Hey guys, Ryan here. Last time I gave you a look into how I tackled modeling characters for Fractured State. This time around, I will let you see how I deal with a more environmental piece, and one I have a lot more room to play with.
You have seen one residential building - the tenement. It is one way the Laperians deal with their poor masses. For citizens that aren't lucky enough to have such housing there are other options. One of which is living in cobbled together shanty towns, called warrens. The warrens are thrown together with little regard to safety, function, comfort, or...well, anything. Its just a place to sleep that is better than the streets.So knowing this, i was given a concept, a feel for the piece, and sent to work. I will start by taking the idea for the piece and setting up a basic block shape model. From this model I am just looking to make a shape that I like. In this case, the concept is nothing more than an idea, or guide. So keeping that in mind, i throw down my shapes, find out if I like them, and move on from there.
From there it is just a matter of refining these rough shapes to something more distinct or interesting. The warrens are almost beehive-like, with doors in and out all over the place. Tiny cubbyholes tucked away where ever they can be put. We also wanted these structures to be more than just one story high, so movement between multiple levels needs to be possible. While adding detail, I have to think of how the textures will look, and what kind of materials will be present for these people to build ramshackle homes from. So it will mostly be spare wood and stray iron pieces. Maybe if they are lucky, they will have stone. Heh, right.
I started out with a limited number of "houses" and start adding them here or there if the shape needs it. Making sure that the houses themselves slowly become different as I add details.
Once I have added enough large detail, it is all about adding the smaller detail that makes things a bit more believable. I also want to make sure that a cursory glance at the "structure" of the building would actually hold itself up. And it needs to do so from any view-able angle. So here is what I end up with.
So that is a pretty usable model. For our viewing height/angle there's enough large detail, small detail, and its polygon count friendly. But we are not done yet. We want to be able to build new warrens of different shapes and sizes. So taking this building as a starting point, I break it down into modular pieces that I can rearrange and get all sorts of structures.
So that's all the pieces The model above can be broken down into. You have the large "house" pieces and then smaller support and detail pieces. Using these, I can make other structures, like these!
With just the handful of objects made from that very first structure, I can make maze-like warrens for the lowest of the Laperian society. Single story, or multiple stories can exist to show population density for territories in maps with quite an interesting visual cue. But buildings like these can be more than just another structure. Seeing as these types of buildings can be thrown together anywhere, by anyone. I wouldn't be surprised to see them scattered between other larger buildings, or built into alleys, like so:
So this is just one approach I can take with a model where I don't have to stick exactly to the concept. And this was definately a more fun one to play around with!
Check back later for more Fractured State news posts!
