Contour Drawing Education Advice

ntxdave

I have a project in mind that involves building some buildings around a lake. Drawing the buildings is not a big deal but drawing the lake and the contours around the lake to put the buildings on and a walk path and some other landscaping is outside what I normally do.

I would like some advice on what tools you think I might need and what type of tutorials and SU education I should look for. I do not want someone to tell my how to build the project, I want someone to help point me in the right direction for me to go off and learn/teach myself.

I have taken a quick look at things like Topo Shaper and some other tools and have looked at some tutorials that show how to use the sand box tools. The sand box tools seem to be limited to rectangular areas and my project sure will not be in a rectangular shape.

Again, I am willing/want to learn how to do this kind of thing on my own but would like some advice about where to start. Suggestions of tools and tutorials is what I am looking for.

The next experience I want to explore, after this endeavor, is the whole world of rendering but that is for later.

One last comment, I do not have an engineering background so I need to learn in "laymen terms".

JQL

You should start and finish the terrain with sandbox tools.

To try it out, make four contours with freehand, put each of them 1m higher than the next (or whatever unit you work with), select them, and hit the first icon from sandbox tools (from countours.)

You generated a mesh surface for the terrain (topo shaper is better but more complex, you'll have time for that later).

Then design the road in a plan view either floating above or below the terrain (you might want to use 2d tools for that) and then select the road, then click on sandbox's drape tool and then on the surface. You'll get the road on the surface.

Now go grab tools on surface and edit the road to make some sidewalks.

Now go grab Joint Pushpull and extrude the parts of the road you want to get those sidewalks volumes.

Now go grab profile builder 2 and build some fences and electrical poles.

Now go grab make fur and populate things with face me trees and bushes.

Now insert those houses on the model.

Now use a horizontal plane for the lake.

Now go grab Fredo tools and use thrupaint to texture everything.

Now you're done...

pilou

You can also use some prog like Lumen RT VIZ for Sketchup (it's free)
It has just two little wartermarks

So export inside your buildings then modelise the lake in big gestures !
(of course export also a viewtop of your lake!...!
Maybe better modelise roads before in Sketchup!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWyQu0Ly9bw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIJ5NydbhoQ

You will have not all the objects or functions but enough for make quasi all!
It's not so marvelous ?

ntxdave

@JQL and @Pilou I appreciate your responses. I have a couple of days work to finish the project I am working on and then I will "dive in".

I will look at all of your suggestions. Will probably have some more questions along the way.

JQL

@ntxdave said:

@JQL and @Pilou I appreciate your responses. I have a couple of days work to finish the project I am working on and then I will "dive in".

I will look at all of your suggestions. Will probably have some more questions along the way.

Will probably have some answers if you find something on the way...