I am a landscape architecture/city planning masters student and for my final project for the planning degree I am creating a digital model of an urban neighborhood to then test various development scenarios. I am very familiar with sketchup and am tempted to just use sketchup for the model, but I would really like to learn another 3-d program and am thinking maybe I should take the opportunity to do the model in either 3d-max or rhino. Is this just asking for trouble? Also, the neighborhood had significant topography. I have a general idea of how I'm going to approach building the model but any ideas on a process would also be helpful!
Just model it in Sketchup. It sounds like that's all you really need. The other two programs that you've mentioned have a steep learning curve.
But the nice thing is that you can render the thing a number of ways. First, make everything in layers like you would in Auto CADand then export the model as a .dxf.
If you have access to 3ds max or VIZ, you can import the model and render it, however, putting textures, lighting, maps, and such are a part of the "fun" (not to mention the steep learning curve of max). If you are not that good with Rhino, chances are, you model will look no different from an exported sketch-Up model. So don't bother.
I've found two new easier ways to do high quality digital renderings. There is a plug-in for Sketch-up called Artlantis that allows you to nicely render sketch-up models. They are about the same quality you would get from using a radiosity-based program like Rhino, Form-Z, or the old lightscape. Another renderer that I have recently been using quite a bit with some truly amazing results is Maxwell Render. It's not a modeler only a renderer. So you would take your sketch-Up model into Maxwell and then plug and chug your textures like you would in Sketch-Up and you would get pretty magnificent renderings that rival v-ray or finalRender.
if you know autocad rhino will be a piece of cake. Massing neighborhood massing models are very simple in rhino - just import the cad drawing (make sure polylines are closed) and extrude.
Thanks for the responses. Since I have a year to do the project, I may experiment with some of the other programs before settling on sketchup, since it seems like a good opportunity to play around with and learn other programs. Any suggestions on creating topo in various programs? I've used the sandbox function in sketchup in the past with mixed results.
you could do both. i don't know any of these other modeling programs yet, but i did model a full neighborhood in sketchup for my masters project. it really didn't take very long.
you could use the sketchup model over the course of the year as your project develops, using it as a tool in which to test things. the ability to have components - full building designs, whatever - built as separate files and imported can help with this.
as you're working on your design proposals you can be learning some more sophisticated modeling/rendering software toward achieving a more polished final product.
maybe.
Aug 11, 07 8:19 am ·
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neighborhood scale digital model
I am a landscape architecture/city planning masters student and for my final project for the planning degree I am creating a digital model of an urban neighborhood to then test various development scenarios. I am very familiar with sketchup and am tempted to just use sketchup for the model, but I would really like to learn another 3-d program and am thinking maybe I should take the opportunity to do the model in either 3d-max or rhino. Is this just asking for trouble? Also, the neighborhood had significant topography. I have a general idea of how I'm going to approach building the model but any ideas on a process would also be helpful!
Just model it in Sketchup. It sounds like that's all you really need. The other two programs that you've mentioned have a steep learning curve.
But the nice thing is that you can render the thing a number of ways. First, make everything in layers like you would in Auto CADand then export the model as a .dxf.
If you have access to 3ds max or VIZ, you can import the model and render it, however, putting textures, lighting, maps, and such are a part of the "fun" (not to mention the steep learning curve of max). If you are not that good with Rhino, chances are, you model will look no different from an exported sketch-Up model. So don't bother.
I've found two new easier ways to do high quality digital renderings. There is a plug-in for Sketch-up called Artlantis that allows you to nicely render sketch-up models. They are about the same quality you would get from using a radiosity-based program like Rhino, Form-Z, or the old lightscape. Another renderer that I have recently been using quite a bit with some truly amazing results is Maxwell Render. It's not a modeler only a renderer. So you would take your sketch-Up model into Maxwell and then plug and chug your textures like you would in Sketch-Up and you would get pretty magnificent renderings that rival v-ray or finalRender.
if you know autocad rhino will be a piece of cake. Massing neighborhood massing models are very simple in rhino - just import the cad drawing (make sure polylines are closed) and extrude.
Rhino is relatively easy, but I wouldn't try and learn something new right before a deadline like your final project.
Google Earth might offer an easy template .
wow dot, that is awesome, have you actually used this software before?
i have not, but someone in my office has managed to extract a site model of manhattan (.3ds) taken directly from google earth.
If you ever need a generic urban model that looks very convincing for a background, you should try the 'greeble' plug -in for max.
Another fun Greeble rendering
Thanks for the responses. Since I have a year to do the project, I may experiment with some of the other programs before settling on sketchup, since it seems like a good opportunity to play around with and learn other programs. Any suggestions on creating topo in various programs? I've used the sandbox function in sketchup in the past with mixed results.
f-tron, I would recommend you use Second Life... although acquiring the land could be costly.
you could do both. i don't know any of these other modeling programs yet, but i did model a full neighborhood in sketchup for my masters project. it really didn't take very long.
you could use the sketchup model over the course of the year as your project develops, using it as a tool in which to test things. the ability to have components - full building designs, whatever - built as separate files and imported can help with this.
as you're working on your design proposals you can be learning some more sophisticated modeling/rendering software toward achieving a more polished final product.
maybe.
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