Masonry Wall with Array Modifiers Staff Pick

Description:

OK, so the file is large for just a wall. But ... It comes with a nice patch of terrrain with short and long grasses that is easy to modify and that you can append to other models to use in many outdoor scenes in the future. The "dirt in scene is lame. You can use the techniques in my Sand Landscape model on Blendswap to turn it into realistic dirt--just adjust the color and reduce the size of the "grains" in the sand texture.

The texture, normal, and bump maps are worth the download alone.

Actually, I've turned off the grasses in the particle tab to reduce the size from more than 13MB down to what you see here. To render the same scene as the photograph, simply set the short grass count in the particle settings to 5,000 and the long grass count to 15,000 and press F12 to render. Want more grass? Just increase the particle counts.

You can also download my "Realistic Grass Field" scene on Blendswap (just go to your profile and search for BMF files) that is more extensive and includes thistles and buttercups as well as a fence, rocks, and trees.

The focus of this wall was to practice several skills.

1. The wall textures I created using a niffty little program for creating textures for 3D graphic called "Bricks n Tiles". It's free and you can read about and down load it at http://www.bricksntiles.com/. There is an option to donate, which I recommend (I am not affiliated in anyway with the application).

You create your own brick, masonry, and stone textures with the option of creating the normal and bump maps as well. It does some wood (very nice actually), but I'll be recommending a dedicated program for creating your own wood textures in a future posting.

1. I needed more practice at cutting UV seams correctly so I spent some time ensuring the textures matched around the corners and on top of the wall so that the mortar matched both in the arrays and around the corners. For experienced modelers this isn't any big deal, but for those of us new to 3D modeling, it takes practice to get the hang of good UV mapping.

2. The top blocks on the wall were just some quick decorations, but they have array modifiers as well.

3. There is a stencil to add moss to the walls and top blocks.

The wall looks simple in the photograph, but here is how to use this model to make more complex walls for urban and industrial scenes.

The walls have array modifiers. The count is currently set to 1. To extend the walls left or right, just increase the count. If the wall extends in the opposite direction than you wanted, simply change the sign for the relative offset in the array modifier from negative to positive or from positive to negative. The image, normal, and bump textures should match up very well as you extend the walls.

There are four wall sections: left front and side and right front and side. When your wall needs to go in another direction, just duplicate the appropriate section reposition it and then use the array count/offset to extend it. Double check the UV mapping to ensure that the mortar matches around the corners. I've tried to make those adjustments and the sections should be nearly identical, but you may need to make minor adjustments to the UV map on the ends if they don't already match.

Ditto for the straight top blocks. Just increase the count and change the the offset as needed.

There are two corner blocks. When you make a new corner, just duplicate one of them and use it. I did not make a "T" top block connector, but you can make one very easily. Just look how the corners are made and/or duplicate and modify a corner block.

One last note. You can very quickly change the wall to a brick, stucco, wood, etc. wall just be changing the textures. I'll be posting a brick and stucco wall based on this model in the next couple of days.

All of the textures are free of copyrights. You are welcome to use the wall and terrain however you like. No need to credit me--no one has a clue who I am anyway and I'm just doing this as a hobby.