3D 2D drawing in 3D Space

[Bhang]

Hi,
I am new here and wanted to ask a question about drawing 2D reference art to be used for 3D modeling. I was wondering if there was a way to set up Photoshop the way you set up reference art in 3D applications. You know, top, side, front etc. I usually end up with one main drawing that I like and struggle to get other views to fit proportionally and visually but only realize this once I'm at the modeling stage.
A quick example of what I would like to achieve would be if I had a nice side view of a car I drew and wanted to place this image in 3D space along with a blank layer to draw on sitting perpendicular to the side view. Basically having it set up like a 3D app but being able to draw on any of the layers residing on the different planes. Is this possible in Photoshop ... or any software for that matter?
Thanks

 

[peta62]

Hello, I am afraid neither this will be easy nor Photoshop is the right tool. Of course if I understand you correctly. For example if you put a side picture of a car into 3D you will need at least some part of front/back/upper view and there will be no definition of its shape curves, so you need much more information to create 3D. I think engineering software for car industry like Catia would be much better.

 

[Bhang]

Hello, I am afraid neither this will be easy nor Photoshop is the right tool. Of course if I understand you correctly. For example if you put a side picture of a car into 3D you will need at least some part of front/back/upper view and there will be no definition of its shape curves, so you need much more information to create 3D. I think engineering software for car industry like Catia would be much better.

Thanks for your reply.
I don't intend to create the 3D object inside of Photoshop, only the reference art. However, I would like to have the art laid out as if in a 3D program so I can see where key features are located as well as where things start and stop. If I have a side image of a car, for instance, this would allow me to easily see where the hood, windshield, tires etc begin and end. It would also allow me to see how the height of the car fits with the width of the car. This is all for reference art. I have been using graph paper but I still run into problems where the end product ( the 3D model I finally make) looks funny or out of proportion but the original reference art looks fine.
Does this make sense at all?:question:
Thanks again for your input.

 

[IamSam]

Hello and welcome to PSG.

Based on my somewhat vague understanding of what your explaining, I will have to support peata62's statement that Photoshop may not be the right program for the job.

I can see using Ps's 3D engine to visualize a 2D drawing, then it can be placed on a background image. Perhaps I can post an example of what I'm referring to.

If we are misunderstanding you, please provide some images we can use to visualize your description.

 

[IamSam]

I did this real fast to demo for you. It's not perfect.

This is a 2D side view representation of a car.


This is a 3D extrusion of the 2d side view.


This is the extrusion with a background image.

 

[Bhang]

Thank you all for your replies.
I'm not even sure this is possible or if it is, if it will work the way I imagine, however, here is a picture showing 4 views of a quick car drawing in the arrangement I sometimes use for modeling. Imagine that only the side view has a drawing on it and the others are blank. I would like to have it set up like this in order to draw the other views in 3D space but on 2D planes while still having the side view as a reference. I know they all cut into each other, but its more for figuring out the placement of details and determining correct proportions. I would then turn off the other views and finish each drawing in a single front facing view.
Thanks again for all of your input.

 

[peta62]

Hi Bhang, I think this can be done in Photoshop, but Catia is definitely better tool, since it is intended solely for stuff like this, you can so work with dimensions as easy rotate the object to see it from all angles.

 

[Bhang]

Hi Bhang, I think this can be done in Photoshop, but Catia is definitely better tool, since it is intended solely for stuff like this, you can so work with dimensions as easy rotate the object to see it from all angles.

Thanks for your help. I took a look at a bunch of tutorials for Catia and it seems to be a CAD program. I did not see anyone use drawing or sketching that reflects how photoshop or illustrator handle it. It need to be able to do free form sketches and not use lines, curves or shapes to do my drawings.
Thanks again for your input, but unless I'm missing something I don't think Catia will do what I'm looking for. I will research Photoshops 3D functions a bit more and see if it will allow me to draw on a plane that is set up as 3D.

 

[peta62]

Thanks for your help. I took a look at a bunch of tutorials for Catia and it seems to be a CAD program. I did not see anyone use drawing or sketching that reflects how photoshop or illustrator handle it. It need to be able to do free form sketches and not use lines, curves or shapes to do my drawings.
Thanks again for your input, but unless I'm missing something I don't think Catia will do what I'm looking for. I will research Photoshops 3D functions a bit more and see if it will allow me to draw on a plane that is set up as 3D.

Yes, Catia is a CAD program. It has many modules, but I do not think sketches could be done there, sorry.

 

[Bhang]

No worries. Thank you for taking the time. I will dig into Photoshop a bit further. I really love sketching with it and its so flexible. Maybe I can somehow make it work.