Final Year Blog // Annnnnnd we're back
So we finally have the assignment completed and we’re happy with our outcome. What we learned from the presentation was that we really need to work on our sense of scale and perspective as the model itself was too small and the lighting was harsh on the model. Other than that though we’re happy with what we’ve come up with and we have all learned a lot from this assignment.
So this is it! Rome. Our floating city. As of right now we’re finalising our data visualisation and have more a less just finished the final touches on our city. It’s certainly come a long way and we’re proud of what we’ve come up with together! Here’s some shots of the city.
For the Imaging and Data Visualisation piece of the assignment (the important bit), Megan made this posters based of all of our research while I finished piecing the city together.
Once everyone finished modelling, they were sent to me to be put in the scene, from there I textured and lit the scenes.
Now that the city is put together, I began adding lights and textures to bring the model to life. In the UV texturing class, we were also shown how MIA_Materials work. I began adding some of the mental ray materials (Mia_Material_X) to the outer parts of the exterior to give it that metallic look. I used the chrome option in Material X for this.
When i finished texturing the exterior, i didn’t think it looked quite right so I added blue lights on the inside just to set it off in the water.
At this stage we’re beginning to piece together the final city model, based on all of our concepts and research.
So far in terms of research, I have:
Keeping these in mind, here’s some of the final ideas we through together. Everyone seems to be on board with the multiple layers idea so thats what we decided to pursue.
After sitting and discussing it, we decided to base the final model off of one of my first concepts but merging it and introducing everyone elses concepts.
Once we had that idea pinned down, i began to design the surface. Meanwhile, Megan and Bethnay were designing the center piece and the propellor at the bottom. We decided that it would be a plaza area, which also shown some of the water collection points. Once we had the design sorted, we began modelling it.
“Researchers have demonstrated a new metal matrix composite that is so light that it can float on water. A boat made of such lightweight composites will not sink despite damage to its structure.” – http://engineering.nyu.edu/press-releases/2015/05/12/metal-composite-will-literally-float-your-boat
So we found this material and it’s pretty much ideal to what we’re looking for. What we’re going to do is have this metal matrix foam line the bottom of the top layer of the city to keep it afloat. The foam’s magnesium alloy matrix composite is lined with silicone carbide hollow particles. They have a density of 0.92 grams per cubic meter meaning it will float easily on water.
NYU Tandon School of Engineering. 2016. A Metal Composite that will (Literally) Float Your Boat | NYU Tandon School of Engineering. [ONLINE] Available at: http://engineering.nyu.edu/press-releases/2015/05/12/metal-composite-will-literally-float-your-boat. [Accessed 21 February 2016].
We also plan on having a massive revolving cog around the top layer of the city which will not only propel and keep the city afloat on water, but will also collect water. As the cog rotates, the water is pulled into the center of the city, and as the water passes through hydroelectric turbines, electricity is generated; powering the city. The will also be water filters passing through every layer of the city, so clean water can be deposited to every section. Used water/waste can be flushed out while water is being pulled back in through the surface and purified again.
When creating the city, we became aware that since the city is floating in water, it would be prone to rusting. I decided to look into sacrificial protection in order to prevent rusting.
Sacrificial protection would typically be used on ships. In order to prevent the ship from rusting, pieces of zinc (in this case “The Sacrificial Anodes”) are placed around the exterior of the ship. Since the zinc has a higher voltage in the water , the current is more likely to flow from it that from the propeller of your ship. The zinc plates (the sacrificial anodes) must be connected to the items they are intended to protect. In our case, the entire exterior bar the glass in our city.
One of the things we were dead set on in the development stages was incorporating some of Rome’s ancient architecture. We felt that the buildings are possibly one of Romes most recognizable traits, and we thought that if we incorporate some of those buildings, we’re introducing some culture into our city.
Back in the day, Roman architecture was made in a way that was structurally solid, and looks impressive. Seeing as there wasn’t too much concrete lying around back then, they would have used a volcanic stone called Tufa. Although it eventually went out of use and was replaced by a more durable type of stone named travertine. It was also a worthy substitute for marble as when it dried it was quite close to white.
Seeing as quite a few roman temples were built with lintels on top, it meant the interior space was limited in size as it was more devoted to holding its heavy weight. So speaking of lintels and travertine, here’s models of a Temple and Pantheon I made for the inside of the city.
Megan had talked to a student in our class, Gianni, who’s from Rome and he informed her on how the people of Rome would build on its past. Literally. When building, italians would draw inspiration from buildings in the past, not only for the look but for the strengths. “If it’s working don’t change it, improve it.” – Quote: Me, just now.
Elements of Roman architecture that have been carried through the centuries would be arches. Using Arches in buildings meant the structurally stable and stronger.
Some books I found usefull when researching the architecture were “Architectural symbolism of Imperial Rome and the Middle Ages”, and “Principles of Roman Architecture” which contained pictures of the Pantheon which I used as reference when creating my model.
Reference Photo from “Principles of Roman Architecture”
Architectural symbolism of Imperial Rome and the Middle Ages: Smith, E. Baldwin. Architectural Symbolism Of Imperial Rome And The Middle Ages. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1956. Print.
Principles of Roman Architecture: Wilson Jones, Mark. Principles Of Roman Architecture. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2000. Print.
Khan Academy. 2016. Roman architecture | A beginner’s guide to ancient Rome | Khan Academy. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/roman/beginners-guide-rome/a/roman-architecture. [Accessed 17 February 2016].
I experimented a little more with the exterior design of the city seeing as we were still undecided as of what the final design would look like. At this point we were all building up concepts so we’d be able to compare them further down the line and see what we could take from each piece. These were my contributions.
Jack Creaner 
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