Here is the start of a "Mexican Style" House and yard that I have been working on recently. This is modeling from two different reference images and trying to create a house and yard out of them.
Some ROUGH textures of the house and some of the assets in the yard. There are still some issues with seams on some of the tilable textures that I will be getting help with from a friend on. This is also the first pass at texturing the scene and I am not done yet, so there are some objects [and the ground] that have not been textured yet.
The lighting is also quite bad. I will be playing with that and attempting to get a light rig from one of my teachers this Monday.
Please let me know what you think of the scene and what I can do to improve on it.
the layout seems good, and the textures, even though they are WIP are a good start.
What era is this house supposed to be in?
Is this old/original hacienda construction, or a modern building influenced by it?
What are the buildings wings? guest/servant quarters? Stable? Storage? just wings of the house?
The other thing that looks odd to me is the vigas (wooden bits sticking out of the wall) on the main house part behind the gate.
They don't appear to be evenly spaced.
In a traditionally, and even modern revivalist constructed house of this style, those wooden stump looking projections are actually the ends of major cross beams that form the superstructure of the roof/upper floor, and so tend to have close to even spacing.
In modern construction, they can just be decorative bits that go no further than just behind the outer surface of the house, and can be as wonky as wanted, but builders still tend to try and make them look authentic.
As such, its also a little odd to have one over the middle of the doorway. One on either side would be a bit better structurally.
Also, what were you planning to do in the courtyard? Brick pattern? Gravel? Dirt?
Vailias- Thanks for the AMAZING feedback! The wings of the house are most likely a dinning hall and then a hallway leading to bedrooms and the kitchen. As for the vigas [I had no idea they were called that, haha] I will be evenly spacing those right after I post this. The courtyard will has a dirt texture on it right now [updated pictures coming soon], but I will also be playing with a brick pattern.
pliang- The edges are softer, but I have always had trouble with creating the desired edge that would like to have, I will be working with that tomorrow and then re-texturing the walls with a better working tilable texture.
As for the ref, here are some of the pictures that either influenced the scene or I used to model from.
Newest renders!
Also, I forgot to say what era this piece is in. *Now I am not one for knowing the correct dates and time of certain areas.* I was thinking it would be in Mexico while during the "Wild West Era", so probably around early 1900's.
The story is, I was playing through Red Dead Redemption and I wanted to make something that you could easily see in-game and not think that it is out of place.
Ah ok. Now I see why you chose to build it like you did. You're mashing 3 different construction styles from different eras.
The top reference is a more modern urban mexican building, closer to spanish colonial style than the look you're going for, which, I forget the actual name for the style, but its basically hybrid between spanish construction and local indian adobe, because it was designed by spanish missionaries and built by local conscripted indians. (ok not all of them, but plenty of construction went that way)
The middle reference is a variation on what you're wanting to build and its more of a modernized adobe style home. Looks like its poured concrete and rather recent construction, but good for shape and 'feel" reference.
The third and fourth pictures down are also more modern or spanish colonial. Its redbrick based which wasn't really available in the north mexican/southwestern american desert areas. Didn't have the right material or processing facilities to bake the bricks in sufficient quantity.
The last picture down is an old authentic pueblo style adobe building.
You can see where the outer wall has cracked off exposing the adobe bricks, which you can see are different than the red brick above. This is because they are made of mud.
Adobe brick construction is interesting, yet very time consuming. The bricks are local dirt/clay mixed with just enough water to make them cohesive and malleable, then dried in the sun for several months till they are fully dried all the way through. They're heavy, but provide incredible insulation.
Its really hot in the summer that desert area (and often really frigid in the winter), which is also why the windows and doors are small. Less heat transfer.
heh I just found that exact reference picture. Oldest house in the US in Santa Fe NM. Though it looked familiar. For what its worth the house I grew up in had the faux adobe style construction. Vigas, and what looks like adobe coating, but was actually just stucco over chickenwire and a normal wood frame construction.
What you may wish to search for for a cohesive reference is Santa Fe Style house, and or hacienda. Also google image search for "old town albuquerque" and you'll find a load of good reference for various old west spanish/mexican/indian architecture.
A few more crits given the overall direction you're going. It looks like this is a fairly major ranch house/small mansion, so I'd suggest pushing it more toward the spanish style rather than the adobe/santa fe style. Keep the vigas, but alter the roofline a bit and some materials will need changing.
The stone pillars and accents for the balcony are out of place. The shape is fine, but they'd be covered in a white or near white stucco exterior, same as the rest of the building. The rest of the building should be brighter white. You've got a good motling, and I know the textures are just WIP, but bring up the whiteness and keep the weathering where it should fall on the building.
Bring the roofline down a little and give it more pitch. Also the way those roof tiles end is really strange and blunt right now.
n88tr- Thanks for the comments. It's the first pass with the textures so I will be touching them up throughout this week. As for the lighting...yeah I am pretty bad at lighting.
Vailias- THANK YOU! This is some of the best feedback I have gotten in a long time! I will definetly be changing the roof design and looking at the references you have given to me. I'll research more on the spanish style of house and try to adapt the models to it. I'm getting help with the texturing soon [I SWEAR!], so better textures are coming soon. Thanks again for the great comments and help!
Sorry for the snag in updating [ for those of you whom care ]. I have been working in UDK and I should have a rough layout with everything in there by tomorrow.
Take care all!
Ok so I lied. It took a bit longer than I thought it would have, but here are some screengrabs from UDK. They are still WIP but I am still learning UDK so don't rip me apart just yet
Hey all,
So I have been trying to work with some ZBrush-ing-ness and I found this awesome little tutorial that drakcrusader has on his polyshowcase page.
Two more rock studies. I plan on making these into a brick wall or maybe just a rock center-piece in the middle of the Hacienda Courtyard.
Let me know what you think internets.
Rock shapes are really messy man, all I see is a big orange block with some blobby block extrusions, it looks like "the rocks" have fusion within themselves or something like that, I will suggest, to take more than "10 minutes" next time you post your progress, and take a closer look at defining your overall shapes. Because now its definitely not looking like rocks.
Sorry for the harsh comment and I hope next time you ll do better.
Yeah, i'd dig into those forms more and try to define the individual stones within the blocks, they look like a good starting point you just need to take them further
Took the crits in and this is what I have been working on for the past 1.5 hours. Still a WIP, but I have decimated it down and will be loading it into UDK [mostly for practice].
Let me know what you guys think please!
Hm, better but it looks like the rocks are mixed together in mud or something. Doesn't look like a wall if that's your intention. I think it needs more contrast between the hards and soft shapes of the stones.
And on a side note, why do you bother adding micro details? They most probably wont show up on reasonable texture resolutions and you can always generate those in PS afterwards anyways.
Focus on getting the shapes right!
You're right AimBiz!
I do need to work on my larger details first. I have a rough reference that I have been working from and I will try to get the rocks looking more like them tonight. So expect an update in a few hours.
Here are two more shots in UDK.
I am tweaking small things now, but I still feel like I have bigger problems that I just can't see. Can anyone help?
I have been playing around with a rotunda style house to place in here as well. Photos coming soon on that.
Also, please ignore the awful tiled texture on the trees, they are placeholders until I get time to play in PS again :] .
This feels like it's really starting to get fleshed out. still kind of an architectural mashup but it feel like it has some good direction. This project of yours is making me want to draw up some conceps of a villa like what you're going for.
Thanks Vailias!
Yeah I have another project I will be doing soon, but I want to finish this one up first.
My next project will have WAY more reference so I don't look like a fool :P
And I'm glad I could inspire you to create something. I'm sure you'll do better than I did haha.
Just a couple quick things that can help your presentation:
HeightFog
In Content Browsers > Actor Classes tab > Info > HeightFog
right click in scene, add heightfog.
You can drag this up, double click it to adjust it's settings. Don't over do it, just add a nice dustly atmosphere with it.
Temp Sky
In Content Browser, search (at the top) for 'skydome' (this brings up 2, but they have more examples if you dig around). Drop one of these in your scene. You may have to scale it up. Be sure to open it's properties > StaticMeshActor > Lighting and cut off all it's shadow casting crap or it may block your sun light.
Also, I'm not sure what type of light is your main light, so make sure it's a dominantdirectionlight.
Keep a close eye on your texture density. The tree is one thing, but everything else looks low. It's easy to maintain unified density throughout a project, and keeps the presentation looking nice.
Hey Cholden. Thanks for the help!
I'll add those into my scene tonight. This will help me establish a better atmosphere
I've been working on a rotunda style building that I will be adding to the scene as well.
My texturing does need work [A LOT!], but I will try to get them higher quality and res.
Here are some better looking trees that I have been modeling.
I plan on re-importing them into UDK tonight.
But first! I want to try and make a few more styles.
*EDIT*
The texture looks really wierd when I rendered it in Maya. I'll work on that.
Hey everyone, here are the newest renders of the Hacienda.
Thanks to Cholden for helping me out with the fog and the skydome, they both helped with my ambience and my lighting oddly enough.
I am very happy with the third render right now , but there is always more work to be done!
So I have added the small rotunda/gazebo to the scene.
I may want to change around the layout of it all.
What does everyone think of where everything is?
Questions?
Comments?
I also updated the textures on the house and it's smaller assets [this means no more awful stretching on the soil texture! YAY ].
Let me know what you think.
Hey mr.bear!
THANK YOU! Haha I have been trying to figure out how to hide the hud since I started in UDK [about 2 weeks ago] and could not figure it out!
*Also I need to tone down the spec on the roof, it kind of looks like it's wrapped in plastic...
On the TO-DO list!*
Here is a rough block in of a rock wall that I want to incorporate into this somehow. I'm thinking of placing them around the outside of the Hacienda so to break up the structural-ness of the scene.
C&C welcome!
New layout.
I also tweaked some textures and took off the spec map on the roof.
I think I mind just add a smaller one to it instead of getting rid of it completely.
you need to think about scale too that gazebo is way too big and your ground text needs to be up rezed
The lighting still doesnt match your sky dome
if you have a stormie sky your shadows arent nearly as harsh and the light it self is a little to bright
I'll be re-uploading the gazebo tonight [scaled down], I also saw a seam issue on the UV's so I'll have to fix that as well.
I'll try a few new lighting ideas and post them.
Sorry I haven't been uploading as much as I would like to.
I appreciate all the feedback guys!
I just have to get these layouts down for my portfolio and mock up a website.
There will be more posts coming, I SWEAR!
Replies
The lighting is also quite bad. I will be playing with that and attempting to get a light rig from one of my teachers this Monday.
Please let me know what you think of the scene and what I can do to improve on it.
What era is this house supposed to be in?
Is this old/original hacienda construction, or a modern building influenced by it?
What are the buildings wings? guest/servant quarters? Stable? Storage? just wings of the house?
The other thing that looks odd to me is the vigas (wooden bits sticking out of the wall) on the main house part behind the gate.
They don't appear to be evenly spaced.
In a traditionally, and even modern revivalist constructed house of this style, those wooden stump looking projections are actually the ends of major cross beams that form the superstructure of the roof/upper floor, and so tend to have close to even spacing.
In modern construction, they can just be decorative bits that go no further than just behind the outer surface of the house, and can be as wonky as wanted, but builders still tend to try and make them look authentic.
As such, its also a little odd to have one over the middle of the doorway. One on either side would be a bit better structurally.
Also, what were you planning to do in the courtyard? Brick pattern? Gravel? Dirt?
pliang- The edges are softer, but I have always had trouble with creating the desired edge that would like to have, I will be working with that tomorrow and then re-texturing the walls with a better working tilable texture.
As for the ref, here are some of the pictures that either influenced the scene or I used to model from.
Thanks for the comments guys!
Also, I forgot to say what era this piece is in. *Now I am not one for knowing the correct dates and time of certain areas.* I was thinking it would be in Mexico while during the "Wild West Era", so probably around early 1900's.
The story is, I was playing through Red Dead Redemption and I wanted to make something that you could easily see in-game and not think that it is out of place.
The top reference is a more modern urban mexican building, closer to spanish colonial style than the look you're going for, which, I forget the actual name for the style, but its basically hybrid between spanish construction and local indian adobe, because it was designed by spanish missionaries and built by local conscripted indians. (ok not all of them, but plenty of construction went that way)
The middle reference is a variation on what you're wanting to build and its more of a modernized adobe style home. Looks like its poured concrete and rather recent construction, but good for shape and 'feel" reference.
The third and fourth pictures down are also more modern or spanish colonial. Its redbrick based which wasn't really available in the north mexican/southwestern american desert areas. Didn't have the right material or processing facilities to bake the bricks in sufficient quantity.
The last picture down is an old authentic pueblo style adobe building.
You can see where the outer wall has cracked off exposing the adobe bricks, which you can see are different than the red brick above. This is because they are made of mud.
Adobe brick construction is interesting, yet very time consuming. The bricks are local dirt/clay mixed with just enough water to make them cohesive and malleable, then dried in the sun for several months till they are fully dried all the way through. They're heavy, but provide incredible insulation.
Its really hot in the summer that desert area (and often really frigid in the winter), which is also why the windows and doors are small. Less heat transfer.
heh I just found that exact reference picture. Oldest house in the US in Santa Fe NM. Though it looked familiar. For what its worth the house I grew up in had the faux adobe style construction. Vigas, and what looks like adobe coating, but was actually just stucco over chickenwire and a normal wood frame construction.
What you may wish to search for for a cohesive reference is Santa Fe Style house, and or hacienda. Also google image search for "old town albuquerque" and you'll find a load of good reference for various old west spanish/mexican/indian architecture.
A few more crits given the overall direction you're going. It looks like this is a fairly major ranch house/small mansion, so I'd suggest pushing it more toward the spanish style rather than the adobe/santa fe style. Keep the vigas, but alter the roofline a bit and some materials will need changing.
The stone pillars and accents for the balcony are out of place. The shape is fine, but they'd be covered in a white or near white stucco exterior, same as the rest of the building. The rest of the building should be brighter white. You've got a good motling, and I know the textures are just WIP, but bring up the whiteness and keep the weathering where it should fall on the building.
Bring the roofline down a little and give it more pitch. Also the way those roof tiles end is really strange and blunt right now.
CHeck this image of a tiled roof
also There's Frontierland.
If I were still in Albuquerque I'd just go take some reference photos for you.:)
Vailias- THANK YOU!
Take care all!
Enjoy!
So I have been trying to work with some ZBrush-ing-ness and I found this awesome little tutorial that drakcrusader has on his polyshowcase page.
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73285&page=2
I'm sure most of you have seen this/done it already, but I figured I'd post it anyhow.
And here are some stones/rocks that I have been doing just getting the feel for ZBrush and attempting the first part of darkcrusader's tutorial.
Please comment and leave feedback! Thanks!
- Each one is about 10min of work.
Let me know what you think internets.
whoops sorry for shouting
Rock shapes are really messy man, all I see is a big orange block with some blobby block extrusions, it looks like "the rocks" have fusion within themselves or something like that, I will suggest, to take more than "10 minutes" next time you post your progress, and take a closer look at defining your overall shapes. Because now its definitely not looking like rocks.
Sorry for the harsh comment and I hope next time you ll do better.
Do not worry about being to harsh on me. I'm trying to learn and the best way [in my eyes] is to be honest with me! :P
Let me know what you guys think please!
And on a side note, why do you bother adding micro details? They most probably wont show up on reasonable texture resolutions and you can always generate those in PS afterwards anyways.
Focus on getting the shapes right!
I do need to work on my larger details first. I have a rough reference that I have been working from and I will try to get the rocks looking more like them tonight. So expect an update in a few hours.
Thanks again everyone for comments and criticism!
Not very noticeably though I'm afraid.
Away I go! [back to work]
I am tweaking small things now, but I still feel like I have bigger problems that I just can't see. Can anyone help?
I have been playing around with a rotunda style house to place in here as well. Photos coming soon on that.
Also, please ignore the awful tiled texture on the trees, they are placeholders until I get time to play in PS again :] .
Yeah I have another project I will be doing soon, but I want to finish this one up first.
My next project will have WAY more reference so I don't look like a fool :P
And I'm glad I could inspire you to create something. I'm sure you'll do better than I did haha.
HeightFog
In Content Browsers > Actor Classes tab > Info > HeightFog
right click in scene, add heightfog.
You can drag this up, double click it to adjust it's settings. Don't over do it, just add a nice dustly atmosphere with it.
Temp Sky
In Content Browser, search (at the top) for 'skydome' (this brings up 2, but they have more examples if you dig around). Drop one of these in your scene. You may have to scale it up. Be sure to open it's properties > StaticMeshActor > Lighting and cut off all it's shadow casting crap or it may block your sun light.
Also, I'm not sure what type of light is your main light, so make sure it's a dominantdirectionlight.
Keep a close eye on your texture density. The tree is one thing, but everything else looks low. It's easy to maintain unified density throughout a project, and keeps the presentation looking nice.
I'll add those into my scene tonight. This will help me establish a better atmosphere
I've been working on a rotunda style building that I will be adding to the scene as well.
My texturing does need work [A LOT!], but I will try to get them higher quality and res.
I plan on re-importing them into UDK tonight.
But first! I want to try and make a few more styles.
*EDIT*
The texture looks really wierd when I rendered it in Maya. I'll work on that.
Thanks to Cholden for helping me out with the fog and the skydome, they both helped with my ambience and my lighting oddly enough.
I am very happy with the third render right now
I may want to change around the layout of it all.
What does everyone think of where everything is?
Questions?
Comments?
I also updated the textures on the house and it's smaller assets [this means no more awful stretching on the soil texture! YAY
Let me know what you think.
THANK YOU! Haha I have been trying to figure out how to hide the hud since I started in UDK [about 2 weeks ago] and could not figure it out!
*Also I need to tone down the spec on the roof, it kind of looks like it's wrapped in plastic...
On the TO-DO list!*
C&C welcome!
I also tweaked some textures and took off the spec map on the roof.
I think I mind just add a smaller one to it instead of getting rid of it completely.
Try using one dominant directional light instead of using all those different point lights.
Also, add a skydome that fits the lighting.
I am also working on generating collision meshes for this. Hopefully I can have it be playable
The lighting still doesnt match your sky dome
if you have a stormie sky your shadows arent nearly as harsh and the light it self is a little to bright
keep it up
I'll try a few new lighting ideas and post them.
I appreciate all the feedback guys!
I just have to get these layouts down for my portfolio and mock up a website.
There will be more posts coming, I SWEAR!