Entry One: Procedurally Modeling a Building

Reference, Reference, Reference!

Biking throughout Savannah provides project inspiration like no other source. Many of my previous traditional works are direct glimpses of the city. When seeing the Robert E. Robertson Parking Garage on my commute, the familiar itch came back. This time, Savannah’s aura will be visualized in three dimensions.

The goals for this project? Become familiar with expressions and procedural modeling by creating the Robert E. Robertson Parking Garage in Houdini.

Reference Images of the Robert E. Robertson Parking Garage.

Photoscans of the Robert E. Robertson Parking Garage.

Expressions are what I need to spend the most time experimenting with. In order to efficiently complete the preceding modeling stage, I took photoscans of the garage. The intention is to get immediate feedback while modeling in Houdini.

Signage/Greeblies of Robert E. Robertson Parking Garage

What sells this garage as the Robert E. Robertson garage? Eye Candy. The goal — though it is lowest on the do-list — is to manipulate greeblies with expressions.

Lighting/Rendering Mood Board (Pinterest).

The final render should look cohesive and visually striking. Though the goal is to achieve photorealism, the deadline is ever supreme. An HDRI could possibly outshine the building. Therefore, I am planning on the final render hosting a foggy environment lit by a large soft box. Variations of the building will loom in the background to create a sense of space.