BAT Projects - SimGoober

[SimGoober 2,351]

Caliban : The Front roof is a composite; I started with two identical arcs, drew some lines to connect them ( and out for the flat ends), then extruded it.  The back section I drew as a series of lines, then extruded it.  The mapping is the last thing I do to them.  Also, the link you posted doesn't work.  Site not found error.

 

 

[Caliban 2]

Sorry, I forgot I had renamed the file when I combined 2 zips into 1. The link has been edited to work now.

If you projection map a curve the texture will be distorted as the lines will get further apart as the curve gets steeper (don't know if I explained that very well). This wouldn't be too noticeable on your roof though as the curve is shallow.

The easiest way to achieve proper mapping is it make a box, apply a box UVW map to it and then apply a bend modifier after that.

To correct it for a curve you need to unwrap the UWV and manually alter it.

[DuskTrooper 314]

Thanks.  The textures are great!

[SimGoober 2,351]

Here's an updated Safeway pic.  I decided a tin roof on the back half wouldn't be practical.  I don't think a thin layer of tin would hold up the HVAC units... so I sectioned it off from the front, and went with a more generic on the back.  The front, I used Calibans grey texture.  The Aluminum and off white had too much glare with the agles, and went solid white..

 

(gotta watch that curser, picture went way up top again !)

 

[SimGoober 2,351]

hmmm... how about a little color?  Started playing for a bit, which should I use?

[joerg 280]

I like the safeway alot simgoob. The green color is great maybe a tad darker with alittle dirt on it but nothing much. Also can you make the building go back further it looks way to small.

[cat person 2]

I am not sure if you are just working off that one pic on page 4 but here is a cool link concerning Safeway

http://www.groceteria.net/safeway/index.html

And some floor plans from 1958 which does show it to be a larger box like store.

http://www.groceteria.net/safeway/1950-layouts.html

The first marina prototype store opened in June 1959.

this shows various nightlighting schemes(with the first marina store built at the very bottom on the left)

http://www.groceteria.net/safeway/1960-open.html

Keep up the good work

[SimGoober 2,351]

Thanks for the pics!  I rendered the blueish one this morning, and will play with it.  I am thinking of using it as a Cs$ buidling.  I kept this smaller on purpose, as otherwise the roof just dominates the whole lot.

 

I also have the geo roof modeled from a different picture on page 4, and plan on a more upscale one (Cs$$) later.

 

The Courtyard rendered ok this time.  It has one of those random lines going through one zoom, but I'm tired of waiting 6 hours to render again, only to see it one more time... I should release both of these ina  day or two, after some brief testing.

 

Also, in the BSC team forums, my old 7-Eleven lot will have an update soon as well.

[dev 47]

SimGoober: Awesome looking Courtyard! (But I have always had problems withthem giving me the right room and many other problems.) Never Stay There!!.

My Sims will though. I can't wait to see Safeway and Courtyard on the STEX.

Thanks for all the work!!

The DevMan

[kassarc16 4]

Great progress. I like the latest two versions of the Safeway store. That greenish roof really looks good.

[SimGoober 2,351]

Courtyard and Safeway are now available on the STEX. 

 

The BAT is really giving me fits on exports now; I'm beginning to wonder whats going on... It's seems the more projects I have done, the more bad renders.  For the Safeway store, I actually made a road sign, but it refused to render.  Did all the tricks, even used a different computer and it still had render errors at certain zooms.  Anyone know if it's possible that we are running out of random numbers for it to assign to models?  That's my far flung theory of the day....

 

I'll get back to the Columbus project now, and I'm also working on two BSC projects.  I've promised myself not to start anything new until these are done...

[SimGoober 2,351]

The Columbus Center is now rendering.. again..  I let it render on my other PC all day in segments, planning to add them together as props.  That did NOT work well, as the walls show through each other.  I put the whole thing back together to render as one building, and we'll see how long it takes. 

 

While I waited, I started another grocery store (and put together a quick billboard lot using Havocs props).  I used the geo roof as a starting point, and added the building to match (I think).  The building is complete fiction, though a common style:

I'm going to make this one a Kroger for some variety.  I need to work on some more details, and lighting. I'll put a sidewalk for the front, and see what else pops into my head.

[DuskTrooper 314]

Nooo!  That is waaay too cool to be a Kroger!  Add more windows, a few extra doors, some awnings, and you'll have a hip little urban shopping center!

[n74704 21]

you really like the lime green don't you SG?  this looks good, although i'm still blurred on what it is...

[cat person 2]

Any form of a Kroger's pleases me.

I am still hoping for a strip mall or a large mall. Too bad joerg seems to have abandoned that mall he and hillbilly was working on.

Are you up to a mall SG?

To N7: Krogers is a grocery store and in my hometown it is the predominate grocery store with 6 stores.

[SimGoober 2,351]

I've been thinking of some strip centers, basically mini malls.   The Columbus One has a bit of it around the base.  Maybe I'll play with that concept some more.  The geo roof in front of this is basically just a fancy awning for the front.  I used it as it was fun to build, and I wasn't sure what to do with it.

 

Strip centers will be longer than 6 tiles, which means no growables.  I could make small strip centers, that could plop side by side.  They may grow in weird places, but that might work.

[kassarc16 4]

Looks like a great start. Deffinetly a few more windows somewhere, an awning for a second entrance. Maybe a small plaza outside for seating for the deli.

Here's a good picture of some types of sidewalk clutter that could be outside of a grocery store. Also an idea for a non-cloth awning.



I like the sound of strip/mini-malls. Throw in some corporate logos for some store, with some local ones right next door. Maybe a video store, they always seem to have those. Few ideas would be Subway, Blockbuster, things like that. I've seen clubs and veternarian offices in them, along with tanning salons, hair stylists, trinket stores, whatever you'd feel like making.

[SimGoober 2,351]

Here's some in game shots of the Columbus One.  There is a quirk; after 18 hours rendering, I got an Error 108. Export unsuccessful.  Most of the views are fine, a couple have minor lines in them, which I have been able to tweak in the past by moving it around on the lot.. Don't know why that works, but it seems to.  The catch is that the level one zooms aren't all there (the furthest out). 1 is, the other three show up as boxes.  I will try to render again... see what happens...

 

Obsolete : Edited to save bandwidth.     SG

 

 

 

 

[kassarc16 4]

Looks great, no details left behind. Really stinks about that rendering error. Why can't computer be infallible, like they're supposed to be?

[hogmeister 7]

The Columbus is looking good, lots of good details, lots to keep the eye interested. The small shopping parades that you have been talking about sound interesting, they would look good in suburban locations. I also liked your Safeway

[the Monkeys Uncle 35]

I love the details on that one! Good work.

[SimGoober 2,351]

Well, the main file for the columbus got corrupted during that bad render.  I'll play with the backup, but for now, I'm sick of looking at it.  As soon as Cerulean figures out the bugs with the base textures, i'll release it as is.  It's about 95% the way I'd like it anyway.

 

here's a slightly different variation on the Kroger.  I moved the entrance off center, and added a second.  Still a lot of details to add, but this gives the flavor of it.

[budweiserdude23 80]

I think it looks better with the 2 entrance ways. Very nice job. However, I have one question, are you planning on keeping that lime color? I really think a brick texture would be the way to go. It would add just that extra something to the building.

[Tunafish 48]

Columbus 1 is awsome. it's the first bat if seen with sperate stores on the same lot. 10/10

[DuskTrooper 314]

Well, I still think you should take the cool dome, and incorporate it into a similar styled urban shopping center.

[SimGoober 2,351]

Here's some new pics of Kroger.  I went brick instead of stucco, and left the map larger, so the bricks actually show up!  It's not real accurate to scale, but I think it looks like bricks now...

[budweiserdude23 80]

Awesome, I love the brick texture much more, it makes the building look very classy and upscale. Very nice work.

[joerg 280]

Great work on both buildings but i cant help but wonder why both the grocery stores are so small especially depth wise. Stores here are easilly as deep as they are wide. Also i dont think the second entrance on kroger fits the overall theme.

 

[budweiserdude23 80]

Majority of the stores here are twice as wide as they are deep. I believe the building is in perfect proportion. I think warehouse stores tend to be more on the deep side...i.e. they are as deep as they are long...for example Home Depot or Sams Club. Grocery stores tend to be more like the shape that SimGoober has modeled. In addition, I believe the second exit not only makes the building look better but adds to the realism of it. I'd say almost every grocery store ever built has at least 2 main entrance/exits. I wouldn't change a thing personally.

[SimGoober 2,351]

BAT is driving me BATTY again!  I keep getting render errors. Bad views, and pieces of other buildings in them.  I actually un-installed and re-installed.  Worked for a couple small buildings, but the Kroger is a mess..  I'll keep at it.

 

The above pics are fairly true to scale.  I've seen bigger ones out there, but I want to keep this more game friendly.  The building as it sits is almost eactly 6 tiles wide, and 4 deep.  A couple rows of parking up front, and this is a 6x6.  When I get a good render, I'll release growables with and without the parking, to keep everyone happy.  The double entrance is more common in bigger super center styles of stores, but I didn't want to get that big.