Blender and architecture from archaeology to hi-tech...

Blender and architecturefrom archaeology to hi-tech projects

by Riccardo Covino

[email protected]

Contents

● Contents:– Introduction– Case study n°1: LANDLAB– Case study n°2: VIMP– Case study n°3: Teatro Armani in Milano– Conclusions

Introduction

● Purposes: this proposal is concerned around the use of Blender for visualization in architectural production areas.

● We'll examine three different environments, ranging from previsualization to end-user realtime walkthroughs.

● Also the topics will be very different, involving archaeology, historical buildings and contemorary architecture.

Case study n°1: LANDLAB

● LANDLAB is a project coordinated by the University of Lecce for an archaeological museum concerning various locations in the South of Italy.

● Interction and virtuality are main focuses in this project.● The project is currently in development and covered by

commercial secret, so we can show just a few screenshots, courtesy of Universy of Lecce.


● The multimedia team, leaded by arch. Davide Borra (www.noreal.it) has to produce the following interactive video totems:– Stereoscopic 3D movie about Salento pre-romanic

villages with on-the-fly hotspots for in-depth popups.– Stereoscopic 3D movie about Cavallino pre-romanic

village with on-the-fly hotspots for in-depth popups.– Stereoscopic 3D interactive walkthrough of a small

rural area.– Stereoscopic 3D interactive walkthrough of Temple C in

Selinunte

http://www.noreal.it/


● Each scenery consists of:– Reconstruction of houses and defensive walls– Trees– Everyday objects (vases, dresses, woodcraft,..)– Walking characters– Lighting (dawn, sunset, night..)


● Software used:– Cinema 4D– Blender– Poser– Proprietary realtime engine (SEAC02 ©)– Photoshop– Gimp– Various secondary ones


● Blender use:– Modeling of houses, walls, terrain– UVMapping of houses, walls, terrain– Complete creation of small animated cut-scenes– Preview of lighting sets– Preview of realtime scenery

Case study n°1: LANDLAB● Scenery: ORIA – reference picture

Case study n°1: LANDLAB● Scenery: ORIA – terrain modeling

Case study n°1: LANDLAB● Scenery: ORIA – terrain preview

Case study n°1: LANDLAB● Scenery: ORIA – house modeling

Case study n°1: LANDLAB● Scenery: ORIA – house wip preview

Case study n°1: LANDLAB● Scenery: ORIA – terrain map

Case study n°1: LANDLAB● Scenery: ORIA – sunset light test


● Conclusions:– Pro:

● Fast modeling● Awesome UV mapping● Easy light setting for preview● Easy realtime preview

– Cons:● Big troubles with format conversion● No usable tree generation plugin● Limited preview of maps in viewports● Buggy game engine

Case study n°2: VIMP

● The VIMP Project is a non-profit organization founded by dr. E. Tiemann aimed to raise funds to build a covering roof for a romanic villa in Pompei known as Villa imperiale (Vimp).

● The project has a website made by Noreal showing the villa and the raised funds. Main areas of the website are:– The project– Villa building– Villa paintings– Literature– Working team– The Virtual Walkthrough

Case study n°2: VIMP● The VIMP project homepage:


● The 3D model for the website had the following guidelines:– Low poly– Small textures (with light mapping)– UV mapped– Ready for simple animations:

● Change of wall texture (degradation)● Metric measures on/off● Figures on/off


● Software:– Blender– WhiteDune VRML editor– Gimp– AutoCAD– Photoshop– Other secondary tools


● Reference material– 2D plan + 2D isometric view


● Reference material– Hires 360° photos

Case study n°2: VIMP● 3D wireframe model

Case study n°2: VIMP● Lightmapped textures

Case study n°2: VIMP● 3D UV mapped model


● The final model was then exported in VRML and edited with WhiteDune to achieve:– Animations– Camera restart– Interactive buttons (3d billboard objects)– World settings

Case study n°2: VIMP● The website with the virtual walkthrough page:

Case study n°2: VIMP● Conclusions:

– Pro:● Fast modeling● Awesome UV mapping● Easy realtime preview

– Cons:● Big troubles with format conversion● A working web plugin would have been better● Limited preview of maps in viewports

Case study n°3: Teatro Armani ©

● Teatro Armani is a theater in Milano made by the famous japanese architect Tadao Ando for Armani. It's main use is for fashion events.

● Our project (R. Covino + Creative Minds) is to create a self-installable CD containing an interactive 3D model of the theater with a photorealistic lighting and mapping simulation.

● The resulting product will be used as a showcase for an architectural low-cost realtime environment simulation.


● Software:– Blender– Gimp– Nullsoft Installer– Other secondary tools


● Reference images:


● Next step was the creation of the self-installable CD.● Future evolution will enanche the user interface with on-

screen commands to allow better interaction.● Conclusions:

– Pro:● Fast modeling● Good UV mapping● Easy realtime preview

– Cons:● Troubles with radiosity solution limits● Troubles with forced merging of meshes● Troubles with 16 materials/mesh limit● Buggy game engine

Conclusions 1/2● Blender's workflow and output quality aren't far beyond

the most famous commercial products.● Blender suffers a bit to cooperate with other commercial

products due to exchanging formats troubles. Users need to insert it in their current software environment without pain.

● Future multiverse ability can help in this area, but a better implementation of some import/export plugins is a must.

Conclusions 2/2● The game engine is potentially a winning card, expect a

growth of realtime interactive environments demand in the next year.

● The game engine lacks some really important visualization features (reflections, realtime shadows, ..) related to architectural environments.

● The bugs of the game engine do not allow to present it as a bullet-proof solution

● The rebirth of a platform indipendent web player would help to spread its use to online realtime visualizations market.

Credits

● All text and screenshots by Riccardo Covino● The LandLab work (case study n°1) images are published

by courtesy of NoReal and the University of Lecce.● The VIMP work (case study n°2) images are published by

courtesy of NoReal and the VIMP Foundation.● The Teatro Armani © (case study n°3) 3D images are

published by Riccardo Covino + Creative Minds, while the real photos are taken from the web on public repositories.

For Contact:

[email protected]

www.riccardocovino.it

mailto:[email protected]

Blender and architecture from archaeology to hi-tech...

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