Thursday, May 31, 2007

High Quality Examples

Here are a few very high quality examples from the class. Award for "atmoshperics" would have to go to Caro. Runner up for atmospherics would have to go to Mari. And another very nice example of atmoshperics in the main rendering. Sara's main rendering is also very nice, but in particular the line quality of her vector renderings are tops (the views may make one's neck a little sore). Lindy's vector drawings are very nice as well - notice how a little tone one wall draws you in. Brad's wireframes are nice too - a lot going on, so one toned surface, like a wall or the water could help a lot. Shane's views are very ncie too - but compare his final with colored light, and his preliminary without colored light. Light is not usually colored, certainly not yellow. Though light can be colored as in Corbusier's Ronchamp, or Steven Holls' Chapel of St. Ignatius.

Just for laughs, award for biggest typo goes here. Nice wall texture though.

Some reminders:
Rememember that your mid-terms were stunning and one reason is for the simple use of color - 2-3 tops.
Desaturate your images in Photoshop (Fade-in desaturation) so renderings don't look so plastic, but still have color.
Don't forget people! - Isn't that what architecture is about? Include people in Serial Perspectives as well.
Serial Perspectives work best with one common element as a referrent between all views - otherwise the views look like three different views. For example, a major wall that is seen in each view could be subtly toned, or maybe the water appears first as a glimpse, then the next view has more water, and so on. Including only a desaturated rendering of water texture could be quite effective.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Final Requirements

Submission - due Monday June 11th, at 8am. LA 279.
  • Post a small scale image of your final composition on your blog.
  • Place a high-res PDF of your final composition in the Final folder on the course folder.
  • Bring your 18x24 Plot for pin-up.
NOTE: The university sets the final schedule. It is your responsibility to submit your plot files so that you have them in hand on Monday morning. Verify the hours of the output room as well as the backlog of plots before presuming you can plot at the end of the day on Sunday - if you all wait until Sunday to plot, many won't have their plots on Monday morning. Please plan ahead!

Design Goals
  • Present the ambience of your main pool space through material, light, transparency, and reflectivity through a raster / vector immersive interior perspective.
  • Locate this focused perspective in relation to the entirety of your design proposal through:
    • Plan and / or Section View
    • Three Serial Perspectives
    • Exploded Axonometric or Perspective Diagrams
  • Compose these drawings as a complete presentation on a single 18x24 plot. These can be composed with a clear hierarchy and grid format as in your mid-term, or can be more expressively composed as a hybrid composition. In either case, the composition of the layout is a significant aspect of this design presentation.
Required Drawings
  • Immersive interior perspective (the major focus of your presentation).
  • Plan and / or Section Vector drawing (alternatively a section perspective raster / vector drawing could be used).
  • Three Serial Perspectives (primarily vector based using line weights to give clarity and graphic emphasis, you may choose to use raster selectively to emphasis elements in your design).
  • Exploded Axonometric or Aerial Perspective Diagrams referencing your main pools space with circulation elements.

These are the minimum drawings, you can include other drawings as you see fit - such as exterior perspectives.

Tips

In no case should an image from Sketch-Up be placed directly onto your final boards.
Review TIPS in past assignments.
Widen your lens angle for perspectives (e.g. 24mm).
Give a sense of foreground, middle ground, and background in your perspective.
Composite multiple hidden lines to give a sense of depth to your presentation.
Use entourage to add character, scale, and life to your views.
Employ subtle variations in vector lineweights / line color for graphic emphasis.
Use white space (negative space) in your composition.
Share your work with friends and exchange opinions of each others work - a different set of eyes will see something that you have overlooked.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Assignment 7

Material - Reflection - Light

This assignment develops from the previous Photoshop collage exercise, but uses materials in Sketch-Up, along with Illustrator Vector lines, and Photoshop for lighting effects and reflection. The result should be a well-developed, presentable immersive perspective of your large pool space. Additionally, you will present three smaller vector only perspectives (line drawings) as serial perspectives. Serial perspectives are snap-shot views as you approach or move through your large pools space.

Submission
Due at beginning of Lab Thursday, May 31st
(1) Post and print composite immersive perspective incorporating raster / vector with focus on material, reflection, and light
(3) Post and print smaller vector only serial perspectives

Design Goals
Selective use of Materials for pattern, directionality, scale, and/or color.
Use of light to evoke a mood or ambience to the bathing experience your are designing for.
Use of Reflection to add nuance to materials and light qualities of materials and water

Technical Requirements
In Sketch-Up, create new materials by using small scale jpg images from material databases, such as the one found at the AccuStudio website.

Use Illustrator to composite Vector Outlines and Hidden lines as done on your mid-term. Focus on subtle changes in line color and line weight. You may also choose to play with line type, such as a dashed or dotted lines for the hidden line layer.

Use Photoshop to focus on giving a sense of light to your view. Also use Photoshop to slightly desaturate colors and incorporate entourage.

Use Illustrator to Composite Vector Outlines and Hidden lines for your three serial perspectives. These should be simple line drawings on white backgrounds, utilizing line weight to give graphic quality.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Assignment 6

Transforming: Sketching Scanning Collaging

DUE: Progress post Monday evening of at least one view completed,
Completed prints due in Lab on Thursday

This assignment focuses on the design development of your large pool space in your studio project. The assignment focuses on using Photoshop to bring materials, light, and reflectivity to give a sense of the bathing experience and emotion to your pool space. You will be developing two variations of this one perspective, the first with a brighter light and the second with an ethereal light. WIth etheal light, the water could be seen to emit light through its material transparency. To test the effect of different materials, materials can vary between perspectives.

Develop a Sketch-Up model of your large pool space, and save several immersive interior perspectives as scenes. Using the best view as an underlay, PRINT this view at 11x17. You will use this underlay for developing a hand drawing (your design studio instructor will give the requirements for this drawing medium - if your design studio is not incorporating this assignment into your studio work, a carefully drawn free-hand drawing is sufficient, or consider a cleanly drawn hard-lined perspective). Scan this perspective drawing and use photoshop to develop the design goals of this assignment. Gather materials from on-line image databases (Google Image Search, Piccassa.com, Flickr.com), using your digital camera, scanning images and magazines, or using hand media as well.

Design Goals

Water is represented paying attention both to the quality of its surface, as well as its depth and ambience
Through selective reflectvity, water, materials, and light are layered together as one experience
Materials give a sense of place through texture, scale, and surface variation
Materials give a sense of depth to the perspective
Light is used as an expressive medium
Entourage is used to express the activity in the space (e.g. solemn or social?)

Photoshop Reminders

The following is a synopsis of the photoshop tools covered in lecture on Tuesday. This is not a tutorial but should remind you of what we went through.
Scanning:
Crop, Magic Wand, Select Similar, Select Inverse, Copy and Paste into new file with a transparent background.
Selection Tools:
Polygonal Lasso, use shift and option to add and subtract from selection set. Feather edges as appropriate.
Transform Tools:
Perspective, Distort, and Free Transform.
Eraser Tool:
Brush size and edge, as well as transparency.
Filters:
Please be careful here, but do explore. Filters should be used for effect, but can get out of hand quickly - subtlety is the operative word here. Use Filters in a sequence and write down your work flow for future use (I showed you how I Pixelate with Pointlize, and then use Gaussian Blur to create variation in color on a surface).




Saturday, May 12, 2007

Re-Print Option

I hope your weekend is going well and you are focused on your studio projects for your reviews on Monday. I will be there and look forward to seeing your studio work.

The re-print option was given to you so that you can make a few simple and quick changes. This is a great way to apply a few simple changes that came out of the discussion. There is no re-do "requirement." If there is a quick fix you would like to do, then please do so.

However, if you you would like to make major changes, this is not the weekend to do it. I applaud any student that wishes to improve upon their work. Shoud you wish to re-do your boards, this will be extended to you as an extra-credit option. This will be coordinated with your GTF - but now is not the time to be concerned with this.




Thursday, May 10, 2007

Post Mid-Term Hoorah!

I would like to extend congratulations for all of your work presented today and the discussions that it generated. I was very pleased to see your progress and the work you have generated in 5+ weeks. Again I would like to extend thanks to your GTF's and the commitment they have made to you. Of course, we are only half way through - the engine is running and now it is time to drive.

Nice job!


Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Mid-Term Review Locations

Please be on-time so that we can pin-up and get started. The GTF's and I look forward to it.

mid-term review locations
lab meets 8-10am: LA 383
lab meets 10-12pm: LA 279