autoVino's bat projects

[autoVino 26]

a "just for fun" render (where anti aliasing didn't work out too well, but the sky did) 

[autoVino 26]

here are some more... hmm looks like internet security got a downgrade (or an upgrade) for half my websites aren't blocked now .

Looks like here we have some artifacts... or photons stored at illegal points?  I think I have some standard materials here, probably caused by the trees.

[Sim shady 12]

Ooh looks cool. I like whats going down here

[autoVino 26]

it was the trees... and the default materials?  I can't hav any default materials in my scene without getting caustic and gi errors.  Everything has to be mental ray.  Here's some roof junk.  I'm trying to keep it organized and compact (much like real buildings).  What do you all think?  The glass needs a bump map but I'm running it on the physical glass shader right now... so I'll do that/convert to arch&design (which for the most part I know how to use).

[autoVino 26]

     

     

[Sim shady 12]

It is coming along great! Cant really think of anything else to say

[T Wrecks 10,210]

I like it! It's architecturally interesting, has a nice size and looks really neat so far.

[autoVino 26]

ahm... post #667... just breaking the silence...

anyway, thanks for the commens everyone.

edit: just lost a 5gig thmb drive with semi valuble information... not the best day today.  I'll probably spend the next few days digging through back up files trying to recover as much of the information (~2gig) as I can and putting it back together...  so I don't think I'll get to batting this weekend (just spend the last 4 hours redoing a very recent project that I was working on... oh well)

[autoVino 26]

good enough for render to game?  If it is I'm going to start the tedious process of getting the night coloration just right .  Then I'll add a few roof "flood lights" just as eye candy for the game.

[jacqulina 162]

excellent progress

[Jasoncw 11,968]

I think this one is ready to go.

[bixel 1,228]

Bixel Demands it to be ready!!!! Rawrarawrarwrrrrrrr (growly growl growl)

[ngeeves 5]

This is going to be awesome. How come you haven't uploaded any of the casinos onto the stex?

ngeeves

[T Wrecks 10,210]

Yeah baby! Upload! Work! Toil! *cracks whip*

[autoVino 26]

I have some good news and bad news about the render:

good news: it went okay and I was able to succefully create output files and merge/rename them into a seperate output folder that is to be mergeded into the model file.  All the fsh files got put into the model file correctly too.

bad news: the model file, for some reason, had every fsh file replaced as a UI file.  So it didn't map correctly.  When I try to edit/delete the ui file (because it contains data for an fsh file but is inctanced as an IU file) the whole reader program crashes.  So that means I'll need a new model file and new output files.  Even worse is that when this error is fixed witha quick work around, that is just adding in new fsh files, the fsh files are still incorrectly mapped.  The night files are mapped as day files and as night files, although the day files still exist.  This I do not know how to fix, but I'll try after I get all the renderings done again.

Once again put on hold...

[Sim shady 12]

Argggg! i can only imagine your feeling twice the frustration i am

edit: here's a stick so you can beat your computer with it.  Great stress releaver!

[autoVino 26]

exams are a real pain in the...
anyway here's an update I scrapped up with the little free time I have:

dark stone cladding, needs some work on the uvw wrapping, but I like the coloration, along with a nice orange tiled floor. 

[jacqulina 162]

wow looking very good

[Sim shady 12]

whew i feel for you on the exams! Aweful AP exams and state mandatory TAKs exams...And to top it all off my other classes think its cool to pile on extra work and squeeze in their own tests during the same time...I HATE school sometimes....at least prom was nice.

Btw my sig says all, it will be a while before i can actively check this site out again.

[autoVino 26]

prom... I'd have to say a bit too nice for it's own good... there's a point where nice becomes not so nice, especially when it takes a big bite out of one's wallet...

anyway, I noticed a uvw map error:

Digging for a solution to the error, I found more errors with my geometry, so I redid that geometry, but it made the uvw mapping incorrect and crashed.

Here's what I got after a bit of work:

the glass needs to be more reflective, maybe blueish tint, and there needs to be less grass in the background.  the tile color is still in concept but I'm thinking about shades of blue.

[JakeMD 107]

Well I hope you can get that texture problem sorted out, that is an amazingly detailed building!

[SimFox 804]

well Box mapping shows on the "cut" corners... try to unwrap it it is very simple shape. I mean just the parts where tiles would be... don't need to give them any depth.

[Explodingsims 3]

Intresting, we need more building shapes on SC4.

[autoVino 26]

Originally posted by: SimFox well Box mapping shows on the "cut" corners... try to unwrap it it is very simple shape. I mean just the parts where tiles would be... don't need to give them any depth.

quote>

 

actually that was a uvw unwrap, and flatten... something must have gone wrong, probably the angle size was too big so there was a lot of "streaching."  But I fixed it now, and changed the glass up a bit as well:

I migh also do a quickie model of surrounding buildings, just simple shapes with slapped on textures, since no major detail will be visible in the reflections anyway.

[autoVino 26]

   

some more renders, I have made the glass a bit more reflective and the tiling a black color with grey outline.  This gives a nice effect I think, but a little work needs to be done at where the windows meet the floor lines.

[Jasoncw 11,968]

The tiles look really nice now.

For the spandrels (the one's that are correct at the moment at least), it looks like you gave them a plane UVW Map? It looks like the white mortar is being stretched along the top of the spandrel, which looks strange. I think it would look better with a box map. For the tiles in general though, remember that they need to be rectangles, not squares, in order to not be squashed by the camera.

Yeah, I think it will take a lot of work to get the reflections to look right.

[SimFox 804]

I would say that tiles look too much as something you'll find in swimming pool or bathroom or something like that rather the on the building facade, So probably less variation in brightness and color would be better and the the mortar should be quite so thing... It should be barely noticeable it you want to keep the sense of the scale. Cause now it looks small.

I also think your shadows are way too deep. As for the reflections... well it is a problem with which I'm stuck as well in case of Beijing Silver Tower...

[mcarch 15]

I think I agree. In the picture of the building upclose I feel as though I am becoming dizzy.

[autoVino 26]

@Jasoncw: actually it's a UVW unwrap, where it looks like the mortar is being streached is actually a part of the building where it is not being mapped on.  I've divided the main buidling shape into a few seperate parts for easier mapping.

This time I added a quick map to the floors of the building and illuminated it lightly from the inside.  What do you all think of the effect.  I Personally don't think it's the best, but it oculd be because of the mapping I made, modeling the interior near the windows shouldn't be a great task since most of it could be low poly office accessories (often quick and easy to do).

here are the ingames:

     

[autoVino 26]

hmmm... now that the exmams are over (for the most part) I have tons of free time... until I go to Russia.

another update from a render I just did.  I think it turned out a pitch too bright, but nevertheless it still doesn't look too bad:

   

what do you all think?  I should be ready for night render soon and hope to see this baby released finally (if I can properly combine the images together...)