In many cases we can skip post processing completely and do it all in Revit (see our tutorial on that here), but let’s face it: Revit drawings can often end up looking a little “Revity”. So how do we post-process our drawings the smart-way: to keep things non-destructive and allow for changes while still having the designs look amazing?
Often tutorials present you with fully finished projects that they just simply pop into Illustrator and start exploding into different layers without any considerations for changes. But that’s obviously not how reality works: often our bosses or professors will suggest changes to our designs, or we get last minute ideas, and then we would need to re-do the whole drawing! In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to PROPERLY post-process your Revit- drawings; so you can minimize your workload, allow for changes and still make your designs look great!
Program Selection - Less is more!
As Mies Van Der Rohe once famously said: Less is More
The more programs we add into our tool palette and workfklow, the less control we have over changes, the more chaotic the upkeep of these images become and the less time we have for actual designing.
We go case-by-case but this is how I keep my workflow for most of the time:
Case 1: Simple floor plans and section
Revit = Final Image
Case 2: Enhanced elevations and sections
Revit + Photoshop = Final Image
Case 3: Architectural renders
Revit + Visualization Plug-in + Photoshop = Final Image
Textures - Keep it non-destructive!
Whenever possible, the textures should always be done within Revit, to lessen the amount of work that needs to be done in post-processing.
However, this is not always possible as the end result might not be quite what you’re looking for visually, and we might want to enhance the styles visually in Photoshop.
Entourage - Keep it simple!
Whenever possible, we should add our entourage right in Revit to keep the workflow simple and organised. However, some might like to keep this phase separate from the model for size reasons which is fine as well.
Conclusion
I hope these pointers have helped you with keeping your workflow simple and effective. Having a smart program workflow helps you achieve your design goals by allowing flexibility and freedom.
If you need some helpful post-processing tools, hop on over to our shop and explore for example Photoshop Brushes, Revit Detail Items and Textures to make those visualizations pop!