Tutorials on how to create large exterior scenes? (Residental Area)

[larsmosnes]

Hi, soon im starting to work on a large residental area with 22 houses. I have done interior and smal exterior shots before. but this i s kind of new to me.

 

So my question is, is there any good tutorials out there on this subject? Tried to look around with no luck. Im thinking about using proxies for threes, gras, etc.

 

Should i use Xrefs on the houses or place them in the scene?

 

I use Mental Ray, but thinking about moving over to Vray if this is better for such scenes?

 

 

Cheers!!

[Devin Johnston]

You'll definitely need to use proxies for as much as you can, IDK if Xref's will help unless you expect the design of the houses to change.

[Chris MacDonald]

Based on past experiences of housing schemes, I'd definitely use XRefs for your houses - something will always change, and it's no loss to you if nothing changes.

 

As for the rest of the scene, I'd definitely start using proxies for trees and such; though back in the day when I was using mental ray the proxy system wasn't the most stable one I'd come across.

[notamondayfan]

Or invest in Forest Pack Pro, I wouldn't do a large exterior without it!

 

Also, think about the level of detail you'll need, will you be seeing the buildings from afar or close-up?

[Tommy L]

The main advantage to X-Refs is with autosaves and file corruption. You get no viewport advantages (although you can display XRefs as boxes) and its an extra window to turn off what could be controlled with layers. But if your 'master' file has only cameras, lights and such, then a file taking a nosedive doesnt screw your geometry and autosave doesnt slow you down.

Vray proxy will help you enourmously, not so much for buildings but for planting and vehicles.

[larsmosnes]

Thanks people, Guess i finally be able to start using Vray then. Have been pushing it forward for a while now.

 

When it comes to the houses, they are ready made from the architects/Building company. And we just gonna show in genreall how the Residence Area can look like. Birds eye view medium range i guess. Maybe Ill buy Forest Pack pro to:)

 

 

Cheers!!