CABINS entry by Sheppard

The inspiration for this project was stone arches like Hickman Bridge in the Capital Reef National Park in Utah. I designed a multi-level dwelling comprised of a dining level atop two private dwelling levels and a observational level at the lowest level. Each level has exterior glass walls to offer wide-sweeping vistas at any angle of the cabin. A stair-wrapped elevator leads from any level of the cabin to a private helipad access level at the top of the stone arch.

All modeling, save for the landscape (which was modeled in Blender using topographical data based on the Hickman Bridge location), was completed in SketchUp. Area vegetation was populated via the Skatter for SketchUp plugin. Rendered using Thea Render. Most of the materials used were provided by Megapixels. Postproduction made in Pixelmator.

Regarding the challenge, I have already seem some outstanding entries that are superior in render quality to my offering, but this was a wonderfully fun opportunity to cut loose and have some fun. Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Bekerman, thank you.

CABINS entry by Sheppard

I’ve been digging through the Quixel Megascans Library to find materials that I can use to bring more life to my Cabin concept as well as making use of the Skatter plugin for SketchUp to populate the in-view landscape with trees. Typically, the more I work on different views, the more I see that I could try to add or change to the modeling to make it better. I am utilizing Thea Render for the test renders.

CABINS entry by Sheppard

The more I thought about how practical and/or functional a cabin like this might need to be to support occupants, my simple concept doubled.
Development is almost entirely in SketchUp now, with a little bit of help from Blender for the terrain’s floor and distant reaches. The arch was formed in SketchUp via the Artisan plugin.
Landscaping the environment is anticipated to become a new challenge for my aging computer system for sure based on the size of the terrain. I may have to try something different to improve performance.
…Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Let’s find out…
xD

CABINS entry by Sheppard

Just prior to learning of the CABINS challenge, I had been investigating naturally occurring stone bridges and arches. I took this as a serendipitous convergence of ideas and had to mesh the two together.
Hopefully, this idea won’t fall flat. 😉