Nice article, esp showing the model and the real thing picture to see how closely the tile works to the natural.
This is a very old trick that modelers have been using for years. There are places in the Ozark Mountains that look like ceiling tile rock outcroppings, particularly along the Buffalo River.
I’m not using the tiles because the area of the country I’m modeling doesn’t have sedimentary rocks. A second reason I’m not using the tiles is because I’m using forced perspective with the mountains in the distance. The tiling would add too much detailing to pull off the distance effect.
Now when was the last time you ever heard anyone say they wanted less detailing?