Hey guys. I’m working on a piece for my college art show. I plan on having it printed, matted and framed by April 10. I want to to be as good as it possibly can, so I’d appreciate any ideas you have for improvement. Here is where I’m at right now.
It’s an old toal (sp?) bridge/fort. Its only 2 storyies tall with an atic. In the scene the blue roof, the brown mortar, the lighting and the camera angle are all similar to what I invisioned for the final piece. Nothing is finished. The sky is just a temp backdrop for now, and obviously the ground and water are unfinished. Btw, if anyone could point me toward a nice water shader I would appreciate it… something not to clear if possible.
Very nice SpindleRift!
I think you could add some big stones around the windows (arghh… I have no idea what it’s called in english, something like that ) and on the vault of the bridge.
Just a couple of points - more to do with castle building than your modeling - if you use a gothic (pointed) window, shouldn’t the hole in the wall also be pointed? Also castle windows were usually tall and thin - often with angled sills and jambs.
I notice you have several flying butresses (the 3 stepped walls pointing out to the left at the front) which aren’t supporting anything - considering that flying butresses exist only to support something else this seems a bit weird to me. Compositionally speaking these butresses are about the right shape and in the right place, so you might just want to give them something to support or make them into a room
I like your modeling so far. The main thing that I think needs to be improved is the grass. Maybe try the Fiber script to make some more realistic grass.
I’d agree that the butresses do look out of place, a room or maybe a walkout balcony might look nice there.
Also the stone pattern on the bridge is somewhat repetative. I’m a serious noob at this & I haven’t learned how to do it myself but maybe some bumpmapping would fix it …& I think if you carried the same texture up the buttresses it might look better also. That clean seperation in texture at the bottom just seems odd.
I love the slate roof tiles but I’m not so crazy about the way the Spanish tile came out. I’d go with the slate on all of it.
You could also add a flag & a couple banners …maybe a tapestry with the family crest hanging over the bridge.
Wow! Thanks for the comments guys. There were some great suggestions!
GreyDog: I apreciate the suggestions. I’ve reworked the butresses. So they should be more functional. As far as the brige texture goes, it’s only temporary. In the end it will be much the same as the castle. I do agree wtih teh spanish tile. My reference picture looks alot like my original render with the same tiling as i put on the roofs, but I plan on changing the brown spanish tile to the blue slate becuase I like the slate better as well. I dont plan on putting any banners on it because when i finish the textures it will look much older than it does now.
roofoo: I haven’t done anything with the water or the grass but lay down the ruff geometry. i plan on UVing the ground and adding some fiber as you suggested. The water will be done in a day or as well.
Blackwing: windows in these old buildings were small because they were inefficient. According to my reference image, the windows are proportional to the building.
Roger: Thanks!
speterso: Thanks for the suggestions. I’v reworked the window frames to be more square. I’v also reworked the butresses. Let me know what you think of the new ones!
Rore: I really appreciate the suggestions! Also, thanks for the link to the water! With a little work i think it will look great. I like the reed idea, but the weeping willow is gonna have to wait because the deadline is approaching quickly
Job: thanks for the compliment. As far as the texture on the castle goes, I’m planning on leaving it as it is. I think in the end it will work for the composition better. i want the foreground to be warm (reds and yellows), and the background to be cool (blues and purples). I’m afraid that making the castle out of stone would pull it into the background.
I would texture the wall of the castle (with stones) but i like the shape of it 
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