If you already drew it, do not start from text to image. Use image to image on the AI image generator.
Upload the line, prompt the light, keep the plan.
What strength should a sketch-to-render pass use?
Stay conservative so walls and character silhouettes survive; raise strength only if the sketch is a gesture, not a plan.
Describe materials and time of day. Do not restate the floor plan in the prompt if the upload already has it.
When is text to image the wrong first step?
When a client signed a sketch. Text to image will not honor those lines.
Use text to image only for a mood board before anyone draws.
Which model for a hard-surface sketch?
GPT-4o image for labeled diagrams; Midjourney-style for atmospheric architecture stills.
Nano Banana is enough for a quick material test. Switch inside the same AI image generator.
How many credits does a sketch loop take?
One image to image for the first render, plus one if you change only lighting. 5 free credits cover a trial.
Basic is $1/month for 10 credits. Typical render time is 30 seconds–2 minutes.
Start in text to image or image to image, pick a model such as GPT-4o image, then check pricing from $1/month and how credits work before a long run.