Week 8: Finish Modelling

Finished modelling within 3DS

I had originally scheduled myself to completely finish the modelling by the end of week 9, but due to the problems I had discovered earlier with exporting to SketchUp I had decided to push my schedule forward by 1 week to allow for additional modelling to be done in SketchUp.

This last week was mostly checking the model at finer detailing and fixing up smaller, harder to see issues.

After this stage everything has been complete and I am ready to pass it over to Tim and Dan so that they can complete the final stages. As I have finished the modelling, I will join Dan in preparing the model for export to Crysis and assist in making sure that everything is grouped and textured properly.

Week 7: Solving More Problems

As discovered earlier there were some problems with the original model regarding the span of roof joists and window lintels.

To add to these structural issues there were some other modelling issues which would make the house impossible to build. The two issues revolved around the side window  height, glass façade heights and wall heights exceeding the the roof joists.

I had originally missed this issues, but after doing a double check on the model, these two issues really stuck out. They were quite easy to fix as it didnt really change the structure of the house, it just involved me changing the heights of internal stud walls and editing the windows.

As can be seen in this image, the window goes right up to the room, and there is a bearer that sticks through the glass (impossible)

This solution was fixed by editing the window so that is sat underneath the ceiling bearer

Everything looks OK in this picture, however it can be seen the walls go above the bearers that are meant to be resting on it (impossible).

This was fixed by simply lowering the stud frame so that it sat below the bearers (as can be seen in the second picture), and by adjusting the glass panel accordingly.

Week 6: Exporting To Sketch-Up

This week we double checked the exporting process to ensure there were no complications later on

As the modelling I am doing at the moment will eventually be exported and imported to Crysis, I thought it would be wise to check the export/import process early on in the development to try and solve any complications (if there are any) early.

After trying a few different export file formats (.OBJ, .DWG, .3ds), the best export method is to export it as a .3ds file.

As can be seen with this first export/import into Google SketchUp, alot of the surfaces are missing, and there have been additional lines added to the geometry (SketchUp likes to make surfaces out of triangles). The additional lines is not a major concern as when the sketch up file is exported into crysis, these lines will not show. The missing geometry however, is a concern.

After trying different export/import methods and settings I have been unsuccessful in solving this issue. Instead, I plan on exporting/importing as much as I can from 3DS to SketchUp and then model the missing components within SketchUp to ensure that it will work.

Due to this unforeseen additional step it will mean that I need to finish modelling in 3DS earlier than originally planned so that I can allow extra time to model missing components in sketch up

Week 5: Additional Research

By being able to strip the building down to its timber framing it became apparent that there were some problems with the structure of the house. My biggest concern was the extremely long roof joists that spanned the entire length of the house (20m) and how they were actually able to withstand not only their own weight, but also the weight of the roof on top.

I met up with a friend who is a carpenter and quite experienced in this field and used a lot of his resources. Together we came to the conclusion that we could either use beams with an unrealistically large (for the building) cross section, or to place a column halfway through the gap to take some of the load of the roof. 

Other issues were the large window façade that formed the front corner of the house and the side window. These issues were resolved by placing a steel column at the corner of the house to take the entire load of the roof away from the windows. To combat the side window, it was decided that it would be best to double up the timber studs on either side of the window and place a large lintel on top of the window.

http://www.chhwoodproducts.com.au/hyspan-span-tables/#/8/zoomed

Week 4: Modelling

This week was spent entirely on modelling

Developing on last weeks work, I spent this week just modelling. I have managed to complete all stud work and noggings for the external walls, aswell as all of the internal walls and roofing.

As i have made progress this week, I have realised how time consuming this task is becoming. To help make the workflow more efficient I have discovered how important grouping becomes, as in 3DS Max you are able to hide/unhide objects by their group name- this saves ALOT of time.

I have also noticed however, that the more I do this, the quicker i become at it. Each day the workflow becomes more and more efficient.

Week 3: Start of Work

I began researching and modelling the stud work for the house.

This week started with me researching the requirements needed to model the stud work of a house according to the BCA.
My main source of information came from a friend who is a qualified carpenter and has a wealth of knowledge in this field.

My Primary concerns were with the spacing of stud work and noggings. The requirements covered this week dealt with roof joists and beams.

Research:

Modelling: 

After collecting the required information, I started the modelling process, which began as importing the Revit model into 3DS Max.

After importing the model into the file, i began to group the different elements into their related groups, e.g all external walls of the first floor were grouped into 'FirstFloorExternal'

From here I made the basic outline of the stud walls

Week 2: Team Creation

This week we formed the team, decided on our outcomes and assigned roles.

Very quickly after forming the team, we were able to start brainstorming different ideas,and ultimately, what we are trying to achieve.
After deciding the main stages of construction, we assigned different roles to different members, and discussed a basic schedule for the assignment completion to ensure that the task moves as smoothly as possible.

We also decided upon a wiki to use, aswell as a team name. I, along with Dan's help, created the logo for our team, '3RDi Construct'.

Major Output:
A CryEngine level that shows the accurate construction of a house
A video presentation of a video file showing working CryEngine level

Team Members & Roles:
Nikko: Project Manager
Salli: Construction consultant and BCA, Revit
Daniel: 3DS Max to Crysis, Media
Matt: 3DS Max Modelling, Media
Tim: Crysis
Demi: Presentation, Construction and BCA