B UILDING & M ANAGEMENT
V OLUME 3 I SSUE 3 S EPTEMBER - D ECEMBER 2019
E VOLUTION OF DRAWING AND SKETCHING WITH THE USE OF ZBRUSH AND THE LIVE BOOLEAN TOOL
A. B ERROYA E LOSUA , M. E CHEVARRÍA A GUIRRE AND D. A RTEAGOITIA G ARCÍA (2019). B UILDING & M ANAGEMENT , 3(3): 34-41
In addition, he mentions that this technique not only represents
the shape and its silhouette, but also its volume:
(the brightest and darkest values) in the foreground. All of
these values lessen as the amount of atmosphere increases
with distance. This principle can be applied to sketches in a
loose and simple way to give environments extra depth. Look
at the value contrast in these thumbnail sketches, and note how
it makes them feel more realistic” [2].
“Although all drawings are representations and the main
difference between a pure line drawing and a drawing using
tones is only a difference in the degree of abstraction, a
drawing with tonal value usually gives more information about
the object drawn. Living in a world of light, we find that the
change in tone value is the basis of our perception of the
shape” [1].
These conventions and graphic languages persist over time,
and are still used today in architecture and building, as well
as in recent technological industries such as animated cinema
and video games. Scott Robertson, author of the didactic book
on perspective drawing "How to Draw" (one of the current
reference manuals in sectors such as product design, vehicle
design, cinema and video games), refers to hand drawing and
sketching as an indispensable technique, and extolls its
importance in expressing ideas:
Fig. 1: Image of the San Francisco Bay [2].
These techniques are also used to design environments in video
game production, as seen in the examples in figures 2 and 3.
These works include line sketches, thumbnail sketches with stain,
and subsequent color work. It should also be noted that these
works are created entirely in a 2D digital environment using a
graphic "Cintiq" screen and software such as Photoshop and
Clip Studio Paint.
In figure 3, an evolution of the same idea is developed,
starting from a sketched line design and followed by color
development:
“Drawing is almost a magical power. It enables you to
communicate in a different way that spoken or written
language. Perspective drawing convey how things work and
how they look. You can inspire others with something as simple
as a pen and a napkin” [2].
However, as the work of drawing and designing elements
becomes more complicated, the help of 3D environments
becomes indispensable to save production time. Scott
Robertson himself anticipated in 2013 the importance of using
3D software to complement hand drawing and design in order
to simplify the most complex aspects:
Derived from this traditional sketching technique, “thumbnail
sketching” is a fundamental process to represent architectural
spaces. Thumbnail sketches are used to communicate a general
sense of the space, emphasizing atmospheric perspective,
grey values, and overall spatial composition. These drawings
provide several options among which a final image can be
obtained.
“Some of most significant advancements in perspective
drawing are 3 D modeling programs that can aid in the basic
layout of perspective drawing grids and larger volumes. Why
not then have the computer do it all? In order to use these
computer programs efficiently and effectively, it's important to
learn how to construct hand-drawn grids and volumes first. This
combination of 2D and 3D tools can be very powerful to
create awesome drawings” [2].
“It just feels natural to sketch environments using a bit of value.
This is because one of the best ways to perceive depth is
through atmospheric perspective. In this photograph of the San
Francisco Bay, Alcatraz, and the hills of Marin County, you can
see this progression of value contrast, with the most contrast
Fig. 2: Thumbnail sketchings through line and gray values made in Photoshop .
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