Recent architectural work

[Buggsy]

Hi everyone,

 

This is some of our recent architectural work from February this year.

 

Hope you like it.

 

Michael

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tomas Egger]

Ola Michael!

 

Wonderful !!!! Loved the light and render!

 

Thanks

 

Tom

[Delineator]

The attention to detail in the modeling is also outstanding in addition to the subtle interior lighting!

[Buggsy]

Hi,

 

All rendering done using EI v9.1

 

The furniture models are a combination of Turbo Squid and other model suppliers.

 

Everything else modelled using ArchiCAD and textured using photoshop.

 

Critical comment welcome…always room for improvement!

 

Michael

[supernovavfx]

ok Michael... you asked for it... lol.    First off.  These are beautiful.  The lighting and design make me want to move in.  I had to REALLY SEARCH for something tiny

 

that maybe I might do.... but its a "taste" thing.   I love the couch and the soft warm feeling of volume it has.  Its lit and modeled so nicely.   I only saw 2 things I would do

 

to it personally.  Edges.  there are a lot of perfectly straight lines and edges to table tops wall corners and objects.  I would 'soften' a few of them up by making them either

 

slightly imperfect or with the subtlest, tiny rounded edge... that still would look clean... but not quite cut your finger sharp... even marble tops have tiny beveled or rounded edges to them.

thats being real picky I know.   And maybe in architecture that is a no no...  the other small thing is that personally again I'm not a fan of procedural wood shaders.  Most of them.  NX has some great bark but I would maybe swap out the wood texture on the coffee table for a true wood texture map... maybe even 2 tones, one for the top one for the legs or just a more photo real treatment which you have done a masterful job of here.

[Buggsy]

Hi Scott,

 

Good to hear from you.

 

I am totally with you on your comments.

 

My biggest problem is I don't have a modelling program to make the tweaks as you suggested and ArchiCAD produces a lot of high aspect polygons when output as an EI model file. Effectively I use the models as they come from Turbo Squid etc and have little control over them. The lack of cash flow in my business really prevents me from splashing out on what I'd like to buy and that is ZBrush. But then I'm not sure of compatibility issues with EI so I ignore it and put up with the models as they are. When things turn for the better I'll hopefully address the edge thingy. I have also tried the bevel shader in EI but it doesn't really work given the way it has been designed.

 

As far as the wood textures go the models are coming with UV's that are already set up. I could superimpose real wood textures over them in photoshop so I'll give this a try next time.

 

Thanks for your comments, you've been too kind with your critique. I unfortunately, perhaps like most artists, mostly see the things I hate in the images. Don't get me wrong, I really like what I produce these days, and I enjoy reviewing my work months after doing it, I just wish I could resolve all the things that I find niggling me. I could write a long list of things that I don't like but that would be a little OC (obsessive compulsive) and detract from the great work I can produce with EI.

 

Michael

[S. Houtzager]

Hey Mike,

 

Your images are looking sharp! I was trying to figure out why the leather on all of your couches looks so good.  Is that the specular fall off that you are adjusting for those or is that a shader?

 

You talked about Zbrush for this type of work.  Seems like interior work is not organic enough to get Zbrush.  Might want to look at FormZ or Rhino or lightwave. 

[Tomas Egger]

Ola Michael!

 

About the edges, Do you have Encage? to add more subdivisions in the chairs, for example?

 

Thanks

 

Tom

[Buggsy]

Hi,

 

Thanks Steve, the leather is just specular fall-off. No fancy shaders. I have attached a screen shot here.

 

The modelling program issue is bugging me. I want something that can do the precision of ArchiCAD for building the walls, cabinets etc as well as the organic work of couches, seat cushions etc. I have see plenty of FormZ stuff over the years but I thought it only did hard modelling (like ArchiCAD)? I'll have a better look at it!

 

Thanks Tom, I hadn't considered buying Encage. I wonder though whether the $99 may be better put towards a modelling program?

 

Michael

 

[Tomas Egger]

Ola Michael!

 

The only Modeler which I can think which cost something like $100 and just did a update is Silo from nevercenter, appears they started again the development.

 

Thanks

 

Tom

[Buggsy]

Hi Tom,

 

Yes you don't really get anything worthwhile for $100 so that's what I meant by 'put towards a modelling program'. The better programs that have high end functionality seem to be Zbrush, Form Z, Rhino and Modo. This isn't a definitive list though, as some of these attempt to be both rendering engine and modeller, and I'm also not really sure of the work flow required to interface with EI.

 

I would like to see an EI Team generated commercial modeller list, in order of usability from highest to lowest compatibility/lest number of bugs point of view, as well as the type of work an artist does, so I could make an informed decision about which package I need to plan on buying. The 'modeller thing' has haunted EI for years. I remember having to wait for years for the promised EI modeller that then turned out to be a bitter-sweet program. It had/has its strengths, and they were really strong and then there were its down-right short-comings.

 

I feel like there is little direction regarding what modelling programs work without some arduous work-around. I stand to be corrected here as I'm no expert with modelling programs, I just wish there was a clearer direction.

 

Michael

[S. Houtzager]

It would be realllly hard to provide a Modeler ranking as it is constantly a moving target.  Each program advances at its own rate and becomes more or sometimes less compatible with EI.  It is just how EI has evolved... bring your own modeler.  It has it advantages in that you can model in your favorite modeler and are not locked into one modeler.

 

I have been using FormZ with EI back when that was the only way you used EI.  There is a huge advantage to having a modeler with Fact export as it allows you to use your layer system.  If you did not have fact you would have to make a grouping system and use that as layers.  Layers have been key in big Arch projects for me. FormZ has a wide range of modeling methods: polygonal, nurbs, smooth modeling (their term), and now SubD. Very design oriented. Very architecture oriented with roofing tools and stair tools.  The name of each object comes thru and its color does to.  Most texture maps come in.  FormZ gives each object a slight transparency which is annoying but you have to manually change that.

 

Rhino is awesome as well but is more product oriented.  It has a much bigger user base so there are many more add ons.  Many more tools in Rhino vs FormZ.  I usually go Rhino - FormZ - EI so not sure about the obj import.

 

I would like to hear how Archicad works with EI as I see more folks using it.

[Buggsy]

Hi Steve,

 

EI export out of ArchiCAD keeps all the layers that are present in the 3D window. It's good because you can relate back to your project as built in ArchiCAD. I have heard over the years that Form Z is great for modelling buildings but I don't believe it has any plan documentation functions which makes it a little bit of a double up considering ArchiCAD can document and model.

 

ArchiCAD is great to model buildings in, but I wish there were greater controls over the way it exports polygons. When you insert a window in a wall it produces high aspect ratio polygons, which make post editing difficult (see image attached below).

 

I think what I want is the control that CAD has, being able to model things dimensionally constrained to accurate proportions yet something I can model a more free-form organic item such as leather couch or an apple or a pumpkin and something that I can import to commercial models I buy into it so I can tweak them and add to them. I'm not sure what modelling packed will do this for me without compatibility problems with EI.

 

I have attached here the EI export options window from ArchiCAD so you can see the various options for exporting to EI. It hasn't been updated since v2.9 of EI but still works fine nonetheless.

 

I have also attached a screen shot from inside EI, which shows the high aspect polygons that get exported from ArchiCAD.

 

Michael

 

 

 

[supernovavfx]

your a perfectly normal VERY talented artist in my opinion.  being obsessive is part of it! LOL     we balance that and getting production out the door...   so much of my paid work may be 

 

great to the people that buy them... but most of it does not reach my level of detail either.     I can model a huge amount of whats in your scene in Pro Modeler... by far the most easy to use powerful

 

modeler that exports facts on the market.   Imports beautifully and gives you such insanely easy control of those little edge things I spoke about.  I would mix it up a bit... go with what you bought 

 

here and there and some of those really easy shapes like rectangle table tops, marble tops... heck a lot of these are easy shapes... you can then handle the edging thing and add that warmth I commented on.

 

Im telling you though...  the lighting and overall look is just beautiful and Tomas should definitely show them as examples of great EI work....

[S. Houtzager]

That is true that I get really obsessive when most clients are not even as obsessive.

 

As far as documentation, FormZ overhauled that with Version 7.  It is called layout mode and it works well.  You can model and all of your 2D documentation (top, side views w dimensions) will be updated as you make changes. Version 7 was a whole rewrite for them and is very different from V6.

 

You have a good bit of control of how many polygons will be exported into EI.  You could model in straight polygon mode which stays intact into EI.  As far as your snap you posted, my stuff looks similar.  EI doesn't want big huge 10 sided polygons. It will want to mesh them out somehow.

 

FormZ and Rhino do not have any brush controlled modelling which would be good for wrinkles on furniture.  You would have to use an image and derive a height map.

 

Btw, Encage is very useful in smoothing out bought models.  Lots of times they look good on the web page but just are not smooth enough.  It is really handy and I have not seen anything like it. You can see your results very quickly.

[Thomo]

"The modelling program issue is bugging me. I want something that can do the precision of ArchiCAD for building the walls, cabinets etc as well as the organic work of couches, seat cushions etc. I have see plenty of FormZ stuff over the years but I thought it only did hard modelling (like ArchiCAD)? I'll have a better look at it!"

 

Form Z has very good drafting / documentation built in. I know quite a few companies that use it exclusively for Architectural documentation. Archicad and Revit which is similar, a great for large companies for collaborative teamwork. I find both of them lack any real "free form" modelling at all. FormZ will model anything very easily and intuitively.

If price is a barrier (Archicad has to one of the most expensive around isn't it?) you could try Bonzai, FormZ's little brother or even Sketchup, it's free. All of these are much better 3D modellers than Archicad. I haven't tried it but you could even try exporting you Archicad models through sketchup.

There's always okino polytrans as well.