RUINED BUILDING TEMPLATES - PART TWO: PUTTING IT TOGETHER

Now that you have the PDF files, what do you do? Put them together of
course! Grab some Scotch tape, a hobby knife, a sheet of 1/4 inch think
foamboard, white glue, and the printed PDF files, because it's time to build.
Below is a step by step account , of how to build a structure using the Gothic
Building template above. The other two templates will follow the same
general guidelines so all the info below is useful no matter which template
you download!

The first thing you need to do is tape down the templates onto some
foamcore. Simple use some clear Scotch tape and affix them so they won't
move around when you begin making your cuts. Secure the four corners of
the page at a minimum!

The template has two basic elements. You got the Building Face and 4 other
smaller bits that are to be used as decorative pieces. It may be a good idea to
Xerox a few sheets so as to acquire a pile of decorative bits for use on your
building.

Once you have the templates secured, begin cutting out the bits. Start by freeing
the bullet shaped windows from the building face. This is a bit tricky, but not
impossible. There's no need to be super exact, but give it your best try. Be sure to
use a sharp blade and make careful cuts so as to avoid injuring yourself. We're
cutting up foamcore here, not fingers!

After the windows are out, cut the rectangular building face itself free and place it
aside. Repeat this process on any other building faces you want to cut out.

Now, begin cutting out the four decorative bits that are left on the template. This
is not as hard as it looks. They may be small, but that just means you only have
to make shorter, more exact cuts. The best way to accomplish this is to begin
your cut way ahead of the actual black guideline as the momentum of the blade
will produce a cleaner cut.

After persevering, you should have a heapin' pile of foamcore bits

and building faces ready for assembly. But don't get too eager just
yet!

Most buildings will have some sort of damage in a Cityfight battle, so

start hacking pieces off the building faces like the picture to the right.
Just bust up some windows and stuff, it's easy and fun!

Now start gluing the various decorative bits onto the building
face. I went about gluing them on by first placing three long thin
strips in-between the windows of the building face. You may
have to cut this strip down in size so that it matches the battle
damage you may have inflicted upon the building face. Then I
added three medium sized bits on top of that to form a type of
flowing buttress in the center of the building.

After this, I placed the really funky looking smaller pieces flat on either side of the building face so the other
small bits could be glued on top of it in a similar manner as described above to form a pair of smaller
buttresses.
That description may have sounded a bit wordy and complicated, but that's why we have pictures! Check out
the picture of a finished building side to the left for an idea of what I just got through trying to explain.

There are many different ways to arrange the decorative bits on the building face, so be creative. Heck, if
you like, try making your own shapes to produce truly unique scenery pieces.

Now that you have a few building sides completed, it's time to begin making them into a
finished structure. Take two finished building sides and glue them together at a right
angle. Hold them in your hands for while until the glue takes. If you wish, add a third or
fourth side. It's your building after all! Let this dry before you attempt to add a floor or two
to the structure.

To finish the project up, we'll need some flooring in our building. This is a simple matter
of cutting out a few 90 degree (or thereabouts) squared edge foamcore pieces and fitting
them to the building sides. It's important to make them fit snug as they will add both
functionality and stability to your building ruin. The two floor pieces I used are are shown
to the left and to the right is a picture of the actual attachment of a floor bit to the building
sides.

You should now have a finished building or two! Just use the simple techniques we just
went through and all should fare well. All that's left to do is texture the sides and paint the building! Below
are two views of the finished bare foamcore building along with some examples of painted buildings that
used this template! Click on one to see a larger more detailed image, then have fun making your own
terrain!