The great structures of the ancient world have always fascinated me. They stand today as a tribute to the great civilizations of the past and as an example of their skill and engineering. It was my goal this semester to explore a few of those buildings and try to recreate their beauty in a three dimensional world. I had no idea the amount of computing power that would be required to create the scenes that I had imagined. The challenge in creating these structures for me was to learn how to use a set of basic tools to create complex and detailed structures.
The process that I used for creating each structure was as follows:
| Research - This consisted of reading about each structure and examining pictures so that I could get the dimensions as close as possible. (1 - 2 hours per structure) | Design - The actual construction of the models. (6 - 8 hours per structure)
| Animation - This consisted of creating a path for the camera to follow for the movie. (1 hour per structure) | Rendering - This was very time consuming and sometimes had to be done multiple times due to computer crashes and mistakes that showed up. (3 - 8 hours per structure)
| I used Strata 3D to create and render all of the buildings.
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If the movie playback on any of the above links is not smooth, please try the links below.
The monuments that the ancients have left behind are truly amazing. They we able to create so much with the limited technology that they had. I was able to learn through this project that there was an extraordinary amount of effort that went into the planning and creation of these buildings. The detail and precision alone shows how dedicated the ancients were. I was able to learn many design techniques as I progressed through this project. I was forced to use my imagination so that I could come up with ways to create complex shapes using just a few basic tools. As a Computer Science major I am used to doing problem solving using more mathematical and algorithmic methods. With this project I was able to expand my mind and think of things as a builder or architect would.
I was certainly able to get a feel of how these buildings might look up close. I can hardly imagine at how amazing it would be for someone living thousands of years ago to walk into Egypt and be overwhelmed at the grandeur of the pyramids, or to go into Athens and see the Parthenon at the top of Acropolis. The ancients truly did know how to build great buildings and they have inspired many generations of the past and they will inspire many generations yet to come.
| You must have Quicktime installed on your computer in order to view the movies.
| These web pages are best when viewed at 800x600 resolution.
| Click on the links above to view the 3D movies and see the information about the structures.
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The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World