Visualisation advice needed please.

[Kutter]

Hello all,

 

My first post and my first visit. I searched for a while for a forum to ask my questions, and this seems to be the place. So in advance I thank you for your time...

 

I have been asked by a friend of mine to visualise a current project. It is a large building, multi-leveled, with lots of detail.

 

I am an experienced 3d max user, but I am unfamiliar with how to go about visualising from architects drawings. I understand them enough to do the job, but I am undecided just how to model the building for him. I am lucky to have no real time constraint on this project, but I dont want to waste a lot of time modeling inefficiently. I realise also that modeling technique is a personal taste thing but seeing as this is my first job I thought i'd ask how experienced folk do the job, hence my post here.

 

So i guess what I'm really asking for help with is a starting point. Box modeling? Spline based? Lofting? Would I model each floor as a seperate item and join them?

 

Anything you can think of would be appreciated, any advice at all

 

Thanks

 

Kutter.

[edub]

First of all figure out what is needed to model - what is going to be seen in the renderings? Are they interior or exterior renderings? If its only one or the other, then don't bother modeling everything. If you are doing exerior modeling, then don't worry so much about the interior, as it won't be seen, and vice versa.

 

What do you have as reference material? CAD drawings or hard copies?? CAD files can be easily used to generate the 3D geometry, but you'll have to do alot of measuring if you're working from hard copies.

 

Save yourself time by only modeling repeating elements once, then instancing them.

 

As far as your method of generating geomtry you'll have to do whatever suits you best. Based on the issues above you should be able to decide on an efficient way of modeling.

 

Don't know if this helped, or if you're looking for info beyond basic principles. That's all I can suggest of the top of my head.

[d.sign]

Yes, I agree, one of the "rules" of arch-viz is to model only what is going to be visible. That mean you should probably determine with your friend right now some initial camera positions (latter you can adjust it). For method of modeling - there is no rule, use what is the best for specific building - sometimes building is best for box modeling, sometimes there is need for smoothness and editable poly method... depends on the structure geometry. I can advise you to check out tutorial for editable poly modeling for interiors on this site...

So, perhaps you should post some of the sketches and then we can talk more, for now you must decide what is going to be in the pictures. If it is exterior, presume that not much is visible inside you can skip inner structure and model just the shell...

[IC]

One method I use for large scale exteriors is to draw polylines around all the elements on plan (spaces between windows, above windows etc) and extrude them taking heights from the elevations.

Then just stack them up and hopefully there'll be a lot of copying as you go up the building.

 

It's one of many methods and it's a bit crude as you end up with solids as opposed to faces but it's quick and accurate.

Export from your CAD package as 3ds or whatever you prefer and voila. Instant 3d model (almost.)

[Kutter]

Thanx muchly for your help everyone, you have given me enough info to make a start for sure. I am working from hard copies, so indeed a LOT of measuring is going on, but I don't mind so much.

 

My biggest problem is as I suggested before, going about it the right way. And the advice to only model what will be seen in the final render was greatly appreciated. I was actually thinking I would have to model the entire building

 

I would gladly show you the project, but I have no web space to put the images onto.

 

Thanks again

 

Kutter.

[IC]

If you make your jpegs less than 200KB, you can use the uploader on the site. Just click on 'manage attachments' then browse to your images.

[Tommy L]

My advice would be to go back to the architect and ask them for absolutely ALL the information he has. Sometimes a client will think they should just give you what info they think is relevent and hold back stuff that can make your life so much easier. Are the drawings done by hand? If not, theres a cad file kicking around somewhere and it will defo be worth getting hold of. Could cut your project time in half.

Tom.