Epcot 3D model progress - update

I've made significant progress on my Epcot model since the last page update. Most of Future World West & East is locked into position and more and more details are added with every session. It's great to see how the model takes shape.

Spaceship Earth Entrance

Top-Down View

Aerial Perspective

Live-Stream #001

Here's the recording of my previous live stream session.

Enjoy!

Next live session will happen during this weekend,

then i will work on some more details on Innoventions Plaza (CommuniCore)

and do some prep work for the Load Area inside the Spaceship Earth building.

Trash, Trash Everywhere!

One of the cool things i like about detail-work is, after hours and sometimes days, when you start to become really frustrated, eventually you look at the model and think to yourself "hm, ok, wasn't for nothing" or "whoohoo i'm done!"

And at this point it's most important to keep myself drawn into the project. So, some high detail props
are just what the model needs to give an impression of detail and scale. It adds a lot to the overall look of the current model, but let's start at the beginning:


The trashcans in Epcot look just like they do in other parks, i thought.
But after a little research trip through the depths of the internet,
i live in a land far, far, far away from Orlando, i quickly learned it's not the case.
I did already build a theme park trashcan, but it wouldn't do as it looks slightly different (out of 10 people, maybe 2 would notice they don't look the same. Still...).
So i used the base model, had to remove most detail (like the ridges, covering-plate, etc.)
and remodel it almost from scratch. You will likely think "why? it's not an important detail. Who cares.." But if you look at the renderings, you will notice he level-of-detail makes a huge difference.

Below are a few renderings from the old model

SO, why create such a high detail model of a trashcan?
The answer is simple, bins like these are scattered all over the park and yet you notice only a few of them. They vary in shape or colour, depending on where they are located throughout the park.
The more detail these 'props' have, the more they contribute to the overall appearance of the park model. Say i would only build very basic shapes for the benches, bins, lights etc.
They give an impression of detail and thus go hand in hand with the more prominent features of the park and attraction models. And if they lack detail, so will the rest.
(However, of course we'll need to keep in mind the overall poly budget)

Final model

animation of functionality

Spaceship Earth 3D model - October updates

New wipReel out now!

I've compiled a progress video of the latest updates to the model.

Enjoy!

Spaceship Earth logo

As the construction of the model advances, 

i need to begin work on some of the finer details

like trash cans, window frames, signs, etc.  

In this post i'll show you how the SSE logo was reconstructed from scratch.

The technique i came up with looks a bit exotic at first, but it works like a charm.

This 'segmentation' trick is used in drawing letters on paper, 

so, why shouldn't it work for drawing 3D typo, too?

1. First i made some reference linework so it mimics the original shape

2. After adding splines in the rough shape of the letters 

it's time to adjust their appearance and to soften the corners

3. Afterwards the small logo gets some more attention

until i'm happy with the results.

The logo and lettering are done, there's some more work needed on the background plate,

but that will happen at a later point in the building process.

For now, i can continue with adding other details around the building.

And here's a short slideshow of the progress seen above

Getting started - Spaceship Earth

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!

Epcot3D - now on YOUTUBE

Epcot3D is now on Youtube!

I will regularly upload videos to document the progress,

 Spaceship Earth and the park entrance lie in the focus

of my attention for the coming months.

See you there! :D