[STR]

From this point forward all updates and related news and commentary involving my Chicago model will be put here, rather than have it spam up a dozen Chicago threads like it did with Trump. Post #1 will always have the latest pano so you don't have to go clicking through all the pages.

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/7766/p72.th.jpg (http://img158.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p72.jpg) http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/9994/p71.th.jpg (http://img158.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p71.jpg) http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/426/p74.th.jpg (http://img158.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p74.jpg) http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/3668/p76.th.jpg (http://img158.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p76.jpg) http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/2315/p73.th.jpg (http://img158.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p73.jpg) http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/3358/p75.th.jpg (http://img158.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p75.jpg) http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/4620/tx11.th.jpg (http://img213.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tx11.jpg) http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/2136/pnn5ji.th.jpg (http://img124.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pnn5ji.jpg) http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/4125/ss6.th.jpg (http://img142.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ss6.jpg)

[JACKinNYC]

Great job. I imagine that over time you'll start to add more detail to the actual designs of buildings as opposed to the massing models I see now. Don't get me wrong... you've done a fantastic job!

[JACKinNYC]

I have a suggestion... save versions of it from the same view so you can make a movie showing your progress over time.

[spyguy]

Awesome work. Look forward to even more

[STR]

TTC from corner of State and Wacker
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/8927/State_Wacker.jpg

TTC from corner of Rush and Hubbard
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/2036/Rush_Hubbard.jpg

TTC from corner of Michigan and Wacker
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/6607/Michigan_Wacker.jpg

[STR]

Looking east from Wolf Point
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/8917/Wolf_Point.jpg

Waterview, Trump and Wrigley
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/2876/WV_TTC_WB.jpg

WV from across from Block 37. Daley Plaza is to the left.
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/6341/WV_B37.jpg

[wrabbit]

STR, these computer models are just fantastic - thanks for taking the time.

[JACKinNYC]

Forgive me if you've already said, but are you doing these for business or pleasure?

[TransitEngr]

holy friggin shit... GREAT WORK!

Any shots in off the Kennedy... you know.... that tripple peak look?

I wonder how Trump Tower and WV Tower will look from the Kennedy.

[ltsmotorsport]

I've wanted to do the same thing, but with wood or something for a while.

This looks really great. Can't wait to see more detail on the buildings.

[Patrick]

Thats amazing!

[MSPtoMKE]

Crazy! Keep up the good work!

[VivaLFuego]

You truly are the King of Kings.
:worship: :worship: :worship:
I can't get enough of the postcard shots....

Luckily we're a pretty boxy town, not too much fixin' to do....don't forget to slice off that corner of Smurfit-Stone, or take care of the curvature on Chase plaza. Another West Loop toughy (that won't matter much unless you have a go at the Kennedy perspective) is the Citigroup building. And then there's the ubiquitous 2PRU.

Are you gonna have a go at the Spire? :D

Really, really great, can't wait to see how this progresses! Something that could be really cool is an animated gif, flashing between the current skyline, and one with all the major proposals/constructions (Trump, Waterview, OMP, 340 OTP, Fordham Spire, 300 Lasalle, Elysian)

[HK Chicago]

Great work! How did you originally select a scale and discover the distance between sites?

[STR]

Here's Fordham Spire which took 2 hours just to get the proportions right. If I didn't get it right on, I had to start over almost from the beginning.

I thought this was a cool one, especially with the reflections near the base.
http://skyscrapermodels.us/spiral.jpg

[STR]

Edited

[JACKinNYC]

Keep it up! Keep it up!

[Patrick]

More, More!

[spyguy]

What a view!!!

[nomarandlee]

You da man STR....thank you thank you thank you. All these and anymore you do are greatly appreciated.

[HK Chicago]

OMG. And with the staggered rotation of each floorplate this shot will be amazing.

http://skyscrapermodels.us/spiral.jpg

[STR]

Forgive me if you've already said, but are you doing these for business or pleasure?

I do it because I can.

[rgolch]

So good, it makes me want to weep! Photo listed as ariel shot, with FS, WT, TTC makes me realize that FS MUST be built.

[2PRUROCKS!]

:cheers: Thank you so much STR for all your time and effort on this. This is absolutely amazing stuff!!!!!!:notacrook:

[VivaLFuego]

115th floor of FS.......wow.

[Marvel 33]

From the 103rd floor Sears SkyDeck
http://skyscrapermodels.us/pics/FS_Skydeck.jpg

Panorama-rama
http://skyscrapermodels.us/pics/Pano_w_spire.jpg

Aerial shot
http://skyscrapermodels.us/pics/airshot.jpg

These really are amazing!!! It's so cool being able to see what Chicago will hopefully look like in a few years. I'm even more inlove now with the Fordham Spire!

As far as your work STR - I can only say "Excellent"! :tup: :banana: :cheers: :eek: :awesome: :thankyouthankyou:

[petter]

Wow looks CHicago looks amazing

[KevinFromTexas]

That's incredible STR! Awesome stuff.

[oshkeoto]

What's a little shocking about this is how little skyline impact the 1,000+ ft. Waterview has...

[KevinFromTexas]

^ Chicago's talls are stretched out in such a way that most towers that are anything less than 1,100 feet are relatively "short" in appearance on the skyline.

I mean holy smokes, if everything gets built that is suppose to it's skyline will reach over 1,000 feet 8 times.

Fordham Spire - 2,000 feet - 1,458 feet roof.
Telecommunications Tower - 2,000 feet.
Sears Tower - 1,450 feet - 1,729 feet masts.
Trump International Hotel & Tower - 1,362 feet - 1,171 feet to roof.
Aon Center - 1,136 feet
John Hancock Center - 1,127 feet - 1,499 feet masts.
Waterview Tower - 1,047 feet.
AT&T Corporate Center - 1,007 feet - 886 feet roof.

[Citizen]

STR,

Any luck with that rendering of Trump from Wabash looking North? Keep up the stunning work!!

[jeffcon0]

Holy crap, man! That is absolutely amazing work!

[STR]

Wolf Point looking east, now with river.
http://skyscrapermodels.us/pics/westsideriver.jpg

Redux of the the 115th floor shot
http://skyscrapermodels.us/pics/115redux.jpg

Aerial shots
http://skyscrapermodels.us/pics/AerialWest.jpg

http://skyscrapermodels.us/pics/Loop_Air.jpg

The new pano is in post #1

[spyguy]

Looking at that first pano :omg:

Fordham is really going to make a statement.

[JBinCalgary]

that is very cool

[jcchii]

holy crap on that aerial shot

eye. candy.

[Marvel 33]

You should approach developers with your work. They could really use it for marketing purposes!

[JBinCalgary]

how the hell did you do that?

[Patrick]

Truly amazing!

[STR]

Messing around with water effects (see improved version below)
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/3144/shader9sw.jpg

Long awaited shot of Trump from just south of Walbash and Wacker.
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/6307/walbash0ag.jpg

Hancock Center and Gold Coast from Fordham Spire.
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/6738/115jhc0jf.jpg

[VivaLFuego]

Good god, this keeps getting better

[GVNY]

You've made me love the Fordham Spire. Looking from the ground-up will be truly stunning.

[Marino33]

STR, you probably don't want to hear anymore of our requests but if you ever get to it, it'd be nice to see what the Grant Park south, west and north walls are gonna look like once 1MP, 1MPW, the Columbian, 830 S Michigan, 340 OTP, Museum Tower, Sky55, 1400 Museum Park, Legacy at Millennium, etc. are completed.

[STR]

Actually I was looking for some good shots of Legacy. I just finshed the Heritage model and was looking to do the legacy next, followed by other buildings around Aon then a couple on the Mag Mile.

[Xing]

Very Very Good job. I guess SSP will be the urban and skyscraper arts center of the Web.

[Xing]

BTW, if you want to get some extreme detail in those buildings, I suggest you look into Zbrush... torrent... ahem... cough*

[HK Chicago]

Suggestion on the ground plate... the lightness is fine, but adjust the hue to complement the waterplate (5% green or yellow)... anything to help differentiate the surface from rooftops.

[Patrick]

Better and Better

[STR]

Some new models: The Heritage, 340 on the Park and a basic block model of the Mandarin Oriental (since we don't know what the design will be)
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/2537/aonvcty5su.jpg

Click to enlarge
http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/583/desktopsize5ju.th.jpg (http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/583/desktopsize5ju.jpg)

[beachdoc06]

makes me wish 2 Pru wasn't so hidden in the shadow of Aon. It could be it's own little peak instead of almost disappearing in the models.

[KevinFromTexas]

What's that big antenna atop the Aon Center? When did they add that?!

[SevenSevenThree]

They didnt. Youre seeing the top of the Fordham Spire.

[STR]

^Yep.

[KevinFromTexas]

Ah, that's what I thought but I would have thought it would have stuck up more than that.

[tm30]

Any chance you could model the view with the bean and the bandshell in the foreground, park level?

[STR]

Ah, that's what I thought but I would have thought it would have stuck up more than that.

Well, it depends on the angle. From the one in question, the camera was positioned rather low and close to Aon, to make Aon the dominant building in the picture, since it is and will remain the dominant feature of the neighborhood. Fordham is up in Streeterville (The area directly north of Aon etc. and across the Chicago River), and really wasn't part of the effect I was trying to achieve.

Any chance you could model the view with the bean and the bandshell in the foreground, park level?

At first, I though FS would be blocked by the Randolf streetwall, but there's and angle from the southwestern section of the park where Fordham is almost complely visible. I'm not sure if that just because I haven't started on Lakeshore East yet, but none of those buildings will be tall enough to block most of FS anyway. I'm rendering the shot now. I'll post it along with a few more regular shots and three panos. As usualy, the Pano's will go in post #1 but the regular shots will be on this page.

[VivaLFuego]

Sweet. I really don't want to come off as a nit-picker (hopefully my near-fellatial previous posts convince you otherwise), but of course there are many towers missing from those 2002-vintage google massing models, such as all of LSE, most of Central Station/South Loop, Kingsbury Park, One South Dearborn, plus many of the River North concrete blobs (Millenium Center, Grand Plaza, etc.). Do you plan on doing those as well?

Keep it up, can't wait for your updates.

[STR]

Most of my time has been spend either filling in missing buildings or buildings that didn't survive the transition. Believe me, I know fully well what you're talking about and it isn't nit-picking. I was blown away when I realized River East was missing. That's a damn prominent building. I'm basically doing about a half-dozen buildings a day, so I'll get to them eventually.

[STR]

Millennium Park looking northeast. 340 On The Park is the bldg to the right of FS.
http://skyscrapermodels.us/pics/M-Park.jpg

Looking east from the Skydeck onto The Legacy at Millennium Park
http://skyscrapermodels.us/pics/Sears-East-Legacy.jpg

Looking South from the Hancock Observatory
http://skyscrapermodels.us/pics/2M22.jpg

And everyone's favorite: a wide-span aerial
http://skyscrapermodels.us/pics/2M24.jpg

Three new panos on page 1
Also, In pano #1 and the Mill.Park and aerial shots, I was trying a new lighting system. I'm curious as to what people think of it.

[STR]

I was never happy with the Fordham Spire's spire (Fordham Spire squared?). I thought it looked like a melty ice cream cone, so I finally figured out a way to get a good looking one. This design does have a central core, which isn't on any design, but since it's likely FS will have some broadcasting facilities I threw it in as an antenna.

http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/1879/spire38zx.jpg

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/1729/grant9er.jpg

[Rail Claimore]

Oh... My... God...

[JACKinNYC]

Dude! The progress is coming along nicely. Keep it up.

[VivaLFuego]

Ah, you got harbor point too, nice. I wonder why it was missing from google...

[STR]

^It wasn't, it just got lost in the tranistion to the new format.

Anyway, the new, correctl (the other one was twisted the wrong way) Fordham Spire.

From the NBC Tower Lot
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/2661/NBCLot.jpg

Just north of LPT
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/927/LPTLeft.jpg

Redux of that ealier, yet still awesome, shot of my new alpha-mapped spire
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/2065/SpireRedux.jpg

Assorted shots, the last one was a failed attempt to get the entire tower reflected in the water, but it took 15 minutes to render, so you're going to look at it anyway.
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/8553/harborPoint.jpg http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/1071/GoldCoast.jpg http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/227/Clockwise.jpg http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/9987/Aon.jpg http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/7575/ParkLot.jpg http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/2866/water.jpg

This last one is from Daley Plaza. If the Mandarin is built to its full 887 feet, it will almost completely block out FS from this spot. If it doesn't get built, well...
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/3998/DPFS.gif

[Chicago Shawn]

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/7575/ParkLot.jpg

Holy Fuck! I can not beilive this just may be the Chicago River Canyon by 2010. Now throw in 300 North LaSalle just off to the right and wow.

Dude this is awesome. Keep it up.

[STR]

Let's just hope no one builds on the tiny parking lot where that pic was taken from.

But Where will 300 LaSalle be? I can't seem to quite place it.

[rds989]

On where 300 N. LaSalle will be:

Looking at the "wide span aerial" in post #59, 300 N. LaSalle will be in place of the low building that is 1/2 block East of the Merchandise Mart on the North Side of the River. The small building in between the Merchandise Mart and the site of 300 N. LaSalle is the former Helene Curtis HQ.

By the way, this is amazing work. As you replace google-earth blobs one by one with your own detailed renderings, the scenes really come to life. By all means, keep it up -- the work is appreciated -- small details and everything!

[Marvel 33]

http://skyscrapermodels.us/pics/M-Park.jpg

Tourists will actually be able to see the FS from Millennium Park? Wow! That's pretty cool!

[spyguy]

Let's hope that Mandarin isn't just a chunky block, so at least we might get a little view of Fordham.

[KevinFromTexas]

Hey STR. Would it be possible to do one with all the 1,000 footer that have been proposed for Chicago over the years or no?

That's something I'd like to see.

Keep up the good work, these are amazing.

[VivaLFuego]

Tourists will actually be able to see the FS from Millennium Park? Wow! That's pretty cool!

I wonder if some of Lakeshore East, particularly the Gang Tower (which we're told will be awesome in its own right) will block the view.

Keep it up STR! After you finish all the proposed buildings and those built since 2002 (an arduous task indeed!) have you considered detailing grant park some?

[STR]

^Yeah, GP did need detailing, as does much of the lakefront (selective shots were posted to hide this little fact). The lake actually stops at around Adler right now. However, much of this was solved when I finally got the road network imported and the scaling procedures figured out. So now there's roads and along with them a new matte green ground covering for all the downtown greenspaces. It looks pretty good. Shots will be posted tomorrow.

Another new render will be the long-awaited JFK Inbound pano.

AFAIK There won't be anything in LSE tall enough to block any more that half of Fordham Spire, so it will still be there in the backround.

[JACKinNYC]

Hey STR, great work. What would this view look like from 400 feet up? I'd imagine you'd see more of the towers in the back sticking up more... like Waterview for example.
http://skyscrapermodels.us/pics/Postcard.jpg

[JACKinNYC]

By the way, as you finesse the details this is going to be an amazing representation of Chicago.

[STR]

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/3217/plus4004er.jpg

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/6671/farup6dt.jpg

[dvidler]

That aerial shot is great.

I hate to do this, but anyway you could add some of the new south loop development?

Keep up the great work, this is an amazing thread you have.

[STR]

Sure, just provide all stats and photos of each building you want. Feel free to reference the appropriate SSP or Emporis page.

I'll make the models, but screw the research.

[VivaLFuego]

Sure, just provide all stats and photos of each building you want. Feel free to reference the appropriate SSP or Emporis page.

I'll make the models, but screw the research.
Renderings are looking ever better! As you add more and more detail, are you finding it takes longer to render?

C'mon indulge us....Put in One Museum Park at 720', One Museum Park West, Sky55, Museum Tower, I wanna see the new south wall of grant park :)

[STR]

What did I just say? I'm not doing any searching or research. You want the building? You post the links. Sorry if I sound harsh, but this thing already takes a lot of my free time and I'm not going to sit around the rest of my free time browsing for info.

[VivaLFuego]

Sure.

One Museum Park. South side of Roosevelt, just west of Metra tracks west of Lake Shore Drive. 734 feet in height. Link:
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=133771

One Museum Park West. Next door to OMP, just west of it. 620 ft. Link:
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=133770

Museum Tower. Just south of OMP. 409 ft.
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=133777

The Columbian. On the Northwest corner of Roosevelt and Michigan. 517 ft. http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=102116

Sky 55. 425 ft. On the Northeast corner of 13th Street and Michigan.
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=162011

Any other info I can provide? I don't really know how to help out with describing the massing in a useful way that would make them easier to design...I'm happy to help research for this endeavor in any way I can, but the 3D modeling is mostly over my head.

[JACKinNYC]

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/3217/plus4004er.jpg

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/6671/farup6dt.jpg

Ask and you shall receive. Nice! Every time I check you've done something new. I'm amazed at the number of buildings you have included. It looks fantastic. Keep up the good work.

[STR]

^I was working to get the roads working for a while, it just so happened I got it working the hour you posted. I figured I could add the green layer as well. By layer, I'm actually referring to how the ground is set up. The basic grey-green surface is at 0 feet elevation. The water and the green parkland are at 0.005 feet while the roads are at .01 feet so they overlay the water parkland and ground.

Sure.

One Museum Park. South side of Roosevelt, just west of Metra tracks west of Lake Shore Drive. 734 feet in height. Link:
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=133771

One Museum Park West. Next door to OMP, just west of it. 620 ft. Link:
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=133770

Museum Tower. Just south of OMP. 409 ft.
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=133777

The Columbian. On the Northwest corner of Roosevelt and Michigan. 517 ft. http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=102116

Sky 55. 425 ft. On the Northeast corner of 13th Street and Michigan.
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=162011

Thanks, that's basically what I needed.

[Stu]

You're nuts. Your stuff is amazing, thanks for sharing.

[Grumpy]

@ STR , I love youre work , I do ! B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T

[STR]

I think I'm going to submit my FS model to the diagrams. With the new spire, I think it's good enough.

I'll also be posting some new shots of the model, like the JFK shot I was going to upload yesterday, but left it on my rendering machine (not the PC I surf with). I haven't added any buildings as of now, but I've textured (covered with a design i.e. Sears, Trump, Aon etc.) a couple of buildings. AT&T looks much better now, and Mid-Continental is no longer a huge grey blob. Hyatt is up to date as well. I'll texture one more building (feel free to make a suggestion before 6:00PM CST) and add a bunch of towers to Lakeshore East and Streeterville.

This weekend, I guess I could finally work on the South Loop area. Not sure what next week holds, as I'll be starting my new job most likely. This could be the last w/e for a while I do serious additions before I rest on my laurels for a bit.

[2PRUROCKS!]

I vote for texturing Waterview...now that AT&T is textured Waterview is the only 1000 footer untextured. My second vote would be to texture 2 Prudental Plaza. Thanks STR, awesome work!

[STR]

Yeah, Waterview would be a good choice. Everyone's interested the most in the tower's that aren't built yet, so I'll do WV then make a big 10 pic post like I did with Fordham and Trump, the tower that started all of this.

[mclancer]

So, now we know why the "skyscraperModels.us" web page
has not been updated since October....

Great Job :tup: no.. Amazing Job :worship:

I started this kind of project of importing from Google Earth
into Sketchup and adding buildings of my home city in Canada,
but it takes alot of time and effort! The results of your
project are awe inspireing. The city is coming to life!

[STR]

New pano in #1

The Loop
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/7686/loop1vr.jpg

Wide angle shot from the south.
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/3976/hugeangle6mc.jpg

The new Mid Continental Plaza texture
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/843/texture.jpg

AT&T version 2.30 with texture bump mapping and reflect map.
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/5018/bumpnshine.jpg

Lake Shore East. There's 10 or so new buildings here, including a new 340 OTP. The old one was just a hexagon, as that's what I figured the building was since I only saw that one rendering that I'm sure everyone here has seen. As you can now see, I've remade it to its true sail inspired(?) form.

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/9696/LSE1.jpg

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/9788/MPFS.jpg

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/2327/LSE2.jpg

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/9739/LSERiver.jpg

From Hancock Observatory
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/3393/LSE95.jpg

From the proposed top floor of Fordham Spire
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/5908/LSEFS.jpg

[VivaLFuego]

Great work again, this time on Lakeshore East!

[jcchii]

this is my new favorite thread. And it keeps getting better. Thanks again.

It might also be fun to see 300. N LaSalle in some of your mockups. It's right on the river and should add to the canyon effect.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=85292

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=102149

[jcchii]

and I have to tell you I'm getting REALLY used to seeing FS in the skyline.

[JACKinNYC]

I love the detail you've added to AT&T. Maybe soon you could throw in a few cars and trucks for scale. Maybe even a few people too (maybe they could be struggling to walk against the wind). :)

[JACKinNYC]

Maybe you can convince George Lucas to use your model for a new Star Wars movie that takes place in Chicago in the year 2012.

[rgolch]

When you feel like everything is completed, you should submit these models to the Graham Foundation so they can be shared with people outside the forum.

[spyguy]

I swear, when I scrolled down and saw AT&T I thought that was a real photo at first which you were using to make a comparison. Really great work.

[STR]

^Thanks. Texturing like that takes a while to get right, for AT&T I think it was about 2 hours total.

BTW here's the Fordham Spire diagram I submitted.
http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=39392&drawingID=39385

[STR]

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/6740/MO-Aq-Aon_Pru-W.jpg

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/6600/MO-Aq-Aon_Pru-S.jpg

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/5053/lookinup.jpg

One more shot from S State, forgot to load it the other day.
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/1047/statest.jpg

[Marvel 33]

I'm really looking forward to seeing the new South Loop skyline when you get to it.

[jcchii]

^ I agree. We should give him The Columbian information too. I confess I've had a hard time visualizing how all of that would work together to frame out the south end of the park.
STR I don't know what you do for a living, but you're quite good at this.