The final visualisation
During the first semester of third year Computer Arts, we had a self-directed art module, which I chose to use as a chance to finally finish off a long-standing project of mine I first started some 6 years ago – a fantastical sci-fi styled temple building.
Whilst I finished the initial SketchUp model for it years ago, I ended up foolishly losing it due to a computer crash and couldn’t quite motivate myself to restart it from scratch. Not content to leave it dangling in my head, I decided to knuckle down and complete it for this module. The self-defined goal of the project was to create a visualisation as well as a series of breakdown sheets showing the various render layers, wireframe model as well as post-production workflow. On top of this, I also wanted to make a turntable animation to show off the model, due to it’s notable complexity.
Instead of making this into another huge wall of text (as I am wont to do), I will simply explain in the captions any pertinent additional information.
A simplified breakdown of the post-production workflow I used to arrive at the final image from the raw render and its various additional layers
A diagrammatic look at the numerous render layers used to create the visualisation
A similar diagram focused on the model, and the raw render
The final raw render from V-Ray
Contour render of the model prior to texturing. The model was created primarily in Maya (as this was what I had started it in due to it being the program of choice at Abertay and what I knew of prior to discovering 3DS Max) with tweaks and texturing taking place in 3DS Max
Overall, I was happy at how the visualisation turned out, given it was my first visualisation I could say was completed without any help whatsoever, but not entirely happy. If I could do it again, I would spend more time on the materials, as I think these could still use a bit of work (particularly the paving and window frames). The people in the scene as well are quite scrappily implemented – at least too much so for my liking anyway. Still, I think I can happily consider this long-standing project to finally have been completed.
Stuart McInnes 