canvis photorealistic visualization

This publication provides instructions for using the photorealistic visualization software CanVis developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency and the National Agroforestry Center. This free software allows users to “see” how their yards, gardens, and other landscapes would appear using photographic simulation. CanVis is similar to Photoshop but with less of a learning curve. Users can “test” the way a landscape design looks before picking up a shovel! Exercises in this article help beginners become familiar with the software.

CONTENTS PAGE1. Tips for creating photorealistic visualization projects 22. Definitions 23. Examples 34. Download CanVis software 6 5. Download object libraries and objects 66. General tools 7 7. Base image editing and insert object 7 8. Area selection and manipulation 8 9. Object color and blending 1010. Object editing and manipulation 1211. CanVis toolbars 1412. Additional examples 16

CANVIS PHOTOREALISTIC VISUALIZATIONJason S. Gordon, UGA Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources

Publication WSFNR-19-49

December 2019

CanVis Photorealistic Visualization

1. TIPS FOR CREATING PHOTOREALISTIC VISUALIZATION PROJECTS• Use the visualization to tell a story. This means making it as realistic as needed for the purpose of the project. Angle, scale, and

lighting should be relevant to the project objective. The amount of detail depends on the project objective; for example, a conceptual mock-up may not need a lot of detail to get the point across.

• When displaying or comparing before and after products, always note the pre-simulated product and simulated product. • Consider how you will be presenting the results. Will you print the final product, turn it into a PowerPoint presentation, create a

report, or make a poster? The visual quality of the simulation makes a difference based on the final product. • Beginners should use a base photo with straight-on angles. • It’s easiest to create wanted background and replicate to cover up unwanted background.• Remember to use the correct perspective and shading. • Beginners may want to avoid too much sky in their base image because it can be tough to replicate realistically due cloud and sky

shading. • Do not use BMP or TIFF images as a rule of thumb. • Cluster cover-ups like shrubs and grasses to make lines less visible.• Start a database of photos that you can use to create objects to add to your object library. The included library is limited.

2. DEFINITIONS


2. EXAMPLES

Example 1: Pruning before (left) and simulation (right)


Example 2: Parking lot improvement before (top) and simulation with tree islands added (arrow) to conform to local landscape ordinance (bottom)


Example 3: Commercial route beautification before (top) and simulation (bottom)


4. DOWNLOAD CANVIS SOFTWARE FROM THE NOAA WEBSITE https://toolkit.climate.gov/tool/canvis (Accessed December 5, 2019)Caution: The download procedures described here should be functional in general; however, the software developers may change download procedures. For example, a recent change is to request access to down-load CanVis.

5. DOWNLOAD OBJECT LIBRARIES, OBJECTS, AND BASE IMAGESObjects can be downloaded to your computer from the CanVis website. Or, you can upload your own objects.

• Your CanVis software automatically comes with some objects. Objects with transparent background are saved as a LOB or tga file. Instructions on making your own object LOB/tga file are provided later in this publication.

• You can also download objects from the CanVis website. For example, from the CanVis website, scroll to “Commercial-Urban Object Libraries” (under “Coastal Object Libraries”) and click on the link.

• You probably don’t need to fill your hard drive with the Full Package, so download librar-ies relevant to your work (e.g., coastal vegetation, people, parks and urban areas, symbols, transportation, walls and buffers). Your computer may default download a zip folder to the Downloads folder. You will have to unzip it. Next, in the CanVis software you have downloaded to your computer, go to Library on the main menu, then New Library, select Object Library (for objects, or texture library for textures), give a name to your new li-brary (e.g., “example”), click OK, click OK. Again, click on main menu Library, select your new library from the list, click Items, click Add Items, navigate to the appropriate folder and select Items To Add. To see the files, you may have to change the file type to LOB or tga. Click Open. The objects will appear in the preview window. Next, still in the new library window, click on library, save library, yes. Close window.

• You can retrieve base images from Google Maps/Google Earth. Copy a satellite image or street view to your computer’s clipboard. Open it in the Paint application (or some other photo editing application) to edit. Then open it in CanVis as a base image (explained below).

• You can also use digital camera photos or scanned images. Scanned images should be 100 DPI for 8 x 10 photo up to 166 DPI for a 3 x 5 photo. A digital photo should be taken at 800 x 600 screen reso-lution. It’s preferable to take large DPI photos because you may need the pixelated detail and you can al-ways lower the resolution (i.e., file size) on the computer. You cannot increase DPI. Take photos on an overcast day or have the sun to your back to avoid harsh shadows. If the area is large, shoot in segments and make your design in pieces. Take the photo from a spot perpendicular to the area to be designed (i.e., shoot from the front, not an angle). Clean the area before taking photo – remove unwanted and unnecessary elements.


EXERCISE 1. STARTING A PROJECT AND LOADING A BASE IMAGEDownload Commercial-Urban object library from the CanVis website. Next, obtain a map or street view from Google Maps. Prepare this image for CanVis in Paint or other photo editing application. Open this image in CanVis as a base image. Save project from the File menu. Once you have done this, close the project from File on the main menu. Next, open a blank canvas.

6. GENERAL TOOLS New blank background without image: Click on the New File icon and set the size of new document. The size depends on your base photo. Click OK.

Open image: Use the yellow folder or click on File. Navigate to the location of the file, se-lect the file, click Open. If you want practice, you can navigate to CanVis Tutorial Images (in the CanVis folder of your C: drive, unless you specified another location for CanVis), then select the image you want and click Open. The name of project appears at top left of your screen and defaults to the name of the image file.

Save project: To override the default project name, go to File, Save As, navigate to location where you will save the alternate file, then name it, and choose the file format. Format -lnd. Is the only file that will allow you to edit the project at a later date. Click Save.

Normal cursor: This is the normal cursor. Your cursor will change shape based on the toolbar you are using.

7. BASE IMAGE EDITING AND INSERT OBJECTClone tool: Allows you to paint one area of your background image over another area to remove undesirables from your background image. Cloning is usually best for small undesirables, while larger features may be designed over. Click on the Clone tool from the Advanced tool bar, or in the ribbon, click on Area, then Clone Texture. The Clone toolbox opens; notice your cursor changes shape to the “clone cursor”. Select a brush in the size and shape you want. Place the cursor over the area you want to take the texture from and right click to set the source circle/box. Then place the cursor over the area you want to cover with that texture and left click. Keeping left mouse button pressed, drag cursor over the area and paint with the texture. Notice the “mirroring” effect as pixels are changed (i.e., cloned). Be careful where you drag the cursor because any texture that enters the source circle/box will copy onto your image. When satisfied with your results, click OK. Click Undo to undo steps sequentially. To get back to original image, click Cancel. Note: you can also replicate the base image by using the Outline Area tool as explained below.


Zoom tools: Zoom tools allow you to do detailed work on a base image. Go to View on the ribbon, then check Zoom tool bar. You can zoom in and zoon out. Right click to de-select the area of zoom. Your cursor changes to an arrow, now you can use the zoom out tool or use the 1:1 to bring the image back to its original size.

Insert object: Click on the Object library icon on the main toolbar. Select Library and library box will open. Scroll through the library to view objects. You can make the box bigger by placing the cursor on the edge of the box, left clicking, and dragging the way you would resize a window in any other software applications. Next, double click to select the object you want for your project. The box is known as the Bounding Box (see Definitions) when the object is selected. Size the object by placing the cursor on the anchors. The corner anchors retain the scale. A top or side anchor will size the object disproportionately. You can drag the object to change location or use arrows on key-board for fine movements, one pixel at a time. Remember, only LOB and .tga files have transparent backgrounds, so if you import a jpeg, tiff, bmp, or similar image file, it will appear with an opaque background. In most cases you would design in the same order you would build, from back to front. For example, you would define (outline) the area to bring in your grass and pavers before you selected plant material. Use the Layers tool (below) to change the order of objects.

EXERCISE 2. VIEW TOOLBAR, CLONING BACKGROUND, ADDING AND MANIPULATING OBJECTS 1. Open a base image. Practice zooming so that the entire photo is viewable. 2. Clone part of the base image’s background to remove a feature. Zoom in for accuracy if needed. Click cancel in the clone toolbox to delete cloned pixels. 3. Next, add a canopy tree object from one of the Trees Library. Practice changing the size and loca-tion of the selected tree. 4. Save when you’re satisfied with the image.

Outline area: Use this tool to create or fill an area (texture) or object: To place a texture in your image, you need to use the Drawing Tools in the Texture toolbar. Click the Out-line Area icon to open the Define Area toolbox (Note: there is a software design error that uses both names for this tool). In the toolbox, there are 3 rows of icons. The top row is the Add Mode (default) and Subtract Mode. Add Mode creates one big area out of a series of smaller areas. The Subtract Mode allows you to cut a shape from that added area. It only works when you create the bounding box first, then use the Subtract Mode to subtract the area, then add the texture profile to the modified area. You might use this tool if creating a planting space in a wall, for example.

Second are the Drawing tools (Freehand Draw, Square Draw, Ellipse Draw). Let’s give these tools a try. Click the Add Mode and the Square Draw tool (in the middle). Try

8. AREA SELECTION AND MANIPULATION


drawing several large squares. Then you can fill one of those areas with a texture by click-ing on the Perspective Library in the same Define Area toolbox (or Perspective icon on the toolbar if you have closed the Define Area toolbox). Make sure the correct angle and distance are used to make the texture realistic (see Change Perspective below). Click OK. Next, try creating outlines from the Freehand Draw tool. In Freehand, you have to come back to the first point to close the polygon. Before adding a perspective and without click-ing the cursor outside your new area, try using the Add, Delete, and Move icons on the third row to add a point, delete a point, and move a point from the outline. Notice how the cursor changes when you select these tools. The cursor must be placed exactly on the point to move or subtract it (you may have to zoom in to select the point). In Freehand Draw, you can hold down the shift key to confine the line to 45 degree angles. Also in Freehand, by pressing the backspace button before you close the polygon, you can undo the points in succession so you don’t have to start over completely if you make a mistake. Edit tools only work with points and will not move lines. Use these edit tools reshape your area. You can always click Cancel to start over or click OK when you’re satisfied. Your out-line is now ready to add a texture using the Perspective Library. Note that once you add a texture, you can’t make shape changes.

You can replicate part of your background image using the Outline Area tool. Click on the Outline Area icon. Use the draw tools to define an area. Click OK. With the area still selected, select Area from the main menu, then Convert to Object. Now you can Replicate (below) or copy and paste the background area that you made into an object.

Using textures: You can quickly change a texture profile. Select the texture you want to change. Click on the Texture Library button on the Texture tool bar. Select the texture library you want. Select the profile you want to see in the design. Holding down the left mouse button, drag the profile onto the image (notice cursor changes) and drop it. The texture will now change to the perspective and scale of the previous profile.

Change perspective: The Perspective tool makes textures look like they are visually cor-rect. For example, to make a roofing profile follow the line of the roof or make a ground-cover look like it’s going into the distance. Select a texture for which you want to change perspective. Next, click on Area in the main menu, then change the texture’s perspective by selecting the appropriate setting (roof is the most versatile) and moving the corners of your texture to get the right perspective. Roof allows movement of all the corners inde-pendently. Siding locks the side corners together to create the illusion of the texture lying straight on its side. Paving locks the top and bottom corners together to add perspective of laying down flat. Use the slider bar to match the scale of your background image. Click OK.

Paint texture: This is on the Advanced toolbar or under Tools in the main toolbar. Pick the size and shape of brush. You can paint using a texture (From library), from a file on your computer, or pick a color from the existing background pixels (Pick Color), or select a color from the color palette (Choose Color). If you select a texture from the library,


remember to adjust the scale. Paint with that texture by placing cursor over area to be painted, left click, and drag. You have to use this tool in an area where the angle is not important because you can’t use Perspective for painted textures. Click undo if needed.

Adjust colors: Click Adjust Colors under the Tools in the main menu or the Adjust Col-ors icon. Select an object to modify and adjust the red, blue, or green colors of the object. Note preview in toolbox window. You can click reset and start over if needed.

Color levels: To improve the image quality of an object or background. Click Tools, then Color Levels. Adjust intensity and contrast using slider bars.

Colorize: Use Colorize to change color of the background, object, or texture. If it is an element (object or texture), select it, and from the main menu go to Tools, then select Colorize. In the toolbox you can select a color and add it to the selected element. You can change the color swatch by dragging the slider bars. If the feature you want to color is part of the background image, you must define (outline) the feature first. Using the Out-line Area tool, define (outline) the feature, Click OK. Now open the Colorize tool to add the color you want. Alternatively, you can select Pick Color in the Colorize toolbox, then left click the “dropper” cursor on the color you want. Note the swatch change.

Layers: Every object or image has its own layer determined by the order in which you added them to the project. The layer tools allow you to shuffle the layers. From the main menu, go to View, then check the View Layer toolbar to open. The toolbar’s option in-clude, from left to right, the Zoom tools, Object to Front, Object to Back, One Layer Up, and One Layer Down. Select the backward most object and move to the front using the Object to Front button. Then move it to the back with the One Layer Down button. Next, bring it forward layer-by-layer using the One Layer Up button.

Replicate: To make copies of objects in your project, select the object or texture, then select Replicate on the Object toolbar on the main menu. Place the arrow cursor on spot

EXERCISE 3. ADDING AND MANIPULATING TEXTURES1. Add a pavement texture from the texture library using the add mode. 2. Next, create a pathway using the drawing tools. Ensure the right perspective and scale. 3. Experiment with changing points of the texture.4. Practice the drag-and-drop method of changing texture profiles. 5. Use the Paint tool to paint with a base image color. 6. OK and save.

OBJECT COLOR AND BLENDING

OBJECT EDITING AND MANIPULATION


where you want object copied to then left click. To deselect, use the right click button on the mouse and the cursor returns to normal.

Rotate: Select the object, go to Rotate on Object toolbar, click the corner anchor on your object and move the mouse to rotate on the object on its axis. Right click to deselect Ro-tate tool.

Flip: Select the object, in Object menu select Flip to flip horizontally or vertically. This is useful when positioning animal objects where facing direction is important.

Erase: Select the object, then click Erase on the Object toolbar. From the Erase toolbox, select the brush size and shape. Place the cursor over what you want to erase then click and drag. Click Un-erase to paint an erased portion back in. If you want to undo your last move, click undo. Note that erase does not function on the base image.

Smudge: Smudge helps to blend objects or an object and background. Select an object. Go to tools on main menu, select Smudge. Select the size of brush. Place the cursor over the object to soften the edges and blur the detail. To change the transparency, right click on the object and change the transparency in the bitmap box to create the illusion. Smudge can be used to blur the background, but this is seldom an objective.

Grouping: You may have several defined areas with the same texture and different per-spectives. You may want to change the texture at the same time while keeping the per-spective (think changing a walkway). Click on one area, hold down shift key and click the other areas individually. In the main menu, under Area, select Create Texture. In Texture Library, select the profile by clicking once. Hold down the mouse button and drag the profile to the texture in your project you want to change. Release the mouse to change the texture profile. The same process applies to change a set of objects, e.g., plant material. The same idea applies to grouping objects. You can group several objects, then go to the Object menu on the main menu and select merge objects to create one object from the multiple objects. This merged object can then be replicated across the base image.

Warp: Warp is like Perspective, but for objectives instead of textures. Use the Warp tool found in the Object toolbar to make objects that are photographed from the front go on an angle. For example: Make a fence run down the side of the yard or make a gate look like it is open. For an “object” to lay down or be placed on a vertical surface you need to use the Vertical setting. This links the two side corners of the bounding box together. Now take the bottom corner of the bounding box and click and drag it up and out (towards the outside of the picture). Now it appears to be lying flat. The top corner may have to be lowered a little as well. The Free setting in the Warp toolbox is used for irregular objects. Use it on any object that doesn’t stand vertically or horizontally.


Lighting tools: Go to the Lighting toolbar found in the View toolbar or select the Day/Night icon. To add a ray of light (for example, from a streetlight), you’ll need to click on the dusk, dark, or night icons in the Lighting toolbar to create darkness if your base photo was taken in full daylight. Next, click on the Lighting tools (the lightbulb icon). You can use the Spread method or Paint with Light method to illustrate light. The software defaults to the Paint with Light method. However, Spread is more useful for creating light from streetlamps. Next, select the size and shape of brush you want. Now set intensity and light width using the slider bars. The intensity bar is a dimmer and the light width is the amount of pixels the light will expand. Make sure the intensity and width are adjusted so that they are visible. You can erase the light by clicking on Erase Mode and drawing over the light line. Using the Spread tool you don’t need to select the brush. Adjust the intensity and light width. Point where you want the most intensity to be then drag your cursor to define the shape you want your light in. Turn off the Light-ing tool bar by clicking on the Day/Night icon.

Shadows: Select the object from which to create a shadow. Left click once on the Shad-ow icon from the Object toolbar. Deselect the object and move so you can see the shad-ow. You have to select the shadow, then right click to change its transparency. Because the shadow is an object, you can rotate, flip, resize, and warp the shadow.

EXERCISE 4. BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER 1. Using the Paint with Light method, try setting the width to 8 and the intensity to 100. Create a line of light. The width extends 8 pixels out from the middle of your line. Now try a lesser intensity. 2. Using the Spread tool, try adding in a lamp post object then create the look of a beam of light shin-ing from the post towards the ground. 3. Add in a person object. Create a shadow that matches the background in terms of orientation, perspective, and intensity. 4. Add in 3 or 4 unique shrub objects. Use the layers tool to change their position. Try flipping, eras-ing, and rotating the objects. 5. Next, use the grouping tool and drag-and-drop feature to change the shrubs to a different material. Use the smudge tool to blend the objects together to create a realistic effect. 6. Try replicating an object that is in the background image. 7. Now that you’re an expert, start adding in objects to make your project look good. Consider design elements, add groundcovers and shrubs, change object colors and shading, and blur to soften edges and blend. 8. Always remember to save your work.


EXERCISE 6. CREATING AN OBJECT WITH TRANSPARENT BACKGROUND A solid object with straight, 90 degree lines is best for beginners who wish to create new objects. Find an object, such as the bench below, and take a photo. Create a new transparent object using the photo. Remember to first remove unnecessary parts of the image. Import the object into a relevant library. Add the object from the library to your project. Save.

Magic Wand tool: The Magic Wand tool is used to create your own library objects. Start with a photo using the acceptable image quality described above. After you have selected an image, you should first edit out as much of the background as possible in a photo editing tool on your computer. First, open a new document and colorize the background (Tools from the main menu, then select Colorize). Pick a color that doesn’t appear in the image you want to put in your library. Import your selected image (File, Import, Open) into the new document background. Now create a transparent mask. Select the imported image. Click on the Magic Wand icon on the Advanced tool bar or go to Tools on the ribbon, then select Magic Wand. In the toolbox, set the background color to something unique, like bright red. Set the exclude tolerance to 10% to start. This is an iterative process - you will work your way down. Place the Magic Wand cursor over the area of background where you want to create the mask (in other words, excluding those pixels) and left click. Some of the unwanted area has been selected, but it may not be enough. If it’s not enough, you can increase the exclude tolerance. If it’s too much, click undo and decrease the exclude tolerance. Do this iteratively until most of the unwanted image is selected. Use the erase tool to clean up the remaining pixels. Click OK when satisfied. Now all the areas of the mask are transparent. Once the image is fully edited, export it as a LOB/tga, and save to your computer. You will have to add it to a library for use (explained above).


12. CANVIS TOOLBARS


13. ADDITIONAL EXAMPLESStreet tree planting project map before (left) and simulation (right)

Stormwater best management practices before (left) and simulation (right)


Culverting a blue-line stream before (left) and simulation (right)

Proposed development of greenspace into apartments before (left) and simulation (right)

Park vegetation improvements before (left) and simulation (right)

The University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources offers educational programs, assistance, and materials to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, age, gender, or disability.

The University of Georgia is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action.


Landscape design plan before (top) and plan using CanVis (bottom)

canvis photorealistic visualization

Documents