Elsworthy Road
I can’t imagine telling Van Gogh to paint like Picasso.
© 2017 Jimi Deji-Tijani/Marek Wojciechowski Architects
Produced with Indigo Renderer and 3ds Max.
Posts tagged ‘CGI’
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.
Jarvis Road I
Proposed interior for a recent project of an architectural practice.
Denny Crescent I
Visual of proposed bathroom for an architectural practice.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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
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.
Mannequin
From time to time, I find it something of a relief to break away from the architectural, and create something from the unusual. This is an example of that. Another doodle I guess, but one that I enjoyed putting together. Sometime later, I will try to attempt rigging it (the technical term for animating it if anyone is wondering — or even reading this — now that is a surprise), but that is an adventure for another day.
Project Inset V
The purpose of the flush glass framing against the flooring really works well, in illustrating the idea of a seamless transition from the interior to the exterior, with the architecture being as unobstrusive as possible.
Nearly 7 million actual polygons in the scene (and rising) with nearly 37000 instances at around 35000 polygons. Grand total of nearly 100 million polygons in order to recreate the very realistic landscape. Clearly the design has moved away from becoming an “underground” space, as it was initially intended.I have also again changed the visual direction of the images, in contrast to the last set.
Project Inset IV
Much of the detailing for the project has changed recently, after much deliberation over the structural and construction feasibility of what I initially proposed. Gone is the concreted ceiling, and instead very warm and characterised timber panelling, which would be held in place with rectangular aluminium channels, and all bolted down onto the glass framing. An aluminium fascia painted black would be wrapped around the panelling from the exterior to hide this.
The glass framing itself would be a combination of epoxy glue, and countersunk bolts. I have seen this on site a few times, and is actually very neat. Where the two glass frames meet at the corner (as seen in the image) will be held using braces, painted black to conceal it, with silicon strips running in between to seal it from external air.
I was initially concerned about condensation (misty glass, dew drops, etc), but I wanted to temper this with the brief of low energy use. Thus, 5cm wide air venting integrated into the 2-3mm resin flooring was necessary. This will be passive however, as a relatively small space will not need an aggressive HVAC system.
Project Inset III
Experimentation with items and foliage destined for the Inset model. These ones seem to be good images in their own right.
Doodle #1: Part 2
Often you will find that when you scribble on paper, your drawing will often transform into many forms. It seems that is what has happened with my “digital” doodle, as it were, because I saw an opportunity to take the experimentation one step further, by focusing on specific parts of the scene.
A bit like an eager photographer skipping through a garden and taking various macro shots of beautiful flowers until they find one that clicks. I think that may have happened here, but the advantage of the work I do is that you can modify until you are happy. To give some extra spice to the image and to characterise it, I added a Design Ideas’ Cabo Pencil Cup; as with all my CG stuff, I like to keep an element of realism. No aliens here thank you.
Three different tonemaps were blended together to give the image its final colour grain. For flexibility, the lights were also separated, hence I could render two completely different images in just one go. I like the catalogue-style product shot in these images, works really well. I am not sure which I prefer; the moody lighting of the second image is quite seductive. Not so much “architecture”, but interior design. Even so, it is the detail that counts.
Doodle #1
From time to time, I like to put together a random scene, and make something out of it. Similar to how someone might scribble on paper and create an awesome drawing out of it, I do the same, but just digitally. Not to mention that it gives me the opportunity to experiment a bit. Sometimes a lot. This particular “doodle”, as I have called it, was like being in an empty room. I already had a lot of objects I modelled from scratch to hand. So it was just a case of picking and choosing, akin to arranging furniture in a space. To put this scene together probably took only 10 minutes. More time was spent on small tweaks, like the books, and the rug. It turned pretty awesome to be fair. There’s something of a retro style to the image with a splash of modern from the pictures on the wall.
As always, I aim for CG realism, so almost everything in the space can be bought; the Karlsson Pictogram clock, the Ligne Roset Sala Chair, Accademia Agra Side Table, various Taschen books (which I actually own, and then scanned, and then textured onto the book models), and the Domus Pit table lamp.
Some post-pro; tonemapping, some high-pass sharpening, and slight change to colour balance.
I don’t normally like uploading full-resolution images because I would like to think that I, the “artist” in this instance, should have some level of exclusivity over the image. But this one deserves it. Might do a few more soon.
Site Modelling
The site model was made in SketchUp using Google Maps and Slicer3, and then imported into 3dsMax, as an obj, then stylised trees and buildings where instanced over the originally textured model, in the correct places. The illuminated strips are supposed to represent the road markings – more style over actual information extraction. Intriguing all round. Site is based on a small quaint corner of London.
Project Inset II
I am taking something of a different approach to this project, and building up the interior before assessing its context within landscape. Not intended to be the centre of attention, but the WC needed some design intent. All parts of the structure, interior and exterior, are to have the same visual treatment — cold, harsh, brutal. Flush surfaces, all correlating on the same plane.
Elk
The Elk Coat Stand, currently manufactured coat rack. Produced by Hive Space.
A Countryside Intervention
This one posed a different challenge. As part of a competition, our entry was to be something of an interactive sculpture/architectural structure, rusting with age, merging and becoming one with the environment, strengthening with age, and hopefully, increasing with beauty. Just a two man team, myself and the architect. Architect handled the design, and myself the CGI work. A lot of compositing work and dabbling with alpha maps was involved in this project, which is still ongoing. Modelled in 3dsMax, rendered in Indigo, and composited in GIMP.
Ceramic Studio
The aptly-named Ceramic Studio, is an ongoing project located in London, and is a conjunction between myself and Enclosure. The project is now at RIBA work stage F, but progress has been slow. Therefore, I was called upon to develop the scheme to a level where the final design could clearly be seen. I also travelled to the site with the architect, to get an understanding of what I was working with. All done in 3dsMax, and rendered with Indigo.
Not only can my architect colleague clearly see what is to be built before it has happened, it also puts a gloss on the project — endless rainy site visits and negotiations with the client means the project can lose some of its dreamy visions once constructions starts and reality dawns. Renders help restore that.
