How to make your Site Analysys Architecture Map look 3D in Illustrator, by Show It Better on YouTube. 12 min 45 s.
- Video length
- 12 min 45 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Download your site data as a DXF or CAD file from a free source such as Rayon Maps. Pick an area that covers the full site plus a margin.
Open Illustrator and place the DXF file on a new artboard. Use File > Place and keep the scale so distances stay correct.
Clean up the file. Delete stray lines, merge duplicate paths and group buildings, roads and water into separate layers.
Choose a limited colour palette before styling. Give buildings, water and green space distinct hues and keep the background neutral so nothing fights for attention.
Add depth to buildings with a shadow trick. Duplicate the building shapes, offset them slightly and fill the copy with a darker tone behind the originals.
Give water a sense of depth. Select the water shapes and use Object > Path > Offset Path to create inner rings, then fill each ring with a slightly darker blue.
Add text and labels. Use one or two font sizes, place labels on clear areas and keep them horizontal for easy reading.
Build a figure-ground or Nolli map by filling buildings solid dark and leaving public space white. Hide the other layers to keep it clean.
Add vegetation and texture. Copy a Google Earth image as a reference and use varied green hues to show real site conditions.
Break down the program with colour blocks. Use Paste Remembers Layers to drop program data onto its own layer, then apply swatches from the Landscape library.
Tips and common mistakes
Pick your palette first and reuse it across all four map styles so the set looks consistent.
Keep each analysis type on its own layer so you can hide and export versions quickly.
Offset paths too far and water rings look fake, so keep the step small.
Save a master file before styling so you can restart a style without redoing the cleanup.
Questions
Do I need Rayon Maps to follow this?
No. Any DXF or CAD site file works. Rayon Maps just makes getting clean data faster.
Can I make these maps in Photoshop instead?
Illustrator is better for vector site data and offset paths. Photoshop suits texture work but is slower for clean line maps.
How many colours should a site analysis map use?
Aim for three to five main hues plus a neutral background. Fewer colours make the hierarchy clearer.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
