The visual resources available in fabricae.org include photographic panoramas and zoomable images, but also in some cases 3D models that can be manipulated by the users. These come in many forms, from simple massing models to complex and detailed reconstructions of buildings and sites. The Fabricae Modeling Service provides researchers and academics with an opportunity to commission models suitable for their own purposes at little or no cost to them.
Typically modeling services are provided by people with considerable technical skill but little practical understanding of historical architecture. As such, the process of obtaining models is complicated and time-consuming, and therefore, expensive. Because I am well-versed in both historic architecture and 3D modeling, the process is streamlined considerably. And because I am "retired art history guy" and not "3D modeling guru trying to support a family", it is possible for me to pursue modeling out of interest more than financial need.
All models are created using SketchUp Pro, and do not typically include textures. My affection for SketchUp lies in its clarity - simple outlined forms which are easy to read. Textures inevitably look "fakey" and unrealistic in computer models, and they make the models much larger in file size, which in turn makes them take far longer to display. The purpose of my models is to illustrate, and not to simulate - present the most important information in the simplest way.
Any models created for researchers or academics will be stored in the Trimble 3D Warehouse online and be accessible to the public through fabricae.org. The entire purpose of fabricae.org is to provide useful teaching tools to the general public at no cost. It would be antithetical to that principle to spend fabricae.org resources (i.e. time) on modeling projects that are of little use to the broader public, or are kept from the public in the name of academic research "secrecy".
It is my hope to create publicly-useful and relatively simple models pro bono, but I may have to charge modest fees for more complicated and time-consuming efforts. Such fees would be based on estimated amounts of time it would take, mitigated by the public utility of the model. Each situation will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Below are some examples of the different kinds of models that might be useful. Each model is stored online, and accessed through a unique ID. This allows the model to be embedded in any web page.
If you have an interest in having a particular building or site modeled, contact me at chris@fabricae.org and we can discuss the possibilities.
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Simple Massing Model This type of model is intended only to show the basic volumes of a building. It could be monochromatic, or as this one demonstrates, colors can be used to distinguish building campaigns. Transparency is used here to indicate later additions. This is the church at Veuilly-la-Poterie, in France. |
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Enhanced Massing Model This type of model is great for showing a more detailed exterior view of a building or complex, without fully modeling all of the interior details of the buildings. This is a reconstruction of what the abbey of Saint-Martin-aux-Bois, in France, would have looked like around 1790. |
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Detail Model This type of model is intended to show more of the detailing of a building, with wall thicknesses and the opportunity to move inside the model. The model is detailed on both exterior and interior. This is the Templar church at Laon, in France. |
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Detail Phase Model This type of model is intended to show more of the detailing of a building, color-coded to indicate construction phases, with wall thicknesses and the opportunity to move inside the model. The model is detailed on both exterior and interior, and shows a particular moment in the construction history. A complete phase model can be easily broken down into separate models of separate phases, and then viewed individually by users. It is also possible to create a video animating the sequence of construction. This is the church at Nouvion-le-Vineux, in France. |
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Detail Partial Model This type of model is intended to show a portion of a building, with wall thicknesses and the opportunity to move inside the model. The model is detailed on both exterior and interior. This is the Royal Portal at the cathedral at Chartres, in France. It shows accurate coursing for the purposes of attempting to determine the sequence of construction of these portals relative to their surroundings. Such a model could easily be color-coded to show that sequence. |