Render your AutoCAD plan in Photoshop

The easiest way to create a rendered plan is by saving an extra version of your AutoCAD plan, removing the text (it gets distorted in Photoshop otherwise) and making sure all your lines are linked. 
I've found the most effective way is to only the present the General Arrangement (GA) without the lighting layout, electrical etc as it gets too confusing for the client to understand. Break it down - step one is to sell your concept and sample board. Stick to your furniture plan.


Print your plan to PDF (you can not save a CAD plan as a JPEG) and open it in Photoshop.
The more detail you have the longer it will take to 'rasterize' - just wait patiently until it opens.
Flatten your image (Layer - flatten image)
Create Layer 1. Create duplicate (name it 'shadow')

Use the magic wand to select the floor area.
Use the Gradient tool to fill your floor with colour in Layer 1- i found using neutrals works the best, but play around.
Go to your 'shadow' layer. Note that you will now see a black & white plan as your coloured plan is underneath. Using the magic wand, delete your floor area. The coloured floor area will now appear.
Now use the fx tab at the bottom of your layer menu select 'drop shadow'. You can decide distance, spread and size of the shadow.

And it's that simple! A fast and effective way to help you stand out from the crowd.

Create a sample board using 'My Items'

A lot of queries have come through asking how to upload a personal image to your sample board, so I thought the best way to explain is a step by step tutorial.

Step 1 : Create you free account

Step 2: Upload Image

Step 3: Go to 'My Items' in the bottom right hand corner

Step 4: Drag your images across. Include your rendered plan, Sketch Up drawings, elevations, mood images