3D Environment! First attempts

We were tasked with creating a photorealistic environment using a displacement map. First we created a JPEG file in photoshop as seen here. As you can see, Lighter areas are the parts that'll be higher up, it's sort of like a gradient map. To get this effect, we created a plane in 3Ds Max and added the modifier "Displace" which moulds the plane into the shape created by the JPEG in Photoshop.







Next up was starting to model a building. We were tasked with modeling Salts Mill/Shipley College. We modeled it from Planes and used Photos as temlplates. We started with a polygon count of 4 and built out from those 4 polygons. It was very challenging to get started but once I got going it was reletively easy until it came to individual parts of the building such as the windows and the arch on the roof!