Victory Column "Siegessäule"
The Victory Column, or "Siegessäule" (in German), is a 19th century monument that sits in the middle of a rotunda at the center of the Tiergarten, Berlin’s Central Park. Visitors can climb to the top via spiral stairs to enjoy a majestic view of the park, the Schloss Bellevue (Presidential Palace), the Reichstag, and the Brandenburger Tor. Nicknamed "Goldelse" ("Golden Lizzy") by Berliners, it was originally conceived to celebrate a Prussian military victory. The column was inaugurated in 1873, was relocated and augmented in 1939, and was restored in 2011 with a shimmering new gold-plated surface on the statue and new roofs to protect the interior mosaics.
Svenpotsdam made the first version of the Siegessäule for Cities:Skylines in 2015. It was one of his first models, and it includes an etirely original mesh of the statue! He has since updated it twice, once with a round base and After-Dark lighting, and again with a LOWER Poly count. His column was one of the first things that I downloaded from the workshop, and I have always preferred the original version (49k tris) because of it’s gleaming gold sculpture and fluting details. It has been the centerpiece of my Berlin 1:1 build.
With Svenpotsdam’s permission, I have endeavored to update the column once again. My goal was not to optimize it for performance, but rather to restore the first version, give it a 1:1 scale, and update the LOD model. In doing so, I got carried away, and our Lizzy got a serious make-over! She now has new textures, new geometry, a new base, new proportions, new normal and spec maps, new lighting, and an entirely new, hand-made, matching LOD model.
TRIS: 39,943
maps: 2048×2048 diffuse, normal, & specular
LOD tris: 391
LOD map: 512×1024 diffuse & alpha
This asset is still a whopper at 39.8k triangles main model and 391 triangles LOD. It may not be for you if you don’t have a high-end rig or if your build is already strapped for computing resources. For me personally, it is worth the weight. I hope you will agree.
* update 22.04.18: optimized the geometry to save ~3k tris, then spent them on a new top fence, new door, and better capitals for the columns. added new details to the diffuse map and updated the normal and spec maps. adjusted the colors, based on my impressions and photos from a recent visit. Re-arranged the bronze reliefs so that each sculpture is in the right place. Adjusted the angle on Golden Lizzy’s right arm.
