Almost Done

My real job has been really busy as of late, so I haven't had much time to model. That said, the Penn Station model is very nearly complete, and I'm starting to think about how I will present it here.

My goal is to put in the final geometry touches by 1 July and to upload it to the warehouse. However, unlike my other models, I think I really want to find or build really accurate surface textures in order to match other top models of classic buildings in the 3D warehouse. That exercise itself will take a good amount of time, so hopefully I can find it.

Update (4 Aug) - the model is finished, including exterior textures and is ready to be uploaded to the warehouse. I'm just writing the blog post and doing the photo album. Everything will be up in seven days.

Old Penn Station: No Source Ignored

As mentioned previously, it's difficult to model a building that doesn't exist. Plans and photos help, but don't always give the complete picture.

I read about some films that Lorraine B. Diehl, author of "The Late, Great Pennsylvania Station" selected as having footage of the original Penn Station.

One of the films was Stranger on a Train. Fortunately this is one of NetFlix's "Watch Now" selections, so I fired up my browser and watched the film.

At 1:27:13 (h:mm:ss) into the film, the protagonist jumps into a taxi in New York and commands to the driver "Penn Station".

For about 70 seconds we see Penn Station in its 1950 glory, including footage of one of the carriage ways, a glimpse of the arcade, the main waiting room, and even a little bit of the concourse through a window.

(P.S. I tried to do some screen captures from the Video of Penn, but I wasn't successful and it started getting late. If I find a workaround I'll update the post with the captures.