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 host demonstrates the process using a digital sketch app called Tayasui Sketches and emphasizes the importance of sketching to capture design intent. PromeAI offers a Sketch Rendering tool with options to customize materials and styles, while MNML-AI provides a similar tool with a focus on architectural and interior design. The video showcases the capabilities of these tools, highlighting their potential to enhance the workflow of architects and designers by providing more control over the AI rendering process.

Takeaways

  • 🎨 **Sketch to AI Render Tools**: Two programs are highlighted for converting hand sketches into photorealistic renderings using AI, emphasizing the use of ControlNet for accurate geometry locking.
  • ⏱️ **Time-lapse Demonstration**: The video begins with a time-lapse of a digital hand sketch, showcasing the importance of sketching as a rapid ideation method, even with advancing AI tools.
  • 📱 **Tayasui Sketches App**: The app used for the digital sketch is Tayasui Sketches, praised for its tools, layers, and Marquee features, though not sponsored in the video.
  • 🏡 **Design Inspiration**: The sketch's inspiration comes from a competition brief by Icon, a 3D printing company, challenging designers to create a home under $99,000 that can be printed with their equipment.
  • 🖌️ **Sketch Techniques**: The narrator discusses common sketching techniques, such as shadowing and effects, to add depth to the sketch, and expresses willingness to provide more tutorials if there's interest.
  • 📈 **Sketch Requirements**: For the AI rendering tools, sketches should be devoid of color to allow the tools to generate photorealistic images based solely on the sketch's geometry.
  • 🔍 **PromeAI Tool Overview**: PromeAI is introduced as a platform potentially geared towards architects and product designers, offering a Sketch Rendering tool along with other features like Erase and Replace, and upcoming AI Outpainting.
  • 🏢 **Architect-Centric Features**: PromeAI's interface suggests it is tailored for architects, with specific tabs for interior, architecture, and the ability to generate shaded elevations from CAD drawings.
  • 🛠️ **Material and Style Customization**: Users can customize materials and styles within PromeAI, with options to change scenarios from sketch to realistic image and vice versa.
  • 🔍 **MNML-AI Tool Overview**: MNML-AI is another tool mentioned, with a focus on architects and designers, offering an AI image generator with options for architects, interiors, and landscapes.
  • 📈 **User Control in AI Tools**: Both tools provide a level of user control over the AI rendering process, which is seen as crucial for architects and designers to trust and integrate these tools into their workflows.

Q & A

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

    -The two programs mentioned are PromeAI and MNML-AI.

  • 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 significance of using ControlNet in the mentioned programs?

    -ControlNet is used to lock the image geometry and deliver the exact hand sketch in photorealistic form.

  • What is the competition brief mentioned in the video about?

    -The competition brief is from Icon, a 3D printing company, to design a home under $99,000 that can be printed using their equipment.

  • What feature of Tayasui Sketches is highlighted in the video for its utility in sketching?

    -The video highlights the app's great tools, layers, and Marquee tools which allow for copying and pasting portions of the drawing.

  • What is the process like when using the PromeAI Sketch Rendering tool?

    -You drag and drop your sketch into the window pane, input a prompt, select a style, and then generate images. You can also change materials and use the Erase and Replace feature to modify the generated images.

  • What is the difference between the free edition and the upgraded package of PromeAI?

    -The free edition allows you to sign up and preview images, but for larger high definition images, you need to upgrade to the paid package.

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

    -The 'Erase and Replace' feature allows users to erase parts of the generated image and replace them with different elements, such as changing a facade material or adding windows.

  • What is the role of the 'prompt' in the image generation process with PromeAI?

    -The prompt is a description that guides the AI in generating the image. It helps to specify the style, details, and context of the desired photorealistic rendering.

  • How does MNML-AI's Sketch Image generator differ from PromeAI?

    -MNML-AI's Sketch Image generator offers a bit more control over the geometries and allows for user input through prompts, while still providing AI-generated image options.

  • What is the significance of the 'Prompt Wizard' option in MNML-AI?

    -The 'Prompt Wizard' option is for users who are familiar with crafting effective prompts for AI image generation. Unchecking it gives the user more control over the generated images.

  • What future development is mentioned for Midjourney, another AI image generation tool?

    -The future development mentioned for Midjourney is a focus on giving more user control to the prompt engineers, allowing for more precise and user-guided image generation.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Introduction to AI-Powered Sketch Conversion Tools

The video begins with a greeting and an introduction to two AI programs capable of converting hand sketches into photorealistic renderings. The focus is on how these tools utilize ControlNet to maintain the geometry of the original sketch. The host shares a time-lapse of a digital hand sketch created using Tayasui Sketches, an app praised for its features and tools. The sketch was inspired by a competition brief from Icon, a 3D printing company, which challenges designers to create a home under $99,000 that can be printed with their technology. The host discusses the importance of sketching for quickly capturing design ideas and mentions the possibility of future tutorials on sketching techniques. The final sketch is prepared without color to meet the requirements of the AI rendering tools.

05:03

🏢 Exploring PromeAI's Sketch Rendering Tool for Architecture

The host delves into the first program, PromeAI, which appears to be tailored for architects and product designers. The video showcases the Sketch Rendering tool, with a brief mention of other features like Erase and Replace, and upcoming tools like AI Outpainting and AI Chat Artisan. The host demonstrates how to use the tool by uploading a sketch and entering a detailed prompt for the AI to generate a photorealistic image. The program offers various styles and the ability to change materials, as shown by switching the facade from black concrete to Copper Metal. The Erase and Replace feature allows for modifications like adding large glass windows with furniture. The host is impressed with the photorealistic quality and the tool's adherence to the original sketch's geometry and design intent.

10:08

📈 Trying Out MNML-AI for Enhanced Architectural Sketch Conversion

The video moves on to the second tool, MNML-AI, which also seems to cater to architects and designers. The host uploads the same sketch and inputs a prompt into the Sketch Image generator. The tool provides options for enhancing prompts, redesigning images, and exploring variations using a seed. The generated image is compared to the original sketch, noting that MNML-AI allows for some user control over the geometries, which is a step up from other image generators. The host acknowledges that future releases of similar tools are expected to offer more user control, which is crucial for architects and designers to integrate these tools into their workflows. The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to explore the tools and share their creations.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡ControlNet

ControlNet is a technology mentioned in the video that is used to lock the geometry of an image, ensuring that the converted photorealistic rendering from a hand sketch maintains the original design intent. It is crucial in the context of the video as it forms the basis for the accuracy of the AI's conversion process from sketch to rendering.

💡Photorealistic renderings

Photorealistic renderings are highly detailed and realistic visual representations of a subject, in this case, architectural designs. The video discusses how AI technology can convert hand sketches into these detailed renderings, which is significant for architects and designers looking to visualize their concepts more vividly.

💡Tayasui Sketches

Tayasui Sketches is an app used for digital hand sketching, as mentioned in the video. It is highlighted for its user-friendly tools, layers, and Marquee tools that facilitate quick and efficient sketching. The app is integral to the video's theme as it is the tool used to create the initial hand sketches that are later converted into photorealistic renderings.

💡3D printing

3D printing is a manufacturing process that creates three-dimensional objects from digital models. The video mentions a competition brief from Icon, a 3D printing company, which inspired the digital sketch featured in the video. This concept ties into the broader theme of the video, which explores the intersection of traditional design methods and modern technological advancements.

💡PromeAI

PromeAI is an AI platform discussed in the video that is capable of converting hand sketches into photorealistic renderings. It is tailored towards architects and product designers and offers tools like Sketch Rendering, Erase and Replace, and Background Diffusion. PromeAI is a key example of how AI is being integrated into the design process to enhance visualization and design iteration.

💡Erase and Replace

Erase and Replace is a feature within PromeAI that allows users to modify specific elements of their sketches after the initial rendering. This feature is demonstrated in the video by erasing a section of the sketch and replacing it with large glass windows, showcasing the flexibility AI tools offer in the design process.

💡AI Outpainting

AI Outpainting is a forthcoming feature in PromeAI that is similar to the capabilities of DALL-E, an AI model that generates images from textual descriptions. While not fully discussed, the mention of AI Outpainting in the video script suggests a future direction for AI in design where it can expand on existing images or concepts.

💡CAD line drawings

CAD (Computer-Aided Design) line drawings are technical drawings used in architecture and engineering to detail the design of a structure or object. The video mentions the ability of PromeAI to take CAD line drawings and produce shaded elevation drawings from them, indicating the tool's versatility in handling different types of design inputs.

💡MNML-AI

MNML-AI is another AI platform mentioned in the video, which also focuses on architects and designers. It offers various tools, including an AI image generator, an interior-focused model, and a Sketch Image tool. MNML-AI is presented as an alternative to PromeAI, providing users with different options for converting sketches to photorealistic images.

💡Prompt enhancer

The Prompt enhancer is a feature within MNML-AI that is designed to work best with short prompts, aiming to improve the quality of the AI-generated images. It is an example of how user input can be refined to achieve better results from AI tools, which is a central theme in the video about harnessing AI for design purposes.

💡Redesign level

The Redesign level is an option within MNML-AI that allows users to upscale or enhance the quality of the generated images. It represents the level of control and customization that AI platforms are beginning to offer, aligning with the video's exploration of user control in AI-driven design tools.

Highlights

Two AI-powered programs can convert hand sketches into photorealistic renderings.

Both programs utilize ControlNet to maintain image geometry and accurately represent hand sketches.

A time-lapse digital hand sketching process is demonstrated using the Tayasui Sketches app.

The importance of sketching as a fast way to capture design ideas is emphasized.

The video showcases the use of shadowing and effects to create depth in sketches.

For AI rendering, sketches should be devoid of color to allow for accurate color interpretation.

PromeAI is introduced as a platform potentially geared towards architects and product designers.

PromeAI's Sketch Rendering tool allows for customization with prompts and style options.

The Erase and Replace feature in PromeAI enables users to modify specific parts of the rendering.

MNML-AI is another tool highlighted, with a focus on architects and designers.

MNML-AI's Sketch Image generator provides more user control over the AI rendering process.

The AI image generator uses a prompt enhancer for better results with short prompts.

Users can omit certain features from the rendering using a negative prompt option.

The Redesign level in MNML-AI serves as an upscale option for generated images.

The Seed option allows users to continue exploring variations of a preferred rendering.

Future releases of similar tools are expected to focus on giving users more control over prompts.

The integration of user control is seen as crucial for architects and designers to adopt these AI tools.

The video concludes by inviting viewers to explore and share their own creations using these tools.