Daniel@R2R
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I'm working on designing 2 aquascapes in the near future, and it got me to thinking about creating mockups of the designs for the aquascape. In the past, when stacking rocks was the primary method of aquascaping, it was a bit like working with large puzzle pieces with very specific shapes, so I get why it was best to use the actual rocks for creating the scapes. However, now with things like NSA and HNSA methods, not only could we use something else to create the design first, it actually seems like a smart idea. After all, those little pieces of rock don't just stack...you have to glue them if you want them to stay in place. This not only seems like a lot of work for the design process, it also seems like you might be working against yourself since you're having to commit to shapes before you actually get to see them.
I know some people draw out their scapes before putting them together. So there's at least a 2 dimensional representation of what they're aiming for, and this certainly makes sense to me. I like to begin things with the end goal in mind. However, I've been thinking a bit about this, and it seems a 3D model would be a better option. This is especially true in cases like mine where both of the scapes I'm designing are going to be for peninsula tanks which will be viewable on 3 sides. So...
I've decided to try using modeling clay. I picked up a 5 lb. pack of modeling clay for $16.56 on Amazon. I'm thinking this should work well for trying to build different types of structures and shapes and playing around with ideas in ways that allow for quick changes (certainly less permanent than gluing pieces together first) and even maybe multiple options to show as ideas for comparison. I'm wondering why this isn't more of a trend.
So what do you guys think? Good idea? Bad idea? What are the difficulties I might encounter with this? What am I not thinking of? What might help?
Here's the modeling clay I'm gonna use:
I know some people draw out their scapes before putting them together. So there's at least a 2 dimensional representation of what they're aiming for, and this certainly makes sense to me. I like to begin things with the end goal in mind. However, I've been thinking a bit about this, and it seems a 3D model would be a better option. This is especially true in cases like mine where both of the scapes I'm designing are going to be for peninsula tanks which will be viewable on 3 sides. So...
I've decided to try using modeling clay. I picked up a 5 lb. pack of modeling clay for $16.56 on Amazon. I'm thinking this should work well for trying to build different types of structures and shapes and playing around with ideas in ways that allow for quick changes (certainly less permanent than gluing pieces together first) and even maybe multiple options to show as ideas for comparison. I'm wondering why this isn't more of a trend.
So what do you guys think? Good idea? Bad idea? What are the difficulties I might encounter with this? What am I not thinking of? What might help?
Here's the modeling clay I'm gonna use: