Overview

Modern Sanctuary, previously known as The House, is a personal project developed as an exploration of architectural visualization, hard-surface modeling, and lighting/look development in 3D. Created in Maya, the project was designed to study the visual relationship between architecture, interior design, material variation, and lighting within a unified environment. It also served as an opportunity to examine the practical differences between Maya’s standard lighting workflow and Arnold lighting, while using the house as a complete spatial setting for testing mood, surface response, and overall visual cohesion.

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A central focus of the project was the interaction of different materials and textures within the same space. I explored how a wide range of surface qualities could coexist without feeling visually disconnected, including black cherry wood flooring throughout much of the interior, black walnut for the exterior ground surfaces, white ceramic and black marble flooring in the bathroom, transparent glass elements on the staircase, and multiple automotive paint finishes applied to the cars placed both inside and outside the house. Another important aspect of the project was the creation of water textures and shaders in Maya, which allowed me to further study reflective surfaces and their relationship to surrounding lighting conditions.

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Lighting played a major role in defining the atmosphere and functionality of the space. I used a range of light types in Maya, including area lights, directional lights, spotlights, and a skydome light, placing them according to the needs of each part of the environment. Spotlights were used extensively along the living room walls and around the pool edge, while area lights were distributed throughout the interior rooms and hallways to shape the architectural forms and interior mood. For the daylight scenes, I introduced a sunset-matched skydome to support the warm exterior lighting conditions. The final project was edited into a short film composed of shots from multiple angles, using different textures, shaders, and lighting setups to present the house as both a technical study and a visual design exploration.