Hello everyone! I'm new to the forum but not new to Wright. The Dana House is my favorite building and I have made a 3D computer model of it using a program called Sketchup. I worked a long time on it and I am very happy with how it turned out.
I will post links below. The board won't let me post links in my first message.
Dana House 3D model
If you would like to download the model for Sketchup (a free program) you can find it here:
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/ ... f669d069a6
If you don't want to bother with Sketchup, I have also made a video of my model which can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxZbKySFjlg
Enjoy!
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/ ... f669d069a6
If you don't want to bother with Sketchup, I have also made a video of my model which can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxZbKySFjlg
Enjoy!
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Jeff Myers
- Posts: 1813
- Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2009 9:01 pm
- Location: Tulsa
- Contact:
Very impressive, Zer01. Thanks for providing alternative means of viewing. The music was soothing, pleasant and appropriate, I think.
Thanks for identifying it.
The great risk of accomplished work is that one will fall in love with one's own creation -- and perhaps thus be blinded to any faults it may have, or
at least assume that any view of it by others will be rewarding. I know this, merely from my own simple sketches. I raise this issue to point out
that, once a complex and informative model of this sort is done, it's useful life has just begun -- it seems to me.
What purpose do you envision for such work as this ?
As I see it, aside from displaying its own (potential) beauty, and the skill of the delineator, this model seems destined to perform the function of
enlightening others about the building it faithfully (one hopes) records. In SketchUp, in my limited experience, there are certain difficulties
encountered, especially by the untrained, in navigating around and (especially) through a completed model. In the video option which you
have kindly provided, these problems don't exist -- but the curious viewer is limited to the pans and circumnavigations that have been chosen. This
is where I will voice an opinion.
If the purpose of the video tour is to show off this impressive "3D drawing," just about any combination of views would serve. But if a more
selfless function is the object, namely that of helping the novice visitor understand Frank Lloyd Wright's Susan Dana Lawrence residence, then a
more disciplined series of shots seems in order. For instance, one could select a path into and through the house that would become a logical and
informative tour, explaining the sequence of rooms and exploring the spacial sequences that we know were so important to this architect.
(Perhaps zooms are much more difficult to accomplish that pans, in this medium ? Pardon my ignorance of the inherent technical issues).
True, the functions of the rooms might have to be guessed at -- though even rudimentary furniture could help with this. But at least the full
meaning and potential of this colorful and handsome model might be displayed.
In the meantime, there are a lot nice things to look at; a particularly sweet sequence in dark reds and smoky blues is seen at about 4:05.
I hope you will pardon this instant critique; please respond to it if you like, as I would be interested to know how you see the issues I raised. In any
event, thanks for sharing this accomplishment with us, and I hope to see more of your work here soon.
SDR
Thanks for identifying it.
The great risk of accomplished work is that one will fall in love with one's own creation -- and perhaps thus be blinded to any faults it may have, or
at least assume that any view of it by others will be rewarding. I know this, merely from my own simple sketches. I raise this issue to point out
that, once a complex and informative model of this sort is done, it's useful life has just begun -- it seems to me.
What purpose do you envision for such work as this ?
As I see it, aside from displaying its own (potential) beauty, and the skill of the delineator, this model seems destined to perform the function of
enlightening others about the building it faithfully (one hopes) records. In SketchUp, in my limited experience, there are certain difficulties
encountered, especially by the untrained, in navigating around and (especially) through a completed model. In the video option which you
have kindly provided, these problems don't exist -- but the curious viewer is limited to the pans and circumnavigations that have been chosen. This
is where I will voice an opinion.
If the purpose of the video tour is to show off this impressive "3D drawing," just about any combination of views would serve. But if a more
selfless function is the object, namely that of helping the novice visitor understand Frank Lloyd Wright's Susan Dana Lawrence residence, then a
more disciplined series of shots seems in order. For instance, one could select a path into and through the house that would become a logical and
informative tour, explaining the sequence of rooms and exploring the spacial sequences that we know were so important to this architect.
(Perhaps zooms are much more difficult to accomplish that pans, in this medium ? Pardon my ignorance of the inherent technical issues).
True, the functions of the rooms might have to be guessed at -- though even rudimentary furniture could help with this. But at least the full
meaning and potential of this colorful and handsome model might be displayed.
In the meantime, there are a lot nice things to look at; a particularly sweet sequence in dark reds and smoky blues is seen at about 4:05.
I hope you will pardon this instant critique; please respond to it if you like, as I would be interested to know how you see the issues I raised. In any
event, thanks for sharing this accomplishment with us, and I hope to see more of your work here soon.
SDR
Thanks everyone for your replies.
I would love to have been able to include all the glass, furniture, and other details, especially in the interior. I don't know if Sketchup has a file size limitation, but it seems my poor old computer does. The model was about 6MB and my computer was really choking on it. The bigger it got, the slower my computer got.
As for the purpose of this, well, it was originally just for me. I toured the house twice last year, but each time upon returning home I had trouble remembering the layout of the house. With 16 different floor levels, rooms with no walls, and many staircases, it was a bit confusing. Every house I've ever lived in was a series of 4 walls with doors in between.
I was learning Sketchup at the time so I thought I would make my own little walkthrough of certain parts of the house so I could get it straight in my head. After that I just kept going and was surprised how well it was turning out. I hadn't really intended to share it with anyone until I was almost finished. I saw the 3D Warehouse didn't have anything like it, so why not?
As for the video, I hope I never do anything like that again!
The interior animations were especially a pain. It takes several hours to render each 15 second clip, and most of time upon watching the result I would find myself flying inside walls. Sketchup doesn't like small spaces I guess.
SDR, I think you're right about falling in love with one's own creation. During times when I was working heavily on it, I would have myself convinced it looked very much like the real thing. Then I'd leave it alone for a few days, come back to it, and be surprised at how cartoony it looked
Well, thank you all again for your kind comments! Maybe when I get a newer computer I can add more details, but for now I'm a little burned out on the whole Sketchup thing. It became one of those "I've put so much work into it, I can't stop now!" kind of things.
I would love to have been able to include all the glass, furniture, and other details, especially in the interior. I don't know if Sketchup has a file size limitation, but it seems my poor old computer does. The model was about 6MB and my computer was really choking on it. The bigger it got, the slower my computer got.
As for the purpose of this, well, it was originally just for me. I toured the house twice last year, but each time upon returning home I had trouble remembering the layout of the house. With 16 different floor levels, rooms with no walls, and many staircases, it was a bit confusing. Every house I've ever lived in was a series of 4 walls with doors in between.
I was learning Sketchup at the time so I thought I would make my own little walkthrough of certain parts of the house so I could get it straight in my head. After that I just kept going and was surprised how well it was turning out. I hadn't really intended to share it with anyone until I was almost finished. I saw the 3D Warehouse didn't have anything like it, so why not?
As for the video, I hope I never do anything like that again!
The interior animations were especially a pain. It takes several hours to render each 15 second clip, and most of time upon watching the result I would find myself flying inside walls. Sketchup doesn't like small spaces I guess.SDR, I think you're right about falling in love with one's own creation. During times when I was working heavily on it, I would have myself convinced it looked very much like the real thing. Then I'd leave it alone for a few days, come back to it, and be surprised at how cartoony it looked
Well, thank you all again for your kind comments! Maybe when I get a newer computer I can add more details, but for now I'm a little burned out on the whole Sketchup thing. It became one of those "I've put so much work into it, I can't stop now!" kind of things.
Thanks for your comments. I haven't tried touring the model in SketchUp yet, so I'm looking forward to that. Now that you're done with it, do you feel
that SketchUp satisfied your desire for an informative walk-through experience ?
Thanks so much for your hard work, and for bringing us the results. Do you intend to pursue architecture ? If so, it will be interesting to see what other
media you explore. We are clearly in a time of ongoing development of ways to present architecture, to both the professional and the layman.
SDR
that SketchUp satisfied your desire for an informative walk-through experience ?
Thanks so much for your hard work, and for bringing us the results. Do you intend to pursue architecture ? If so, it will be interesting to see what other
media you explore. We are clearly in a time of ongoing development of ways to present architecture, to both the professional and the layman.
SDR
Lovely Sketchup model.
My own sketchup model for the Jacobs-derived house we built ended up being well over 60MB including the furniture, textures etc. My PC kicks several different types of a$$, but unfortunately, I can't run with Aliasing enabled on the ATI 4850 graphics card.
If you intend upgrading your graphics card, do NOT get an ATI, because there's a bug which badly compromises aliased settings, and it means you can't select any surfaces with aliasing enabled. (Although you can enable it prior to creating movies, or for viewing.)
I recommend any decent nVidia graphics card for Sketchup, and whack at least 2GB of memory into the machine as well: Sketchup is a resource hog when your files start to get large.
If you suffer slow downs when models get big, then put all the fancy stuff on a different layer (I always make the roofs of things on a layer, for example) so you can switch it off to speed your working rate.
The other thing you should be doing (if not already) is to create objects for often used things (like windows/doors etc) and stick them on a "components" layer. That will allow you to switch off all but the structure while you work on it.
My own sketchup model for the Jacobs-derived house we built ended up being well over 60MB including the furniture, textures etc. My PC kicks several different types of a$$, but unfortunately, I can't run with Aliasing enabled on the ATI 4850 graphics card.
If you intend upgrading your graphics card, do NOT get an ATI, because there's a bug which badly compromises aliased settings, and it means you can't select any surfaces with aliasing enabled. (Although you can enable it prior to creating movies, or for viewing.)
I recommend any decent nVidia graphics card for Sketchup, and whack at least 2GB of memory into the machine as well: Sketchup is a resource hog when your files start to get large.
If you suffer slow downs when models get big, then put all the fancy stuff on a different layer (I always make the roofs of things on a layer, for example) so you can switch it off to speed your working rate.
The other thing you should be doing (if not already) is to create objects for often used things (like windows/doors etc) and stick them on a "components" layer. That will allow you to switch off all but the structure while you work on it.
How many escape pods are there? "NONE, SIR!" You counted them? "TWICE, SIR!"
*Plotting to take over the world since 1965
*Plotting to take over the world since 1965
Nice advice. There's nothing like experience, as a guide. . .! Thanks, Mobius.
If roofs were made a separate layer, then presumably they could be deleted for an easy overview of the plan form of a house. On another SketchUp
thread, I have recommended transparent roofs, for the same purpose; perhaps I'm old-fashioned, but I like to proceed in comprehending an
unfamiliar structure by reading its plan, in order to understand what's where, and (ideally) how the room layout informs both the exterior and interior of
the structure.
In the flyover, a staple of these CAD models, one stares at blank roof planes -- the portion of the house that's least visible from the ground, and
therefore (presumably) less a part of the architect's intended effect than any other. For the purposes of the 3D model, why not substite, for these
meaningless blank surfaces, a 3D model of the interior ?
SDR
If roofs were made a separate layer, then presumably they could be deleted for an easy overview of the plan form of a house. On another SketchUp
thread, I have recommended transparent roofs, for the same purpose; perhaps I'm old-fashioned, but I like to proceed in comprehending an
unfamiliar structure by reading its plan, in order to understand what's where, and (ideally) how the room layout informs both the exterior and interior of
the structure.
In the flyover, a staple of these CAD models, one stares at blank roof planes -- the portion of the house that's least visible from the ground, and
therefore (presumably) less a part of the architect's intended effect than any other. For the purposes of the 3D model, why not substite, for these
meaningless blank surfaces, a 3D model of the interior ?
SDR
Last edited by SDR on Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
Jeff Myers
- Posts: 1813
- Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2009 9:01 pm
- Location: Tulsa
- Contact:
I wish I had known about layers and components when I started. It's my first model so I always thought I would learn about the more advanced stuff later. Instead I did it the hard way 
As for the drawings, I found a link to some on the wikipedia page. I used those for reference as well as some photos I had taken of the house.
No plans for going into architecture. I have a lack of new ideas and imagination I'm afraid, so no need to impose that upon the world!
Joe
As for the drawings, I found a link to some on the wikipedia page. I used those for reference as well as some photos I had taken of the house.
No plans for going into architecture. I have a lack of new ideas and imagination I'm afraid, so no need to impose that upon the world!
Joe
Joe -- Thanks for that explanation and info. Congrats on pressing through to a completed and satisfying result. It's quite a job, in my opinion --
clean, crisp, seemingly complete and nice to look at. I might have toned down the green grass a bit, but that's a minor quibble. Nice work.
Not everyone in the architect's office is a designer; there's lots of room in the profession for technicians who work to translate the initial design into
a complete project. If you enjoyed any part of the process of putting this model together, there could be a place for you -- if you wanted to pursue it.
My impression is that SketchUp is the most popular "gateway" modeling program, being a free download that presents some shortcuts to the
novice drafter. Professionals seem to be using other (far more complex and powerful) programs to build a design and render it.
My interest is as a viewer rather than a maker of such models, and as a novice viewer I am finding that I miss the ability to read the plan -- the
layout of spaces -- in the building I'm looking at. My initial suggest is a transparent roof, as this would seem to provide, in one document, both
the finished appearance (almost -- especially on flat-roofed buildings) of both the exterior and interior of the building, and a way to view the
interior layout from overhead, to enable immediate comprehension of the plan -- of one-story houses, at least.
I'd be curious to know how others perceive the issue.
SDR
clean, crisp, seemingly complete and nice to look at. I might have toned down the green grass a bit, but that's a minor quibble. Nice work.
Not everyone in the architect's office is a designer; there's lots of room in the profession for technicians who work to translate the initial design into
a complete project. If you enjoyed any part of the process of putting this model together, there could be a place for you -- if you wanted to pursue it.
My impression is that SketchUp is the most popular "gateway" modeling program, being a free download that presents some shortcuts to the
novice drafter. Professionals seem to be using other (far more complex and powerful) programs to build a design and render it.
My interest is as a viewer rather than a maker of such models, and as a novice viewer I am finding that I miss the ability to read the plan -- the
layout of spaces -- in the building I'm looking at. My initial suggest is a transparent roof, as this would seem to provide, in one document, both
the finished appearance (almost -- especially on flat-roofed buildings) of both the exterior and interior of the building, and a way to view the
interior layout from overhead, to enable immediate comprehension of the plan -- of one-story houses, at least.
I'd be curious to know how others perceive the issue.
SDR