Major Research Project (DM3107)

Introduction

The Main objective of this project is to investigate ‘how advanced 3d game development pipelines support the digital reconstruction of the lost lighthouse of Alexandria in an educational context’. Within this page, I will 3d model the lighthouse to help answer the research question. I will present the model in an educational interpretation to offer a visual 3d perspective to improve cultural understanding and historical learning, which will support my commitment to sdg 4. I will be creating a storyboard that goes through the history of the structure using my completed model, which will include images and captions. 

This challenge will allow me to create a modular asset pack that allows people to create the model for themselves, with guidance on how to create this. This will be found within my handover files and design documentation. 

Project Software

  • 3DS Max- Modelling Software

  • Substance Painter- Texturing Software

  • Figma- Sketching and Storyboard design

Aims and Objectives

1. To analyse the limitations and challenges of using advanced 3d game development pipelines for visualising historical monuments.

 

2. To digitally reconstruct the lighthouse of Alexandria and present it in an educational storyboard that closely aligns with sdg 4

3. To apply a structured 3d asset pipe in line method to manage complex modelling while maintaining clean, optimised topology suitable for high-quality renders  


Project Outline

Below is a breakdown of my practical work and when I expect each piece to be completed, while also discussing any potential challenges and problems alongside how I plan to deal with them.

Lighthouse Concept sketch

The lighthouse sketch shows my clear and direct goal for the 3d model that I am planning to develop. Within the written research work, I planned to use a modular asset workflow and pipeline, which will also contain a modular asset pack. The annotations on the sketch represent the assets that will be within the handover modular pack. The yellow background also indicates that my chosen texture will be a sandstone base with some wooden additions for minor assets like windows or doors.

Modelling development 01

(Lighthouse base)

Main Body

Two modelling approaches were discussed. One way was to create a basic cube shape, which, while it may have been easier to have helped manage geometry, would not have fit the historically accurate art direction that I was going for. I began by selecting the bottom face of the cube, and then I began expanding it to create the angled faces. I then clicked each of the 4 faces and extruded inwards to create a clear outline for the windows and the doors to be placed in.

Main doors

This task required a balance between creative interpretation and historical realism. The main doors for the lighthouse were harder to find due to clear iterations. The door I made had 2 main features: adding wooden planks and golden beads placed along them. The main reason for adding wood was that it was the most common building material, which made sense from a historical perspective. The golden beads were there to represent the structure for its expensive extravagance and its cultural importance, so for this particular task, I did have a mix of historical and creative output

Lighthouse Windows

The lighthouse windows taught me a new skill that was incredibly beneficial for saving time and reducing my workload. The array tool allowed me to make clones of the asset while also providing a setting that creates accurate spacing between assets. I applied this tool to duplicate the assets equally across the 4 faces, which was much faster compared to manually positioning the assets using the clone tool. The feedback that I received on my model was that the windows did not reflect ancient architecture. I decided to replace the basic cubes with the arch design, which did make the model more historically appealing.

Before feedback

After feedback

Modelling development 02

(Upper-Tier)

Hexagon Tower

The hexagonal tower was the second upper tier in the lighthouse; some iterations I have seen have different shapes, however, the one I found for my sketch had a hexagonal structure. This approach was selected to maintain symmetry while also retaining a lower polygon count. To make the shape, I brought in a cylinder, and then I changed the iterations (Sides) to 6. After receiving feedback, I was informed that the second hexagon tower was missing, as well as the support pillars, which were not in my original sketch or reference image; however, I was made aware that support beams are necessary for the weight of the structure. This task was done by using cylinders. I cloned my original hexagon structure, with the only change being a reduction in scale and reverting my cube windows into arches. This demonstrates the effectiveness and reusability of a modular workflow, which was crucial to making these specific changes.

Before feedback

The tower pillars

The Pillars were relatively simple, but, like the doors, I struggled to find clear references and iterations, so I decided to go with a cube-shaped pillar, which was a common design of the era, alongside the cylinder shape, which I decided to use for the support beams. The asset required me to select both faces and then use the extrude tool to expand outward, which created the pillar shape and also the curves around the edges and middle of the asset. I then cloned the model and moved it to each corner of the tower. I relied on the edges to help keep consistency and positioning accurate.

The Brazier

The next step was to design the brazier, which was a simple task, as it would simply be a cylinder shape. I brought in the shape and began to scale it up to a realistic height that was about half the size of the pillars. I used the pillars as a point of reference, as I was unsure of the dimensions. I clicked the top face and scaled the face in order to create the hole in the brazier.

After feedback

Modelling development 03

Lighthouse Walls

Lighthouse Towers and Walls

The lighthouse towers and walls required significant refinement. The first set of feedback was directed at improving the visual details, like the windows and doors. The approach for this was to use the same windows and doors from the hexagon tower; this will maintain visual consistency between both the lighthouse itself and the towers and walls.

The walls had two new additions: The archway entrance and the stonework. I felt the need to follow a more realistic approach here, as the assets need to feel visually appealing and favourable to a historical context. To create the stonework, I added a swift loop to a cube and then extruded that up to create the sharp edges to the shape, then I used the array tool to duplicate them across the 4 wall sections.

The archway entrance was created using the line tool. Since the cut was already made, I just needed to make the arch to fit the gap made. I opted to model this with the line tool because the bend modifier did not produce the results I aimed for. This is why I decided to use the line tool, as I could create a specific design while not worrying about bad typology. Overall, the feedback here focused on architectural details and reinforcing historically appropriate features across the walls and towers.

Before Feedback

After feedback

Final Textured Renders

Below is my fully textured and completed model of the lighthouse of Alexandria

Lighthouse Of Alexandria Storyboard

The storyboard I have created is an interactive learning experience; each image is supported by captions that explain the historical significance and its architectural features. This storyboard aims to enhance SDG 4 by supporting learning and the educational focus of the project.

How did I utilise my research?

For my primary research, I created 2 polls that focused on creativity and historical accuracy (poll one), and the other poll was modular pipelines vs monolithic pipelines (poll 2). The first poll received strong responses, both from numerical data and feedback, which influenced my decision-making during my practical project. The responses showed me that while historical accuracy is important, some areas may require more creativity as long as the structure remains believable and respectful to the culture. An example of this was when I was building the main doors. Since I could not find any clear references, I decided to improvise and focus on making the asset reflective of the materials available in that era to maintain historical accuracy while also adding my own interpretation. The second poll was overwhelmingly in favour of following a modular workflow, which is what led me to make my own modular pack and follow that specific pipeline over monolithic.

The secondary research was mainly focused on identifying the most effective modelling pipeline for developing complex and historical structures. While I have never created a modular asset pack, my research strongly suggested that a modular asset workflow would be the best way to approach this project. One industry source explains that modular asset workflows break complex structure into simple reusable components that can improve efficiency and scalability within a development pipeline (Skrobiś, 2025). This concept of reusable assets was very common in my project, for example, the key assets like windows, doors and pillars are reused, which greatly saved time and made the modelling process more enjoyable. Compared to the monolithic approach, this method works where the entire unit is built using a single, tightly integrated asset (Skrobiś, 2025). If I were to use this method, I feel I may have encountered difficulties maintaining the consistency and scaling on assets. This is why I decided to focus my attention on using a modular asset workflow.

Reflection and Conclusion

I will now begin to conclude and evaluate whether 3d game development methods have a place in helping to digitally reconstruct lost structures like the lighthouse of Alexandria.

My primary research played a key role in shaping the project direction. The creativity vs historical role helped guide my decisions during the modelling process through certain assets like doors and pillars. My commitment to historical accuracy had to be altered due to a lack of clear historical references of certain assets, which meant I could be more creative as long as my designs retained a close, authentic look. My poll on this topic received mixed responses on both sides and based of my experiences, I can absolutely see the positives and the challenges that I faced with this method. 

The most difficult challenge I’ve had with 3d modelling was managing time and being more efficient with the assets I work with. The great benefit on a modular asset workflow is that realisability of assets makes the process less time-consuming. One way I did it was by using tools like clone and array. While I had used the clone tool, I had never touched the array tool, and this worked very similarly, allowing space to be made between assets and not requiring human judgment of the position of assets. This, in the long run, removed the repetitive tasks. 

This project demonstrates that it will be essential to follow a modular asset workflow. This will make the modelling process much more efficient and will avoid undertaking repetitive tasks less commonly. The other important factor is having adequate reference images. I found this to be very important as a lack of iterations led me to have to be more careful with creativity, as I wanted to be as authentic as possible, so having a set of reference images will support the process in the long run. Overall, this project demonstrates how 3d game development can be used to bring the lost lighthouse of Alexandria back to life through an educational context

Handover files and Design documentation

The handover files include my modular asset pack, which is where anyone can download and use the assets for themselves. Alongside this, my design documentation provides a step-by-step manual for how to model the lighthouse. This tutorial demonstrates how the modular asset pipeline can operate within a modelling practice. I am also able to link this aspect of the project to SDG 4 due to my commitment to interactive learning and education.