Continue modelling the guildhall

After having modelled the basic shape of the guildhall we got hold of some more detailed plans. I brought these into 3DS Max and adjusted the model slightly where the new reference images were different to what I had modelled.

The two floors of the model now fitted better together. There were lines drawn on the ground floor plan that could be used to help line up the top and bottom floor.

As the new guildhall plans were larger and included more detail it was easier to use them for modelling over the previous ones. It will also make it easier when creating the interior objects as the items inside will be clearer.

I modelled beams for the building using the reference images for both floors. I also used the reference images to model the interior of the attic, I will use this when modelling the roof.

This is what the model looks like so far. Next I need to redo the roof, as it is different in these reference images than the previous reference images I had used, as well as the beams below the first floor.

Modelling the guildhall

To model the guildhall I set up reference plates using the floor plans that had been collected and traced the outline of these using spline lines. I did this for the top and bottom floor.

Next I added an extrude modifier to see how they would look once extruded and then set up the reference plates for the side of the guildhall.

I scaled the planes and positioned them so that they matched the size of the floor plan. I used a box to make sure that the building was the right size.

I adjusted the extrude value in the extrude modifier until it was correct with the reference plates of the side of the guildhall and then moved the upper floor into place on top of the ground floor.

Next I converted the spline to an editable poly and filled in the gaps that I had left for doors and windows using the snap to vertex tool and create in polygon mode. The extrude modifier was removed as it cannot be used on an editable poly.

I made sure each of the sections was a quad and then used the extrude tool to extrude the polygons for the floor plan up to the height of the bottom of the first window. I extruded this up to the top of the window and then to the top of the ground floor.

Next using the side guides I deleted the polygons where windows and door would be. As I had extruded up to the bottom of the window there was a polygon placed correctly to remove the window.

I then used snap to vertex and create polygons to fill in around the doors and windows.

I did the same for the top floor. Shown are the windows for the church side of the guildhall.

Next I used the road side guide to create the windows for the front this time if there was not a edge loop below the window I used swift loops to add another loop where needed.

This allowed me to delete the polygons in the same way to create the windows.

Above the windows for the front of the building are also shown.

To create the roof I used a box and scaled it to size using the reference guides. I converted the shape to an editable poly and joined the vertices at the top to create the roof. I then moved vertices to create the shape of the roof.

So far modelling the guildhall has gone well. What needs to be done now:

• In different reference images the roof shape is different and this is also different from the way the roof looks now. We need to find out what one is the correct roof shape before it can be modeled in more detail.
• The two floors fit together quite well although parts of the top floor are slightly out of line with the ground floor. Using snap to vertex it will be quite easy for these to be lined up.
• On the north side the diagonal wall on the top floor looks like it is in the wrong place as it doesn't line up as expected with the wall of the ground floor. This may be a problem with the floorplan, the modelling or because it is an old building and the parts look wrong but that may be how it is supposed to be. The wall on the top floor could probably be adjusted so that the two floors fit together nicely.
• As the guildhall is situated on a hill the bottom of the guildhall model will have to be extended on the road side as I have not yet included this in the model.

Above the basic shape of the guildhall model is shown. This is how the model looks at the moment more work will need to be done to add more detail.

Finchingfield research

Finchingfield Guildhall
The Guildhall in Finchingfield has been the centre of village life for over 550 years and has immense historical significance. The guildhall is a grade 1 listed building that was built 1470. The building is currently undergoing repair and restoration that should be complete in 2012.

The guildhall is maintained and managed by the Finchingfield Guildhall Trust and is a registered charity that manages the restoration and helps with fundraising for the development.

History of Finchingfield Guildhall
The Guild of the Holy Trinity founded the Guildhall circa 1470. The guildhall would have been used as a school room and the original hall on the upper floor used for to celebration feasts.

After the Reformation, a law was passed abolishing Guilds the Guildhall fell into disrepair. It was then bought by John Mildmay but the use is unknown.

In the 1620s the guildhall was brought by Robert Kempe, of Spains Hall. He paid for it to be repaired and extended.

In 1630 he sold it to a group of village members for £50 (this can be seen in the deeds) and the hall remains in village ownership today. The Guildhall was to be used as a school or almshouses.

Robert Kempe endowed land to the school. The land known as Spains Fields is now rented to the current owner of Spains Hall. 75% of the income goes to the Sir Robert Kempe Education Foundation. This is a charity that supports local scholars and students.

In 1658 almshouses are recorded in the Guildhall. Between 1630 and 1658 it is not known what happened to the Guildhall.

The Guildhall was used by the village for civic administration, poor relief and education.

By the early part of the 20th century the Guildhall had fallen into disuse and disrepair after the school had been discontinued with the advent of state education, and there was only one occupant in the almshouses.

In 1938 plans were made to repair the Guildhall but the outbreak of World War II stopped this and it was not until 1950s that the repairs could begin.

A museum and library were created by 1954 on the ground floor and the 'School Room' had now become the 'Parish Room'. The first residents moved into the almshouses in 1959.

A lot of the repair work in the 50s was carried out using modern materials and this now has been found to be damaging the timber frame. The current project will strip out the harmful materials and to restore the original guildhall on the upper floor as well as including an improved library and museum.

http://www.finchingfieldguildhall.org.uk


The Guildhall restoration
The development is needed as work carried out in 1950s is damaging the original timber frame of the building and the Parish Room on the upper floor is no longer usable. The roof also needs to be replaced as it is dangerous. The development work will also improve the kitchen and WC facilities, add heating and improve access to allow disabled access and should be complete in 2012.

Restoration

• Modern elements such as the cement render, concrete floors and modern partitions will be stripped out

• Roof tiles will be removed, and repairs made to and the roof timbers, the roof tiles will be saved for re-use

• Repairs will be made to the oak frame

• The walls will be coated with lime render and repairs made to the original wattle and daub

• Internal floors will be replaced with limecrete and brick

• Modern partitions removed

• Heating and Insulation

Facilities

• The guildhall on the upper floor will be restored – this can be used as a venue for meetings, exhibitions, performances and functions
• The library and museum on the ground floor
• A lift and new staircase
• WC facilities
• Kitchen  

The restoration will also create an improved layout for the guildhall.

http://www.finchingfieldguildhall.org.uk/restoration.html

Finchingfield village
Finchingfield village has been described as "the most photographed village in England".

The village green and duck pond provide a picturesque setting.

As well as the Guildhall there is a windmill in the village that dates from mid to late 1700.

The Church of Saint John the Baptist situated behind the Guildhall dates manly from the 14th century, although the bottom two stages of the tower were built in the 12th.

There are a number of timber framed Georgian and Medieval shops and cottages around the village.

Finchingfield is surrounded by countryside and small sections of woodland. The River Pant runs close to Finchingfield.

Dodie Smith the author of 101 Dalmations lived in the village and another local author is Norman Lewis.

http://www.braintree.gov.uk/Braintree/councildemocracy/Parish+Councils/Parish+Clusters/Three+Fields/Finchingfield1.htm, http://website.lineone.net/~northessex/finchingfield.html, http://www.btinternet.com/~roger.beckwith/Finchingfield/

Final render and Evaluation

Below is the final render of my head model. I lit the scene and rendered it using mental ray.

I think that my head model has progressed well as I have finished working through all of the video tutorials and am pleased with the results. I think that more time could have been spent on the material stage but some of the stages in creating the model took longer than I had expected. I think that the final result looks reasonably like me but with some more adjustments to the mesh I may be able to improve the likeness.

Other things that could be added to the model are the hair and fur modifier could be used to create more realistic hair rather than just using the flat hair from the texture. Eyelashes could be added as well as hair for eyebrows. More detail could be added around the eye on head model and the eyeball model could include more detail. Subsurface scattering (sss) could be used on the model to create a more skin like texture as this would simulate the way light passes through the skin then scatters in places like the ears.

As well as these additional features the model could be animated to bring life to the model.
Creating the model was challenging but enjoyable. Following the video tutorials was quite straight forward although it was quite hard to join the ear to the head. I am quite happy with the overall model but the nose and lips could do with some work.

I am not great at Photoshop but I am pleased with the way the textures have turned out. I found creating the texture maps quite fun and learnt a lot about a variety of different tools and techniques in Photoshop.

With regard to the 3d modelling I learnt about using create, cut and connect to add to the existing mesh. I also learn more about using the Unwrap UVW modifier and how to correctly unwrap the head model.

It was interesting to learn about the correct layout for topology and I think that planning the topology before starting the model really helped during the modelling stage.

I think that if I had to model a head again I would have a better understanding of how the model should be created and the stages that should be taken.

Creating the eyes

I created some eyeballs for the model using spheres. I then scaled the spheres to size and edited them so that there were two loops for the on the eye in place for the pupil and iris.

I used a symmetry modifier create the other eye and then rotated the sphere so the eyes were facing forward. I used a multi-material with set with different colours for different parts of the eyes.

Eyes without texture in place

I decided to use a texture for the eye. To quickly texture the eyes I used a UVW map modifier set to planar and then adjusted the height and width of the image and the U, V and W tile values to get it into the right place. I lined the iris on the eye and then applied a turbosmooth to smooth the eye.

As I used planar mapping for the texture it tiles across the eyeball are like this (see below), but you can see this as they are inside the head.  If I was going to animate the eyes I would neeed to redo the UV mapping on the eyes but as it is a still it doesn't matter too much.

Specular map

To create the specular map I started with the bump map and then adjusted the levels to make the map darker. I imported in the UV template as it was hard to see the different part of the head as the map was so dark with little detail.

I created a new layer and with a paint brush set to lighten I painted onto the map where the specular highlights would be. I painted more around the eyes, mouth, nose and forehead as these parts of the face are more oily. I then applied a Gaussian blur to the texture so that the different sections would be blend together.

I adjusted the specular settings for the material so it looked more shiny. All of the head was affected by these settings where the light shone on it. This is not what I wanted and this is why the spec map will be used. Where the map is black the specular highlights will not be applied but where the map is white the specular settings will be applied.

Below the head model with the spec map applied is shown. You can see that the specular highlights are only applied in the places where specular map has white sections. In the above screenshot there are highlights on the neck but in the image below there are no specular highlights on the neck as they were not painted onto the map.

When using the spec map I had a problem using a PSD file, the spec map was not applied to the material. I solved this exporting the spec map from Photoshop as a PNG file, when this was used in 3DS Max the spec map was applied correctly. After this I went back and looked at the problem I had with the bump map and was able to solve it in the same way.

Bump map

To create the bump map I opened the texture in that I created in Photoshop and desaturated it.

Next I adjusted the levels to increase the contrast.

I used a high pass filter on the image and then used the clone stamp tool to blend the edges so that they did not create bumps around the seams on the model.

I applied the bump map material to the head model and rendered an image to see the effect. I found that the bump effect was too much so I changed the amount down from 30 to 1 and this was still too high so I created the bump map again using a lower setting for the high pass filter.

I applied a mix material to the model and applied noise material into he second slot. I set the type to fractal to create a skin like texture to create the pores on the model.

I zoomed into the head and rendered an image to see the bump map applied to the model. By adjusting the mix amount I could adjust how much of each of the two textures were blended together.

Later when creating the spec map I found that the bump map problem was caused by using a PSD file. I saved the image as a PNG and this worked better.

Removing Texture Seams

After applying the texture to the head there is a seam along the top and back of the head and on the neck as well as around the ear because of the way the head is unwrapped. With a bit of work this could probably be removed in Photoshop but it is much easier to remove inside 3DS Max.

Using Viewport Canvas you can paint directly onto the model and paint over the seams to disguise them.

Open viewport canvas (Tools > Viewport Canvas) and select the diffuse material. Select the clone tool as this will also you to sample the texture on the head and use this to cover the seam.

Use alt + left click to select a sample point and then paint over the seam by left click and dragging. When done right click to exit, this saves the changes to the texture image.

Head model with texture seams removed

Head model with the seams around the ear removed

Taken from the Removing Texture Seams section of http://www.polygonblog.com/texturing/

Finishing the texture

I started off by adding more detail to the hair and moved the eyebrows into the right place as well as fixing some other parts of the texture.

The eyebrows were difficult to get into the right place and I am reasonably happy with the final placement of the eyebrows. In the screenshot below I still need to finish the creating the lips in the texture.

I lips also caused a problem trying to get them into the right place. Looking at the mesh in 3DS Max I noticed that they were not modeled that well and after adjusting the mesh it was easier to get them into place. The final placement of the lips look OK but with a bit more work maybe they could be made to look better.

Above my head model in front view is shown with the finished texture in place and below it is shown in side view.
 

Below the finished texture map in Photoshop is shown.

After finishing the texture I moved onto creating the bump map texture for my head.

Texture painting (continued)

I placed the hair for front part of head in place in the texture in Photoshop and then viewed the texture on the model in 3DS Max to see how it looked.

I imported the normal map, that I rendered when creating the UV map, into Photoshop, as this would make it easier to see the which part of the eyes and nose would be inside the mesh. I coloured the inside of the eyes red and the inside of the nose black using the normal map as a guide.

Looking at the texture mapped to the head in 3DS Max I found that the eyebrows, lips and hair were in the the wrong place. I used liquify in Photoshop to move the lips into the right place, this made them too blurry so I decided to do them again. For the eyebrows I selected them with the lasso tool and then pasted them into the right place.

When looking at the side of the head the ear colour didn't match the head and the hair was not close enough to the ear. As the ear is in a separate section to the in the UV map it is difficult to match the texture across the ear. This may be able to be solved by putting the ear back into the section in the head but this would mean that the ear UV would be more

I continued the texture over where the ear would be and then copied this onto the ear and used warp to fit it to the shape of the ear, this worked quite well but I think that with some more work it could be made to look better.

Next I need to move the lips into the right place on the texture and blend the eyebrows into the head texture. Once the texture is complete I will create the bump map texture to create some texture on the skin.

Texture painting

To creating the texture for the model I opened up the UV template in Photoshop to use as a guide. I created a solid black layer so that I could see the guide. I doubled the texture size to 4096 x 2048 so that the texture would be as large as possible so it would be clearer.

I opened up refence image to use when creating the texture. I used the lasso tool to copy and paste sections from the reference images into texture and then used the free transform and warp tool to get it to fit to the UV template.

I merged the individual layers so I could then blend them together. I used the healing brush, spot healing brush and the clone stamp tool to blender the different sections of the textures together. I saved a PNG copy of the image with no compression so this will not affect the quality of the texture.

In 3DS Max I created a new material and set a the image texture as the diffuse colour for the material. Below the head model is shown with the partly complete texture map in place.

Below the texture map so far is shown. I have tried to remove the shadows from the texture as these will be created by the lights in the scene so do not need to be included in the texture map.

Below the material in 3DS Max so far is shown, there is still a bit of work to do on the face as well as trying to remove the seams on the top of the head and neck.

I also need to add the hair at the front of the head and to move lips, eyebrows etc so that they are in the right place on the mesh.

I will continue creating the texture and then go onto creating the bump texture material for the model.