The Beginning

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All my life, I’ve often found myself tumbling headlong into unusual obsessive hobbies. In January 2019, I tumbled into a new one. I was struck by the realization that Hogwarts Castle underwent a number of design changes over the course of the Harry Potter films, and I wanted to be able to watch a time-lapse of those changes from a stationary vantage point. Any stationary vantage point. The only solution was to create a 3D model…of all 7+ versions of Hogwarts…in my free time.

So I got started.

I have no idea how long this passion project will go for – I do tend to jump between my different interests quite a bit – but it’s been a good time so far, and I thought I’d share my progress with any likeminded fans of the Potter franchise, cool architecture, and/or 3D modeling.

Have fun perusing!

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9 thoughts on “The Beginning”

  1. I stumbled across your blog while doing research for my own Hogwarts model, and I must say I’m impressed by the amount (and quality) of work you have been able to in such a short timespan! I find your concept of a 4D model really intriguing. Even after the hundreds of hours I have put into my own project, I still find it puzzling to piece together all the different buildings and their iterations.

    I’m also working on a 3D model, but that’s not my endgame; I’m using the 3D model as reference for a physical model of the Hogwarts and the castle grounds. Here you can see the scale I’m working with: https://imgur.com/XUj997b

    If you are interested, I have an extensive collection of reference photos (mainly of the Leavesden model and architectural drawings) I could share. You have probably already seen them, though.

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    1. Hey Lars! Thanks for your kind words! I’m pretty sure I’ve stumbled upon your own beautiful work in my research process too…I’m sure our Google search histories have a lot of queries in common, haha.

      I appreciate the offer to share resources, too! My reference folder also consists of photos of the Leavesden model, film screenshots, a few behind-the-scenes photos, concept art, photos of the theme park versions, and as many technical drawings as I’ve been able to find. To be frank, I’m taking a bit of a break right now to catch up on some other projects, but once I resume, I’ll definitely take stock and see if there are any holes you might be able to help with! Keep up the amazing work in the mean time!

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  2. This is super interesting. I also played around with the Hogwarts layout. I put up my model for download, maybe you’ll find it informative. Although I took some big liberties with the layout.

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      1. Wow, I’m so glad you shared that! This is such a beautiful video. I’m particularly inspired by your camera work. I’m going to study your file. I’d be interested to know more about what methods you used for animating the camera.

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      2. It’s just tweaking the camera in Blender’s graph editor, making sure all the location and rotation curves are nice and smooth. 🙂

        I regret not being able to make the scenery around my castle prettier, trees and foliage and mountains. I had so many ideas but eventually lost motivation to continue working on it. Hogwarts turned out too ambitious of a project for me.

        Hopefully you’ll have more luck than me. I’ll keep an eye your project. The detail of your castle is incredible.

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