Let's start with the most complicated structure in all of Epcot, Spaceship Earth.
I started a few months ago, but i will try to document
the early stages of how the model evolved and why the
"incremental detail" approach was key in
getting the proportions just right.
(within a tolerance of less than 1ft.)
References are important:
Firstly, i needed a LOT of reference photos,
so i used the picture searches on Google, Flickr, Bing and whatnot,
browsed throuh dozens of Blogs related to SSE.
I also managed to get a few fuzzy blueprint copies
both official and unofficial drawings.
(a big thanks to marnie1971 from the WDWmagic forums)
Though, the blueprints are only usable to a certain extend,
as they are either too blurry or not accurate
enough to fully rely on just those.
BUT, with the combination of photos and the blueprints
you get a good impression of the dimensions.
One of the most important puzzle-pieces,
to help me get my head around the structural 'logic',
was a pdf document by Tampa Steel Erecting Co.
about Spaceship Earth's construction.
(You can find the pdf here).
In short: A lot of brainfreeze and steam-out-the-ears before i could even get started.
with satellite maps, construction photos,
available unofficial and grainy copies of official blueprints
i was able to model a rough and simple placeholder structure,
this was very important to be able to match the proper dimensions as close as possible.
It's a real pain to move around parts of the model once you start with the details.
The model is slowly taking shape. But it's still a long way to go.
Now it's time to start with the first details,
this is where the incremental approach starts to kick in.
You might notice how parts of the model change over time,
or have more and more details added.
Why? Because the model is supposed to be as close
to the original structure as possible.
To be able to match the original this close
(from only reference pictures and a few fuzzy blueprints, to mention it again)
it's inevitable to move parts of the structure, refine surfaces and sizes,
raise a door (or even a floor).
Therefore all unnecessary detail is being avoided until
i'm convinced it's all in the right place.
I will come back to this topic in a
later post with an explicit example.
The pictures below show how the ride entrance
slowly transforms from a couple of random shapes
into something a bit more recognizable. ;)
Blocking out the queue railing
The railing paths are all in place now,
i used AEC rails (so i can still quickly adjust the paths, if necessary)
but will refine each individual segment later in the process
This is a tedious job so i want to make sure i have the rest
of the queue area and walkwas done before i finish the railings.
Time to refine the cut length of the ceiling panels
and to adjust the mural frame.
Almost done, you can already see the spacing inbetween the panels
and even a few dents and bends.
(these details will be hardly noticed later in the final renders,
but it will make a huge difference towards a realistic look)
The entrance of SSE is getting along nicely
The entrance path is still too high in these renders,
This happened due to inconsistencies in the reference material.
The solution was to lower the overall walkway height
around the building by 2 ft.
(I will get back to this topic in another post)
early AO-pass render
Global illumination test.
The detail starts to make a difference now.
I'm quite happy with the results so far.
Even though the detail (and amount of polys)
will become hard to manage soon and it will
blow up the overall perfomance need for the model.
It certainly is challenging to find the right
balance between performance and detail.
A challenge i'm willing to accept!
As we reach the end of this post,
i would like to give you a first glimpse
at the overall exterior model.
Keep in mind though, this video is a preview-render
therefore it does not look as pretty as some of
the above renderings.
Visit Epcot3D on Youtube for more videos!
