The bricks have standard size, typically 5.5x12x25, so in the end it's better to correct the elevation of the walls instead of distort and adjust the textures, especially in the case of brick or similar...

It seems simple, but that little element was a bit difficult to model.
Texture extracted from posted picture
I was trying to use Round corners ruby, but in the end i've preferred to not use it..
For the knife, a simple truncated cone with 2 planes in intersection
Some screenshots, details of work in progress and final piece (with some renders for fun..)

Aerilius!! It's a wonderful rendering
Only the colossal (really, really colossal) statue of Constantine is missing..

Thanks to all!!
I've added two great braziers from my another model, so the light has some sort of source.

This is a "Monkey" Light Transport (MLT) :

I'm changing the textures for the vault coffers with a different gold decoration:

pichuneke:

I've thought to DC already, 'cause the length of the frieze and architrave is modular. The problem is the angle, with 4 dedicated different modules, but the construction is really fast.

ELYSIUM:

Yes, the rounded mouldings can be simplified in 1 second. For columns, I changed the capital, that in fact it's not of corinthian order, the leaves aren't of acanthus. I maintained the proportions fot the shaft and capital (thanks for using my shaft ), it's possible replace that shaft (with a thousand of polys) with a flat shaft, so the model is little and not too complex, especially for time rendering.

This type of entablature is for an eustyle temple, so the columns should be 9,5 diameter height (Vitruvius rules) that I've adjusted...

@aerilius said:

I've never caught a fish , but Kerkythea can do spherical 360° images (scene -> camera -> projection: spherical)

How, you don't know a Fisheye lens? It's an objective for cameras with a very short focal length and a DOF extremely wide. In fact Kerkythea allows settings for a fisheye objective with a DOF of 360° horizontally and 180° vertically...

Great reconstruction. There's a need of a Fisheye to obtain the panos?

Uaaaah ready!!!

@elysium said:

rev3rse can you please please please share that great frieze!

tks!!

Hi Elysium, you did a similar big work with your models.. I saw some screenshots from your thread of republican forum...

For thr model of frieze, I was improving textures for coffers between the capitals and fixing the tiling for perfect alignment with the centre of symmetry in the frieze (the central palm) and capitals.

This is a little preview with corinthian capitals by fun856 in 3DWH:

File (a little heavy file...) without capitals attached

Corinthian Frieze

Ok, this is another model, perfect for friezes of temples, for better realism...

This is a little model with beautiful ornament from cgtextures, and the result is very realistic...

Ornament SU6 File

OMG!! A Point-Light for any led, it's a rendering nightmare...

That model was made with Blender, but the realism is obtained with good and realistic textures and a well done rendering of model.. ie your model of Roman Forum is perfect, but for a realistic rendering you need to change some textures with better ones..
This is a free site where we can found some excellent textures: http://www.cgtextures.com/

Another version of my model of the cell (Venus and Rome) with reflections and bump mapping for mosaic floor...

I think the normal mapping or displacement (expecially for decorations or basreliefs, if present) would be a good enhancement for this type of buildings. It's necessary improve some textures, like the ones for the Sacra Via and the plaza, and adapted for the entire area to avoid that bad tiling effect...
The realism to obtain with rendering should be like this work by alekk1985:

The "Lochnessglass" monster...
Good job..

Quick rendering with V-Ray for SU.. Point light strong so the SSS is visible..

An this is another quick rendering (poor quality) but without Global Illumination and rectangular light:

What a wonderful challenge is the SSS!!

@danik said:

I also tried to render some of my models in Kerkythea There are pictures of my basilica of Maxentius. Actually, they have a number of bugs wint lighting.

Aerilius
It is an interesting picture of Constsntine statue! If you have any other pictures of basilica of Maxentius and can share them, I would be very much obliged to you

That model was so outstanding!! A big piece of art...
I posted my rendering of the cell of Temple of Venus and Rome in another thread for suggestions in render settings..
This was the result of a little experiment:

Ah..P.S. for People: rev3rse = saikindi...

Hi, I was trying some settings of rendering for this model i made with SU:
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=41204f98bad58895e7ca18fd816a11da

The problem is: how to render the candles light and soft shadows produced by this particular source?
Original Model:

This is only a little experiment: an HDR image from 5 renderings with different EV, from -2 to +2:

The sources would be 2 great candelabra or chandeliers near the base of goddess statue.. (not present in model)

-PM Method High AA 0,3...

Suggestions to improve realism? What do you think about?

Original Model here (SKP File of 40,1 MB):
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NU7CTW51

OMG!! That apse was wonderful.. a little challenge to modeling in SU..
@L.VII.C. Good rendering, pay attention with Kerkythea for light settings, and material editor..
Now I'm trying with the cell of the temple of Venus and Rome. The goal is a realistic rendering: a dark room with the only light of candles and "fog" produced by incense, and it's very, very, very hard...

@aerilius said:

really, really GREAT!
I can imagine scenes from films or Cicero holding a speech on the rostra. I'm looking forward for rendering it when I have time.

By the way, in this context I want to mention a great photorealistic (!!!) work (not 3d). Yadegar Asisi is an iranian architect living in Berlin who reconstructed a panorama painting from 1889 of ancient Rome (in the 19th century, panoramas were modern because there was no TV). The new panorama is 106x31m and was shown in a former gasometer...

I know Asisi's Work "Rom 312". Where did you find the pictures? I was interested in some big images taken from that Pano..
I have another point of view from Temple of Castors, even a work of Asisi, so he had already produced another panos of ancient Rome...