My interest within interior design lies in the VIRTUAL SPACES, the realm where anything is possible and nothing is truely off limits for the impossibilities of the real world need not apply.
Throughout my final project I will be exploring how different software can be used within an interior design project to bring spaces to life digitally. How creating these types of virtual environments are done and my own personal thoughts on using these computer programs and how successful I think using them has been for my project.
Contents Initial concept ideas Page 01 What concept & why Page 05 Initial thoughts Page 06 Inspiration moodboard Page 07 Contracts explained Page 08 Posters explained Page 10 Initial zoning Page 12 Wellbeing & Human needs Page 13 Resident flat planning Page 15 Central hub planning Page 17 Unity Walkthrough Page 24 Accessible Flat Planning Page 26 Corridor Planning Page 28 Staff Office Page 29 360 degree video tour Page 30 Software Used Page 32 Critical Analysis - Software Page 33 If I Knew Then What I Know Now - Software Page 34 Software Ratings For Project Page 35 Standard Flat Bedroom Details Page 36 Colour Scheme Page 37 Furnishing Choices Page 38
The New Normal 1
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Initial idea: Conteptual building for the future. High rise building or modernist building. All resources eg shopping, exercising, entertainment in the building or for community use only. Hypothetical location which has now been limited to Glasgow city bounds. Unused land or previously demolished building perhaps. Typology: Conceptual, future build, covid 'safe'. Initial research:
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Covid 'safe' materials like copper shown above. Covid killing technology like in the smart elevators shown above.Making high rise buildings safe from spreading disease. Modernist buildings like the one shown above. Modernist communities. 1
Modernist house inpiration
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Covid cannot live on copper surfaces
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UV-C technology being used to kill covid
Escape Hotel Initial idea:
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Survival horror, mystery, escape room but in a huge building, doubles as a hotel, inspiration taken from atmospheric movies and games. Typology: Attraction, entertainment, hotel. Initial research: Escape rooms eg puzzles etc. Amnesia: The dark descent (Video game). Gartloch Asylum history. The Hunting (Movie). Buildings current condition. Sourcing plans.
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Gartlock Hospital main building outside
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Gartlock Hospital main hall conditions
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Gartlock Hospital original architect drawing
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Gartlock Hospital main building conditions
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Virtual Interior 1
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Initial idea: Not restricted by reality, CGI interior only, doesn't have to be bound by gravity or logic, could be a VR walkthrough, rooms could turn and move. Typology:
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Fantasy, game, science fiction. Initial research: The Cube (1997 Movie), music videos, game concept art, fantasy art, textures vs physical materials, could I find case studies?
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CGISprintStairs_Main_web
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Tron legacy concept art
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Detroit beyond human concept art
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Destiny concept art
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Marcel Wanders
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franklin chan mercenary pub
Homeless Accommodation Initial idea:
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Supported accommodation for young people, community feel, onsite staff, learning spaces, self sustainable. Typology: Temporary accommodation, residential, educational. Initial research:
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Who are the users, where do they come from, why are they in this situation, what's currently available. 1
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/ scottish-news/glasgows-mile-misery-numberhomeless-13067774
2 https://centrepoint.org.uk/media/2035/ from-care-to-where-centrepoint-report.pdf 3
https://www.theguardian.com/ society/2011/feb/28/young-offendersreleased-homelessness-crime
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https://www.theguardian.com/ cities/2019/nov/11/we-are-failing-childrenin-care-and-they-are-dying-on-our-streets
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What Concept & Why. What concept & my plan:: For my fourth year project, I am planning to design a supported homeless accommodation for young people, between the ages of 16 and 21, e.g. care leavers. A place they can proudly call home, gain independence, learn life and work skills, enabling them to be prepared for living on their own when the time comes for them to do so. I am doing this because the current condition of a lot of these types of residence is sub-par, everything is designed in the most basic way and does not give the resident pride of where they call home. I understand budget and maintenance cost is a significant factor in this, but why can't it be a more attractive and stimulating design without being over the top budget-wise. Indeed, initially spending a bit more on the design for it to be long-lasting and hard-wearing, would be better than the design being a false economy with having to maintain it more often. I will be designing this project for the residents who deserve a better place to stay that some of the current offerings they are provided with. I want to give the residents a place they feel proud to live in and give them a boost to their self worth. Why: Current offerings are not the best they could be. I feel I could improve the residents chance of achieving wellbeing with my design. They are some of the most vulnerable people in our society and deserve better. This is something I feel strongly about as I have experienced these places for myself as a youth and know many people who have also. My DH&T essay heavily supports this statement, please feel free to read it if you would like to learn more. Reason for rejecting other concepts: Concept one, the new modern concept, was rejected due to the location restrictions placed upon the project. I had hoped to have a hypothetical site and a building that was purpose built around the design. Concept two, escape hotel, was rejected due to being unable to find the plans for the building which inspired the idea - the main building at Gartloch Asylum. Concept three, virtual interior, was rejected due to the idea being able to be opened in too many directions and the fact I feel it would be incredibly difficult to liken it to anything based in real life, case studies for example.
Initial Thoughts
Supported accommodation for young people, e.g., care leavers, homeless, released young offenders. A community feeling central space with on-site staff. Self-contained flats and sperate learning workshops/studio spaces. The residential neighborhood would be 'selfsustainable' in that once a skill was taught, the residents would take over the responsibility, e.g., cooking, repairs, farming, etc. The learning for residents would include life skills, work skills, general education, trades. Initial negatives to be considered and addressed: The local community outwith the building could be concerned about some of the residents - the stigmatization of ex-offenders. The expense of the initial build if it is not a currently standing building. There could be a negative social aspect, e.g., violence, teenage dramas, due to the residents - ages and backgrounds. The mental health of some residents could be a factor. Potential vandalism and maintenance would also need to be a consideration. Teenage hormones would also need to be factored into the design due to the nature of the build. Does there need to be some degree of separation between the sexes? Initial spatial thoughts: A central hubfor socialization, with a dedicated support staff zone. Self-contained residential flats with a homely aesthetic. Separate learning zones - either offshoots from the main building or detached buildings. How big does each space need to be? Initial design ideas: A large open plan double-height central hub with an indoor-outdoor feel, e.g., large floor to ceiling clear windows. Residential flats could be customized to some degree by the residents to give the space a feeling of belonging, e.g., magnetic walls for hanging posters. Studio style learning spaces, e.g., a cooking studio, could be divided into kitchenettes with a central zone for the staff members to use while the classes are in session.
Inspiration Moodboard I like the idea of having bright colours to give the space a joyful, youthful feel but I think muted colours might work best. I also like the curved shapes, I think this gives the space a more relaxed, welcoming feel.
Contract V1 The first version of my contract was put together in a rush and as such was not very well made. I tried to answer the main questions - What am I doing? Why am I doing it? Who am I doing it for? And, what are my aims?
Contract V2
CONTRACT
For contract version two, I created resident character avatars and associated journeys though the project. Although this version of the contract was more polished, I would still like to update it & make it more in line with the rest of my work for the project.
THE SCHOOL HOUSE PROJECT YOUTH HOMELESS ACCOMMODATION
AMANDA HEAVEY PERSONAL PROJECT L4 INTERIOR DESIGN 2020 - 2021
Poster V1 For my first poster I wanted to symbolise the project helping the residents and how by being here they become happy to have a safe place to call home. I used bright colours and various shapes to try and explain visually that I want to make the interior youthful and visually engaging.Unfortunetly this poster came accross to some as childish and did not explain what the project aim actually is.
Poster V2 For my second poster I tried to create something you might actually see for a place like this. I focused on the residents and tried to sympathetically show them living on the street with no where to go. I also wanted to make a statement with this poster showing that homeless people on the street are mostly ignored by passers by as they feel uncomfortable when seeing them - If this poster was a homeless youth, would you have looked as long?
Initial Zoning
Wellbeing & Human Needs 1 1
Infographic showing psychology theory called 'Maslow's hierarchy of needs' in its most simpliest of froms. By applying this theory to homeless accommodation and the people who are experiencing homelessness, we can see that by developing designs with wellness and community values at its core in a supported accommodation setting, it is fundamentally checking off a large portion of these basic human needs.
Wellbeing & Human Needs
A recent study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, states that having a bond of some sort with places effects wellbeing and that having emotional connections to these places in which we have been surrounded by, is a normal part of human nature. The study also states that there has, in the past, been significant research to support the claim that feeling attached to our space does indeed have benefits of a psychological nature. (Scannell and Gifford, 2017). Giving the residents a sense of ownership in these spaces, for example, the chance to personalise to some degree their private areas such as their living environments could help instil an emotional bond to these areas. In the book Wellbeing in interiors, Elina Grigoriou discusses at length what the fundamentals are for designing for wellbeing. Elina states that the fundamental prerequisites needed for creating the opportunity for wellbeing within interiors are beauty and comfort. However, this is not quite as simple as making the space look appealing or providing a soft sofa for example, but in fact comes right down to areas often overlooked by many interior designers, such as air quality. Indoor air, ventilation, natural light, artificial lighting, soundproofing, spatial planning and even the views from the space can all affect an inhabitant achieving wellbeing within a space. I aim to think about all of these things when designing the project, it may not seem obvious to look at but I will attempt to point out cetrain items I have considered with regards to designing for wellbeing.
Resident Flat Planning 1
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The residents flat will be their only completely private area and as such I want to make it feel as comfortable as I can for them. I am contemplating between making it a tiny living type space or to make it feel somewhat more luxurious. At the same time, the residents will eventually move into their own property, which will most likely be a council home. These are in no way luxurious so I do not want them to feel it has been a downgrade from the project - there is a fine line that I must find to make it just right.
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1 Initial drawings exploring the space 2
Initial spatial planing floorplans
Resident Flat Planning 2
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I have been trying various different layouts for the resident flats, some compact but fully functional, with others being more spacious, some open plan and some partially sectioned into zones by storage walls. I am now looking at possibly making the flat a two storey space, removing the outter corridors and giving the flats front and back private doors (see top right). 1
Large open plan layout
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Compact but two floors layout with back and front doors and no outside corridor
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Open plan medium sized layoout with partion around the bed area
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Compact 'tiny home' type layout with lots of storage and double thick walls for noise privacy
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Open plan layout with turning tv storage unit seperating the living and sleeping areas
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Central Hub Planning 1 1
Multiple different zones with staff area as building main reception. Possibly too open plan.
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Large glass sound proofed area for staff in the middle of the space. This lets staff be in the space but not fully involved in it.
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Central Hub Planning 1
Open plan, double height area. Large kitchen for community cooking, dining area with seats for all residents to allow all to eat, or socialize together. Large beenbag style u shaped sofa to allow the residents to have a movie night for example. Added large graphical ellement facing the main door wood panels painted behind large plastic sheets so it keeps clean & the brightness. The upper mezzaine has various different seating types to allow residents & guests a choice of places to relax together in the community space. Staff area will be through the double doors so as to seperate them but keep them close by for the residents sense of security and for when needed. (See RESEARCH BOOK page 16) Visual showing overview of space from inside area 1
Central Hub Planning 1
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Floorplan of ground floor
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Floorplan of first floor
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Material detailing visual
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Visual from main entrance
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Central Hub Planning Ground floor with three seperate zones. Middle glass section is inspired by ceiling rosettes, four oversized hanging chairs inside facing each other to promote conversation. Through the arches there are games tables eg air hockey, and large beanbags. I have created this space to be a chilling out zone for the residents, a place they can come together to relax, chat and have fun in a safe space. Design inspred by the main front of the building facade (See RESEARCH BOOK page 18). 1
Floorplan showing ground floor
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Central Hub Planning 1
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Wireframe visual from 3Ds Max
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Overview of space visual
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Left side through arches visual
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Central glass 'ceiling rosette' inspired partition
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Right side through the arches visual
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Central Hub Planning I liked the first idea I had for the central hub but wanted to incorporate it into my new idea (With the glass partition) so I used the general layout from the first version and used it as the first floor. 1
Large kitchen area where residents can learn to cook & they can create a nice meal to share. Stools at the kitchen area serve as a place to sit while staff are 'teaching' how to cook.
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Extra large table where residents can share meals & activities.
Large u shaped sofe facing a projector screen. 3 Residents can have movie nights together as there is plenty of space to share
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Central Hub Planning 1 2
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The design represents the crossroads in life that the residents are facing together. The painted wooden strips are behind plexiglass, this not only keeps the paintwork on the wood fresher for longer but also bouces natural light around the space. The wall is also useful as some parts of the wooden design protrude out to become shelving.
The large gold lights are Ikea Hektar lights spray 2 painted in gold to match the colour theme throughout the project.
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I added different lighting above the table area 3 as a way to incorporate natural materials that are again throughout the project.
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I have used metal seating mostly here as it is 4 hardwearing and will hopefully last a long time. For the u shaped sofa I have used the Ikea Vimle 5 sofa as covers are eaily replacible and so are each section of the sofa. This means if any parts wear out they can be replaced with ease.
Unity Walkthrough 1
Due to not being able to create a physical model because of limited space at home, I thought creating a game walkthrough of my project would be of benefit to allow everyone at the WIP V2 Show to see the size of the space. The walkthrough can be found here: https://simmer.io/@AjLaKaos/l4showlio I have only briefly used Unity before so creating the walkthrough was a challenge: I had to learn how to add lighting because there is no windows within the ground floor hub. I also wanted my materials to be as close to the physical materials as they could be, For this I had to learn from scratch how to use substance painter to create these materials. 1 2
Unity walkthrough screenshot
Selection of created materials for walkthrough shown here in Substance Alchemist
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Unity Walkthrough 1
For the walkthrough I wanted people to be able to change the materials on the objects that the residents would be able to pick to customise the space. I had no idea how to do this so I had to learn by lots of trial and error and following online tutorials on similar topics. 1
I did eventually get this to work. The youtube video showing this can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/U71B14UKaeA
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The code that worked
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Accessible Flat Planning 1
More open space to allow ease of access to all areas. 1
Fully open plan space, seems quite luxurious
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Probable plan I will go with
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Accessible wetroom
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Accessible kitchen with wheelchair space under sink, hob. Under counter fridge & freezer. Lowered worktop areas and lower wall oven. 3
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Accessible Flat Planning Large open plan space with seating for company. 4
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Two seater sofa for company with large space around to allow user to be able to watch tv/enjoy the company
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Table with easy access for wheelchair and two chairs for company
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Large bed to allow resident to get comfortable easily
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Frosted glass block 'windows' to allow light from the front of the building to come into the room but still having privacy from the corridor
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Corridor Planning 1
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Multicoloured drop lights to create verticle visual interest.
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Coloured window film to change the feeling and light flow through the colrridor depending on the time of day due to the natural lighting and shadows
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Striped flooring to accentuate the length of the corridor
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Doors to flats are all different colours, not only does this create visual interest but helps the residents to know at a glance which door is theirs. If I have time to come back to the corridors after I have finished with the resident areas I am really looking forward to seeing this space realised but if not this quick visual gives a good idea of the space.
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Staff Office Although I won't be fully designing the staff office area, the colour scheme for the rest of the project would be carried through.
360 Degree Video Tour To create the 360 degree video tour, I needed to make panorama renders, some I created in Vray and others in Lumion. I wanted to see if you could see a difference in the video itself. 1
Rendered in Vray.
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Rendered in Lumion
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360 Degree Video Tour After rendering the panoramas I created a new VR project in Premier Pro. I resized each of the rendered images to be the same size - The images from Lumion had rendered at a different size due to only having set sizes so these needed to be rescaled. I added video transitions to allow the video to smoothly go from one image to the next. I looked on YouTube for a song which felt fitting for the overall feel of the project and added a downloaded version of this to the video. This needed to be trimmed so I did this in Adobe Audition then readded it to the video project.
Software Used 1
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A selection of the software used throughout the project. 1
SketchUp
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SketchUp Layout
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3DsMax
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Vray for 3Ds Max/for SketchUp
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AutoCAD
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Photoshop
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Unity
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Substance Painter/Alchemist
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Lumion
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InDesign
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Illustrator
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Premier Pro
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Critical Analysis - Software Throughout the project I have used numerous programs to create digital renditions of my design, some of these programs have been completely new to me and others although I have used often, I tried to use aspects of them that I had never used before or in ways that I had not tried to do before. I also tried to take things created in one program and use it in another, sometimes multiple others. At times with great success and other times I had to find solutions/other programs that would allow me to do this. Here I will give my views on using some of these programs through my project. SkecthUP & SketchUp Layout A great program to use for more simple models eg basic room shells. The connectivity between the two is wonderful, change something in the main model and click update on the Layout page, definetily makes life easier. Very quick for simple model videos (see video here https://youtu.be/VQNbo5q5iYs). Pro version allows exporting to different file types including to AutoCAD, 3ds max and Unity. Extremely limiting for more complex modelling if you have no external pluggins installed (better to use 3ds max). Unable to create different line weights which becomes problematic when creating plans/sections (better to use AutoCAD). Heavier models become sluggish fast and can crash your computer causing you to lose work. Lumion vs Vray for SketchUp/3Ds Max Lumion is insanely easy to use and very fast at rendering still images in high quality, the live link with SketchUp makes changes very simple although there was times when editing a model, certain things dissapeared in Lumion that where clearly visable in SketchUp. I also found that it was harder to create a more photorealistic render from Lumion that it is in other programs. I did find like in SketchUp, heavier models made th program sluggish and at times unusable. Creating videos in Lumion is again very easy but the time it takes for them to complete can be unrealisticly long compared to the output quality (see video that took almost 2 hours to complete here https://youtu.be/yPWaHczQr0Q). Vray for SketchUp was unusable for me, my computer froze everytime I opened it. I did not as much as get to fully render and save a single image with it. I would not recommend anyone to rely on this version of the program for their year four project. Vray for 3Ds Max was a different story, there was no sluggish feeling at all, click something and it instantaneously changed. Creating a render from it was a learning curve and it can be very slow for high quality images. There's not much room for error with it, a single click of the wrong button or setting can have you scratching your head and searching for a solution for hours, but when things go right the quality speaks for itself.
If I Knew Then What I Know Now - Software If I had to start the project over tomorrow, using the same set of software, I would definitely do some things differently and have a well laid out plan of work with what order to do things in with regards to programs. I would immediately create a floorplan showing all support walls, staircases etc of my chosen location. I would use this as a base plan to test out layouts. I would make the most basic of models in SketchUp from this base plan, open the model in Layout and export floorplan and section image views to Photoshop to try and flesh out these layouts as concepts and ideas. After finalising these ideas, I would then complete my floorplans in AutoCAD, these would all then become my guide moving forward. SketchUp would only be used for these rough conceptual models nothing more and I would bypass Lumion. Although it has speed on its side I don't feel the addition of it was actually useful to my project and only served as a way to have inconsistent materials through the renders and the 360 video. Only after finalising my design would I create anything in 3Ds Max. I would keep everything as a white model until I was 100% sure what my materials would be, then I would create all of my material texures in Substance for complete consistency throughout the project. After adding my textures into the model I would set up all of my views that I needed to create, by previewing them quickly then set them to autosave and batch render them overnight. After that I would create a guided camera to create a video walkthrough and leave that overnight also. Should I then still want to create an interactive game walkthrough, I would be able to export my 3Ds Max model into Unity, bring all of my Substance textures in too. Hopefully I would have been able to access a MAC to enable me to have a compatable version of the game and then I would save the game as downloadable file instead of hosting it on a website to ensure the most people would have been able to access it. I would still use InDesign to create all of my booklets but I would have had a very basic no fuss approach to the design instead of making it look overly complex and having to break it down into multiple booklets.
Software Ratings For Project
SketchUp & Layout
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Good as a compliment to other software. Limiting file size. Pluggins needed. Large warehouse of objects if needed. 3Ds Max
Difficult to learn but worth the effort. Very stable. No limits to creativity. Bad support if you run into issues. Built in render software. Vray for 3ds max
Great quality but difficult to learn and slow for high quality images. Photorealistic looking renders. AutoCAD
Easy to learn the basics. Creates great floorplans/sections. Features seem outdated. Lumion
Easy to learn. Fast high quality images. Conceptual looking renders. Limiting file size. Videos not worth the effort. Unity
Great for helping people see the project. Very difficult to learn. Not everyone could use the game. Coding can be an issue. Substance
Great tutorials. Textures can be used in various programs (3ds max, unity). Keeps materials consistant. Premier Pro
Lots of great tutorials. Easy to learn the basics. Auto upload to YouTube etc.
Standard Flat Bedroom Details The bedroom area in the standard flat has ample storage for many items. 1
The drawers that open into the bathroom can be used for towels, toiletries etc
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To the either side of the bed there is hanging space for clothes. The bed itself also lifts to provide more storage.
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At either side of the bed is hidden storage, the tops of this storage can be used as bedside tables is the resident wants to place objects on them. They are made of solid wood which gives them strength enough to be stood on by the residents.
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Colour Scheme 1
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The overall colour scheme within the project was choosen as it is fresh, bold, clean and gender neutral when put togther.
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RAL 5021
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RAL 5014
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RAL 060 80 30-P
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RAL 1005
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RAL 7047
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Gold
Furnishing Choices 1
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All furnishings were choosen by comparing price, durability and ease of replacing. 1
Emco 20-06 Bar stool was choosen for it's curved shape and longevity. It is also easy yo replace as it is a classic style.
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Tolix A chair was also choosen for it's curved shape, longevity and ease of replacement as it is again a classic style.
3 The Ikea Vimle sofa was choosen for its ease of replacement and versatility. Sections can be replaced indivualy and covers can be purchased not only from Ikea but from places such as Bemz. 4
The ingatorp / ingolf dining set at the intake house was choosen for its ease of replacing but also as it is one of the most popular styles in the Ikea Glasgow store, so it will be a familiar set to the new residents which should hopefully help them feel at ease.
