mipro Barry Sanders Project

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Barry Sanders Project

Michigan Recreation Project

The Barry Sanders Project (BSP) is devoted to recreating significant buildings from the state of Michigan.  This thread is a place to read and make updates on current projects, discuss current events and topics that are important to Michigan, and to have a fun time.

BSP Blog Extravaganza Part 1:  History & Interview

BSP Blog Extravaganza Part 2:  The Story Behind the BAT

Team members:  Jasoncw  •  Nofunk  •  SimHoTToDDy

Completed Landmarks:

All Barry Sanders Project uploads have the "BSP" tag included in the title. 

Click here to browse BSP projects on the STEX. 

Click here to view all BSP uploads and works-in-progress in Google Maps.

Landmark Name:	Location:	Date Uploaded:	Creator:
• Standard Forge Co.	Detroit	November 24th 2010	SimHoTToDDy
• Fisher Body Plant #21	Detroit	November 21st 2010	SimHoTToDDy
• One Woodward Avenue	Detroit	November 21st 2010	Jasoncw
• Music Hall	Detroit	November 20th 2010	Jasoncw	&	Nofunk
• Hamilton Avenue Shops 2	Highland Park	October 31st 2010	Nofunk
• Ford Building	Detroit	August 26th 2010	Nofunk
• Grosse Pointe Public Library	Grosse Pointe Farms	August 5th 2010	Jasoncw
• Detroit Elevator Company	Detroit	April 23rd 2010	SimHoTToDDy
• Gleaners Community Food Bank	Detroit	February 26th 2010	SimHoTToDDy
• Aluminum Architectural Metals Company	Detroit	February 13th 2010	SimHoTToDDy
• Film Exchange Building	Detroit	January 29th 2010	Nofunk
• Park Shelton	Detroit	November 25th 2009	Nofunk
• Miller Street Manufacturing	Detroit	November 24th 2009	SimHoTToDDy
• 211 West Fort Street	Detroit	November 23rd 2009	Jasoncw
• Hamilton Avenue Shops	Highland Park	November 21st 2009	Nofunk
• Iodent Building	Detroit	November 19th 2009	SimHoTToDDy
• Production Steel Products Inc.	Detroit	October 3rd 2009	SimHoTToDDy
• Kingsley Arms Apartments	Ann Arbor	June 17th 2009	Nofunk
• Maccabees Building	Detroit	June 8th 2009	Nofunk
• Hofmann Building	Detroit	September 9th 2008	Nofunk
• The Pylon	Detroit	July 13th 2008	Jasoncw
• Hotel Wolverine	Detroit	June 9th 2008	Nofunk
• Joe Louis Arena	Detroit	June 5th 2008	Bigskelding
• Chase Tower	Detroit	October 31st 2007	Jasoncw
• Happy's Pizza	Detroit	October 31st 2007	Nofunk
• McNamara Federal Building	Detroit	October 31st 2007	Nofunk
• Allmendinger Organ Co.	Ann Arbor	March 5th 2007	Nofunk
• The Olde Building	Detroit	February 26th 2007	Jasoncw
• Ypsilanti Water Tower	Ypsilanti	February 7th 2007	Nofunk
• Park Avenue & Park Apartments	Detroit	December 18th 2006	Nofunk
• John King Books	Detroit	December 14th 2006	Nofunk
• Burton Memorial Tower	Ann Arbor	November 8th 2006	Nofunk
• The Vinton Building	Detroit	November 5th 2006	Jasoncw
• Borders Books and Music	Ann Arbor	November 1st 2006	Nofunk
• Detroit Free Press Building	Detroit	February 11th 2006	Jasoncw

 

[Jasoncw 11,840]

This post is reserved for future use.

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Ok everyone, how's everything look?  Any ideas?

I remade the thread because the old one is huge, mega hard to find information, and all of the information that's there is out of date.  I'm hoping that a nice clean and easy to understand thread will encourage people to participate in it.

For the same reason, I was also thinking about changing the name.  "Michigan Recreation Project" or "Michigan Recreation Team" or "Michigan Recreation Group" or something along those lines would be good, in my opinion.  "The Barry Sanders Project" doesn't make any sense unless you already know about the project.  At first you wouldn't know anything at all if you don't know who Barry Sanders is, and if you did, you'd probably assume that it's some kind of stadium thread or something like that.

The main problem with changing the name of the group is that the STEX uploads that are already there have the BSP tag on them, and the custom queries still have BSP stuff on them.  I don't think the queries would be hard to update (and they wouldn't need to be updated over night or anything), but the STEX titles is another issue, which I'll look into if a name change is decided on.

As far as the services go, don't be shocked!!  Those are all things that the BSP is already doing.  And a "feasibility study" is simply how well a building can be adapted into SC4, and the various routes that can be taken, and the pros and cons of each.

Is there anything else?

There were some formating problems with the first post (the lists were supposed to have bullets, and some other things didn't work), so I'll go back and fix that.  The second post is reserved in case the first post some how exceeds the character limit.  better safe than sorry.

[wolverine 12]

Shall we post a list of all works that have been in progress...or lost.  or will be in progress someday in the future.  Oh the list is so long.

Anyone remember barrysandersproject.com?  That site was actually looking pretty good, but never got finished, and the bills didn't get paid.  lol

[Jasoncw 11,840]

There are A LOT of projects that are in progress, or were at least started:

Penobscot Building

211 West Fort Street

One Woodward Avenue

751 Griswold Street

Chase Tower

Ypsilanti Water Tower

Cadillac Tower

Mc Namara Federal Building

Yost Arena

Michigan Stadium

Ford Field

Hudsons

Dime Building

Renaissance Center

State Theater

Kales

Old GM HQ

150 W. Jefferson

Comerica Tower

I don't think a website is really neccecary, since Simtropolis is the biggest SC4 fansite, and where the people who download things go, and where the people who make things go.  It's also free for us, and more convienient to maintain.  And I know I won't pay for our own site!!

[nofunk 1,933]

wolverine: I remember the old BSP site -- I thought it looked pretty freakin' good. But the cost of hosting it is discouraging.

Jasoncw: Ha! The new thread! It looks good. I've got a few ideas, but we'll talk about them. You can put me down for offering modding asistance, since I've got general modding and seasonal props under my belt.

I think a list of "in progress" would be good. Maybe not lost ones -- after all, I'd hate to give anyone false hope. But it would be good for people to see not only what's available, but what's on its way, too. (By the way, you forgot Donovan & Sanders!)

I'm excited about the new thread. I think keeping the first post updated with new information and releases will be a big plus.

I'll post some progress on my projects tomorrow.

[SimFox 801]

NEW Bat Team?!?!

[Jasoncw 11,840]

SimFox: no, lol, just a new thread for an old team.  The BSP has been around since 2004, and over the last year or so it's continuosly picked up.  The old thread was huge, and very hard to find information in.

Nofunk: opps!  Yeah, I forgot that one.  I figured I'd forget a few things.  I wouldn't mind an in progress list, but what is lost and not lost is a fine line.  I'd say the bottom third of the list before is will never be finished.

I expect that all of my projects will be done, as well as Nofunks, and I think Ford Field will also be finished too.

I don't think a list of potential future projects would be useful, since my contributions to the list would be almost every building downtown anyway.  Other people's would include most of U of M, and in general, the list would just be really long.  And it doesn't really serve any purpose either.  The only thing I think, is that in general we should focus on the same handful of neighborhoods.  I've personally been focusing on the Griswold/Fort Financial area in general.

Does anyone have a screenshot of the old BSP website?

So what does everyone think about the name change?  Should the name be changed?  Into what?  Michigan Recreation Group?  MRG  Michigan Recreation Team?  MRT.  Michigan Recreation Project?  MRP.  The Michigan Project?  TMP.  The Association of Michiganers Committed to Recreating Significant Landmarks in Michigan?  TAOMCTRSLIM?  Out of all of those, MRG and TMP are the only tags that don't have other stuff for them on the STEX, although adding the "T" to the front of anything will increase the chances of it being unique.

So yeah, let's talk about everything!

[Andreas Roth 607]

Hmm, I must admit that I always wondered what "Barry Sanders Project" stands for, but then again, I haven't done any research on that name yet. On the other hand, "BSP" has become quite a "brand name" for Michigan/Detroit based buildings, so I don't think a name change is really necessary.

[T Wrecks 10,209]

I agree with Andreas. BSP has become a trademark already, and the subtitle "Michigan Recreation Project" makes clear what you guys do.

[josefmayor 8]

Hey Jason can you show some pictures of those buildings, I might be interested in trying to make some to increase my BATing skills more

Thanks buddy

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Barry Sanders Project it is then!  Unless someone objects.

Which buildings do you mean josef?  We can work on texturing whenever you have time.  You don't need to be working on a Detroit building for that.  It's better to recreate a building that you know personally anyway.

I should probably post where I am on all of my projects now.  I'll do that tomorrow or something.  I plan on posting most of my BAT progress here, since except for a building or two right now, almost everything in the future will be BSP projects.  I'll only use my thread for non-bsp stuff.

[josefmayor 8]

Ohh those aren't buildings in the pipeline that haven't been made yet, I'll look around emporis for some Michigan buildings that spark my interest!

Thanks Jason, I'll PM you when I can work on it some.

[UltraGIR XL 3]

I have some night pictures fo the Penobscot and Comerica Tower.

I haven't many daytimes, though.

If anyone needs any, just ask.

[Jasoncw 11,840]

The list is projects that people have already started.  Some of them have been started, and it's pretty certain they won't be finished.

Thanks UltraGIR XL, I'll keep you in mind for whenever someone needs reference photos.

[nofunk 1,933]

OK, this is a pretty wimpy update, but I thought I'd announce that the Ypsilanti Water Tower has just entered the final stages!

It just needs custom menu icons and then it's off to JBSimio for the custom query. And then... on to the STEX!

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Here's some stuff that hasn't been updated on in a while:

Left:  The Pylon:

I started this when I first got 3ds max, because I figured the shape would look really good with the fancy 3ds max.  Today before I did this preview render I changed the materials and lighting and stuff, and this one is pretty much done.  It can be exported, and modded any time.  But it's too small to release on its own, so if it gets released, it will be with something called the "BSP Public Art Pack 1" which would have other things in it as well.  I was thinking of the UAW pincher things, that funny pole with the cylinders on it at the end of Woodward, and maybe Dodge Fountain.  For Dodge Fountain though, I think it would be really cool to have it as an animated prop.

Right: One Woodward Avenue:

I didn't change anything before doing this render.  Materials, textures, and lighting needs to be tweaked.  There is detail work that needs to be done to the top, and to the bottom, and the nitelites haven't been started (I can do them though, with the same technique as 211 West Fort Street).  I modeled the building too wide as well, so I'll see if I can scale it back down without loosing definition on the white columns.  The statue in the front of the building will also be made, as a prop, and will be included.

[nofunk 1,933]

Hey, a public art pack is a great idea! I could BAT some art here in A2 -- like the spinning cube, the sculpture in front of UMMA, etc.

[SimFox 801]

I absolutely love One Woodward building!

[Jasoncw 11,840]

I like One Woodward Avenue quite a bit too.  Something about the color and proportions and details, it just looks nice. 

Here's the best picture of it I can find.  imo it doesn't really capture the whiteness of it, and neither does my BAT so far.  And the skywalk is planned to be removed! lol

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=265647407&size=l

The real building has more columns on the walls, but to fit them in in Gmax, them and the windows would have been too thin to really see.

It turns out that the building was accurately sized (it's 2.5x2.5, and I thought I had rounded it up to 3x3 for some reason), but the columns are too far apart right now, so I'll look into fixing all of that.  It should look much better when I do.

Nofunk, that would be good.  You can make a public art pack too.  I know Detroit at least has A TON of public art.  It's everywhere.

[SimFox 801]

Well that's a trick with colors generally and White And Black in particular!

These are much more ideas, perceptional instances then actual physical things. So, remember white and to somewhat lesser degree black is all in your head.

[parisinflames08 0]

Here is a list of well known public art in detroit. These are the official (from what I can gather) names for these piece. Some of the names may be unfamiliar to you but im sure you'd recogize them. There are some really aweful photos but great documentation at: http://detroit1701.org/Public%20Art%20and%20Sculpture.html

Public Art:

• Spirit of Detroit
• Chauncey Hurlbut Memorial Gate
• Scott Fountain
• Dodge fountain
• Russell Alexander Alger Memorial Fountain
• Passo di Danza
• Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Fountain
• Transcending: The Michigan Labor Legacy Landmark
• Statue of General Alexander Macomb
• Stevens Thompson Mason Statue
• Merrill Fountain
• Phylon
• Mayor Hazen Pingree Statue
• Michigan Soldiers and Sailors Monument
• United Foundation Torch
• Obelisk Commemorating Judge Augustus Woodward's Plan for the City of Detroit
• Woodward Fountain at Campus Martius Park
• The Millennium Bell

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Here's some progress.  I did a lot of tweaking.  There is now the proper number of columns.  The diamond shaped pieces inbetween the windows have been tweaked (to fix their various angles).  Also, some of the floors on the real building are taller than others, so the new spacing reflects that.  I also modeled the details on the mechanical floors.  Now it's starting to look like something!  I need to rework the textures a bit though.

SimFox, that makes sense.  I'll keep that in mind.

Parisinflames08, good to see you around!  I have that site favorited, but I've never really looked through it before.  That is probably the most complete documentation of Detroit public art around.

[JBSimio 152]

Nofunk: The water tower looks great in the game! Can't wait until it's ready.

Jason: One Woodward is looking reallly good. Stupid as it may sound, the giant fans are still one of my favorite features on this one. The rest of the building makes my eyes cross if I try to pick out little details! lol I guess maybe I should stop doing that.

JB

[wolverine 12]

I was just looking at the list and noticed the old GM headquarters. I forgot that was being BATed! I think baldy is pretty busy these days though. The upper levels don't seem all that tough to BAT, but the bottom levels are a different story.

[Jasoncw 11,840]

lol, JB, the same thing happens with me.  I like the area up there too.  I plan on adding some more details to it too, so it should look better before this is all done.

I have the old GM HQ file, as well as 150 W. Jefferson.  Both were pretty good for a newbie, but would probably be better off restarted.  Baldy still visits here, but yeah, he's doing other things.  He had a kid a few months ago too!  He will take reference photography though, he's where I got some of 211 West Fort Street.

Not really any news on One Woodward Avenue.  I've been getting application stuff ready for the University of Michigan's College of Architecture.

[SimFox 801]

Jason, One Woodward is an absolute marvel!! You HAVE to give it best treatment you can! Would be good to you too! Good cause to advance your own knowledge and skill!

Here is great resource for some techniques: CG Architect

I urge everyone BATing to take a look at this! Great resource!

[Skyfire2275 23]

The Renaissance Center BAT isn't dead either...

I just have so much schoolwork to do that I have no time for BATting... expect it to start rolling again in April or May when I graduate. Yeah!

Anyways, the BATs in here look good so far!

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Thanks SimFox, I think I'll go all out on it.  I have enough photos of most of it to get really detailed.  That website looks good, I'll have to check it out.  I looked at the other site you sent to me, but the tutorials cost money and I'm cheap.

Skyfire, that's good.  I knew at the beginning of the thread you had said that progress would be on and off, but then I didn't hear anything about it for such a long time. 

[jacqulina 162]

excellent work and details