TwoCities Old Town Harbor - Persp 2

[pappou]

This is the blockout of a perspective for entry into the small dock of OldTown. It was more tedious than i thought it would be, so its even rougher than normal. But it does show the framework for Explorer's first landing on TwoCities. [So much detail is needed, though. Whew.]

OldTown harbor blockout - 16in.png (224.91 KiB) Viewed 4583 times

OldTown is the orangish color, below the tan walls and white (at this time) buildings of the NewTown above it. The greenish strip behind and to the left of OldTown is the factory district for TwoCities. At the end of the factory district (far left) is a reflector tower, and far far off, just to the left of it, you can barely make out the lava mud laser generator.

Tell me: Do you think it is possible to do a 3D model of all this? Only limited paths would be necessry inside the New and Old towns. You can see the plans under [OOC] SPOILER MAPS, DWGS of the TwoCities Island Journal.

[Chacal]

Impressive! I wish I could help you and model it.

[pappou]

Ah yes; i wish you could too. But thanks for spirit raising, Chacal.

Everyone says that modeling the City is really a problem, but there is also the single building of the Temple:

Gestoypahts Sombrero Mus 02small.png (213.53 KiB) Viewed 4529 times

If you, or any other clever person finds time to wire and texture it up, i will personally invite you over for high tea (and a wee dram of the pure stuff). We can sit on the Temple's upper deck as the evening breezes float through, and smoke very good cigars: Punch gran puros, i should think. But if you don't like Mcallen's 25 year old Scotch, i think there is a drop left of Martell's Gold Cognac.

All it needs is the upper deck, below the soaring sombrero roof, upon which to sit and dream dreams. This includes the ladies too, of course -- as long as they like great whisky and better cigars.

[trucker2000]

For anyone to model this, they would need a lot more details. (not to mention, a whole lot more images)

Think of it like this:

You are the architect.
We are the contrustion workers.

Blueprints, and concept art go hand in hand with making an age come alive.

I may attempt to model this. I can model the temple part without a problem. (that one is easy) but would need some really detailed images for the city.

Edit to add:
This isn't exact. The top canopy is too close and there are no textures. Without plans for the inside, I can't do much more. You also need to decide what type of textures you want used, but this is a start.

[pappou]

FANTASTIC TRUCKER !!

I cannot believe you came so close on your first attempt.
Yes, proportions are one problem in your first model. Let me see; I have found this old section taken from the Museum District, before SR declared the Museum persona non grata:

MoA Bld Sec thru Entry Ramp REV 7 D.png (105.46 KiB) Viewed 4443 times

This was the Museum with the old tree -- a really nice sculpture by Miranna -- but now we are using the red Great Tree, designed my Michael Cummings
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o206/pappou/GreatTree-01.png

The red Great Tree is no problem right now; it can be modeled at any time and plugged in. Also, here is a plan showing the Museum Entry Level with the old great tree; this shows how to correct the battered walls in your model:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o206/pappou/EntryLevelplan5.png

If you are interested, I will send you all the plan levels -- AND, I just realized that we need an adjustment to the building section. I will cut a hole in the Entry Level courtyard to allow the red Great Tree to grow from the basement floor, where all of its maintenance is carried out.

PS: I am starting right now on correcting the building section. Let me hear from you.

Let me know, Trucker, how i may help on this. I am delighted that you are willing to share your expertise with the TwoCities bunch.

[Jojon]

For anyone to model this, they would need a lot more details. (not to mention, a whole lot more images)

Indeed, measurements, measurements, measurements. Fortunately Pappou seems just the sort of guy to have an infinite supply of such.

Upon looking at the drawing, I imagined sandstone for the ziggurat, plank ceiling and sandstone-like revetting on the canopy (and probably a bright mosaic floor for the plaza that's likely inside). Wood pillars would probably look better than using the same material as the base, as I did.

Funny how your quicktest turned out too squat and mine too thin.

I estimated 24 by 16m at the top, for each of the two crossed trapezoids that basically makes up the base and made it 8m tall. Another 8m of 1.5m diameter pillars and 5m for the canopy.

Pappou, if you have CAD:ed those huge city maps of your's, you may well find that you can import your DXF into Blender and extrude all those builing outlines into polyhedrons with one single turn of hand. One more to give all faces the same facade texture and there you have a rough 3D version of the city. If you can indeed only access a small part of the city, this may actually be enough for most of the structures.

EDIT: Man, so much info added while I wrote my post. Never mind me, now.

[trucker2000]

Wow Jojon, that's awesome. I find it hard to understand how anyone can build anything in Blender, but I've seen some great work come out of it.

pappou, thanks. I spent an entire 5 minutes on that one. I'll play around with it some more after I get some post holes dug in my back yard. :/

Upon looking at the drawing, I imagined sandstone for the ziggurat, plank ceiling and sandstone-like revetting on the canopy (and probably a bright mosaic floor for the plaza that's likely inside). Wood pillars would probably look better than using the same material as the base, as I did.

Funny how your quicktest turned out too squat and mine too thin.

Haha, yes. Funny things happen all the time.
Sandstone is what I was thinking too, I just didnt texture it becouse it was no where near finished. I don't know about wooden pillars tho. They wouldn't look strong enough to hold up that massive top. Mabe cement or stone?

If you are interested, I will send you all the plan levels -- AND, I just realized that we need an adjustment to the building section. I will cut a hole in the Entry Level courtyard to allow the red Great Tree to grow from the basement floor, where all of its maintenance is carried out

Sure. If for nothing else, (after seeing Jojon's render...wow) I can use it to hone my skills a little.
My email addy is in my profile.

[pappou]

HERE IS THE REVISED BUILDING SECTION FOR THE CURRENT
GREAT TREE TEMPLE:

25 GrTree Temple BldSec 02small.png (112.06 KiB) Viewed 4381 times

[trucker2000]

Wow, that building is huge. good. I like big buildings to run around it.

One question, is that a 65' square hole in the center for the tree?
Or is it to one side?

[pappou]

First:
The Court Yard size
It is confusing, but it helps a bit if you refer to the new building section
(yellow cuts):"25 GrTree Temple BldSec 02small.png"

There are three opening sizes: Top is the balcony rail pulled back to make a 27' deck; below that are two railings pushed out 10' more, and these make the 65' wide opening (square, 65' on a side). Then at the bottom, or entry level, there is the opening for the Great Tree, which is set into a square 45' on a side.

I am going to send you plan dimensions shortly.

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Second:
Monday, 18feb08 #2

You guys make me feel so inept. You both whip out a whole model in less time than it takes me to do a new building section.

I like that idea of a CAD export to Blender. Everyone has dropped dead at the notion of Blendering the City. I guess in Blender, you have to do it one building at a time? Well, right now its a moot point because i don't use CAD either, but there are lots of offices around here who do. So, that may not be such a problem.

Boy, if I could get the whole city just blocked OUT! Then, could someone come back and add details where needed – various textures, wall opening changes, roof overhangs, etc?? Could you use Blender in just local situations like that?

You have already spotted the form changes needed. Trucker's columns were a bit fat and Jojon's columns were a bit skinny – no doubt thinking of turning whole red wood logs on a lathe to get the proper height.

But the columns are hollow and fairly large diameter. They have the elevators inside them (there are no stairs). I had been specifying nahra stone, but if you use a 12ft diameter hollow column made of high tensile concrete, you might have a wall thin enough yet strong enough to both support the big roof and contain a large enough elevator.

Otherwise, Jojon's proportions are correct: Base to open space to sombrero roof. It looks just wonderful!

I still like the idea of painting the columns and the roof. If the battered base walls are natural sandstone (the bluish red variety), then the concrete columns could be the rather heavy darkish blue which the Greeks used so powerfully. However, at that point my mind goes blank. I am at a loss as to what the exterior color of the sombrero should be. I do want to use Jojon's idea of inlaid planks exposed on the bottom of the sombrero – the form work cleaned and left in place, then painted dark brown.

And yes, beautiful mosaic floors for the museum.

Still pondering: Instead of sandstone on the turned up edges of the sombrero, what color might it be painted?

Ah, but those are merely delicious details. Right now it is the modeling which you guys are doing so beautifully which takes center stage. Leonardo de Vinci is learning Blender and is looking longingly at a 3D model for the Temple. What you all have said should help him greatly, so if you don't mind, may he question you further?

I have yet to design the reflecting pool for the Temple. It must be an ameliorating device between the angle of the Temple and that of the surrounding plaza. It carries the responsibility of arguing the two different axes. But so far, i have not gotten any closer to these sorts of problems than you two are brining me now.

Thank you very much for sharing your talents.

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PS: Can you post blender files so that i can run your models here?