August 2017

These screenshots have been sitting on my hard drive since I started in July. Each shows off a new item I added, or a new feature I learned in Blender or UE4. 

The first task was to build the exterior wall to scale in UE4. The plans by Royer are in feet, while UE4 works in metric, so I had to keep a running list of all the conversions. 

I imported the blueprints into Blender, and traced over them in 3D to create the custom doors, then imported the model into UE4. 

Here are some screenshots from when I was still adding walls and floors.

This vestibule doorway (above) has not been seen in decades, but it matches the corridor doors (below) that still are present in the building.

Although everything can be edited using C++, UE4 offers a delightfully simple programming interface called "blueprints". This, for example, is the blueprint used to make doors open. 







For a while, there were lots of temporary blocks and stairs for the main entrance. 

Plaster coves were traced from the original blueprints. The they were then imported into UE4, and stretched to fit. 

Below are more architectural details modeled in Blender and imported to UE4. I also changed the angle of the sun so that the light comes directly through the main entrance doors on the west side of the building, and activated "god rays."

For the first week, I had been using a model of a schoolhouse lantern I found for free online. I used a reference photo to create new hall lanterns based on the fixtures actually in the school.

Florentine (frosted) glass texture and baseboards in the main office. It's hard to tell from this screenshot, but that's the texture of a crumpled piece of paper creating the frosted effect. 

Modeling the banister in Blender, and importing it into UE4. 

The flagpole in the original building was actually mounted on the roof. I modeled the pole, finial, and flag in Blender, then imported it into UE4 to implement cloth simulation. Only 48 states in 1914, thus the 48 stars on the flag!

 Auditorium doors, wainscot, and plaster details added to the main hallway: 

Without the auditorium floor, it looks like the Roman Colosseum ruins! 

Several days were spent building pieces of the auditorium. 

This was the screenshot I used to show off the project during the first month or so. Light rays!

I got more daring with Blender, and tried something tricky: the proscenium arch. I traced the base portion first, then extruded it at an angle across the page. When I rotated it, I realized it looks like something from Alien. 

I decided it was time to switch out the default checkerboard for a real, custom texture. My first try was this red tile:

... which didn't look quite right, as I was working from this reference photo:

This marks the end of August 2017. I felt I accomplished some impressive results, but I still had a LOT to learn about Blender and UE4!