Want to explore architectural models like you do video games? Learn to create architectural visualizations in Unity 2017. This project allows players to explore Frank Lloyd Wright's famous Fallingwater design.
- [Instructor] Have you ever wished that you could explore architectural models as easily as you can explore 3D video games? This is possible in Unity and Unity is available for free if you earn less than 100,000 dollars a year or for a monthly fee if you earn more. In this course, I'll show you how to import a complex sketch up model of Frank Lloyd Wright's famous Falling Water design into Unity where we will navigate through the space using a third person character that gives human context to virtual space. We will add realistic natural and artificial lighting, create a beautiful HDR sky with clouds, sculpt a landscape complete with grasses, 3D trees, painted texture, and water that ripples in the simulated breeze, we'll even learn how to script animated doors that automatically open when your character approaches and close after you walk through.
You'll add an overview map that always shows where your character is in relation to the floor plan and, finally, we will deploy to the desktop and the web so that your clients can experience the architectural visualization without knowing anything about 3D modeling or game engine software. Let's get started.
Instructor Scott Onstott starts with a SketchUp model that he cleans up and imports into Unity, where he creates the first-person and third-person characters and cameras needed to explore the model. Then he shows how to improve the building's appearance by sculpting and texturing the surrounding landscape, and populating it with trees, moving grass, and flowing water. Next, he demonstrates how to animate and script doors so they automatically open as the character approaches. Then real-time lighting is baked into textures for greater efficiency and an overview map is added to keep the player oriented within the overall floorplan. Finally, Scott tests and deploys the final interactive visualization for desktop and the web. No plugins are required to view the results! Follow along to build your own version of the project and strengthen your Unity skills.
- Importing a model
- Creating a first-person and third-person characters
- Scripting the walk
- Swapping characters
- Adjusting lighting
- Sculpting terrain
- Painting textures
- Refining materials
- Animating doors that open and close
- Configuring an overview map
- Baking lighting into textures
- Deploying the game to different platforms