Alexandra Escobedo: Weeks 1-4 Castle

Inspiration

My inspiration for my castle model was a mix of three things (and influenced by the fact that I am brand new to 3D modeling): Professor Scott's own Castle Model from his YouTube video, the structure of an atom, and the structure of a bacteriophage, or virus. I followed his tutorial up until a certain point, and began conjuring up ideas of how to add my own touches to the model. I thought of the structure of an atom in terms of having a focal point of the "nucleus" surrounded by the "electrons", along with the abrasive elements of certain types of bacteriophage structures with sharp edges and curvilinear structures surrounding the external areas.

Professor Scott Castle Model

Atomic Structure

Bacteriophage Model 01

Bacteriophage Model 02

Process

I began modeling starting with the central base of the structure, utilizing the cylinder shape and proceeding forward with a series of variously sized cones, multiple torus structures, truncated cones, spheres, and pyramids. Focusing on achieving the main structure I wanted to replicate later on, I made the model curvilinear in the sense of having all elements surround the "nucleus", expanding outward with cylindrical extensions that connect to the visibly sharp, and stacked structures. In order to maintain contrast and dynamism to the model I was mindful of how and where curvilinear and rectilinear elements were utilized in proximity to one another, and how I could play with visual levels in terms of height differences in the elements.

Wireframe with Layers

Wireframe

Ghosted with Layers

Materials

I chose to use the various Blender material pairings of jewelry (the gold), brush metal (silver), and glass for the platform of the model. These particular materials were utilized for the purpose of accentuating the curvilinear and rectilinear edges with a strong visual focus on the smooth and sharp areas of the model. I added lighting to certain areas of my castle model to further emphasize the various, contrasting edges and show the indentations of the elements that make up the model. The combination of lighting and harsh visual accentuation of the model's elements were to give a visual heaviness to the overall structure, and a sense of abrasiveness given how the two types of bacteriophage structures are bold and foreboding themselves.

Aerial View

High Angle View

Pedestrian View