BATs Currently in Progress

[bixel 1,223]

Well I decided to check out the Bat Request Thread and I found one particular building that really caught my eye. This is a special one from me - since it will only be available on the upcoming STEX DVD Collection Volume 3. For now here is a teaser.

[JakeMD 107]

Wow bixel, congrats! I think a few other of your creations should have made it on there too

[SimHoTToDDy 2,938]

Holy...

I thought about trying that one, but there are different buildings in Philly I wanted to try first. I might actually have to get the new CD because of this building.

[bixel 1,223]

Yeh - still in rough draft mode, the roof is going to be interesting

[Mike the Mayor 51]

Excuse me if this in the wrong thread so I apologise in advance if it is but could anyone give me a heads up on who to speak to with an interest in W2W buildings. I've got masses of pictures of W2W buildings from France, Spain and the UK but I have no way of BATting them. Thanks very much.

[JakeMD 107]

I would edit your post in the BAT Request Thread and ask there.

[Glenni 1,444]

here's some tunnel entrances i started working on a few days ago.

The very round ones are actually supposed to be that simple, as jsut as in real life they are in essence just tubes, i am still tweaking the textures on the slightly olders one, and i'm not even halfway done with the grand one.

For instance it doesn't even have a roof texture yet.

In addition here's a photoshopped texture to how it will probably look in sc4.

I added a slight bit of blue/purple on these two, and of course desaturatedthem quite a bit before i added that.

[bixel 1,223]

Working on a huge Park that extends over a highway or avenue. I just need to make some adjustments to the model file and nudge it over a little. Looking for a modder to make it lower air-noise pollution by a modest amount

[Kryptowhite 9]

Thats an awesome idea, there are thoughts to have one of those in boston and doesn't seattle have a really big one like that?

Great work although I think the slopes might be to steep. Those stairs would be pretty difficult to climb

[art128 4,618]

Great idea there Bixel, I like that park over avenue/highway.. Also, the Pennsylvania Railroad suburban station is good, too !

[bixel 1,223]

I need some industry gimmie gimmie!

[Utvaw 45]

gimme gimme indeed. That looks fantastic.

[JakeMD 107]

How are you so fast bixel! Great work.

[mightygoose 92]

that industry look truly stexual.... where is it?

[SimHoTToDDy 2,938]

Industry? I like industry, and this is fantastic so far.

Welcome to the dark side Bixel.

[rpastrac 0]

where can i download that BATS?

[JakeMD 107]

Kind of similar to the US Bank Plaza in Minneapolis.

[Francis90b 748]

Very nice one, Jake !

Can't wait to use it, it already looks wondeful !

[fukuda 351]

click on the thumbnail for a full-sized picture

[bixel 1,223]

Wow Fukuda that is nice!

Im working on another HK Factory

[kellydale2003 2,276]

ooo - Go Bixel!

@Bixel - I started finishing up the NWTC, no recent renders, but I'm going to export it in 3DSMAX, Just need to get used of BATting again

Great job everyone.

[GoaSkin 2]

@Glenni: Can you please render a 1x1 version of your castle gate tunnel entrance with all props and the base texture as part of the model itself (no props) and customized lodding and at least rectangular and closed on it's backside?

I want to add new tunnel entrance skins to the NAM tool.

[GoaSkin 2]

@Glenni: Can you please render a 1x1 version of your castle gate tunnel entrance with all props and the base texture as part of the model itself (no props) and customized lodding and at least rectangular and closed on it's backside?

I want to add new tunnel entrance skins to the NAM tool.

[GoaSkin 2]

@Glenni: Can you please render a 1x1 version of your castle gate tunnel entrance with all props and the base texture as part of the model itself (no props) and customized lodding and at least rectangular and closed on it's backside?

I want to add new tunnel entrance skins to the NAM tool.

[LE0 5]

Wow, really nice BAT's everyone

[LE0 5]

Wow, really nice BAT's everyone

[LE0 5]

Wow, really nice BAT's everyone

[BlackDragonAJ89 21]

Well, I'm kind of starting small, but I'm working on a big project of mine called the "Eagleland Set" project. Basically, it's kind of a tribute to all the time I've played SC3K Unlimited in a way...

Well, here's the houses I've got so far; there's plenty more to come of these little guys since I'm using on house as a template sort of thing.

Anyway, that's just a preview; I'm planning on doing a lot of different buildings and such, as well as to build replacement parks to use over the Maxis ones. After I've got some thunder and such behind the things, I'm gonna start my own thread.

[madhatter106 3,903]

BlackDragonAJ89 - these are looking pretty sharp.  I'm always a fan of packs of buildings - more bang for you buck when you hit "download" on the STEX.  I had toyed with the idea of doing a giant set of cute little residential homes, to break up the monotony of the Maxis residentials, something similar to what you are doing.  (I was actually thinking of calling it "The Burbs Pack," but I don't think I'll be getting to it anytime soon.)

It's clever to base your beginning models around a similar design or template of sorts - once you become comfortable and accustomed to BATting, then take the template and really begin stretching it, fiddling with it, breaking things down and apart, rearranging and shortening and lengthening and cutting and welding, to start to create some really different things.  I do wish the current set of houses were a little deeper - their length seems fine, but they look a bit pinched - I think they should be slightly less rectangular. 

Take great care in working up textures for these, as well as nighlighting.  Textures can make or break a BAT, as evidenced by so many on the STEX.  And I recommend learning to do real lighting, and not using nightmaps - which just scream "Maxis buildings" to me and others.

Finally, if you really want to get off the ground with these, I'd recommend opening a BAT thread here exclusively for your work.  Personally I tend to not look in here as often as I should, but I do pay attention to the other personal BAT threads on here.

Best of luck!

[BlackDragonAJ89 21]

madhatter106 - Thanks. As I said, I'm planning on doing a whole bunch of various buildings. I do find the Maxis buildings to be a bit boring after a while.

As for my texturing, I've got most of them to be rather dark (considering I made all of them I'm going to be using with MS Paint) since the system renders them brighter, so I'll see what I can do with that. But I could use some help on the lighting though. I'm planning on using both the real lighting and the nightmaps (nightmaps for mostly little buildings, since the detail isn't needed as much, and use real lighting on the larger buildings and for the porch lights, factory lights, etc). However, some of the first [ugly] buildings I made using the two techniques, they wouldn't display the night lights when I switched to night mode in the game. Is there something I should download for it to work?

As for these houses... yeah, I kind of made them too narrow. They sort of look like modular homes. =/ It shouldn't be to hard to fix that though. Also, I plan on having some other types, such a few Victorian and modern designs, so these aren't the only ones. I might fix them or I might not depending if I forget. XP

Yeah, I'm thinking about starting my own thread after I get some more buildings up and at least get my ground textures for the Lot Editor on the exchange.