In the process of creating Siete Torres, I learned a great deal about shadows from trial and error. No doubt that shadows can be an enormous pain in a complex, three-dimensional map. Still the effect of realistic, if not-necessarily real, shadows can breath life into a piece like nothing else.

With that in mind, my ambition is to create a massive stone keep with a magical, fairytale castle inside that takes the shadows to an extreme, and forces me to develop the necessary techniques to make it work.

I've spent a few days here and there getting to this point. I'm to the point now that every new structure within the castle takes another two or more hours because of the shadows. The problem is that when you have a structure casting shadows on three or more other surfaces, it becomes a bit like solving calculus problems in your head. You really only deal with one structure and one surface at a time, but the detail level can be difficult to keep track of.

I welcome comments and criticism, although I have a different motive for posting the WIP. The truth is, it's a bit lonely working through a major project without sharing.

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