Instruction - Road To Eternity

NARRATIVES

The following pages contain detailed instructional explanations of Studio ideas, thoughts, techniques, and processes used in the construction of artwork and media products.





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CONSTRUCTION - TOWER OF BABEL - By Don Bergland

This site provides a detailed presentation of the Studio processes used in the construction a 3D model of the Tower of Babel.

This was a simple construction exercise in using pre-constructed 3D model forms to construct a visual simulation of the Tower of Babel. This exercise resulted in the construction of 5 Towers which were then placed in the Library Inventory for further use in other visual explorations, paintings, and projects

MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2013

I was living in Mexico, pursuing the Nayarit Residency 1 in Bucerias. On this particular day, I had just picked up a para llevar lunch at my favorite restaurant and was eating it back in my Casita Studio.

While I ate, I looked for iPad games online. I wanted a game where the player is a God. I searched for some appropriate games and found one called Babel Rising. I purchased it.

I played through this for a while and was attracted by the main Tower building. I have always been attracted to the Tower of Babel and have often thought of using this icon in my own visual work. So, I went online, looking for 3D Models to use in my construction work. There wasn't very much out there. I did find this - Tower of Babel - Incredible - $230 at Turbosquid. This is a good model, but it is for Max, and very expensive.

And then, an Idea struck!

TOWER OF BABEL

Now, wait a minute here. I've been online, looking at great Towers of Babel, paintings, drawings, concept, and the occasional 3D model. But, there isn't anything available for use. I kept lamenting my lack of 3D modeling skill. If I could, I would enter Max or Maya and build my own.

Then, in one of those strange moments of inspiration, I thought, "why not build my own with what I have? In my mind, appeared the Circus Platform I have in Poser.

Okay. From this:

babylon

To this:

babel

To this (in about 10 minutes). I made the map out of pieces found online.

babylon

Hey! Not perfect. But, a start. I think if I spent some time with this, I could come out with something interesting.

I'm going to put this in the Figures Library - Time/Babel01

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2010

PROJECT - BABEL

Location - Projects/Project-Babel

Last Worked on - Yesterday, April 29, 2013

Yesterday, I purchased an iPad game called Babel Rising. There is some interesting 3D imagery based on Breughel's painting of the Tower of Babel. Apparently, he painted three paintings of the Tower. One is lost.

I have always liked this tower.
I spent some time online looking for a good model of the tower, but no luck. There is one good one at TurboSquid, but it is over $200 and is in Max format.
So, in one of those moments of inspiration, I took a Circus Pylon, stacked and scaled them, and then quickly built a texture map in Photoshop.

I was impressed at how easy this was, and how silly the result ended up being.
So, it has been on my mind since then, and I've thought of a few very strange themes, such as Babel Cakes. Anyway I want to pursue this and construct a variety of Babel Towers.
1.	The first thing I'm going to do is construct a variety of Babel Texture Maps. I'll open the Map file i was using last evening. This is the stock Texture Map for the Circus Platform.

2.	I'll find one of the photographs of building fronts I gathered last night.

3.	In Photoshop, I'll simply select a good section that can be replicated sequentially, and then run it off in a big strip.

	I also changed the base of the model to a single texture (circular top).
4.	Last night, I saved the Tower model I had constructed in one of my Figure Libraries. I installed it to use as a trial in this project.

5.	In the Materials Editor, I installed the new Map on each o the 5 Platforms.

6.	A Rendering.

	This is certainly interesting, but there are a few things that need examination: - the Map doesn't fully extend at the bottom - the model needs to be constructed properly
	This latter point is probably the one I should now address. Making the Maps is easy. Building good Towers might be a bit more challenging.
7.	So, there are some questions to have to answer first.

	I don't know if I want these Babels to look overly realistic, but they have to look modeled, a bit contrived, but relate to reality. I don't think it is possible to make all heights the same. This would look too silly. But I think all the walkways need to look similar, or at least the walkways need to be larger at the bottom and smaller at the top. The way the model looks now, this is reversed.
	So, what if I work out a Measuring Stick in Photoshop, and then Map it to an object to use in the Set.
	Or, can I just do this by "eye?"
8.	I'm going to give this a try by "eye" first and see what happens. I'm going back to Poser and work on the model.

9.	Now, I want to construct what appear to be different types of Towers. So, I have to construct some different Texture Maps. I'm going to use the base Texture Map that came with the Circus Platform I'm using as the object for the Towers. I'll go online and find some images of historical buildings that I can cut up and use as overlays in the Map.
10.	Find a basic Facade, cut it out in Photoshop.

11.	Replicate the length of the Facade image.

12.	Rebuild the original Texture Map with the new colors and Facade.

13.	Apply the new Map to a copy of the Model, and you basically have a new Tower.

14.	Once again, find an image of a Facade and cut it out in Photoshop.

15.	Extend the Facade piece. Rebuild the original Map using the Facade and appropriate colors.

16.	Apply the new Map to another copy of the Tower Model. You basically have a new Tower.

17.	I'll try one more model, so I have 5 Towers in total.

18.	And, the last Tower of the day.

19.	So, I got to thinking. This Tower concept came fairly easily and fluidly using a Circus Platform. Are there other object in my model Inventory that I could use in the same way? The objects have to be circular and sloping, slightly conical in form.
20.	I inserted a round Dining Room Table with Tablecloth, and sized and replicated copies.

	Interesting, but I don't know if this works for this particular project. Maybe if I want a draped Tower.
21.	I thought of the Cupcake I have. Maybe if this was turned upside down? I installed it in the set.

22.	I turned it over, replicated it two times, and sized and placed the replications on top of each other.

	Interesting, but it doesn't work for me.
23.	Okay. I have a bunch of Towers of Babel. Now, what do I do with them? Babelcake? I think the thing to do would be to start a composition and see what could occur? I loaded a Cake Stand I have.

24.	I removed the Cake, and put a Tower on the Stand.

	I'm not sure that I like this a lot, but I may use it somewhere.
	I think I'll put a quick composition together, using all the Towers I created, including the Cake Stand Babel.
25.	I put all 5 Towers together on a Textured Floor and constructed an arrangement.

	Should I take this to a Paintings and create a Babelcake store?
	Or, how about Towers of Meat - place Meat Textures on these.

CONSTRUCTION - TOWER OF BABEL - By Don Bergland

You can explore further Studio Production Instructional Details through Don Bergland's Online Journal