|
|
|
Junior Member
 
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 5:14 AM
Posts: 30,
Visits: 324
|
|
Hi forum,
I figured I would share some recent completed work and see if you have any comments for improvements on future renders.
This project is part of the MassDOT Accelerated Bridge Program. The idea is to build the bridge superstructure off-site and use heavy lifting equipment, such as Self-Propelled Modular Transports (SPMTs), to lift the superstructure into place over a couple of hours during low traffic periods (i.e. long weekends). SPMTs are useful tools since the modular nature of the system allows for virtually any lifting configuration, within reason (dropping North America in Europe is not possible...yet).
The attached render shows one stage of the construction where the existing superstructure has been removed and the new superstructure is ready to be moved into place. I did not have enough hours on this project to model and animate the SPMTs (hint: freelancers: create SPMT models for sale!!).
The dirt on the road indicates recently added backfill; the proposed bridge is at a higher elevation than the existing.
If you have a minute, comments would be appreciated. Thanks for taking a look!
-Eric
Eric Pheifer
|
|
|
|
|
"old dog"
Group: Administrators
Last Login: 2 days ago @ 4:04 PM
Posts: 646,
Visits: 4,053
|
|
| Fun stuff! I was working on something similar for a bridge in Idaho. Amazing how they can do that. Apparently it's the new preferred method of bridge construction since it doesn't create as much in the way of closures. Only a couple comments: You may consider adding a few verts on your curved corner splines. They are a tad faceted. The materials for the ground are really nice (Blends?) although the maps feel just a little big in scale (it may just be me). Vehicles on the "open" roads and some construction workers leaning on shovels would be a bonus and add a little "life" to the scene. 
Glen Loyd
Lead Design Visualization Specialist | Parsons Brinckerhoff
www.pbprojectviz.com
 
|
|
|
|
|
Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 5:14 AM
Posts: 30,
Visits: 324
|
|
| Glen, Thanks for your comments! For this project, I used a blend map for the terrain. I like blend maps but as my understanding of Photoshop improves, I'm starting to like composite maps a lot. Painting opacity maps with a very soft brush gives a nice feel to the edges of roadways/sidewalks. I have attached a render of a project I'm working on now where I used a dirt map as a base and painted grass (as a bitmap with an opacity map) over the dirt. Is this the way you usually texture your terrains or do you use a lot of blend maps? 
Eric Pheifer
|
|
|
|
|
"old dog"
Group: Administrators
Last Login: 2 days ago @ 4:04 PM
Posts: 646,
Visits: 4,053
|
|
| Honestly? Whatever works best for your scene and/or object. What make Max so powerful (and a PITA at the same time) is it's ability do get a similar result by several approaches. I like to recommend any type of blended materials that use maps (even a simple Mix with a noise) to break up the tiling and add randomness to the mapping, especially in large areas. Some other types of blend materials to tinker with until you find some that you prefer or blend together: Materials:
Composites (all sort of cool possibilities)
VRay Blend
Shellac (you'd be surprised) Maps:
Gradient and Gradient Ramps
Dirt
Stacked Noise with bitmaps
Stucco
Tiles
VRay Dirt (for edge treatments)
Obviously the list could go on... The more you tinker with blended material, the more you'll enjoy creating them. It's a bit like a "Mad Scientist" approach or a new cooking recipe. You have an idea what you want to accomplish but ther will be some experimenting along the way.
Glen Loyd
Lead Design Visualization Specialist | Parsons Brinckerhoff
www.pbprojectviz.com
|
|
|
|
