My most recent DesCom project gave me an opportunity to work on sketch rendering. Using Alias, Showcase, and Photoshop together allows you to create an accurate representation of a concept while maintaining the open ended feel of a hand drawn sketch or render. Using this technique lets the designer quickly model parts that would be challenging to accurately draw, and then go in and add other details by hand.
In the past, when I used any type of modeling software to produce a render, I had the idea that my output from the program was supposed to be my final image. I must admit, I have wasted hours trying to get lighting or shadows just right, only to notice that a different area of my render was now washed out or too dark. While I was working on my USB drives, I caught myself repeating this mistake. I had to let go of the fact that I didn’t need the rendering software to solve all of my problems, and that I could take it into Photoshop and do the work myself. It was almost freeing in a way knowing that I wasn’t going to be tied down to the raytraced output of a rendering engine. Loosely throwing down sketch lines, highlights, fillets and details in Photoshop allowed me to communicate my design intent without having to create a labor-intensive 3D model.
As a result of this assignment, I feel that I now have another technique I can add to my arsenal of design tools. I will certainly use it in the future to quickly and effectively communicate my concepts.
Zylka USB Final Project Small
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