Erich wrote:
Mathew, doing a search for this subjet I see you mentioning the classical orders a couple of times. What do you do?
It's been a while since I needed true classical orders (I'm in California now), but when I did, the only solution I found was to make them up custom and/or cobble them together from odd bits. Sadly it seems that the orders have been out of fashion long enough now that the authors of what parts we do have didn't bother to make them able to take proper proportions.
The good news is that the only really hard part is the columns (particularly the capitals). Entablatures, cornices, pediments and even pulvinated zoetropes are pretty easy with the complex profiles. You can even get a proper cornice to rake joint if you take the time to make the right profiles and miter them vertically with SEOs.
Simple dentils, modillions and glyphs are easy enough, but can get a little fussy unless you have the time and skill to program a little GDL. Elaborate carvings are obviously a problem, but egg and dart can be pretty well represented with a well crafted material.
To get decent columns you may want to try assembling them from the best bits you can find. That way you may be able to adjust the capital, shaft and plinth to their proper proportions. When all else fails, just get them as close as you can and paste good line drawings into the elevations.
BTW: There do seem to be some decent corinthian columns at
archive3d.net, but the one I just downloaded is
hugely
complex. I have also yet to find an ionic order that doesn't look like a cartoon.
