Crystal is a residential complex based in Irkutsk. Built by EXK, local developer. 6 individual block-sections and 9 floors of brick walls with parking lot and a playground.

I had a pleasure to create a presentation of this complex before it was completely built. I have been given a few blueprints, a pass to the project with a yellow hard hat to keep my head safe and almost two months before exhibition as a deadline point. I made all sections in four weeks. Two orbits of flying-through camera. And one giant flash program in Full HD was the result of 2008.

In 2010 this residential complex was completed in reality and has been moved into. I decided to try my best with this project again. I took my camera and gone hunting for references and textures. I wanted more realism than before, a lot more details than in the very first attempt, real-looking trees and real picture to show off.

I remade all windows to double glazing with opening mechanism. I rebuilt all balconies with a new plastic material that is not blinded by bright sunlight, new porches though some of them is still ugly, and planned new noticed details to create.

The first realization of the main porch has changed in contrast to the blueprints. In real life it became a small restaurant.

And then there was the idea to create full 360° panorama, real-looking buildings around, fallen leaves, golden grass and trees. I needed more details, close enough to references and reasonable amount of them to render with RAM that I have.

I started filling space with usual for closed balconies stuff and small details like street lamps and dustbins. A lot of VRayDirt is on every material using cgtextures and my own reference shots/maps. Salt and mud stains on the brick wall, which depended on the floor separator.

There had to be leaves everywhere but I forgot to switch layer with them on, so no leaves.

Split air conditioners are very simple to save photons. Details are close to the real ones. The far sections are not ready, materials are in mess there and have no gamma 2.2.

Office shutters, wavy bars on the lower windows, downspout with the wall brackets and yellow grass.

Transformer substation was also built. Last time I have been there it was painted with graffiti. Playground is right behind it.

Next Step

Then I started a Khrushchev-building (Soviet mass architecture of 1959-1985) faced the complex. A balcony with flowers and drying linen, who lived in Soviet Union, recognize these rhombuses.

I modeled and textured 4 groups of 6 variations of old windows. They should be leaked, dirty, broken… different, in one word. Stairwell windows are broken basing on the reference photo I took in my town (all leaks are from cgtextures).

Another view with mosquito net, there are even rusty pins as a detail on the edge of the net.

Here, how it looks with a brick wall and a simple curtain. Notice the curvature of the double glazing.

I am still not satisfied with the whole scene and some materials. When you look at the real wall,  it has a natural dirt, stains, leaks and cracks are everywhere and megapixels are really high. Reality is unreachable, I know, but I have to try working more. Nowaday scene has about 3 million faces.

For those who do not follow me on twitter, I will put a link to a 360video that contains a simple fly-through around this residential complex.

Thank you for reading. Work is still In Progress.