Sketch to AI Render Tools (That Actually Work)

Architecture for Thought
2 Jun 202311:21

TLDRThis video from Architecture for Thought introduces two AI-powered programs, PromeAI and MNML-AI, that convert hand sketches into photorealistic renderings. The presenter uses Tayasui Sketches for digital sketching and discusses the importance of maintaining designers' intent with AI tools. PromeAI offers a Sketch Rendering tool with options for material changes and an Erase and Replace feature, while MNML-AI provides a Sketch Image generator with a prompt enhancer and a redesign level. The video showcases the capabilities of these tools, emphasizing the growing user control and potential integration into architectural and design workflows.

Takeaways

  • 🎨 **AI Tools for Sketch Conversion**: The video discusses two AI programs that can convert hand sketches into photorealistic renderings, using ControlNet to maintain the original sketch's geometry.
  • ⏱️ **Time-Lapse Sketching**: The presenter begins with a time-lapse of a digital hand sketch, emphasizing the importance of sketching as a fast way to capture design ideas.
  • 🖥️ **Digital Sketching App**: Tayasui Sketches is highlighted as the app of choice for digital hand sketching, appreciated for its tools, layers, and Marquee functionalities.
  • 🏠 **Design Inspiration**: The sketch's inspiration comes from a competition by Icon, a 3D printing company, challenging designers to create a home under $99,000 that can be 3D printed.
  • 📈 **Depth and Shadowing**: The presenter discusses techniques for adding depth and shadowing to the sketch, using various tools and effects to achieve a three-dimensional look.
  • 🖌️ **Sketch for AI Rendering**: It's noted that for AI rendering, the sketch should be devoid of color to allow the AI tools to interpret and apply color independently.
  • 🔍 **PromeAI Platform**: PromeAI is introduced as a platform potentially aimed at architects and product designers, offering a Sketch Rendering tool along with other features like Erase and Replace, and Background Diffusion.
  • 🏢 **Material and Style Options**: PromeAI allows users to select styles and materials for their renderings, with options to adjust and experiment with different outcomes.
  • 🛠️ **Erase and Replace Feature**: The Erase and Replace tool within PromeAI enables users to modify specific parts of the rendering, such as adding large glass windows to the design.
  • 📐 **Architect-Centric Tools**: PromeAI's interface suggests a focus on architecture with tabs dedicated to interior, architecture, and the ability to create shaded elevations from CAD drawings.
  • 🌐 **MNML-AI Platform**: MNML-AI is another tool explored, which also seems to cater to architects and designers, offering different tabs for architecture, interior, and landscape design.
  • 📝 **User Control in AI Tools**: The presenter appreciates the level of user control in these AI tools, which is essential for architects and designers to integrate them into their workflow.
  • 🔄 **Future Updates**: There's mention of future releases of AI tools that will focus on providing more user control, suggesting an ongoing improvement in these technologies.

Q & A

  • What are the two programs mentioned in the video that can convert hand sketches into photorealistic renderings using AI?

    -The two programs mentioned are PromeAI and MNML-AI, which are designed to take hand sketches and convert them into photorealistic renderings using artificial intelligence.

  • What is the name of the app used for digital hand sketching in the video?

    -The app used for digital hand sketching is called Tayasui Sketches.

  • What is the purpose of the competition brief released by Icon, the 3D printing company?

    -The competition brief released by Icon is for designing a home under $99,000 that can be printed using their 3D printing equipment.

  • What is the significance of using a sketch that is a void of any color for the sketch to photorealistic rendering tools?

    -Most of the sketch to photorealistic rendering tools require a void of any color to accurately interpret the geometry and deliver the exact hand sketch in photorealistic form without any color interference.

  • What is the feature of PromeAI that allows users to change the material of the sketch rendering?

    -PromeAI has an option where users can select different styles and materials, such as 'Copper Metal', to change the appearance of the sketch rendering.

  • What is the 'Erase and Replace' tool in PromeAI used for?

    -The 'Erase and Replace' tool in PromeAI is used to modify parts of the generated image that are not as desired. Users can erase certain areas and replace them with different elements, such as large glass windows.

  • What is the main difference between the sketch rendering tools in PromeAI and MNML-AI?

    -While both PromeAI and MNML-AI offer sketch to image conversion, PromeAI provides more user control with options to change materials and use the 'Erase and Replace' feature, whereas MNML-AI offers a more straightforward conversion with less direct control over the final image.

  • What is the 'Prompt Enhancer' feature in MNML-AI used for?

    -The 'Prompt Enhancer' in MNML-AI is used to improve the quality of the generated image based on the input prompt. It works best with short prompts and can be unchecked by users who are more experienced with crafting prompts.

  • What is the 'Redesign' level in MNML-AI?

    -The 'Redesign' level in MNML-AI is an upscale option that allows users to refine any of the images generated by the platform.

  • How does the video suggest the architectural discipline and designers can benefit from these AI tools?

    -The video suggests that the architectural discipline and designers can benefit from these AI tools by integrating more user control, which is essential for them to trust and adapt these tools into their workflows.

  • What is the significance of the 'Seed' option in the advanced settings of MNML-AI?

    -The 'Seed' option in the advanced settings of MNML-AI allows users to continue exploring variations of an image they like, providing a way to generate a series of images based on a successful initial result.

  • What is the video's stance on the future of AI tools in the context of architectural design?

    -The video is optimistic about the future of AI tools in architectural design, highlighting the importance of user control and the potential for these tools to become integrated into the workflows of architects and designers.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Introduction to AI-Powered Sketch Conversion Tools

The video begins with a welcome to the Architecture for Thought channel and an introduction to two AI programs capable of converting hand sketches into photorealistic renderings using ControlNet for image geometry. The host emphasizes the importance of maintaining the designer's intent and showcases a time-lapse of a digital hand sketch created with Tayasui Sketches. The sketch was inspired by a competition brief from Icon, a 3D printing company, to design a home under $99,000 for 3D printing. The host discusses the process of adding depth and shadowing to the sketch, which is essential for the AI tools to accurately interpret the design. It is noted that the final sketch for the AI system should be devoid of color to ensure accurate conversion.

05:03

🏢 Exploring PromeAI's Sketch Rendering Tool

The host delves into the first program, PromeAI, which appears to be tailored for architects and product designers. The focus is on the Sketch Rendering tool, with a brief mention of other features like Erase and Replace, Background Diffusion, and upcoming AI Outpainting and AI Chat Artisan tools. The process involves uploading a sketch and using a detailed prompt to guide the AI in generating a photorealistic image. The host demonstrates changing the material of the rendered image from black concrete to copper metal and explores the Erase and Replace feature to modify the storefront and introduce large glass windows. The video highlights the program's ability to quickly generate options and the high quality of the photorealistic output, which closely follows the original sketch's geometry and design intent.

10:08

📈 Testing MNML-AI's Sketch to Image Generator

The video moves on to the second tool, MNML-AI, which also targets architects and designers. The host uploads the same sketch and inputs a prompt into the Sketch Image generator. The platform offers a prompt enhancer, negative prompt options, and an upscale redesign feature. The host uses the available credits to generate an image, noting that while the geometry of the generated image deviates slightly from the original sketch, it offers a good balance of user control compared to other image generators. The host acknowledges that future releases of similar tools are expected to provide even more control to users, which is crucial for integrating these AI tools into architectural and design workflows. The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to experiment with the tools and share their results.

Mindmap

Keywords

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence refers to the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems. In the context of the video, AI is used to convert hand sketches into photorealistic renderings, showcasing how AI can augment and interpret a designer's intent in architectural and design fields.

ControlNet

ControlNet is a term mentioned in the video that likely refers to a specific technology or feature used in the AI rendering programs to lock image geometry. It ensures that the AI maintains the original structure and design intent of the hand sketch when converting it into a photorealistic form.

Photorealistic Renderings

Photorealistic renderings are digital images that closely resemble real-life photographs. In the video, the focus is on how AI can transform hand sketches into such renderings, which is significant for architects and designers who want to visualize their concepts with high fidelity.

Digital Hand Sketching

Digital hand sketching refers to the act of creating hand-drawn images using digital tools, such as a stylus and a tablet like an iPad. The video emphasizes the importance of this method for quickly getting ideas down in a digital format, which can then be processed by AI for further development.

Tayasui Sketches

Tayasui Sketches is an app for digital hand sketching that the video presenter uses. It is highlighted for its user-friendly tools, layers, and Marquee tools that facilitate copying and pasting parts of the drawing, making it an effective tool for digital sketching.

3D Printing

3D printing is a process of making three-dimensional solid objects from a digital file. The video mentions a competition by a 3D printing company, Icon, which is relevant to the video's theme of design and technology. The presenter's passion for 3D printing is connected to the exploration of design concepts.

Sketch to Photorealistic Rendering Tools

These are software programs capable of taking hand-drawn sketches and converting them into photorealistic images using AI. The video discusses two such tools, PromeAI and MNML-AI, which are particularly useful for architects and designers looking to visualize their designs accurately.

PromeAI

PromeAI is one of the AI rendering platforms featured in the video. It is designed to cater to architects and product designers, offering tools like Sketch Rendering, Erase and Replace, and Background Diffusion. The platform's focus on user control and architectural specificity is highlighted.

MNML-AI

MNML-AI is another platform mentioned for converting sketches to images using AI. It has a more focused approach towards architects and designers, offering different tabs for various design aspects like interior, landscape, and AI concept generation based on chat GPT.

Erase and Replace

Erase and Replace is a feature within the PromeAI tool that allows users to edit parts of the AI-generated image by erasing certain elements and replacing them with others. This feature is demonstrated in the video where the presenter removes unwanted elements and adds large glass windows.

CAD Line Drawings

CAD line drawings refer to the technical drawings created using Computer-Aided Design software. In the context of the video, PromeAI can take these CAD drawings and produce shaded elevation drawings, showcasing the tool's versatility in handling different types of design inputs.

Highlights

Two programs are introduced that can convert hand sketches into photorealistic renderings using artificial intelligence.

Both programs utilize ControlNet to maintain image geometry and accurately represent hand sketches in a photorealistic form.

The video features a time-lapse of a digital hand sketch using Tayasui Sketches, an app praised for its digital sketching capabilities.

The sketching process emphasizes the importance of capturing designers' intent with AI tools that are improving in this regard.

The inspiration for the digital sketch comes from a competition brief by Icon, a 3D printing company, to design an affordable home.

Tayasui Sketches offers tools like layers and Marquee for copying and pasting parts of the drawing, enhancing the sketching process.

The final sketch for the AI system should be devoid of color to allow for accurate photorealistic rendering.

PromeAI is a platform that seems to cater to architects and product designers, with a focus on Sketch Rendering.

Users can sign up for PromeAI for free and upgrade for higher definition images.

PromeAI provides options to adjust styles and materials within the rendering, offering a degree of customization.

The Erase and Replace feature in PromeAI allows users to make specific edits to the generated images.

MNML-AI is another tool that appears to be more focused on architects and designers, offering various tabs for different design aspects.

MNML-AI's Sketch Image generator provides user control over the rendering process, a valuable feature for professionals.

The platform offers a prompt enhancer and negative prompt options to refine the AI's output.

MNML-AI generates images that, while not perfectly matching the original sketch, offer a good balance between user control and AI interpretation.

The video discusses the importance of user control in AI tools for architects and designers to trust and integrate them into their workflows.

The presenter expresses excitement to see how these tools will be adopted and used by the audience.