Hudson Life Building: Going Up
I had many other things that I had to do this week so I was worried that I would not have a decent amount of modeling time. I was able to get much done, but if you glance at the photos, it looks like I have not done much. So we move out of week two of construction and I will show you what has been done thus far.
Construction
After last week I finished off the facade on the first few floors and begin the layering process of the midsection of the Hudson Life Building. I had to do a little demolition on the building as well but it was minor.
Adding Tiles
If you noticed in the pictures last week, I had began work on the strips of styrene that are cut into small lengths that I call “tiles” just above the 2nd floor windows. I needed to continue this same process and add the tiles to the vertical members on the first two floors. On the prototype I noticed that the cut stone facade alternated between large and small pieces vertically. I recreated this by using .010″ thick strips of .080″ and .250″ cut about .020″ wider than the vertical members so they would cover the tiles on the sides. After I had all of the tiles laid on the front of the building I began work by adding the tiles to the sides and then I hit my first issue.
I had already added the horizontal pieces between the 1st and 2nd floors and as I started to add the tiles I realized that I had to cut each tile around this piece. So I had to make a decision, do I custom cut each tile around this piece or do I rip out what had been done. I decided on the latter because I felt it would take less time and the end result would look better. I went ahead and cut it all out and then filed everything smooth and then added the tiles to the sides without obstruction. I than cleaned up any ruff edges on the tiles with a file so I could redo the work that I had ripped out.
Reconstruction
After I rebuilt the 1st and 2nd floor divider to where it was before, I then began to complete it. I began by adding a .040x.080″ cap to the already built core. After the cap I next added a tiles to the front in the same manner as before, but with larger tiles. Lastly I added a .010x.040″ base and a .010x.020″ strip to finish them off. With the completion of these, the facade is now largely done on the bottom three floors, they do not have much work until I get to windows.
Close up of the first floor.
9th Floor Windows
The windows on the 9th floor have had me worried long before I began construction. Like the windows on the 10th floor on the Dominion Building, they are arched, therefore not easy. Adding to the headache is all of the arched detail above the windows. Just when I thought I had painted myself into a corner, a tool that had saved me on the Dominion Building rooftop sign, saved me yet again.
The tool is called the Quickutz Silhouette Digital Craft Cutter and it is designed for cutting shapes into paper for scrap booking reasons. I had thought about cutting some heavy card stock paper and using it for the arches. I cut a test and it just did not meet my expectations. I then had a thought, could I cut sheet styrene with it? Under my wife’s supervision (it is her machine) I ran some .010″ sheet through it and worked amazingly well. It didn’t cut the sheet, it only scribed it, but that was okay because all I needed to do was snap out the parts. I glued them in and I could not have been more happy, I just need to figure out what to do to add thickness, but I think I might have a solution.
Arched windows.
More Tiles
From the 4th to the 9th floors, I needed to add tiles to the fifteen vertical members in a similar fashion as the bottom floors. In all it was about 375 tiles cut and placed on this section of the building. Fortunately the bulk of the tiles are now done and I do believe that the time spent on them will prove wise once the paint is applied.
Some tiles are done.
Capitals
At the top of each pediment on the building lies the capitals that the rest of the arches will rest on forming an arcade. I chose to start the capitals first so I could insure that they would be level and then work down to the first cornice that I built. I first cut a 1/2″ long piece of .060x.250″ strip to serve as the core. I then cut some .020″ strip into lengths of just shy of 3/8″. I glued those to the top half of the core. Next I added a cap cut from .020x.156″ strip. Bellow the cap I added some .010x.040″ strip to the core and then I added some .040″ square strip on top of that. I needed strip that was .040x.050″ but as far as I know it does not exist, that is why I had to laminate the two strips.
The cores for the capitals
Capitals being built up.
I then took some .040″ quarter round strip and wrapped the core below the laminated strips I just added. This was the trickiest part of the capitals to fabricate because I had to cut 45° angles on some of the ends. At first I was using my chopper to cut the angles but was having issues. I realized that 45° is easy to eyeball, so I cut my angles with an x-acto knife, the best cut angles were done this way. Next I added .010x.020″ strip below the quarter round for more detail. Then last of all I added some .020″ square strip at about .060″ from the bottom of the capitals.
Finished Capitals
Finished Capitals
Conclusion
Now that the capitols are done, the next few steps are going to bring a little life into this big guy. I will be adding the pilasters next, they will extend from the capitals to the first cornice I built. Then I will be adding the brick and tiles to them and that will finish things off up to the 9th floor. I should very easily have this portion of the building done for next week and hopefully more.
Something that has me excited is I have done more work on this building in two weeks than I did on the Dominion in one month. My methods have not changed, but I think I am refining them is all. At this rate I could have this building done in two months, but I would not hold your breath.
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