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A Publication Featuring The Information Services
Technology of Maine State Government
| Volume VII, Issue 10 | October 2004 |
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By Figg Bridge Engineers
"Everything you can imagine is real", according to Picasso. It has been the communication of what is imagined that has often stymied creative people in gaining acceptance of their ideas. The lightening-quick pace of developments and enhancements in computer imagery has vastly simplified this communication. Yet the creation of the imagery itself is far from simple. Behind the scenes of this electronic wizardry, Figg Bridge Engineers, designers of the new Penobscot River Bridge, utilize a variety of hardware, software, creative artistry and innovative engineering thought to create the digital "reality" of bridge designs as they evolve. (See article in June 2004 issue – "3-D Graphic Imagery Increases Success of Public Involvement Process).
The process of providing digital renderings typically begins with numerous slides being taken of the subject area – at different times of the day to capture a variety of lighting conditions and from numerous viewpoints. This information is sorted, cataloged, scanned and merged with available topographic information to become a digital three-dimensional "map" of the area that includes buildings, streets and other fixed elements. This is the canvas upon which the bridge design is developed. The reality of the background, and the depth of detail in it, provides an increased level of credibility to the design itself – viewers are able to identify known elements of the background, reassuring them of the validity of the overall image.
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| Entrance to the pylon base for the new Penobscot River Crossing. From this entrance, visitors will ride in a high speed elevator to the top of the pylon and the three story glass observatory - and be able to view much of the Maine coastline, and the town of Bucksport and surrounding area. (The background is an actual photo and the entrance to the pylon, bridge, etc. is all digital rendering!) Image courtesy of FIGG. |
A variety of software programs is used to create numerous elements of renderings. Initially, simple wire frames of the forms are created in order to ensure adherence to the engineering design. All elements of structural engineering enter into this phase – the geometry of the bridge, the requirements for, and feasibility of, various span lengths, dimensions of piers and pylons and more. Some of the most productive and detail-oriented creators of bridge renderings have an education in structural engineering, enabling them to readily communicate and understand the design and be aware of any element that may not work from a structural point of view, preventing the creation of something that can not become reality. Ongoing training in new software programs and techniques is a requirement in order to stay at the leading edge of development in this rapidly changing medium.
Once the wire frames function structurally, the specific treatment of the bridge is developed further, testing various shapes to accommodate potential solutions. As options are created and evaluated, the rendering moves into the third stage of development, where various aesthetic details are applied and evaluated. This might involve colors, shape definition, surface treatments and more. A palette of colors and textures is used, not unlike a painter’s palette. Final touches include the position of the sun or moon as it lights the bridge; creating shadows, and reflections on the water. Lights are "turned on" for night renderings. For animated renderings or movies, even more elements become involved as the wind blows the leaves of trees and the surface of the water, the sun moves across the sky, the viewer "drives across the bridge" or cars and pedestrians utilize the structure or nearby roadways.
Large banks of dedicated servers provide the computing power necessary to create the digital rendering files. Significant disc space is also required to house the files, which may exceed ten gigabytes in size. Renderings can be created in minutes or hours, depending upon the level of detail, complexity of the model, amount of information and means of presentation desirable for the end product. Colors and lighting changes can be made with a few mouse clicks, resulting in nearly endless varieties of options for the viewers. It is through this sophisticated and endlessly variable means of communication that imagination can indeed become reality, merging the existing environment with that of the future.
Questions? Contact Jay Rohleder, Jr., P.E., S.E. by calling 610/ 594-2460 or e-mailing jrohleder@figgbridge.com.
