Contents:
pt. 1 Introduction
ch. 1 Overview of Media 2
Current Methods and Work Flows 2
Adoption 4
Reliance on Design Drawings 5
ch. 2 Digital Media Industries 9
Film Video 9
CG and Visual Effects 10
Video Games 11
Interactive Media 12
ch. 3 Digital Media 13
New Modes of Participation 14
Craft 15
Repetition and Recursion 16
Mediated Environments 16
ch. 4 Representation, Illustration, and Simulation 18
Definitions 18
Roles 19
ch. 5 Design Practice 21
Current Practice 21
Design Process: Heuristics 22
Possibilities and Futures 24
pt. 2 Scene
ch. 6 Diorama: Setting the Stage 28
Taming Infinite Worlds: Limiting the Workspace 28
Working in Measured Space 30
Composition: Foreground/Middleground/Background 33
Composition: Ground/Horizon/Sky 34
Modeling Strategy: Narrative 34
ch. 7 Arranging the Elements 36
Positioning Elements in 3D Space 36
Setting Up a 3D Diorama 39
Proposed and Contextual 45
Dynamic Elements 45
ch. 8 Composition and Views 47
The Camera 47
Framing the Composition 48
View Perspective 48
Focal/Peripheral 49
Major Film Shots 50
ch. 9 Movement in the Environment 55
Camera and Movement 55
Passive versus Active Participant 55
Camera Movement in Film 56
Zoom 56
Pan 57
Tilt 57
Dolly or Track 57
Crab or Truck 58
Pedestal, Crane, or Boom 58
Follow 58
Animating the Camera 59
Pacing and Motion 61
pt. 3 Object
ch. 10 Object 64
Typologies 64
Site Elements 65
Infrastructural 66
Vegetation 67
The Importance of Modeling Vegetation 67
The Challenges of Modeling Vegetation 67
Tools 68
Object in Context 69
ch. 11 Modeling Overview 70
Components of Polygons 70
Operations 71
Modify Selection 71
Edit Geometry 72
Subdivision and Smoothing 72
Modeling from Primitives 72
ch. 12 Using CAD Linework 78
Refining and Importing 78
Refinement of CAD Linework 78
Extruding CAD Linework 81
ch. 13 Polygon Modeling 83
Image Planes 83
Selecting and Preparing the Photo 83
ch. 14 Spline Modeling 91
Components of Splines 91
What Are NURBS? 92
Operations 93
Lathe 93
Loft 93
Spline Cage 93
Technique 95
ch. 15 Materiality 98
Material Types 98
Standard Materials 99
Photometric Materials 103
Special-Purpose Materials 105
Relationship of Material to Surface 107
pt. 4 Terrain
ch. 16 Terrain Surface 114
Scale of Surfaces 114
Data and Surface Framework 116
Inputs: Generated, Supplied, and Collected 116
Surface Structures: Contours, TINs, and Grid Meshes 118
Typologies 119
Hills Highlands 120
Flats Lowlands 120
Slopes Ramps 121
Channels Swales 121
Basins Depressions 122
Domes Mounds 122
Representation 122
ch. 17 Terrain Construction 124
Using Contour Data 124
Splines Sections 128
ch. 18 Terrain Modeling Meshes 131
Meshes 131
Displacement 136
ch. 19 Surface Materials 140
Displacement and Bump Mapping 140
Water 143
Noise Modifier 145
ch. 20 Distributions 147
Scatter 147
Paint Objects 150
Hair 151
pt. 5 Atmosphere
ch. 21 Lighting Atmosphere 154
Lighting 154
Time of Day 155
Weather 155
Seasons 156
Artificial Light and Pollution 156
ch. 22 Rendering and Lighting Systems 157
mental ray 157
Lights 159
Shadows 160
Daylight Systems 161
Final Gather and Global Illumination 162
ch. 23 Atmospheric Conditions 165
Haze and Fog 165
Clouds 168
Sunset/Sunrise 170
ch. 24 Advanced and Real-Time Lighting Systems 172
Caustics 172
HDR Imagery 173
iray 176
Alternative Renderers 176
ch. 25 Temporal Atmospheres 177
Perception of Time 177
Wind 179
pt. 6 Simulation
ch. 26 Animation 182
Motion and Keyframing 182
Animation Tools 183
Output Methods 188
ch. 27 Linking Controllers 192
Hierarchy and Linking 192
Parameter Curve Out of Range 193
Controllers and Constraints 195
ch. 28 Animation Techniques 197
Animating Component Construction 197
Terrain Animation 197
Construction 201
ch. 29 Simulation Rigid Bodies 202
Introduction 202
Rigid Body Simulation 203
MRigids 204
ch. 30 Simulation Particles and Soft Bodies 209
Particle Systems 209
Particle Flow 209
Flowing Water 211
Blowing Leaves 216
Soft Body Systems 217
ch. 31 Scripting 219
Scripting 219
Accessing the Scripting Tools 220
Fundamentals 221
Using Scripts 223
pt. 7 Composite
ch. 32 Composite Imagery 226
Compositing 226
Alpha Channel 227
Viewport Background 228
Matte/Shadow/Reflection 229
Render Elements 230
ch. 33 Composite Scene States Batch 232
Scene States 232
Batch Rendering 233
ch. 34 Illustrative Composite 235
Model as Base for Collage 235
Model as Framework Human Scale 238
Model as Framework Aerial View 242
ch. 35 Animated Composite 245
Composite 245
Composite Animation Static Background 246
Composite Animation 249
Bibliography 251
Image Credits 253
Index

Includes bibliographical references and index.

A single-source guide to harnessing the power of 3D visualization tools for analysis and representation of landscapes

Current technology allows designers to model environmental phenomena and space in new and exciting ways that go beyond the two-dimensional plane. The models, illustrations, and animations that can be created usher in a new paradigm of landscape representation that can become analytical tools as well as beautiful imagery. The text focuses on digital modeling methods that can be used to express rich environments using digital tools to develop, composite, and animate scenes.

This full-color book provides coverage of 3D visualization tools for land planning and landscape architecture. The methods and theories in Modeling the Environment present landscape representation around a core set of ideas—scene, object, terrain, environment/atmosphere, time/dynamics, and the composite—that centers representation on human experience. Supported by www.lab.visual-logic.com, a website offering tutorials and forums, the text shows you how to use Autodesk 3ds Max to create dynamic landscape environments while also referring to a range of other tools including Google SketchUp, Autodesk Maya, and AutoCAD Civil 3D. It also demonstrates how to integrate 3D visualization tools into existing workflows, and offers critical coverage of intelligent drawings and representations, giving you a glimpse at the future of the profession. This book:

Includes sections intended to build upon one another in order to understand the environment as a composite representation of multiple systems interacting

Shows how to integrate 3D visualization tools into existing workflows, as opposed to offering an entirely new workflow

Emphasizes modeling, animation, and simulation as both design analysis tools and presentation tools

Modeling the Environment is essential reading for professionals in landscape architecture, urban planning and design, architecture, and related disciplines who are looking to be at the forefront of technology.