Laboratory

Results:

Tis the season, so I decided to create a laboratory environment in Blender. Most of my other 3D projects are conceptualized as a singular shot in my head that I try to recreate. For this, I wanted to create an environment that could be captured in any number of angles.

---

Process:

After gathering lots of reference of labs and all the equipment I wanted to make, I set out to work laying out the scene. I decided that each side of the octagonal tower would have a station with different types of work equipment.

To save time, I used Geometry Nodes to scatter in several places, allowing me to create an asset, or collection of assets, and add density and a bit of disorganization to the scene. Uses included the books, papers, chemistry and operating equipment.

Similarly, I used array modifiers for the electronic banks to create a sort of procedural setup. It also minimized the amount of geometry I was working with in the scene. For reference, one electronic panel had ~450 meshes, using arrays I was able to shrink that down to 55.

Final touches were added in Nuke, trying to give them the feeling of an antique photograph with some grain, a vignette, and grading.