houses in Adobe Illustrator

[Carnifex]

Here's my little project with houses in Adobe Illustrator.
I want to do the perfect house in Illustrator. Easy to change, works in small scale and large scale (both city maps and close up street map), adjusts shadows to rotation etc.
Suggestions welcome.

[Gamerprinter]

I know when I use Xara Photo & Graphic Designer (a vector program comparable to Illustrator) and use beveled shapes and drop shadows. While working in Xara, the shadow directions and light intensity is fixed, so when I rotate any object the shadow stays in the same place. On bevels the level of light on each face changes to the fixed light direction. This means that I create one rectangular house (for example), but then I can copy and rotate it degree by degree (or partial degrees) in 360 degrees of rotation. A single house, duplicated in varying rotations and rescaled can represent multiple similar structures, but due to varying levels of surface bevel light and shadow - no two structures appear identical. This way I can create a single rectangular shaped house, "L" and "T" shaped structures, ones with open interior courtyards - so basically four different structural configurations. Now rescale and rotate, and those 4 buildings can appear as 40 (or more or less) individual unique structures. If you choose not to use bevels and drop shadows, differentiating each building on varying rotation shifts takes manual adjustment to simulate what the bevel and drop shadow do automatically. Doing so completely by hand is infinitely more time consuming. While I agree that artistically doing each structure by hand, one at a time, may be doing a better job - the time loss for me, exceeds the value of doing that. I'd rather complete a map in a timely manner, than having some artistic need not to use bevels and drop shadows.

[Carnifex]

I know when I use Xara Photo & Graphic Designer (a vector program comparable to Illustrator) and use beveled shapes and drop shadows. While working in Xara, the shadow directions and light intensity is fixed, so when I rotate any object the shadow stays in the same place. On bevels the level of light on each face changes to the fixed light direction. This means that I create one rectangular house (for example), but then I can copy and rotate it degree by degree (or partial degrees) in 360 degrees of rotation. A single house, duplicated in varying rotations and rescaled can represent multiple similar structures, but due to varying levels of surface bevel light and shadow - no two structures appear identical. This way I can create a single rectangular shaped house, "L" and "T" shaped structures, ones with open interior courtyards - so basically four different structural configurations. Now rescale and rotate, and those 4 buildings can appear as 40 (or more or less) individual unique structures. If you choose not to use bevels and drop shadows, differentiating each building on varying rotation shifts takes manual adjustment to simulate what the bevel and drop shadow do automatically. Doing so completely by hand is infinitely more time consuming. While I agree that artistically doing each structure by hand, one at a time, may be doing a better job - the time loss for me, exceeds the value of doing that. I'd rather complete a map in a timely manner, than having some artistic need not to use bevels and drop shadows.

Do you have any example of such a town map you have done?

[Gamerprinter]

Sure...

[Carnifex]

Some more testing. Getting better....

[Carnifex]

Another test...

Shadows (on roofs) follow nicely. I can easily change the colour of the roof (thouogh not random?). Maybe add some kind of grunge effect?

[Carnifex]

I know when I use Xara Photo & Graphic Designer (a vector program comparable to Illustrator) and use beveled shapes and drop shadows. While working in Xara, the shadow directions and light intensity is fixed, so when I rotate any object the shadow stays in the same place. On bevels the level of light on each face changes to the fixed light direction. This means that I create one rectangular house (for example), but then I can copy and rotate it degree by degree (or partial degrees) in 360 degrees of rotation. A single house, duplicated in varying rotations and rescaled can represent multiple similar structures, but due to varying levels of surface bevel light and shadow - no two structures appear identical. This way I can create a single rectangular shaped house, "L" and "T" shaped structures, ones with open interior courtyards - so basically four different structural configurations. Now rescale and rotate, and those 4 buildings can appear as 40 (or more or less) individual unique structures. If you choose not to use bevels and drop shadows, differentiating each building on varying rotation shifts takes manual adjustment to simulate what the bevel and drop shadow do automatically. Doing so completely by hand is infinitely more time consuming. While I agree that artistically doing each structure by hand, one at a time, may be doing a better job - the time loss for me, exceeds the value of doing that. I'd rather complete a map in a timely manner, than having some artistic need not to use bevels and drop shadows.

I have also made houses that way in photoshop. Problem is that you can only have certain kind of houses - which is ok for large cities but if you need a little bit more variation or detail it won't do imo.

[Gamerprinter]

95% of the maps I create are encounter scale, I rarely do city/town maps (more often doing village or wilderness maps), and even more rarely do regional maps, and never do world maps. I use the same techniques I describe above for super detailed, singular structures whether hand-drawn or using photo image fills - I bevel everything (well only very rarely do I not). More often than not, when I create a building with a roof, critics prefer that I show the interior of every structure with no roof at all. So, now a days, I generally only include roofs on village/town/city maps.

Also, when I want an extremely detailed and variated structure (or any complex object), I model it in 3D, render a grayscale JPG, import to vector and finish the textures in Xara.

[Carnifex]

95% of the maps I create are encounter scale, I rarely do city/town maps (more often doing village or wilderness maps), and even more rarely do regional maps, and never do world maps. I use the same techniques I describe above for super detailed, singular structures whether hand-drawn or using photo image fills - I bevel everything (well only very rarely do I not). More often than not, when I create a building with a roof, critics prefer that I show the interior of every structure with no roof at all. So, now a days, I generally only include roofs on village/town/city maps.

Also, when I want an extremely detailed and variated structure (or any complex object), I model it in 3D, render a grayscale JPG, import to vector and finish the textures in Xara.

Yeah... I guess 3D is the way to go if you want really nice house roofs. Used a couple of 3D programs but I have never found a good/easy/cheap program for that though.

[Gamerprinter]

I use a very old 3D subdivisional surface modeler for my all my complex modeling, I can even create organic lifeforms with it called Nendo, which was created by Nichimen, a Japanese software developer that worked closely with Squaresoft. I have an old Windows 98 PC in the back of my office with Nendo loaded on it. I've used it with Vista, but am not sure it works on the newer Windows editions. Its super easy to learn and use. Izware currently owns it, and I think you might be able to get it for $25 from izware.com - but as I said, its very old software that hasn't been upgraded in years. I also use Raydream Studio 5.5, an old 3D application to do my rendering. Sometimes I use Poser for 3D people and animals.

If I were looking at 3D now, there's Google Sketchup for free 3D software, also possibly Blender, though the latter is rather complex. 3D is a different paradigm than other graphics applications, so there can be a learning curve. I've used 3D software since the late 1990's, so I'm very familiar with using it quickly for any map objects I need every now and again.