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Ste. Marie among the Hurons Model To make our 3D models, we visited Ste. Marie and took measurements, inside and out using both a normal and a laser-style tape measure. We took many photos (but not enough) of the buildings with attention to special features such as ceilings, doors, windows and hardware and we took a series of photos to create a panorama. We also took photos for use as textures. The size and shapes of our buildings are based on the site plan published by Wilfrid and Elsie Jury and maps of the current reconstruction in Midland. There are discrepancies between these two sources. For example, the archaeological site plan shows that there was a building just inside the gate and the shape of the Boivin building is different. We tried to understand the data as best we could and where there were differences, we followed the reconstructed site. Finally we turned to various historical documents including the Jesuit Relations to find notes about how the mission was built, in what order the buildings were erected and what styles of architecture were used. For the most part, we have followed the reconstruction and Jury's interpretation. The buildings were modeled in 3dsmax and exported to Atmosphere where we added simple textures. When you download the model, you receive both the textures as .png files and the models. To improve the time it takes to download the files and play them, these textures are low quality graphics. We also have a version of the site with high quality textures, appropriate for print and film. In 3D certain things can be overlooked. We used textures to suggest the textures of the wooden walls and shakes. In fact, Jury describes how the walls were made.
We took licence with this. First, we did not create 2 rows of planks packed with clay. No matter how they were made, only the planks and support beams were visible. Some of the buildings may have been finished with stucco on the inside, but we didn't have enough information on this, so we left it off for now. If you know more about how interior walls were finished in New France, please tell us. Our uprights are not exactly 11-inch square, nor are they exactly 10-12 feet apart. We wanted to preserve the sense of the beams and lumber being hand-hewn and positioned carefully, but without benefit of modern technology. Boards and beams were cut with hand-tools which would give them an uneven surface. Digital graphics software however, loves a straight line. When we combined Jury's claims, with photo-realistic lighting and the dead-straight lines of our software, the result was a plastic looking model that lost any sense of being hand-hewn. To counter this, we adjusted the beams to be less rigidly spaced and used more watercolour-like textures. Our next goal is to recreate the site over its ten year existence but for this we need more detailed information. What we know at this point is the following. If you have more information about which buildings were erected and when, we would like to hear from you. 1639:
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