Creating 3D Props

As laid out in my concept artwork, I really wanted to include some intricate stairs into the model. Through not having any tutorials I had previously used to follow, there were a few on youtube that i felt I could take from. Viewing a few, I came across one that used the deformers in maya to create a curved staircase. To use the tool, the idea is that a rod would be placed in the centre of the model and bent. Rotating and moving the rod would give different results. In the case of the video, this was a spiral staircase. In my own work, I don't think a spiral staircase would fit, but the tools would allow me to create something that could fit with the work I had already created.

Using the stairs I had already made for the walls, I duplicated out a set and began to play with the deformer.

As in the image below, the rod was situated at the top, using that as the pivot point to bend the stairs, obviously this isn't what I was after, but it did give me something to refer back to with future stair models.

Moving back to the video I tried to work out how the creator had laid his pole to bend from. Having this knowledge would allow me to go back in and create my own set.

Using the details from the tutorial I managed to find the correct place to add the curvature. Unfortunately the stairs themselves didn't actually contain enough edges to bend the entire shape. When the stairs were made, I did not include any length edge loops, only the one I eventually merged together. Because of this, the stairs would not deform properly in the direction I wanted them to.

Because of this issue, I took a different approach. This time modelling each step separately with a bevel at the end. Having each step separate would help me to bend the overall shape later on and create a set of stairs that weren't only curved in the right way, but had the same distance between them.

Using the same duplicate function as creating the grate for the drain, I extended the steps upwards.

Selecting all the faces on either side allowed me to create a new lip, or curb that I could use as an edge for the stairs. As they had become so long and wide, I felt they would be good to use for the sloping section inside the entrance.

With the basic plane created I could combine and move the piece into position where I wanted it and use the deformer to bend it round.

Using the deformer proved to be a lot easier than I thought, but a very powerful little tool. Completely changing the object and it's geometry in a matter of second with a few commands helped me create something very interesting to look at and really did live up to the expectations I set myself.

With the basic form set, I could begin manipulating the points to fit the walls around it. Although it isn't necessarily needed, I wanted the stairs to seem as though fitted against the wall instead of inside it. This way I could aim for a more authentic and realistic look.

Having made the stairs on a flat plane, they did not fit with the deformed ground level I had created before. Not wanting to have to redo the ground, I further extruded the faces of the newly created stairs down into the ground to give it a very earthy and rough feel. Having this angling on either side of the stairs gave a very hand on look to the whole section.

With the stairs established, I could begin to more vertices on the stairs themselves to give a very worn and beaten down look.

With the basic shape established I could begin to work on the stairs for the other side. Although both sides weren't symmetrical, it did give me a solid foundation to build from.

Mirroring and separating the stairs helped me get the basic shape with the new deformations in the stairs to begin to add the other side. The process itself seems very simple this far down the line, but the learning curve having been so steep in the process has allowed me to acquire this common sensical knowledge in this complex 3D program.

Separating them out, I was able to perform the same task as before in moving the vertices to match the geometry of the other building.

With the stairs now firmly in place, I could begin to move the other props around it. With the arches I had created before, I could not position them to look as though the stairs were connected, having a tall archway that connects the entrance passageway to the rest of the lower level.

Duplicating them on both sides really helped to separate out the overall space.

With the stairs embedded, I went back to working on the mid level. As before, the normals were coming out slightly odd compared to the rest of the model. Because of this I decided to completely redo the mid level of the piece with something more simplistic that I could change later on. Having the stairs set in already helped me establish a base shape with consistent and workable geometry.

On top of this, I wanted to add a higher, more platform-like higher level. With the new triangular shape on top, I thought it made a good contrast to the piece to have a kind of battle arena in the middle. Adding to that the motif's created on the walls below, I was able to keep this new level stylistically cohesive.