it would be nicer if you guys compared the features of Podium vs those of Artlantis.

[AcesHigh]

Is Podium better than Artlantis?

[AcesHigh]

what is the bloom technique? How to use it?

[AcesHigh]

white vs brown? What do you mean? Can you give me an example?

Isnt "clay" rendering usually in only one color? You mean, a checkered clay?

[AcesHigh]

Thank you for the feedback Scott.

@unknownuser said:

The street lamp is a nice effect in the one image but I agree that is should be rendered as well.

I dont understand what this means. You are talking about the DOF or about rendering the LIGHT from the lamps and traffic lights?

@unknownuser said:

I also would not put it som much in the center of the image. Foreground images are important but the placement of them is key.

sorry Scoot, but I dont understand very well what you meant here. Could you please elaborate?

Btw, I rendered 3 new pics.

1 - Inside of the Entrance Lobby /Hall (can someone help me with the english here please?) of the skyscraper
http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/1697/sketchup1xo4.jpg

2 - Outside of the same
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/9574/sketchup8rp5.jpg

3 - Big ass detailed vertical panorama of the tower. Only problem was the I forgot to turn off the sun halo, and it caused those multiple blue spots when the panorama was mounted.
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/5083/panotf4.jpg

[AcesHigh]

@Edson: thank you. Be sure to count on me if you need any advice at Artlantis, although I am also only an amateur at it yet.

@Andrija: thank you for the compliment. Yes, it was my first Sketchup model. Of course, I had tested doing some cubes and stuff with it before, to learn how to use it. And I started trying to do a stadium, but that was even before I knew how to use groups. Then I stoped the stadium (had only done a few stands and the play field) and started with this project. I learnt to use groups and a lot of other SU features WHILE doing this project. I also learnt Artlantis WHILE working on this project.

[AcesHigh]

i changed the shader of the glass. Got more realistic. The background with clouds also add some realism
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/9869/sketchup7oo4.jpg

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(img515.imageshack.us)

[AcesHigh]

^haha, those models rule! Although adding lots of 3d people would explode the file size and polygon count!

[AcesHigh]

Thats one problem I have... what should I do photorealist (with textures) and what not? I tried to get a clayrender look to everything which was not the main building.

One way or the other, I dont want to model and render the whole city. I modelled just one block in each direction. But then, view from the top show the non modelled surroundings.

Some people because of that already do a black surrounding and even a black sky. I just dont know what is best. Photorealism for the surrounding just works for certain angles, usually from the ground. But then you can hardly show most angles of a building.

What do you think about it?

Here are some other renders of the building (they are all in imageshack, but I lost the thumbnail link and I cant post the full 1024x768 image on this forum)

panorama of the skyscraper (from top to down)
http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/3503/panorm3.jpg

street level view of the entrance
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/8079/gerdauart01yp0.jpg

another looking to the top view
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/8755/sketchup6qa6.jpg

hotel entrance (notice the elevated ramp for cars, which get directly to the hotel lobby on 2nd floor)
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/2497/sketchup52fr6.jpg

the car ramps and front entrance
http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/3937/sketchup8ho7.jpg

this image shows a bit of the passege between the parking building and the main building
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/2764/sketchup9cj6.jpg

parking
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/58/sketchup12mx0.jpg

several sides
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/3309/sketchup19aqm3.jpg
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/3825/sketchup19cma1.jpg

parallel top view
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/56/paralleltopsv1.jpg

side cut (Sketchup Image)
http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/3303/sidecut2xg7.jpg

central core and exoesqueleton trusser structure (big sketchup image)
http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/6941/gerdauprespective2mr3.jpg

same as above, but with inclusion of floors
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/3625/gerdauprespective1vr4.jpg

detail of central core
http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/7612/corebq1.jpg

BONUS - for fun
construction pics

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/4865/construction01nc2.jpg
http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/9623/construction02sb7.jpg
http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/4354/construction03qf0.jpg
http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7136/construction06xz8.jpg

404 Not Found

(img204.imageshack.us)

[AcesHigh]

Well, tons of things to criticize. After seeing some of the photorealistic renders you guys achieve with ANY program (be it Kerkythea, Maxwell, VRAY or EVEN Podium), I almost feel ashamed to post these...

Its a fantasy skyscraper for the capital of my state.

NAME : Gerdau International Offices and Hotel (Gerdau IOH)

SPIRE HEIGHT: 297,8 m

ROOF HEIGHT: 234,81 m

STOREYS: 67

MAIN TOWER MEASURES: 27m* x 48,26m**
*from the end of each flat face before it starts curving to the end of the other flat face
** from one corner to the next

PAVEMENT AREA (core not included)

OFFICE PAVEMENT: 603,26 m²

HOTEL PAVEMENT: 801,74 m² (including area occupied by walls)

743.45m² (excluding area occupied by walls)

[AcesHigh]

very good renders. The VRAY one looks like the water is ice. The Maxwell ones do not look like that, although the angles are different too.

really... in fact I have no idea how to properly model and texture falling shower water. I think the best solution would be to photograph your own shower... on small shutter time and longer shutter time... and then try to model and imitate real life.

i like that tile pattern a lot. Care to share?

[AcesHigh]

very nice, why dont you offer your spaceship to the Infinity game? They are needing some more cool ships like this one.

(www.fl-tw.com)

[AcesHigh]

how did you create that 3D grass?

[AcesHigh]

I feel like crying when I see these renders. I cant achieve such level of photorealism!

btw, Artlantis isnt even that "old". They released Artlantis Studio last year and they are going to release a new version this year, which supposedly is capable of Maxwell level photorealism.

And anyway, isnt Artlantis better than Podium?

Original Poster: AcesHigh

w00t? I have to create the model myself? So, does that means that plugin that creates award-winning architecture automatically will never be released?

Jim, small models like those are actualy easy to do of course. But these complicated patterns may be impossible on large scale, like an entire cobble stone street. Or even just an entire wall (if the patterns are small).

I wonder if there isnt ALREADY a plugin to create such patterns in 2d. Or if you are not interested in working in one, separately.

If not, do you have a TIP on how to create patterns on big surfaces? Or worst... Ive been using the word pattern... but actually the pattern may not even repeat itself across the entire surface.

ps: wow, it seems Daniel already given a tip about how to do it! Thanks Daniel!

Daniel, if we could find the author of contourmaker, maybe he would agree to try to make it create randon contours. Or maybe someone here could modify contourmaker plugin.

[AcesHigh]

Ok, but do I manually have to create these complicated patterns? With the line tool?

This 3d hatch pattern (just the lines, not after gone 3d with the protude tool), looks quite complicated to draw.

Worst is that globe mode... how was that 2d pattern created around the globe, so it could be protuded????

[AcesHigh]

good luck!

[AcesHigh]

any update?

[AcesHigh]

maybe you could set up options to not only repeat the last command, but maybe repeat the last 5 commands, or the last 10 commands.

Maybe you could see a list of the commands and check which ones you would like to repeat and how many times.

I think this could be useful for lots of things. Example: copy and rotate something at the same time, in cases where the array copy is not useful, etc.

[AcesHigh]

That would be really interesting. There are many good uses to such script.

[AcesHigh]