Ngeeves BATs

[patriots_1228 51]

Wow you were right, it looks alot better with the bump map for the water. be sure to give me lotsa kudos in the upload (jk ). For the deck you could try the same thing with the MAX wood bump map, although i havnt played around with that one so i dont if it works good.

[ngeeves 5]

Right, the Xenon Labs building is now on the stex. Feel free to leave any comments either here or in the comments part of the download.

Ngeeves

[ngeeves 5]

Righto, well this thread is gradually going dead so i might stop updating it. Anyway, here is something i've been working on over the last couple of days. It's a brewery. I want it to be a San Miguel brewery but I'm having trouble finding the correct texture for the wide sign (as you can see). Tell me what you think.

Ngeeves

If you want to see a particular building in the game just drop me a PM, send me an image(s) or even just a drawing.

[T Wrecks 10,209]

The model looks nice so far, but the textures need work IMHO. It's very obvious that they tile, and that you used the same brick texture in different sizes on different parts of the building. Then again, these textures are probably far from final, so that might not be a problem.

The ladder to the lower rooftop looks a bit too fat to me, and the topmost roof is lacking an access. All those tanks and pipes are a very nice touch, though. A very interesting BAT since there is no modern brewery for SC4 so far. Good luck with this building!

[ngeeves 5]

Ok well I was really annoyed yesterday because I couldn't find a decent brick texture but NOW, thanks to daddyo I have an extra 60 to choose from ! I will alter the ladder - it looks a bit cartoony. Also, about the roof access.. there is a door down by where all the brass tanks are so i should probably add a ladder from there up to the roof lol. I had a 'plaster' version of this so that it looked kind of like a converted spanish finca haha. I scrapped that idea bcus it was really bright and i know how much the rest of simtropolis hates bright textures *hmph*.

Ngeeves

[T Wrecks 10,209]

Well, bright buildings are hard to make because the BAT bleaches textures so much during the render. Most bright buildings end up looking like untextured plastic. There are few people who have had the skill and the patience to make a building that looks white(ish) without looking totally bleached and overbright. It's unfair because Maxis obviously used better tools than those they made accessible to all the fine BATters around the world.

[ngeeves 5]

Well the brewery is exporting really weirdly. Even though i've resert the cameras and the lighting it still looks like the 4 viewports have been merged into one in the LE. I'll post a screenshot of it later. However, while getting frustrated with the brewery I started work on a fictional r$$ apartment building. I havent got a name for it yet.

Thats the front. In this next photo ignore the front part because it's completely different. Just look at the back bit. 

what do you think? I might add some air con units to the top of the ledge and maybe a speed bump before the carpark. I need to add a bit more roof junk as well. How can i cover that blatant bit of tiling (the dark marks going across in a line).

Comments and tips are very much welcome!

Ngeeves

[SimFox 802]

Well I think you should still work on this one to make it look like a residential, as it is now it looks like a taller version of the same brewery you've showed before. There is no justification for placement of just about any elements of the structure and also proportions of many are a bit questionable. Texture wise.. the tiling is really bad both horizontally and vertically. Basically you should try to make a single texture to cover an element. and not just tile it as you please unless your texture is TOTALLY tilable and has NO distinctive elements revealing the tile.

Both front and back are too static and repetitive. I know it is a inevitable thing to a degree but the whole point of design is to minimize the overpowering effect. you can move your windows around a bit... I the back there is odd huge junk of totally windowless wall what is behind it?? All it does now is shows bad texture.

Also what is the purpose of those two concrety rectangles on the top part of eh wall? I don't think they are either technically/structurally justified nor could they be count as a decorative element.

[bixel 1,223]

Here have some textures!!!

http://www.openfootage.net/?cat=10

XD XD XD XD XD XD

[ngeeves 5]

Another little update for twelve weeks..

Computer broke a couple of days ago and I seem to have lost everything. All the high tech stuff, all the HDBs, the brewery and the cable ski.. 

SO

I started afresh and started work on my old crappy computer on a new HDB (housing development block.. any Singaporeans will know what i'm talking about). Here it is, as yet it is untextured except for the roof (rubbish texture anyway). Its pretty undetailed and bland at the moment but it'll look better. Just seach Bukit Merah on google and you'll see roughly what it'll tun out like. 

The stilt like things are a little too thin but it's going to be a car park underneath. Also theres a second staircase on the side of the middle apartment block (the tall orange thing). In true Singaporean style it will be pretty colourful when finished.



ngeeves

[Jasoncw 11,840]

It's looking really good so far.

[bixel 1,223]

YEHHHHH!!!!! Gogogogogogogo!

[ngeeves 5]

Here's an update. I still have to texturise the whole thing, add in details for the corridors (the things on the buildings without the frames), add in a couple of cars for the car park and add roof junk. Oh yeh and add some colour like on the real thing.

Comments please.

ngeeves

[Sim shady 12]

You definitely have the modeling skills down. Hopefully you can get some good textures for this baby

[ngeeves 5]

Little update:

The corridors on each floor are done. Just working on roof junk. Ive put in colours for what it's going to look like but I have no good textures because of my laptop braking. Can someone point me in the right direction? I don't have photoshop so I cnat create my own textures.

ngeeves

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Download the GIMP (search google), it's free and does most of the same things as Photoshop.

[ngeeves 5]

The HDB will get finished at some point but it is currently about 10,000 miles away on my home computer. I haven't updated this in a while but I thought i'd let you all know that i'm currently working on some buildings from the CBD of Singapore. 

These include:
Suntec City Tower One 
Singapore Land Tower
OCBC centre
HSBC building (the actual name escapes me)
DBS Tower One

Only the HSBC centre is finished but i still have to export it and test it.
Screenshots will come in due course.

ngeeves

[paulvmontfort 616]

Nice, Make sure not to do the OUB Centre though I've already done it, I just have to export it.

[ngeeves 5]

Sorry to continually dredge this thread up but it appears I have another project (The HDBs are still mulling away on my other hard drive). Well a few batters have made their houses and so, considering the fact that i needed something like it for a particular area in my city, i went ahead and made my apartment block as well! The rough outline is finished but I still have to add drains, random pipes, air con units, aerials etc etc so its not at all near completion.

Its a black and white house from Singapore. There are many different kinds of houses in this style. The apartment block im in was used by the British army for lower ranking officers and then was converted into housing. 

Here it is and sorry if the quality of the pic isnt that great:

Here is a pic of the back:

 Lastly, here is a pic i took while playing around with the lighting:

The building is currently completely untextured and only has a glass material applied.

Thanks and any comments are appreciated,

ngeeves

[ngeeves 5]

Here are some recent pictures. I know the textures are a little bright but they are exactly like what they are on my apartment. Given this is Singapore I hope you will see that they fit! As usual, comments are appreciated!

Can someone please enlighten me as to why there are such weird shadows from the render?

ngeeves

[SimFox 802]

Shadows look that odd because you use shadow maps that don't have enough resolution. switch to Ray-traced shadows and you'll have perfect shadows always...

There is a brief explanation about those type of shadows in my Forces of Light and the Geometry of the Shadows.

[bixel 1,223]

Great job love the new models!!

[ngeeves 5]

Update time! Quite a bit of work has taken place on the texturing and the balconies. Thanks for the comments and special thanks to SimFox who helped solve my little shadow issue.


Anyone for a bit of Ikea furniture?


Thanks,
ngeeves

[Sim shady 12]

You obviously have great modeling skills, but i still feel like your textures are a step beneath where the could be, if you know what i mean. The apartments look good!

[ngeeves 5]

Yeah my modelling has improved quite a lot. I think my textures really really let my models down a lot. Its really hard to get a good texture for a white wall because all of mine always come out oversaturated and the texture is always overwhelmed by the brightness. If someone could give me some advice on how to avoid that I would really appreciate it. I don't think it helps that most of my models have white textures either..! If you look at how much time i spend modelling in comparison to making textures then i think thatll explain why they arent half as good as the models i make. Maybe i should just upload the models?

[zero7 68]

Originally posted by: ngeeves  If someone could give me some advice on how to avoid that I would really appreciate it. I don't think it helps that most of my models have white textures either..! If you look at how much time i spend modelling in comparison to making textures then i think thatll explain why they arent half as good as the models i make. Maybe i should just upload the models?

quote>

The easiest way to control the brightness of your textures is to use the 'Output' section of the bitmap rollout.   

I've done quite a few white buildings.  For a flat white the best advice I can give is start at 200, 200, 200 and work downwards - when you think you've got light grey in Max, you've probably got SC4 white!

[SimFox 802]

Yep that is one way to control brightness. It is somewhat limited though. Limited in a sense that you do adjust materials, and you would need to go through each and ever one. Another and in my eye crucial problem is that such linear way you just make material darker. Although not quite to the extend of brightest highlights also mid section and darks are getting darker. Of course you can go and change the straight line into bezier curve. But again you would need to do it to each material.

You can however adjust it to all at once and with same consistent result. Just use some tone/color mapping. On Max older then 2008 you can use Logarithmic Exposure control. In versions 2008 and fresher (2009, 2009 design) there is superb Mr Photographic exposure control.

What those do is apply gamma correction to the rendered image. toning down brightest spots and lighting up darkest.

[zero7 68]

Originally posted by: SimFox Yep that is one way to control brightness. It is somewhat limited though. Limited in a sense that you do adjust materials, and you would need to go through each and ever one. Another and in my eye crucial problem is that such linear way you just make material darker. Although not quite to the extend of brightest highlights also mid section and darks are getting darker. Of course you can go and change the straight line into bezier curve. But again you would need to do it to each material.

quote>

 

Looking at some of ngeeves' images, he seems to have a problem with the brightnes of whites relative to his other textures, so a material specific method seemed appropriate. 

You are, of course, right to point out the overall exposure controls.  Hopefully between the two ngeeves will solve his problem.  I certainly hope so, as the model looks really interesting.

[ngeeves 5]

Well my Singapore house is still in the pipeline. I've been working on some futuristic stuff like this: 

However, problems arise when i try to export it all. It all goes alright up to the point when I try and export the lods in Gmax/BAT. I need to get the fsh name for the model after ive exported it but it gets to 13% on the exporting and then freezes. Any ideas on whats up?

Thanks in advance!

edit: fixed

[ngeeves 5]

More I-HT ive been working on: 

Without the exterior walls: