Monday, September 24, 2012

Experiment 2: Week Two

Specular and bump maps:

Adobe:



Concrete:




Wood:




Materials

ADOBE
Adobe is considered an extremely durable material under favourable circumstances – particularly in hot weather. If the presence of clay is too much, it will affect the durability of the material as clay is accountable for its “expansion, on the absorption of moisture, and its shrinkage on drying”, surplus of gravel would also affect its durability.
Adobe is a combination of sand, silt, clay and water. It can be used as mortar or plaster when mixed to a “plastic consistency”.
“Performance of an adobe soil is alrdggely dependent on its particle size distribution.”
Advantages – greater thermal mass
Disadvantages – vulnerable to earthquake damage


CONCRETE
“Concrete has relatively high compressive strength, but significantly lower tensile strength, as as such is usually reinforced with materials that are strong in tension (often steel)” – i.e. if pushed it will not break, but if pulled it will break, thus must be reinforced.
“has very low coefficient of thermal expansion” – i.e. essentially everything will expand in heat, and shrink in cold, however concrete will not expand in heat as much
If no room is provided to allow expansion of concrete, it is likely to cause cracks as it expands.
Over time concrete shrinks. After 30 years, concrete is considered to stop shrinking because of hydration.


WOOD
Sapwood –highly susceptible to fungal and insect attack.
Wood is naturally durable. Deterioration of wood would usually derive from insects and fungi, otherwise it can last for “thousands of year swithout substantial change” – in sheltered conditions away from biological factors.
Light and heat, for e.g., are also causes for decay.
Fungi includes molds and mildews, and are everywhere in the environment. Fungi are simple plant-like organisms which do not have chlorophyll to produce their own food. In essence, they have a parasitic relationship with their host. They rapidly multiply in a supportive environment, and send seed-like spores out (sometimes air-borne) to extend their range. Some fungi do not affect the strength of wood by their activity--they may only stain the wood. However, some can completely destroy the wood cellulose (polymer backbone) and lignin (cellular Aglue@). Ultimately, the wood residue crumbles to a powder.”
“Termites can pose a threat to furniture, but are usually more interested in the wooden building surrounding the collection. Other insects present a special problems, since they may not even use wood for food. Some ants and bees tunnel through wood creating galleries for shelter. These are not usually a problem with furniture but can be a major destructive agent in historic buildings.”
“Fungal damage is usually noticed in the advanced stages of development. The fruiting bodies can form a dense, fuzzy-appearing mat on the surface. Infestation may also be accompanied by a distinctive, disagreeable odor. Fungal growth can be removed by wiping or vacuuming the surface. Some people are sensitive to airborne spores, so care should be taken in cleaning. Vacuuming should be conducted with a wet-dry vacuum if possible, and the filter should be replaced or thoroughly cleaned afterward. Cleaning should be done outdoors, if possible.”

References

                                                           

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Experiment 2: Week One

Result of the export:


For some reason only one material showed up out of the three when I exported it into Crysis..


Barcelona Pavilion

The pavilion was built after World War I, designed to signify the modern movement in architecture.
Its materials consist of steel, glass, marble and travertine which last a significant period of time. 

Rudin House


The simplicity of the house is often reminded of a child's drawing. Upon closer look the structure made of concrete is practically 'floating', as it is raised on a platform. The idea of heavy vs. light is signified.

House at Bordeaux


The house was designed to meet the client's needs, who requires a wheelchair. Rem Koolhaas successfully met his client's expectations in which he "[did] not want a simple house." The house consists of a large elevator platform to allow his client to have access to all three floors.

References:

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Final


Trailer:

Music credit:
From the Source Code trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HtvlE_Al9I

Letter/Number combination:
In the process of concealing my letter and number combination (M7) I initially had the idea to incorporate the use of shadows, however after altering the skybox for a weekly task, my environment could not experience distinguishable day and night time (physically).
Hence, eliminating that idea I stuck to the simple concept of using vegetation, entities and so on to conceal my letter/number.










Crysis files:

http://www.gamefront.com/files/22235762/Levels.zip