image as-generated is what you want. If you need to do some photoshop work (etc), then, saving or publishing and then linking that image back onto the layout is the way to go.

[Anonymous]

Karl wrote:

johncassel wrote:
While experimenting with all of the setting in the PhotoRender Settings I discovered that I could set the dialog at resolutions so high that I only got an error message that indicated that my computer didn't have enough memory to render the image. I experimented with the settings until I found a combination that does render. 1260x900 at 300dpi.
I also discover that I could render the image then Select All on the rendered image then Copy and Paste the rendered image right onto a layout.
Unfortunately, the image pastes in using the Drawing tool which is less flexible that the Figure tool. Still this combination of settings and workflow give me a "good enough" image on the layout.
Please let me know if there are any better techniques for placing a good (or even better) rendered image on a layout.
Thank you,
John

Hi John,

If the purpose is to get the image on a layout, then you should not be copying/pasting or saving as an image file (unless the render time is excessive).

Instead, you should be placing a 3D View ... which is created to display not the 3D window, but the Photorendering Window. (If you have to change your photo rendering settings, then do so, click the "Get Current Window's Settings" button at the top of the View Settings, and then re-select "Photorendering Window" in the "3D Only" panel. See screenshot.

Drag this view onto a layout as any other view. BUT... then open the drawing settings for the placed drawing and under Properties set the Resolution to 300 dpi.

Now, no matter what pixel sizes you may change the saved view to, it will be automatically resized on the layout to display at 300 dpi, and your image will print well.

In your example, 1260 x 900 is terribly small - 4" x 3" image at 300 dpi. If that's big enough, great. It is hard to believe that your machine cannot render a larger image... What is the amount of available (free) disk space on your machine - not total disk capacity? I can generate huge images without issue.

Last fine-tuning: doing as described above keeps your project "live" - any changes will automatically reflect in an updated Sketch render on the layout. No copy/paste; no publishing; no saving. But, if the render is complex and slow, it will be painful to open the layout sheet that it is on, having it regenerate each time. In that case, open the drawing settings for the placed render view and change the update type to "Manual". If you do this here or anywhere, make a note to yourself in a checklist - perhaps in a Worksheet that is part of the project - to remind yourself to update all manual-update drawings prior to printing. (Updating is most easily done in Drawing Manager where you can sort the list to show the un-updated drawings and select them and click the update button.)

Cheers,
Karl

Aloha Karl,
That is the answer that I was looking for. I wanted to know how to place high quality sketch renderings onto layouts directly within ArchiCAD.
It still took me some trial and error to coordinate the 3D projection setting and to figure out that I needed to select the box in the View settings to Refine Image Settings with current. Once I got all of these setting coordinated the image looks great. Much better than the poor quality pixelated image that I was getting by saving the image and placing it with the Figure or Drawing tool.
Having said that I am ready for Laszlo to come back and tell me how to get great images by saving the rendering and then placing them back into a layout with the Figure or Drawing tools. I'm sure that there is a cool way to do this and I'll probably need the instructions for that too.
It would be very, very helpful if someone would do a step by step tutorial covering how to place great, high quality rendered images into layouts. It took a lot of trial and error and some good coaching for me to be able to do it. I'm sure other ArchiCAD users would appreciate a good step by step tutorial on the subject.
Mahalo,
John

PS Now I have to figure out why my HP 110 DesignJet prints the rendering and only the rendering with color inks even though the rendering is black lines in ArchiCAD. It even does this sometimes (but only sometimes) when I save the Layout as a PDF and then print from Acrobat.

[Karl Ottenstein]

johncassel wrote:
.. to figure out that I needed to select the box in the View settings to Refine Image Settings with current.

Sorry I left out that essential step.

Glad to have helped.

Cheers,
Karl

[Anonymous]

Aloha Karl,
One further question on sketch rendered images. Does the method that you described here produce a raster image or vector drawing? I'm assuming that this internal method creates a raster image but I wanted to double check.
I think that the type of graphic that is placed here is the part of the problem that I'm encountering with my printer.
Is there any way to control or detect the size of the placed view that contains the sketch rendering?
Mahalo,
John