2301_Fake Lake House — ParisPictureClub

2023 - Fake Lake House

Reproduction of an architectural photography
By Laurie Volfinger

A photo-reproduction exercise as an initial immersion into the collective. A choice of a photograph appreciated as much for its style as for the architecture it depicts.

Dominique M. Wehrli - Villa by Lake / Niklaus Graber + Christoph Steiger Architekten, 2007

Process
Finding camera positioning and settings using the Camera Calibrator into Cinema4D. Modelling only the visible elements and the relevant volumes for any shadows and reflections.

The various types of scene lighting are controlled with separated channels. This allows to precisely adjust the brightness and colour of each light. Reflective materials take on the colour of the light they receive.
In order to make the image more closely resemble the reference image, some artificial outdoor lighting has been added, even though the photograph was taken in broad daylight. Our software sometimes reproduces reality more accurately by adding subtle effects.
A great many details and imperfections have been added in 3D and to the materials, such as the marks on the concrete, the creases in the blinds and the slight roughness of the floor. What sets a photograph apart from a 3D image is often these occasional imperfections.

Original image

3D reproduction

Experimental Animations
This type of research project can be a good starting point for further exploration. Like using the setup to display furniture or like these few attempts at setting things in motion, with no particular video skills at that stage.

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