LK's BATworks

[Lord Kronos 0]

Hi all!

A few of you know that I intend on creating a set of Highway Walls, that are vertical, using a design that Barnatom, a member here posted earlier in the year.

I am relatively inexperienced with 3D modeling, but I seem to be picking up the basics quickly

These are Barnatoms sketches, not mine. I am just using them to BAT from as he is unable to use the BAT.

A bit about the pieces as I see them:

As you can see, there are already 6 unique pieces for the orthoganal section (9 when you include the mirror versions) and I have not been able to give any thought as to handle the diagonal sections of the walls, help would be appreciated there.

They will be designed to fit (hopefully seemlessly) with the NAM on-slope and bridge pieces, using a hight of 15 meters, however the walls will extend further for use away from said puzzle pieces.

I see these as being able to fit in well with a downtown area, where you want to have a highway cut through, don't want to see it, but still be able to add on and off ramps without using tunnels. It will provide open areas for your sims to relax on, don't know if we'll see them there or not, perhaps you can tell me.

But now, I come to my first problem, I have started making rough designs in gmax of the orthoganal pieces, but I need some data and measurements first. I'd take them myself but currently my game is crashing after a few seconds of play, and I'm trying to isolate the problem (it's a clean install, so no NAM puzzle piece issues).

I need to know the width of the roadways, starting with the Ground Highway (I may do other versions of the pieces, for avenue and road, et al). How large is the gap between the edge of the tile and the start of the highway? How wide are the barriers in the center? these are things I'd like to know so I can work out the exact geometry needed for the coverings.

Well, back to troubleshooting, and trying to remember how I fixed the problem last time I'm sure it's the graphic drivers...

Regards,

LK

[buddybud 63]

someone else recently inquired as to the widths...again i have to reply that my models were sadly destroyed in the last 4 months...however the easiest way to do it is this that i found was.....

1. make a 16cm x 16cm texture in photoshop....make it of alternating strips of say black and white...two opposing colours.

each strip 1cm thick for a total of 16, 8 black and 8 white.

2. then in gmax make a 16mx16m square with a .1m height...apply the new texture to it. render

3. then place on a lot in lot editor.

4. open the game and plop it next to end of whatever network your working with......each strip represents 1m in game...so from here you can eyeball it...2.3 meters etc

......a bit of work but it will work...though dont be surprised if you have to do multiple tweaks....good luck

[Lord Kronos 0]

Thanks Buddybud, if I manage to get my problem fixed soon, I will do it myself (as I intended, because at least I'll have no one to blame but myself!). But I can't for the life of me work out what's going wrong and causing the restarts after a few seconds in the game.

LK

[Lord Kronos 0]

OK!

This is a quick screenshot of what I've done so in gmax. I'm not entirely happy with it, I might make the half size gap smaller still, to like a third of the total distance. But this is the general design of the pieces fitting together (no diagonals yet).

The walls will be a separate model to the coverings, so as to allow the LODs to show all the required detail at the different zoom levels.

I am currently working on a rough model for an end piece. I might even have it up here later tonight.

LK

[buddybud 63]

looks good so far.

im confused by what you mean by seperating the walls and coverings being seperate pieces? do you mean seperate props? that i could understand.....if they are seperate lots how will they be placed over each other?

the lods if done properly shouldnt be an issue expessially at this stage without any details....im not to sure what your saying so its hard for me to judge....

in short it looks like you have the right idea though....

your biggest problem (down the road pun pun) will be what to do with the open space....sinse it is all in overhanging territory your probably going to have to design any and all props yourself....thats the biggest problem ive run into..i wish some enterprising detail freak would release some prop packs specifically for overhanging props...then the next is repetitition...make sure with big open spots like that, you learn how to make random props on lots.

two thumbs up so far ......keep it up.

[JayStimson 211]

Some measurements ... check my Sunken Highway Retaining Walls thread for pictures.

The concrete drain troughs at the bottom of the walls that extend out to the edge of the highway are 5 meters wide. The center barrier between the north and southbound lanes is 1 meter wide.

For the diagonal pieces I suggest looking at marrast's embankment set for one method of handling diagonal pieces. My seawalls and current highway walls are another. jeronij's SeawallsV4 are another approach. You can look at them in the LE to get a general idea of the geometric approach used (since you don't have the game running yet).

Also, in order to see "down into/onto" the highway, you'll need to make custom LODs. jeronij has some useful info on this in his Simtropia CJ (page 52 I think).

You will need to get the game running on your machine so you can test out the geometry of the pieces in-game ... so I'd suggest making that a high priority ... or you may end up re-doing a lot of BAT work.

I'll check back on this thread from time to time to see how you're doing and offer whatever advice I can. Good luck.

[Lord Kronos 0]

yes, as props, the wall, I was thinking as a foundation, and the cover a prop. Because when I was messing about before, and making the over hang a part of the foundation, the lods caused it to not show part the foundation of the lot next to it. Then my computer reset itself, so....

That's why, i'll make the cover a prop and the wall a foundation, rendered separately. I'll just havce to be careful with the placement of it on the lot. Unless I find a nice person here to make the lots.

JayStimson: Thanks for droping by! I'll give your thread a thorough read through now and find what you are talking about.

The seeing down into/onto the high way is exactly why I intend on making the covers separate props, that way the lods can be much more exact when I don't have to worry about covering the wall too.

LK

[buddybud 63]

heres a link on how to do custom lods by  ralphaelninja....Working with BAT LODS keep in mind the comments after the tutorial about lod overkill. if you try to wrap lods around minute ditails like railings or wire meshes you will slow the game down quite abit plus it will increase the render time in a big way. a good combination of both is needed....custom lods for the basic structures and blocky lods (sic) for the fine details....again good luck.

[Lord Kronos 0]

Hi all,

Just a little note to let people know that might be reading this thread, that I'll be unable to work on this project for the next few weeks. University has started last monday, and we are approaching the business end of the semester, so asignment after assignment is due.

I will not abandon this project. As soon as my work load lightens and I get some time that is my own again, I'll work on it.

I see these pieces as being finished by the end of July (start of semester 2) and I will do my best to have them done by then.

Regards,

LK

[mightygoose 92]

wicked, they are just what i need

[Jerebannus XVI 7]

Can you make a version of vertical sea walls?

[newyorkrunaway1 110]

yes, just like anything else, it will just be off set on the lot so it can show up properly in the game. i cant wait to use these. man, with all the stuff being devloped to make the highways look beter, i dont know which to choose from. lol

[Lord Kronos 0]

Jerebannus XVI: These will not be modified into seawalls. Or at least I won't be making them. I can't see how they could be turned into seawalls, as they will have to lose the one thing that (will) make these unique (as far as I know), that is that they can cover the highway with a "plaza". That is a covering that looks like people can cross it, but unless someone here graciously mods them to be able to allow pedestrian crossings...

But they won't be turned into a sea wall version, it's just not practical the way I see it.

newyorkrunaway1: Yes these are offset props (and foundations). These will obviously have a very unique application, where you want to run a sunken highway through the middle of your downtown (I still need to give some thought as to how to handle the on-ramps) but you don't want to see the highway, but can't afford to tunnel, or in a CJ where youi want to say you can't afford to tunnel, but you don't want to be able to see the highway.

I'll attach an image of the new models in half an hour, so check back for the edited post!

regards,

LK

[mightygoose 92]

can you do an alternative industrial style texture as well as a plaza style as i think it would look brilliant with a surrounding industrial estate and a sort of concrte and chevroned scheme going on

[Lord Kronos 0]

mightygoose: If you can make some rough sketches of what you mean, I'll definately look into it. I personally can't see it as being able to fit into an industrial area, you just wouldn't spend the extra money to cover it, although I could just make vertical walls with an industrialised texture... So, post a MSpaint or something similar sketch of what you mean, and I'll see if I can do it!

Below are some screen shots of the current models taken straight prem the BAT preview renders. As you can see, compared to the image posted above, the openings are much thinner. The wals also sit closer to each other. This is so that the wall becomes the highway's actual wall.

east

north

South

West

I need to finish 3 models, and then I'll place them on a simple lot and have a look at them in game, to make sure the LODs are acting properly (I solved the problem with my computer, one motherboard driver needed to be upgraded, a pain to ork out which one it was, let me tell you!).

Well, what do you think of them smaller 'slits'?

LK

[sloppet 3]

now this looks really promising! Great worko!!

[Lord Kronos 0]

Well, it's been a hectic (looks at the date on my last post in here) 2 months. I've had exams last week, and leading up to it it seemed like I had concert after concert to get ready for. Then I decided to wait to see how Australia went in the world cup (We was robbed I tell ya! Robbed!!!)

Well I've just opened gmax up and had a look at my models and I think I've worked out how I'm going to handle on and off ramps, but I'll leave that surprise for another post. I just thought you all would like to know that I am back working on these walls and I hope to have something that people can test/use in a week or two. I'll keep you posted.

I'd still like some help with regards to possible textures to use for the plazas that cover the highway, or if someone can point me to a texturing tutorial, that would be fantastic.

Oh, and sloppet, what is the deal with you and that emoticon? Thaks for dropping by though!

Well back to it now.

LK

(stinking refs, FIFA hate us, I'm sure of it... mumble grumble)

[tag_one 132]

oh I'm glad this project didn't died I'm a sunken highway freak and these highway walls are very usefull!

I found a toturial for you in the omnibus, click here. I'm sure this helps you. if you need further help with the models/textures let me know

edit: here's a good texture site I use: http://www.grsites.com/textures/

[T Wrecks 10,209]

You will find some advanced and very helpful tips on making a really good texture on page 12 of 6459978's "Toronto BATs" thread.

[dac8767 0]

will these walls be open for use? i would love it if it were possible to place plazas and parks ontop, or even mass transit. it would kind of be like a different version of the "big dig" project. and another thing, why do they have to have holes in them? why cant it just be a solid wall ontop instead of this :

[cowkilla 12]

lookin like a good idea. but i have a question. are you going to have different types of tops? like industrial, parkland, and ...somthing else?

[offgreen 1]

This thread is dead...

[Lord Kronos 0]

No this thread isn't dead, unfortunately I have had a lot of real life issues to work out and I'll leave it at theat.

The reason there are holes? becauase I want to have them. There is going to be a piece which you can use to cpver the whole highway (piece 5).

As for different tops, maybe later I'll make industrial versions, but that is a maybe.

In the mean time, I'm slowly working on these, they will get done, it's just a matter of me finding time to sit down and put in some solid work on them.

LK

[buddybud 63]

thought you gave up...glad to see they still might be released...looking forward to seeing more..cheers

[Lord Kronos 0]

No, I haven't given up, nor will I. Although it might not be until summer break from University (December-February) that I get another chance to really work on these as I under estimated the amount of work I'd be having to do. Add to that that I have more concerts to prepare for as one of the three Bassoonists dropped out, so I now have to cover his concerts, it makes for a hectic semester...

LK

[JayStimson 211]

Glad to hear you're still alive. Hope you find time to work on this project. I'm really interested in seeing how you handle the diagonals as well as the transition pieces (ortho to diagonal). The geometry is a bit tricky. I abandoned my project when I thought I was just about finished (had 2 pieces to finish) when I ran into an issue with how SC4 handled the highway transition on turns (ortho to diagonal) and I didn't like either of the 2 choices I had to finish the project. Really sucked because all the other pieces worked together perfectly and I finally had a really nice design and nice textures (from others helping me with good advice).

Anyway, I'll check in from time to time to see how you're doing. PM me with questions if you like. Good luck.

[dac8767 0]

awesome, i would love to hear where you are at. keep me posted. great work

p.s. will this be able to cover cloverleaf intersections?

[Lord Kronos 0]

Hi All!

It's been a while since I've posted anything in here. But university is finally over for the year, Bring on summer Break!!!! Though classes and exams are finished, I still have 2 weeks before I'm completely free, I've a got a week of rehearsal leading up to our final Symphony Orchestra concert, and then I have a Band tour to country schools the following week.

However, I do intend on coming back to this work.

That said, I plan on taking up another project, a Rail station designed to sit on the slopes made for sunken railway (along the lines of NOB's station, infact I'd like to make it so it blends perfectly with his walls). I intend mine to have platforms both sides of the track, but they will be overhanging props so that trains will still go through. The station I envisage will be 3X2 in size, one row being road level, the other row of 3 being the slopped section.

Now I come to the part where I request any help the generous people out there would like to give me! Maybe suggestions for the design of the station building, or anything (I'd like someone to tell me what the best height of the walls should be so that the station doesn't look squashed like a few buildings on the STEX.

Well, let me know what you think of my plan, I do intend on getting the walls finished before my summer is over.

LK

[Spike345 20]

I don't get it, how is it summer for you? its like winter now...summer has been over for like 3 months..

[Lord Kronos 0]

Spike345,

You're right it isn't summer for me, it's still technically spring, summer will start next month in December.

Now on the off chance that you are serious with your not knowing about the seasons, when the northern hemisphere has it's winter, the southern hemisphere is in summer, and vice versa. This is because of the tilt of the Earth's axis, causing one hemisphere to have more direct sunlight for part of the year than the other. Ask you're science teacher to explain it in more detail.

As such in Australia, where I live, we have summer in December, January and February. We have a hot Christmas sometimes with temperatures into the high 30s sometimes even low 40s. That's degrees Celsius by the way, use an online converter if you use that silly system called farenhieght.

I'm sorry I can't offer a more detailed explanation but it has been some years since I've studied science.

LK