What makes Sketch render choking?

[Anonymous]

I run rendering yesterday and after 14 hours it's still...counting.
I guess it was ment to be quick alternative in presentation so it does not calculate:
- reflection
- refraction
- caustics
- radiosity
- global illumination
- any other fancy algorithm

It only draw edges and cast shadows from one light source (sun) so what is the problem here?
Don't get me wrong I'm not whining, I like it very much and use it a lot just want to know what to do to avoid insane rendering times. Is it about shadows, geometry, both? Any experience?

[Anonymous]

Yes, it is insane!
I miss very much the simple sketch renderer from the old versions of AC - was it 7 or 8? It produced very good results within several minutes on the old computers!

[Anonymous]

Exactly, I remember that back in AC 6.5 I used to save 3d window (native internal engine, shaded, show penetration lines) in 2dl format than overlaping it on white background or a render. It was 30 sec solution which gives great results, but hey, now we can adjust paper roughness and wait 35925min for effect

[Dwight]

Some settings in some models produce many llines that conflict and can lead to impossible rendering times. Once i did a 3D human and the head looked like a gigantic medusa afro. That one took a while.

Also, calculating shadows takes a lot longer, too.

If a particular model takes too long, use Photoshop to create the effect from an internal engine hidden line view or try Bill Rattenbury's "squiffle" object. This object lets you substitute your own irregular line type for straight lines in a 2D lines view.

While i have this object, it may also be for sale somewhere.

Both of these methods are way faster than the sketch engine.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for response.
I'm using a lot of ArchiForma and 3rd party objects like cars, trees, ppl. All of them are complex and sketch render try to draw every line of every edge producing black spots. This is even worse when "line overstrech" is checked.
So I was thinking that it would be nice to have "Don't take into calculation checked layers" option in shadow, hatch and overstreching settings. There will be shorter render times and no postwork. Do you think it is worth "wish section"?

[Dwight]

My take is that sketch engine development is torpid.

Just to see how a sketch engine should really perform, see:

http://www.lightworks-user.com/gallery.php?name=New&set=Sketch

and

http://www.maxon.net/pages/products/modules/sketchandtoon/sketchandtoon_e.html

Most Archicad users now have better, faster ways than the Archicad Sketch engine: overlaid linework in a photo editor. In seconds, filters like "Smart Blur" can extract and color model edges, placing them on a colored rendered background.

Not as direct, but superior results faster.

[Anonymous]

Hi folks,

Dwight got me wondering the above question.

We have been using the Archicad sketch render to produce Black and White drawings with vectorial hatching and sun shadows.

The pros:
1. Looks good, evocative, not rigid.
2. Saveable viewstyle as part of a template. (But don't rely on the auto-update feature!)
3. It doesn't take hours to generate.
4. It comes with AC.

The cons:
1. Vectorial hatching is slow to work with in 3d.
2. We can't create shadows from light sources other than the sun so interiors look dull.
3. It's not a live view. Model changes require rerender, retouch...

We are looking for an alternative, something that is NOT photorealistic, but more flexible and faster to work with.

We are considering

Artlantis (too realistic)
Piranesi (Loose looking images, but it seems liket that is all it will be able to do...)
Maxwell (too realistic)
Lightworks Sketch (looks good, but how does it work with AC? )

Is there anything else anyone would suggest?

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Nathan wrote:
...Is there anything else anyone would suggest?...

Nathan,
Take a look at ArchiSketchy by Cigraph
http://www.cigraph.it/cigraph/pagetrans.do?action=current_product&prodotti_id=7&lang=en


Dan K

[Dwight]

1:
An economy sketch effect is made by substituting a squiggly line type of your own design for straight lines.

Years ago, our colleague Bill Rattenbury made a library object that applied line effects to 3D line views, but you could do most of this by pasting a line view into an independent detail and changing the line type.


2:
I cannot emphasize enough the usefulness of Photoshop in this arena. Many of its filters "find edges" and apply graphic effects. These filters used to be cheesy, but since Photoshop offers faded layer effects, filters can be more subtle.

[Djordje]

Did you try Artlantis non photorealistic?

I just stumbled upon AV Works ... anyone remembers it? Four or five sketchy engines? Quite good ... but deceased now, with Archicad 8.x

Maybe, just maybe ...