# Mapmaking Discussion & Philosophy (WIP/Critique) > 3D modeling (map elements and height maps) >  Style experiments with sketchup / photoshop

## Francissimo

Hi There!
It's been a few weeks i have fun playing with sketchup like a kid plays lego. 
This time i've tried to map an egyptian antique style city with sketchup. 
Various models from sketchup 3D wharehouse were used, reworked and combined.. kinda like playing lego as i say :Wink: 
The basemap that depict topography is a 3D export from qgis to sketchup. It is based on real world data, a part of a canyon in lake powell.
Here are 2 type of renders, both make with photoshop, can't figure wich style i should use.. feedbacks are welcome  :Smile:

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## Tenia

Great !
I think I prefer the first (top) one : The style is more homogeneous and the buildings are more blended into the landscape. As a downside it is maybe a little dark ? Or we may consider this map has been taken in the late afternoon ?
I am myself playing with sketchup for the past few weeks (I don't have your mastery of course !) and find it very funny too.
Congrats Lego master !

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## Voolf

This is awesome Francissimo. I like the second one. First has to jagged/sharp corners for my taste.

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## Falconius

The first one hides a lot of the inconsistencies, the second one is easier on the eye.  To me a lot of the scaling looks all over the place, particularly those two towers up on the cliffs on either side of the river look like they should be roughly twice that size.  It looks like a great setting for a city.  

Are you planning on putting roads in?  I'm curious about how you'd go about it.  I make a 3-D object that sort of just sits level right above the surface but I'm not always convinced they look like roads.

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## Mouse

I prefer the second one.  Never been all that keen on the lines in Sketchup  :Smile: 

Nice colours.  Did you enhance them in PS?  I find the colours on my own Sketchup exports can be a little flat at times - not very rich - even the pure reds and yellows.  They all seem to have too much white in them.

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## Francissimo

Thanks a lot for the feebacks everyone :Smile: 



> The first one hides a lot of the inconsistencies, the second one is easier on the eye.  To me a lot of the scaling looks all over the place, particularly those two towers up on the cliffs on either side of the river look like they should be roughly twice that size.  It looks like a great setting for a city.  
> 
> Are you planning on putting roads in?  I'm curious about how you'd go about it.  I make a 3-D object that sort of just sits level right above the surface but I'm not always convinced they look like roads.


Yep, scaling is quite a delicate thing when you use lots of differents models, next time i'll check all my elements scale before i put them on the map, now is a bit late :Smile: 
About roads, it's a nightmare on sketchup if you have some topography. I'll use photoshop to show some roads using textures, not as precise as with sketchup but so much easier.





> I prefer the second one.  Never been all that keen on the lines in Sketchup 
> 
> Nice colours.  Did you enhance them in PS?  I find the colours on my own Sketchup exports can be a little flat at times - not very rich - even the pure reds and yellows.  They all seem to have too much white in them.


Yep, i reworked the result for a while in photoshop, as you say sketchup gestion of colors isn't really good. That's also easier to paint grass and roads in photoshop than in sketchup.




> Great !
> I think I prefer the first (top) one : The style is more homogeneous and the buildings are more blended into the landscape. As a downside it is maybe a little dark ? Or we may consider this map has been taken in the late afternoon ?
> I am myself playing with sketchup for the past few weeks (I don't have your mastery of course !) and find it very funny too.
> Congrats Lego master !


I've seen your last sketchup experiment in the lite challenge, nice work! :Smile: 
About lights, i'll usually go with something quite neutral for the map, and maybe do a much more pronounced /darker style for a render.
Here's a mix style with a few lines but less than style 2

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## Kier

I favor the 2nd one, smoother details.

Very cool.

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## Francissimo

Thanks for the feedback Kier.
Here's a small update with a few labels and a border, i'm not use to egyptian/greek/random antique civ style maps, so i'm not very confident with labels style.

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## Falconius

Looking good.  As a style thing I'd suggest that when a number is part of the proper name for something it be written out.  So instead of "The 3 Obelisks" either "The Three Obelisks" or "Three Obelisks".

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## Francissimo

Thx Falconius, correction added in the final map :Smile:

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