How would you go about modeling a detailed stone structure such as a medieval oven or a corner of a castle wall, where the stones naturally fit together, perhaps bound by some mortar. I am specifically interested in tackling corners, where you see two or three sides of the same stone, without relying on hiding the corners by geometry.
more specifically i am trying to model a hewn stone medieval oven for my log cabins. I am after hyper realism in terms of detail.
my preference is 3ds max, i don’t enjoy sculpting in mudbox but can do.
Hello there @BuildSpillWhat1!
When tackling any style from scratch, references are gonna be key. Start by setting up a PureRef with multiple variants of ovens, like this one:
Once you have settled on a shape, draw a quick concept of the proportions you will aim to, specially if you already have a log cabin model, with it’s own physical constraints.
As for modelling the over itself, the best approach would be to work each stone as it’s own individual piece, and quite literally build the oven. Start with simple boxes in 3DS Max, blocking out the structure. As for the corners, I would use corner cap stones, L-shaped or T-shaped, and place them using the same modular logic as before.
Once you have the whole prop build, you will have to move to some form of sculting tool (like Zbrush), and sculpt detail on the bricks, to give it the realism feel you are looking for.
For a deep dive on how to tackle the medieval look, the following playlist covers the entire process to setup a wall section. You would only need to adapt the techniques for your target shape.
