Elsworthy Road
“I can’t imagine telling Van Gogh to paint like Picasso.”
© 2017 Jimi Deji-Tijani/MWA
Produced with Indigo Renderer and 3ds Max.
Bell Yard II
Rear perspective of the proposed work-in-progress residential development. Central London.
© Jimi Deji-Tijani/MWA, 2017
Produced with Indigo Renderer and 3ds Max.
Fact or Fiction II
When you do something, and you don’t know what it is, and why you are doing it. That probably sums up this image. 😛
Maybe I should class this as a “doodle”.
Photo taken from the Stanford Nature Reserve. Tools used: 3dsMax/Indigo Renderer.
Bell Yard
Recent image from a work in progress project.
Central London.
Aberdeen Terrace
Images produced during the design development phase of the high-end residential project.
Nansen Road II
Images produced the design development stage of a project for an architectural practice.
Nansen Road
Images produced during the design development stage of a London project for an architectural practice.
Jarvis Road II
Proposed interior of an architectural practice’s project.
Jarvis Road I
Proposed interior for a recent project of an architectural practice.
Denny Crescent I
Visual of proposed bathroom for an architectural practice.
Fact or Fiction I
Keywords: Solemn. Cold. Reflective.
Convergence between the incomprehensible (in this case the digital) and the physical (in the case an actual photograph I took on location). By bringing together a convergence (through an extensive list of digital effects and camera tricks), the image is attempting to change the fictional into a recent fact. Who is to say that the architecture never existed in this location? A convincing image can blur the answer to this question.
Produced with 3dsMax and Indigo Renderer.
Luce
Sotto Luce Awa. Elegant. 3dsMax/Indigo.
The ‘Upper Canvey’ Housing Development IV
From the other side, where nothing can be seen. Intrigue.
MArch Final Design Project, 2014/15.
The ‘Upper Canvey’ Housing Development III
Solitude.
MArch Final Design Project, 2014/15.
The ‘Upper Canvey’ Housing Development II
Colour, colour, and more colour.
MArch Final Design Project, 2014/15.
Fun with Nitrous
A slightly different experiment here – I tried to use the rather powerful capabilities hidden within 3dsMax itself – Nitrous. By switching to the Quicksilver Renderer, and then making use of the NPR Explorer (which gives hidden, custom, fine tuned options on how the graphical styles turn out), it is then possible to create some very interesting images from a resource that is usually overlooked.
One of the added benefits with Nitrous and Quicksilver is that standard lighting options can still be used – so I added a daylight sun and then modified the lighting until I was content with the fall of the shadow and glare intensity.
The graphical style used for this image was “Graphite”, and then the aforementioned NPR Explorer was used to modify the line weight, black/white levels, and even the angle of the pencil strokes.
Turned out quite well, and the image rendered under two minutes. Too bad that I canned the architectural idea I was pursuing with this image and a few others. Still – it probably would work well for a desktop background.
Doodle #7
Another one…
Doodle #6
Not technically a new doodle – one from a while ago. A fluffy teddy bear with nearly 120 million polygons. 3dsMax slowed to a crawl using the ‘Hair and Fur’ modifier, and then corrupted during the save. So all I have left of the work are a few renders.
Oh well. At least the images came out nice. Maybe I will try revive the project one day.
Lines to Infinity
‘Lines to Infinity’ is an optical illusion and challenges the perception of scale and distance. Every intersection of line develops a grid plane both vertically and horizontally; the intersections forming deep chasms which reveal an exaggerated depth with an unquantifiable scale.
Moreover every intersection between the lines is a ‘handle’ towards another set of grids – with scale and distance both repeatedly shifting and merging between each other. Mathematics and precision work in tandem to develop a complex system of lines that provide the basis for an endless platform – one that is not necessarily bound to the regular distinctions of architecture.
Modelled with 3dsMax, and rendered with Indigo Renderer.
Endless Grid to Horizon
The ‘Endless Grid to Horizon’ is a dense lattice made up of infinite grids intersecting each other repeatedly upon the vertical axis. The intricacies of detail within the intersections of each grid develop illusions that faintly resemble what one would call architectural formation, despite being anything but. Grids rise above the horizon line much like a canopy, lines tailing off into various directions and off the canvas, continuing for as long as the mind wants to. The larger the image, the more one is drawn in…
The density of the grid fades away as if being a gassy substance – all aiding towards an ethereal perception – a complex formation that transcends the limitations set by Earthly elements. A precise structure conjured not from Earth, but of the mind.
Modelled in 3dsMax, rendered with Indigo Renderer.
Planes to Infinity
An endless grid continues forever into the distance, with a sequence of planes swooping over and beyond. Clouds flow and drift overhead, dozy birds gliding aimlessly past. A kid runs past with a colourful kite; his playtime never ends because distance and time are unknown. With the atmosphere set and the sun glaring down, passers-by stare into a limitless void that never ceases.
Inspired by the work of Superstudio in the 1960s.
Modelled in 3dsMax, rendered with Indigo Renderer; post-production with GIMP and Adobe Photoshop.
More Processing (P5) Experimentation
More experimentation with Processing. Spiffing.
The ‘Upper Canvey’ Housing Development I
MArch Final Design Project, 2014/15.
Doodle #5
Another doodle in quick succession. Or maybe I procrastinate too much. Tall glass cubes, black background and a singular directional light. Quick.
Doodle #4
A slow burning doodle of a fantasy football stadium. The subtle element to these images is that there are hardly any three-dimensional elements to the detailing, just 2D alpha textures. A clever way to keep polycount down, without compromsing detail. Rendered with Indigo, modelled with 3dsMax (with a tiny bit of help from Blender, which I am more familiar with now – but not to the expert level I am with 3dsMax). Neat.
Experimentation with Processing (P5)
Processing is an open-source platform that allows one to script code to their hearts’ content, with a satisfying visual outcome – if you know what you are doing. The experimentation I undertook was to create a pseudo-fractal sketchpad, which was entirely controllable via mouse, with left-click to pause, right-click to re-draw, and a host of keyboard functions.
Turned out quite well, and developed many iterations of the same experiment, until it got rather complex (and visually very interesting), as seen below. The ‘biro-pen’ look was entirely intentional, to give a sense of a sketch.
The final version developed was entirely mouse-interactive; depending on where one moved the mouse, the circular spirals would shift in scale (minuscule to huge), and in direction (the spirals would move either clockwise or anti-clockwise).
As a result, the user is entirely in control of the image that is generated – in contrast to previous versions which were automated and the only control the user had was the placement of the spiral, relative to the page (either on the X or Y axis).
One of the aforementioned earlier versions below. It generated interesting results – rather colourful in appearance.
Kimmeridge Viewing Platforms II
Final images from MArch Final Design Project, 2013/14.
Kimmeridge Viewing Platforms I
Final images from MArch Final Design Project, 2013/14.
Project Kingfisher – Acoustic Dampener II
Concept of an acoustic dampener for drilling rigs. MArch Design Project, 2013/14.
Project Kingfisher – Acoustic Dampener 1
Exploded concept of an acoustic dampener for drilling rigs. MArch Design Project, 2013/14.
Experiment 1
While absent from the blog for a while, I have been experimenting with a combination of Grasshopper, Rhino, 3dsMax and Indigo. Geared more towards the extreme abstract, the end result of such an investigation is quite satisfying — whether “they” like it or not, I cannot help but scatter eye-candy over a plain old wireframe.
A simple mesh built in 3dsMax was sent into Grasshopper and then morphed and then lofted to create these forms (which can be adapted on the fly with a simple slider) and then sent back to Max to render with Indigo. Could an architectural form be conjured from such chaos? Who knows, but the form is so intriguing that I don’t really care. Parametrics FTW.
Doodle #3
This one was pretty quick. An extruded box, with subdivisions all the way up. One side had polys removed every two to three subdivisions, to allow light (as I had the idea of setting up a camera inside the box). A bend modifier applied, and then Greeble was employed to mix things up a bit. Slice modifier was used to open up the box from inside and to get a wider perspective when rendering. The slithery vines were due to the Ivy plugin, which was at first just an experiment which turned out good.
Post render, haze/diffuse glow was added as well as a slight chromatic and blur to the image. The darker (almost night) version was very similar in approach, although I couldn’t resist lighting things up a bit. Curiously, the render time was somewhat shorter as I used a HDR map instead of sun/sky. Not bad for a 30 minute experiment. Another satisfying doodle.
Eyeline Entry #3: Overlap Cinema
Overlap Cinema is not a typical cinema space. The concept developed is to create spaces from just one plane, which would fold over on itself, and form the basis for other key areas within the building.
The attraction of this principle is the possibility for a floor to fold into a wall, and then fold over again to create a ceiling. The ceiling would then fold and form the wall for an entirely different space. It would then appear to have the illusion of overlapping – consequently the inspiration behind the name Overlap Cinema, a wide ranging academic project.
This was a project that was re-modelled in Max (specifically for the competition) after the original was made in SketchUp for academic purposes. After leaving that program behind, it was only logical (if I wanted a fully operational model) that it had to be re-made in Max. This also meant that I could experiment more with the atmosphere and intent that was to be portrayed, which was key to the basis of the image. The original version can be seen below.
While on one hand I wanted to keep the camera view that was in the original image, but with light being the catalyst in which everything followed, extra features such as mesh cladding and fluorescent lights behind them to diffuse the illumination were added. With a more mature approach to architectural design, it was also an opportunity to add features that would give feasibility to the image, and also the chance to omit features that retracted from that.
Tiny details such as fire exits, spotlights for secondary illumination, heating pipes and floor air extraction were all added to improve the totality of the image. There is a general nod to the original image, but it was imperative for this version to take on a mind of its own. A very successful render.
Key words: intricacy, dynamism, form, shadow, light
Eyeline Entry #2: Glass House
The image that was eventually commended by the RIBA Journal to feature in the magazine.
In conjunction with Enclosure Architects, the Boathouse (or Glass House) is a project located near Regent’s Canal, with extensive ground and first floor renovation, plus addition of a thermally isolated glass house on the second floor. The basis for this image, was to portray the weightlessness and freedom of the design.
A high resolution HDRI map was employed for this image, in a change from the usual Sun/Sky system used for other images. I wanted to capture some drifting clouds both in the near and far constraints in the image, which resulted in some beautiful reflections from the glass structure. Particle based grass was modelled and instanced in relation to a diffuse map, which is effectively a colour map which tells Indigo what colour to give to each grass blade, all of which results in a very realistic depiction of grass.
As mentioned previously, the model was ready to go given that it was used for work purposes. Therefore I was able to spend more time getting the image to a depiction that suited me.
Colour grading and post-processing including sun glare, and slight haze were added. I was not entirely happy with the image, and thus two different versions were created.
The entry images came in at 4000×2250 which are some of the largest resolutions that I have ever produced.
Key words: dreamy, ethereal, sympathetic
Eyeline Entry #1: Panopticon
Panopticon:
This was an image that was reworked from the initial original depictions for work purposes. The model itself was very simplistic, because more focus was spent on the texturing and composition.
Personal favourite, especially due to the foreground elements. The image for the composition was colour-graded before final output.
Designed by Enclosure, and based on the competition that ran a few years ago, this project embarked on the process of trying to find a convergence between between landscape and architecture, hard and soft.
It is hoped that the structure will change appearance with age, due to the effects of weathering and other environmental factors. It is in this sense that the Panopticon would be seen to be dynamic; as the trees lose their leaves and change appearance, as the grass starts to turn brown in the winter, the Panopticon would also be transforming, akin to a living structure/organism, that can be seen for miles.
Key words: evolution, omnipresent, blend, transition
Doodle #2
I have recently been busy with freelance commitments, as well as the RIBA Eyeline competition, a drawing/visualisation contest looking for the best representations of architecture from concept to design, exclusively in the 2D format ranging from the hand-drawn to the computer generated. It is obvious which route I have taken for that, and it will feature here very soon. During my downtime however, I found inspiration to experiment with a pseudo product visualisation shot with a model I had put together some time ago.
I puy my modelling skills to good use to create the Karlsson Rainbow Pictogram Clock, which has featured in my images regularly due to its interesting colours and general design. The modelling was quite easy really, so I made sure that the texturing matched the standards of the model.
Using GIMP, a series of guides were set up and I employed the use of paths to create a seamless and symmetrical oval for the time markers. These were then duplicated and rotated around the clock face. This did take a bit of experimentation, and because of the lack of diagonal guides, I had to set up a new transparent layer and crudely, using a pencil drew diagonal lines to assist with the placement.
When applicable (and within the right time frame), creating your own textures is always the best approach – maximum control over the output, and the resolution. The above is at 2048×2048. Sure, it could be possible to nab one from the Internet, but most likely it will be compressed, low resolution, and will make close-up shots a problem.
I treated the render output with a true studio setup, with subtle light placement and slight camera placement. A satisfying doodle #2.
Auditorium
The Auditorium is an attempt to imitate a photo from parts of the Baluarte Convention Center of Navarra, designed by the architect Francisco Mangado. The main aim for this series is 100% realism; in other words blurring the distinction between photo and reality.
Modelling for the space is done purely by sight, and all details must be adhered to. Very interesting so far, but I am in no rush to get the key features down. In time, there will be a series of images which would have employed a range of techniques, including IES lights, which I had never used before this project.
Project Inset VI
After a long absence, Project Inset has been rebooted. I was never fully happy with the first set of images I produced, which partly stems from the limitation of Indigo to use HDRI and Sun simultaneously.
This time around, I have ditched the HDRI, in order to regain the beautiful shadows. Hopefully I can get some things going before the next one. Another project, unimaginatively titled “Auditorium” has occupied my time more than “Inset” currently, and is shaping up quite nicely. Even so, Inset still has some room for some “creative manoeuvre”.
Calm ‘after’ the Storm
Modelled in 3dsMax, rendered in Indigo, as per usual.
Stool
To spice up my CG stuff a bit, I found time to scour the net for a furniture piece that I liked, and made a Leitmotiv LM753 Wooden Stool recently. However, I found that the slight taper to its legs and the curvature between them made replicating the veneer strip fixed to them quite difficult.
So I took it upon myself to UV unwrap the model, which I had always found tedious and somewhat hard to get my head around. This time around I found it quite easy to assign the seams and pelt map the faces where required. Due to the way the model was constructed there are multiples of seams, but these do not detract from the final quality of the piece.
After this stage, it was a case of assigning textures (multi-sub materials) and modifying the textures where required. My version is actually darker than the real-life piece, just for personal preference.
The render itself turned out very beautifully (full size image linked below), and after some post-processing, it is safe to say that I am satisfied with the end result. Another mini-project unrelated to ‘architecture’ as per the title of this blog, but never mind – this was somewhat impulse driven.
