Posted - 12/07/2012 : 11:26:55 PM
Not sure if this is the right forum or not, but here goes...
I was playing around with satellite views of the Bush Terminal in Brooklyn, NY. I have decided to try and model it as an N scale shelf layout. While waiting for the holidays to be finished, I figured I could get started on something to pass the time, an thought maybe I could think about a backdrop or something. Then I started playing with Google Street View, and realized that EVERY building I would be modeling is there.
I always knew that Lance Mindheim got great results with using photos to create structures, but I wondered if you could do the same thing by using street view. Turns out, that you CAN create buildings from photos, without ever being there to take them, lol!
Here is the building I started with:
After much trial and error, I realized that you had to take multiple screen shots of the different parts of the building, and stitch them together. I used 5 of them to get this image in Photoshop.
I then had this printed to the correct size on matte finish photo paper at Office Max. Cost 2 bucks for a BUNCH of copies.
I carefully cut the image out, and then traced the outline onto the back of a thin "For Sale" sign that is a replacement for styrene. After cutting the sign to fit, I used spray adhesive to glue it on. I then ran a piece of brown chalk around the edges to be sure there was no edge to show. Here is the result, laying on a magazine photo. The pic is from a crappy cell phone camera, but you get the idea.
I think that once the sides and roof are on, and I add in 3d detail parts, the result will be pretty acceptable.
Bottom line, I think that I can model EVERY building from the prototype exactly, all thanks to Google!
