At this point, the scene had been fully modelled, but again there was a need to show that old-fashioned feeling. To create this, I added some detail to the bridge stonework, some bricks, some grass in the cracks and under the bridge as well as some ivy. I created the grass very easily with V-Ray Fur and used Ivy Generator for the ivy and then imported them into the scene (Fig.07).

Materials & Texturing

I used the V-Ray displacement modifier for the majority of my models – this meant that even using a low poly model, I could show a lot more detail in things like the embossed plaster on the walls.
Some of the scarring and cracks in the supporting stones have become smooth over time due to weathering, just as in real life.
I took photos of textured stone with plenty of cracks and holes to create a base for my displacement maps. I then modelled some of the larger cracks using a standard brush and during the mapping I took advantage of the Unwrap and Render to Texture functions to precisely place my texture on the mesh with correctly aligned details. I then applied a Vray material using the stones diffuse map and set some reflection according to the material type.
The plaster on the houses, bridge and the bricks was mainly done in the same way. An advantage of this technique is that it's relatively speedy, it's easy to control and it produces a nice result; the big disadvantage is the large amount of memory it uses and the fact that it takes longer to calculate. I mainly used 2D displacement settings and a 1024 resolution map. For the windows and pipes under the bridge, I used a 3D displacement mod (Fig.08).


I adjusted all of the textures in Photoshop to suit my idea about the colours. Below the water level, I also simulated some rising moisture and added some dirt to the walls etc.

Lighting & Rendering

This image was rendered in V-Ray, using GI with an irradiance map and QMC, and a skylight with an HDRI map. In the scene there's one straight light and one light shining into space from a part of the subway (Fig.09).


I used a weakly set depth of field to suggest the effect of the sun's rays reverberating from the water level. I also used a caustic effect which incorporates a water level model over two levels.
Here is the final scene (Fig.10 & Fig.11).