Modelling
Auckland CBD

Hello, I'm Joel Wilson. I am 12 years old and I live in New Zealand.

This page will follow the progress of my plan to model the main CBD of Auckland City. Once completed, the model will cover the main area of downtown, stretching from (for all those Aucklanders who know what I'm talking about here) Hobson Street to Princes Street, alongside Albert Park, and from Quay Street (including the wharfs) To the Intersection at Queen Street and Mayoral Drive. For me, this is quite a leap from my World Trade Center model (which is insanely detailed for a 12-year-old to have made).

• The model will feature a small part of Auckland City and includes many of the tall skyscrapers you see on the skyline.
• All buildings will be modeled in grey texture, as adding facade would be too difficult.
• All terrain (which will be simulated in the VTP software) will be featured to add the next level of detail to the model.
• Taller buildings, such as Metropolis (the draft is featured below in a picture) will be modeled with more detail (eg, anything sticking out from the side of the building will be featured, such as decks etc)
• Every building in the described area will be modeled. Smaller buildings will be modeled as small blocks.
• The heights of the buildings will be measured to scale accurately.

Upon completion, the model will be available for sale. It will work best in the VTP software, as the model outside of VTP will not feature terrain.  And now, on with the show... I'm not sure exactly how often I'll update the page, but keep checking back.

2007.04.15	I've now acquired the needed DEM to build the model upon (many thanks to Ben from Virtual Terrain). I will build every building individually (or every block individually, depending on Where buildings are separated) and I will then import them in to Enviro. I will also get roads that I can import in to Enviro to add to the reality of the model. Next thing to do is research the tax blocks. I will probably start with one of the taller skyscrapers or one of the well known buildings, such as the ANZ Skyscraper or maybe the Sky Tower (which will have plenty of information over the internet and may be the right place to start).
2007.04.14	I am going through the "research" period, where I look up all the information about Tax Blocks, building height, depth and width etc.
2007.04.01	The attached screenshot is the first building I have made - Metropolis, although it's out-of-scale and very drafted. The model will not be textured, but I may give it very basic textures at a later stage. I'm using mainly photos of the buildings to build it. I tried to obtain profile imagery, but I contacted the Auckland City Council and they said they didn't have any. So now it's just my eye's thoughts when building the buildings, although I'm not sure how accurate this will make the model.
2007.03.31	I currently use Bryce, a cheap and powerful program by DAZ Studios. It won't be nearly powerful enough to support a whole CBD, so I'm going to revert to 3D Studio Max soon for the buildings.