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[mikefictiti0us]

This is a project I've been working on for the past week in an attempt to improve my knowledge in both 3D modelling and architectural design. It's a scale model of the original World Trade Center complex that is, bar the various bits and pieces of the model that are still WIP, accurate down to the foot. I'm building it using the specifications set out in the original blueprints.

The model itself is untextured (using simple procedural materials at the moment) and the tower exteriors still require a fair bit of work. I'll probably add the plaza and some basic exteriors to the other buildings after that, and then comes the hard part : modelling the entire interior of Tower 1, from the elevators and stairs to the layout of each individual floor, or as many floors as I can add before I hit my PC's poly limit.
Figure I might post renders every now and then on my progress. It's probably going to take me upwards of a year to complete it to my satisfaction.

[Jopax]

Looks very nice, what program are you using?
And i think it's going to take a while if you intend to do each floor separately.

[mikefictiti0us]

I'm using CAD and Max 2012. Furnishing each floor won't be as daunting as you'd imagine because the majority of them were occupied by offices that were similar in layout and configuration. For those, it's merely a question of getting a bunch of template office spaces set up and repeating them with a degree of variation.

[mikefictiti0us]

Here's two structural renders. The first depicts floor spacing, which was typically 12 feet, though it varied for certain floors. This elevation image shows the actual measurements. For the second image, I've cut away elements like the spandrel plates and floor trusses at a certain point to reveal the core columns. They are basically placeholders until I get around to modelling their various dimensions as they run up the building.

And finally, a quick render of the lobby in 1 WTC. The materials, like those on the exterior of the building, are temporary and it's still a work in progress that requires many additional objects.

[Knight of Fools]

That's pretty amazing.  It looks almost like a finished product already.

[ein]

No kidding.
For a second I thought that render was an actual photograph, before I read the text.

[Root Infinity]

Someone should do this as a megaproject in DF itself...

I honestly forget - how many floors were there in the WTC buildings?

And great job by the way... How many hours have you put in?

[mikefictiti0us]

Thanks! I've probably sunk around 15 hours into thus far, not counting the time it's taken to collect specific details relating to the construction of the complex. The architectural blueprints (some of them are here) are sadly hard to read in certain sections, meaning I have to spend a great deal of time researching exact measurements for various components. Irritating.

As for the towers themselves, each had 110 floors and were almost identical save for a few relatively minor differences, such as Tower 1 (1368ft) being 6 feet taller than Tower 2. Structurally speaking, they possessed 47 core columns, with 240 box shaped welded steel peripheral columns (59 per face +1 at each chamfered corner - the edge of each tower was chamfered exactly 6 feet, 11 inches). Both the core and perimeter columns tapered at several sections of each tower, reflecting the fact that they had to support less weight at higher elevations.

The steel outer perimeter columns attached to horizontal spandrel plates.

The weight of each tower was, as I recall, estimated to be around 500,000 tons, and these columns were built to support the total weight of each tower several times over. The peripheral columns, which were basically sections of vertical steel beams that were attached to horizontal plates at a spacing of 3'-4", were covered with an anodized aluminum facade, which is why the towers had that beautifully mellow reflectivity.

[Root Infinity]

Thanks! I've probably sunk around 15 hours into thus far, not counting the time it's taken to collect specific details relating to the construction of the complex. The architectural blueprints (some of them are here) are sadly hard to read in certain sections, meaning I have to spend a great deal of time researching exact measurements for various components. Irritating.

I see what you mean with the blueprints. Hmm... you could do a fairly good replica at 1 ft. to the block scale (208 blocks square for each - a 6x6 embark; large but runnable).

[iceball3]

I do believe I may want to watch this, what is already coming out is magnificent already.

[mendonca]

This is highly interesting to me. Those drawings are fascinating, and the modelling work is quite beautiful!

I'm trying to figure out how the mechanical ventilation system worked, it's quite hard due to the text clarity.

From the drawing titles, seems like there is a higher level (108th), high level (76th), mid level (41st) and a low level (7th floor) mechanical equipment room, these could be your taller floors (to enable air handling equipment to fit in and large ductwork to distribute). Presumably the ventilation systems serve the floors around around about these points.

And look at all those god damn lifts! (presumably they are lifts?)

[mikefictiti0us]

I'm trying to figure out how the mechanical ventilation system worked, it's quite hard due to the text clarity.
And look at all those god damn lifts! (presumably they are lifts?)

Yeah, they divided each tower into three distinct zones which were serviced by large, intermittently placed mechanical floors. See this image for greater clarity. I know that the mechanical systems, including ventilation, received numerous multimillion dollar renovations and upgrades over the years so I'm not sure of their precise configuration prior to the attack. You can bet it would have been quite different to the original systems that are portrayed in the prints, which were drawn up in 1962.

Yep, also lots of elevators which were split into banks within each zone. The sky lobby design was actually an ingenious solution to issues such as limited floor space as well as the large volume of traffic that each building had to maintain on a daily basis.

Anyway, had some free time today so I added a little more detail to the famous tridents on the exterior. Looks better. I'm actually thinking of trying to eventually import the model into some sort of engine with some simple scripts so people can walk around the buildings and take a ride in the elevators. Would be an interesting educational tool.

Click to enlarge.

[Tharwen]

Wow, this is beautiful.

Now I wish I could have visited them before they were destroyed (I went to the Empire State Building and presumably saw them from a distance when I was younger, but don't remember much about it).

[Armok]

This is so close to photorealism I take it as a challenge. *stares intently at image for a while*

Hmm... Ok, found one: usually, there are small imperfections in the smoothness of windows that give ever so subtle distortions of the reflections at very large scales.

I wouldn't have spotted it if I hadn't worked with this kind of thing myself. So good work.

[Tharwen]

This is so close to photorealism I take it as a challenge. *stares intently at image for a while*

Hmm... Ok, found one: usually, there are small imperfections in the smoothness of windows that give ever so subtle distortions of the reflections at very large scales.

I wouldn't have spotted it if I hadn't worked with this kind of thing myself. So good work.

I would have gone for the railings myself. They seem to bend a little too sharply.

That's not to say that the entire picture isn't amazing.