Using Gmax, advice, tips and feedback.

[johnpratt 0]

When you start to create a building, do you use a rectangle or a cube, box, etc.? Could you please start me off on the right track? I've gone over the tutorials several times, and there are a few steps that just don't seem to work out right as explained.

Thanks

[mcausland 1]

Sorry to hear that we can't use bump maps in GMax.    Interesting since the GMax version used with Neverwinter allows bump maps.   https://community.simtropolis.com/assets/emoticons/6.gif>     Very glad that transparency is working though.  https://community.simtropolis.com/assets/emoticons/10.gif>

[DuskTrooper 314]

Certain aspects of GMAX piss me off!https://community.simtropolis.com/assets/emoticons/7.gif>  I cannot make a curve-top wall, texture on the same scale, etc.  Anyone know how to fix this?

[MaxisBrian 6]

It seems I haven't made it very clear as to what I am talking about with the faceting. The faceting effect is inherent in the material, and not in any GMax setting. I've attached the bitmap so you can see what I mean.

So just map this texture onto all the window glass in a building. Select all the glass, apply the material, then with all the glass still selected, apply a UVW box map modifier. Then set the xy and z dimensions of the box map to 60x60x60 meters. (Eventually) you can then knock down the opacity of the material to around 50% or 60% and see how that looks.

[ApathyNinja 17]

Oh, that makes further sense. Now that I've seen the map in the raw, I better grasp the concept. Does anything that breaks up the outlines of buildings work or can you recommend a way to synthesize maps similar to your versions?

[johnpratt 0]

This may seem like a stupid question, but I've been trying to work with the materials tutorial, and it refers to the material editor button, but no matter how hard I search, I can't locate it. Can someone please tell me exactly where it located?

Thanks

[couchpotato 8]

On the top row you'll find a red sphere with checkers on top... that's the material editor link.  But easier... just type in the letter m and it will pop up.

There are no stupid questions when you're just learning GMax...  steep learning curve. 

 

[MaxisBrian 6]

Hey, good news! Our BAT tools engineer just got transparency for lit windows working in night renders. This was something we couldn't pull off in time for SC4 buildings, and we were never completely happy with the look.

So yours will look better than ours in this respect (and in other ways too in some cases).

MaxisBrian

[+Guest]

----------------

On 1/30/2004 7:53:27 PM MaxisBrian wrote:

Hey, good news! Our

BAT

tools engineer just got transparency for lit windows working in night renders. This was something we couldn't pull off in time for

SC4

buildings, and we were never completely happy with the look.

So yours will look better than ours in this respect (and in other ways too in some cases).

MaxisBrian----------------

WOW! What I find most immpressive, however, is that the people (or person) making the BAT is actually putting in features not in the official Maxis one! Good job Maxis! Keep up the AMAZING work!

[ApathyNinja 17]

Cool!

[n74704 21]

thank you Maxis!!!  i just recently examined the buildings in SC4 and realized the original buildings didn't look that great at night.  then i looked at the RH buildings and saw a major difference.  i wondered why the light didn't look right in some and not in others.  now i know.

[MaxisBrian 6]

Well, the differences you saw between SC4 and RH were that in SC4 we simply used the night mask at full opacity, which looked flat and fake as you know. In RH, our same tools engineer now working on BAT gave us more range of adjustability in the intensity and color of the lit glass. For instance, we were able to make one building's lit windows dimmer, and another could be full brightness (as was the only option in SC4). We could also choose between a range of warm or cool lighting of the glass.

And, there was another technique our summer artist intern made use of, which was to bring in lights to the scene whose sole purpose was to illuminate the glass that was to be lit, while excluding all other geometry from receiving that lighting. This gave some of the best results in fact.

But all these things we tried were no substitute for true transparency for lit glass.

[+Guest]

----------------

On 1/30/2004 8:49:51 PM MaxisBrian wrote:

Well, the differences you saw between

SC4

and

RH

were that in

SC4

we simply used the night mask at full opacity, which looked flat and fake as you know. In

RH

, our same tools engineer now working on

BAT

gave us more range of adjustability in the intensity and color of the lit glass. For instance, we were able to make one building's lit windows dimmer, and another could be full brightness (as was the only option in

SC4

). We could also choose between a range of warm or cool lighting of the glass.

And, there was another technique our summer artist intern made use of, which was to bring in lights to the scene whose sole purpose was to illuminate the glass that was to be lit, while excluding all other geometry from receiving that lighting. This gave some of the best results in fact.

But all these things we tried were no substitute for true transparency for lit glass.----------------

Please, make all of Simtropolis and the SC4 community happy and have whoever does pay give the person who is making the BAT a BIG bonus.

[Vlakhaas 13]

Ok ... finally I decided to dive in and tackle the gMax bull by the horns ... this is what I turned out after 4 hours ... I want a HiTech Farming Hydroponic Dome ... obviously I have a ton of work left here but I need to know if I am on the right track ...

 

 

So where do I go next with this ... I have no clue ....

 

Thanks to all that posted in this thread ... what I read here today was what got me from zero to here in 4 hours but apart from having tons of little things I need to add to the model ... I do not know where to go next ...

 

I will obviously like the dome to be semi-transparent and wish to see images of the Hydroponics inside ... for that I have no idea how.

 

I see the scene file in gMax is now around 440kb ... does that mean anything ... the dome has a diameter of 20 metres and a height of 10 meters.

[rubik3 116]

Looking good so far Vlakhaas.  The things I can see is a more detailed entry, some extra, smaller cross members for the dome, and of course the interior landscape setup (which will probably be the toughest part.)  Then its on to the small detail work like small pipes for irrigation, hoses, and farming tools.

If you need a direction, you should finish up the base building first, not worrying about textures.  Once you get that done you can worry about the interior.

[Vlakhaas 13]

Thanks a lot ... I will work on the model more tomorrow and report back ... seems like we might have the BAT on Wednesday ... hmmm ... here comes a lot of sleepless nights.

 

As for the interior ... does that mean that the dome can become transparent ?

 

[DuskTrooper 314]

I created a thread giving advice on creating good skyscraper glass, but it was not read very often, so I will place some help here.

 

First, Take a good screenshot of your downtown area.  Preferably, one that is kind of close.  Then, using Photoshop or a similar program, open the shot, place a n ew layer under it, fill in the blank layer with a preferred glass color, and change the opacity of the shot layer to a desired level, according to how reflective you want it.  Then, make sure it is applied properly to your scaper using a good UW map.  Add frames if desired. 

 

An Example:

 

[rubik3 116]

As for the interior ... does that mean that the dome can become transparent ?

 

Most definately you want that dome transparent.  Just lower the opacity of your material down to about 25 and it will render partly see through.  I can just imagine the night lighting you can have on it.

 

Here are some links I found to help you out.

http://www.grunch.net/synergetics/domes/

http://www.domeplans.com/links.html'>http://www.domeplans.com/links.html

http://www.domeplans.com/

[Vlakhaas 13]

I understand what you are saying but my question is ... if I do a lot of work on putting fittings into the Dome ... can the dome be really transparent or will we have to fake it by using reflections. ... If the latter then there is no sense in spending time INSIDE the dome.

 

[Vlakhaas 13]

Thanks Rubik ... I will check those links out ... now for another question ... is the option to set up the NIGHT LIGHTING in gMax ... and can I then construct my own exterior lighting fittings, have them light up plus have a ambient lighting inside the dome ... wow ... that could light your farming landscape up !!

 

[DuskTrooper 314]

----------------

On 2/2/2004 5:38:18 PM Vlakhaas wrote:

I understand what you are saying but my question is ... if I do a lot of work on putting fittings into the Dome ... can the dome be really transparent or will we have to fake it by using reflections. ... If the latter then there is no sense in spending time INSIDE the dome.

 

----------------

you can do either one.

[Vlakhaas 13]

I have question ...

 

If a building is 10 meters by 10 meters base in gMax ... how many tiles will it occupay in SC4 ?

 

[mikeyb66 30]

Each tile in SC4 is 16m x 16m.

[Vlakhaas 13]

Thank you very much ...

 

Now for another question ... if you want to make Ballustrading or pipework or cables ... what is the smallest diameter that will still show up properly in SC4 at zoom level 4 and 5 ... I read somewhere that  0.1 is good for railing ?

 

Now for something else ... can gMax actually do prop animation ?

 

 

[couchpotato 8]

0.1 is perfect for railing.... as for animation - I'm waiting to hear on this also

 

[mikeyb66 30]

As far as I know and have heard, animation unfortunately will not be possible. Who knows tho, maybe they'll incorporate it late on.

[Vlakhaas 13]

Could somebody please give me some pointers on the WHEN, WHY and HOW of lighting.

BTW ... thanks for all the support here ... I have now opened a CSX Building thread in this Forum and would appreciate it if you guys could watch that ... I have uploaded the third progress image today.

[beash 8]

I have been attempting to learn to use gmax since the weekend and making some headway, but somewhere along the line I came upon a problem. I saved what I was working on and when I reopened it, the 4 screens (front, side, top) are now labeled user. Perspective is still there, but none of them have the gridlines in them now unless I zoom WAY out. I cant find what I may have done to make this happen. Does anybody have an idea? Did I save it wrong or something? Thanks in advance.

[mikeyb66 30]

THee are a couple of things you can do here.
1) Where it says 'User' right-click and then go down to camera and click on the desired angle. Repeat for all screwed screens.
2)Go to customise --> Home grid and set the grid spacing to 1.

[beash 8]

Great...thanks Mikeyb66, I'll give it a try.