Architectural concept with Blender Cycles and Krita

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through an architectural design workflow using Blender and Krita. You will learn how to create a massing building study from a sketch, perform a white line render in Blender’s Cycles, and post-process the render in Krita. This approach emphasizes that high-quality architectural content can be produced without expensive software subscriptions.

Step 1: Modelling the Building

1. Open Blender and create a new project.
2. Use the sketch as a reference:
   • Import your sketch image into Blender.
   • Position it in the background to guide your modeling.
3. Create the basic shape:
   • Use the Cube primitive to start forming your building.
   • Scale and stretch the cube to match the dimensions of your design.
4. Add details:
   • Utilize Edit Mode to refine the geometry.
   • Use extrude, inset, and loop cuts to create openings and details.

Step 2: Modelling the Facade

1. Select the building model and enter Edit Mode.
2. Define the facade materials:
   • Choose different faces for different materials.
   • Use the Material Properties tab to assign colors or textures.
3. Create features:
   • Add balconies, windows, or other architectural elements using extrude and scale functions.
   • Ensure to maintain a balanced aesthetic by referencing your original sketch.

Step 3: Modelling the Context

1. Add surrounding elements:
   • Create additional cubes or planes for neighboring buildings or terrain.
   • Scale and position them appropriately in relation to your main building.
2. Enhance the environment:
   • Use basic shapes to represent trees, roads, and other contextual elements.
   • Keep these models simple as they will serve as background context.

Step 4: Camera and Rendering Setup

1. Position the camera:
   • Select the camera and move it to a desired viewpoint.
   • Adjust the focal length in the Camera settings for better composition.
2. Set render settings:
   • Go to the Render Properties tab and select Cycles as the render engine.
   • Choose appropriate resolution and sampling settings for quality output.
3. Perform a test render:
   • Click on the Render button to see how your model looks.
   • Make adjustments as needed to lighting and materials.

Step 5: Krita Introduction

1. Open Krita after rendering your image in Blender.
2. Import the rendered image:
   • Go to File > Open and select your render file.
3. Familiarize yourself with tools:
   • Explore brushes, layers, and filters available in Krita for post-processing.

Step 6: Post Processing in Krita

1. Enhance your render:
   • Use the brush tool to add highlights or shadows.
   • Adjust colors using the Hue/Saturation settings as needed.
2. Add annotations:
   • Use the text tool to label different parts of your design.
   • Incorporate arrows or lines to indicate features and design intentions.
3. Export your final image:
   • Once satisfied with your adjustments, go to File > Export.
   • Choose the format and quality settings for your final output.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to create a massing building study from a sketch using Blender and Krita. You explored the modeling process, rendering setup, and post-processing techniques. This workflow demonstrates that effective architectural design can be achieved with free or open-source tools, allowing for creative freedom without the burden of costly software subscriptions. For further exploration, consider checking out additional resources or courses on Blender for architectural design.