SceneScapes X3 - Elevation

Welcome to SceneScapes. This is a modular construction set for building custom architecture for outdoor scenes. This is an ongoing and evolving range that we will be adding more to yet, amongst all the other content we make.

To install, copy the Runtime folder from the zip archive and copy it to your Poser folder that already contains a Runtime folder. Once you have unpacked SceneScapes, your new props will be located here:
Runtime:Libraries:P5rops:MortemVetus:SceneScapes:Elevation:

Please note, if you bought any of the SceneScapes packs up to and including X5 - Paved In Stone, the props will be in different folders, for which we apologise, but SceneScapes came into being before we became Mortem Vetus and indeed before we even got together. X6 - Castle Creatot does have the correct library structure. With this re-packing for Renderosity, we've taken the time to update all the libraries to properly place them where all further packs will go.

Ok, so let's get started. The very first thing we need to do is set our Poser units to 'Meters'. Please refer to Chapter 1 to recap on doing this. We will be continuing with the scene from the last chapter and we'll be using that scene all the way through this guide up to X5. Again, we'll be using PoserPro2014.

Once our units are set, we can start bringing some props in. Unlike the two previous sets, these are in your library as 'figures'. This was to facilitate easier operation, keeping things as easy as possible for using these sets.


Image 4.1: Loading props

Straight away we can see that all the props are defined by the suffix to Balcony in the prop names. We've loaded BalconyS2B. BalconyS denotes that this prop has Spindled edges. Other options are BalconyW, which have walled edges, and BalconyI, which are Insert pieces with no edges at all. Further, the props all end with either -A or -B, which just denotes whether the element has a supporting pillar or no. -A are with pillars and -B are without pillars. In Image4.2  below, we've added  BalconySCorner4A then duplicated it so we have one at either end.


Image 4.2: small balcony.

With just those three pieces, we've created a simple balcony, but there's so much more we can do with Elevation. As we've done in previous chapters, we're going to build away from our base prop and create a block. We've saved the simple balcony as one block and now we're going to create a larger block, which we'll expand out from the simple block we already have.


Image 4.3: Duplicating and positioning the near corner..

In image 4.3 above, we've loaded BalconySCorner2B, and moved it to connect to the back left corner. If we look at the two types of corner we've used so far, we can see that one has posts at three corners, while the other only has a single post. This is useful for creating varying appearances to our balconies. To illustrate this a little, we've added BalconyS4B to the right hand side and we've now got a run of spindles with no posts, as we can see in Image 4.4 below.


Image 4.4: adding extra pieces

We carried on adding edge pieces, so we ended up with an enclosed raised area, as we can see in Image 4.5 below. On the far left, we've used BalconySNarrow4A. The Narrows have spindle/wall on parallel edges, making them useful for walkways and connectors. We can see in the image, that we can have long runs of unbroken spindles/walls, or we can break them up at 3 metre intervals with posts. We can also see there is a large empty area in the middle. We're going to use Infill sections (BalconyI pieces) to fill this space.


Image 4.5: creating a perimiter.

In Image 4.6 we can see the centree all filled in with BalconyI pieces. The infill pieces come with a selection of posts and fascias applied. They can used as infill, and also used as a sort of topping, to create platforms on top of walls, giiging an extra option besides peaked rooves. In addition, we can then build off thses platforms and create some intricate , layered levels.


Image 4.6: filling in the gaps.

The only open part of this block now is the Narrow (walkway) on the left. We could carry this on as an elevated walkway, or open it up into another balcony/platform. Instead, we're going to use the Stairs, which merit a mention to themselves as this is another odd shape/size piece. like the inverse corners from chapter1.

In Image 4.7, we can see the stairs in the default loading position and we can see that they are longer than the other Elevation pieces. The stairs are 6 metres long, meaning they effectively form 2 pieces together like a mini-block. The same as if we'd put two pieces together and parented one, the centre of rotation is in the middle of the top half of the stairs.


Image 4.7: loading the stairs section.

In Image 4.8, we've positioned the stairs to come off the end of the walkway piece. We're going to save this block, and then add it to our larger scene that we've been building up through this guide.


Image 4.8: positioning the stairs

In the image below, we've added our Elevation block to the existing scene. We've had to pull the camera back a way, as this is getting rather large. This is why we prefer to create individual blocks and then put these together. It makes it easier to arrange and set up. There may be times when you have to add or remove a few elements depending on the scene you're creating.


Image 4.9 Multiple blocks

We're going to save this scene as a new pz3, and use it for the next chapters of the User Guide. We'd suggest using just a few pieces to begin with, to get used to how it all slots together.
We hope you enjoy using this pack and as always, we look forward to seeing what you render with it.

Best wishes and happy rendering,
Andrew and Tracey
(MortemVetus)