October Entry: temple transformation

[Gamerprinter]

Lots of ideas brewing for this challenge, but first I have something special in mind for the main floor of the chapel area.

I want to experiment with mosaic tiled floors. Since this is a temple in transformation, I am leaving a remnant of the "original mosaic" partially removed with the "replacement mosaic" already in progress. Its a kind of cool way of showing a temple under transformation, I thought.

The photo to the left is Elenora of Toledo 1550 - although alittle modern for my tastes, the lines in her face are very distinct, which helps when converting the image with a mosaic filter. Since the mosaic filter will "pixelate" the image, there will be loss of detail - but that helps with what I'm going for anyway.

I imported the image into Xara Xtreme. I used a pre-installed Photoshop Plug-in called "alien skin xenofex 2 > classic mosaic." I used a the smallest tile setting of 4 pixels, and a 50% grout using a browninsh gray as grout color. This is the second photo.

From within Xara I used a freehand drawing tool to cut a line along the edges of tiles on the face to remove part of mosaic. The line extended beyond the edges of the image, then I selected "Arrange/Combine/Slice" tool to cut the portion of the image away. This is the third image.

Finally I found a demon photo, some marble texture and a tiled floor texture to create the final image.

This is the main temple floor... next onto walls!

[ravells]

Nice concept! I like it!

[RPMiller]

Yup! Neat idea!

[Gamerprinter]

I plan to do much of this design in 3D.

So I can get some really nice shadow effects - like window shadow and sunlight stream from outer hall way, through doors onto floor. The marbled area of the floor will have square columns with fancy footings. I want proper shadowing of columns on floor from all light sources.

I might put a couple candelabras just above the "top" of the mosaic image, as the altar will sit in a niche beyond the boundries of the main chapel floor, as well as unlit niches in sides and "bottom".

I'm even thinking of creating some scaffolding on one side of the monastary, where the "new statues" are being lifted from the ground to be brought in through upper windows into chapel. Yes I'm putting the chapel in the 2nd or 3rd (?) floor, in photo.

Oh and to be really dark, look for an on ground cememtary with all the graves open!!! Lots of work to do.

[Robbie]

I definitely like where you're going with this...and 3d is my language...so I'm glad to see ya speakin it. Some good GI and AO would be nice

I really like the mosaic tile transformation though...thats a nice touch indeed.

[Gamerprinter]

OK, no 3D yet, I'm still using Xara. I couldn't get what I wanted in 3D. The doorway light/shadow was created in Xara, I just placed a polygon filled black with a 40% transparency applied and an 11 pixel edge feather.

Instead of pillars, I decided on small platforms where statues will go. The upright and broken statues will be 3D, as well as some boxes of tiles, a trowel and straight hoe used to remove the other mosaic tiles. I also plan to have a small pile of loose tiles as well.

Image so far...

[Gamerprinter]

Still using Xara Xtreme. The basic floorplan for the chapel level is finished - still got to add windows, statues, tables, chairs, doors, lights and shadows, blood stains, etc.

Progress so far...

[ravells]

wow! That's impressive! Although it looks a little odd to my eye that you would have mosaics on the floor where the stairs are going to go up in the tower bits....or maybe I'm misunderstanding...still looks pretty cool.

[Gamerprinter]

The stairs weren't an afterthought so much as, I didn't include them in my thinking when I was dreaming up the mosaics. I plan to make the central mosaic square a tad bit smaller, then use that "blue tile" frame to match up better around the stairs.

I was getting pretty far along, when I thought I post a WIP, though lots of details and "fixes" yet to perform. When I said "done with the floorplan" who am I kidding, I got lots to do.

Somehow my "blue frame" tile that should surround the central chapel disappeared when I exported to JPG (must have deleted it by accident)

Just so you know, I've never created an indoor map like this before - I'm pushing myself to the next level

[Gamerprinter]

I am not Russian nor Eastern nor Greek Orthodox (nor Catholic, for that matter), and I've never been inside an Eastern Orthodox church or monastery before - and really have no intentions of doing so, anytime soon.

Additionallly, I am an older soul, and prefer architecture earlier than 1400, preferrably, earlier than 500 AD, but the "challenge" is using photo of a Russian Orthodox monastery built after 1400, probably as late as in the 1700's.

As far as the "challenge" goes, however, "this is a fantasy site".

Unlike NeonKnight's entry - architectural accuracy to an Orthodox church is not a consideration for me. I am simply using the exterior architecture to guide me on creating my own fantasy temple interior structure, based on what I think it might look like. (I am not torn by historical accuracy in any way)

For names - this is the Monastery of Saint Bes, the Autumnal Matriarch located in west central Ostrovia (actually a demigoddess from pagan times, her popularity by the local pastoral peoples have forced the Orthodox Synod to canonize her into the formal Ostrovian pantheon.)

The Disciples of Degoth, Master of the Perverse Sanctum, have usurped the monastery with hopes of calling their master, Degoth, from the Shadow Plane to bless the world with madness and perversity.