Layout Concepts

Using the internet I  started collecting various examples of other dioramas references which I thought believe will relate my chosen theme. The images I found gave me many idea’s for the general layout for the environment, however I wanted to create something unique, so I wanted to make the war-room my focus point.

Here are some  sketches of some initial concepts for my diorama, layout by taking influence from my current research and mood-boards. I later went into Photoshop to add a little more detail to the layout concepts showing where walls, stairs and pillars would be.

I then began to block out my concept in Maya 2015, to get the basic shape and layout of my diorama. It was at this stage where I started to question my idea, I felt that this was a little too ambitious to do with the time constraints of this project. So instead I decided to focus on the interior war-room, choosing quality over quantity but still keeping to the same theme.

Here I have started to develop my war-room further, I’ve played around with different layouts taking inspiration from both Albert Speer and the scene from ‘inglorious bastards’ for the layout and composition of object around the diorama. Using ‘game of thrones’ I sketched different table layouts for props where maps and chess pieces will be located. I wanted the Main map on the wall to be on the opposite side of the room to the fireplace, splitting the room into work and pleasure. With this idea I created a final layout concept with a wall which actually separates the room into two, I liked this concept as I thought I instantly had a unique feel to it and I was really motivated to start modelling the basic layout.

Using Maya 2015, I blocked out the basic shape of the walls, floor and ceiling, I have also created insets for where the map and fireplace will be. I did this by creating a basic cube for the base floor setting the width and depth the same size but lowering the height, then using the ‘insert edge loops tool’ to create quick and easy edges split equally around the shape, I repeated this same technique for the ceiling. I then selected the middle row of face and extruded then from the Y axis to give me the basic shape of my wall. I then inserted more edge loops around the top part of the wall and then extruded different face at different values to give me the shelf effect around the border of the ceiling. I’m happy with the outcome so far, I feel that the shape of this diorama is unique, and will work well as a diorama turn table.