Cockatoo's BAT Thread

[Sim shady 12]

I cant really see anything that needs improving but please make sure the base is as well done as everything else. Cant really tell how it is in your low quality renders.

[SimFox 802]

Good improvement!

As for critique...

Well that all depends on what are you trying to achieve here... If reproduction of real building then It is too far from original in overall shape and proportions. But I guess that isn't all that important and we can call it YOUR AIG.

There are however some serious issues with it that go beyond that.

First of all some that very weird going on with lighting. Shadows are all over the place and almost always are NOT where they are supposed to be.

Modeling those you should use more common sense in places like that architectural glass screen that crowns the building. C'mon it can not possible be that thick and solid. Then there are the plants and particularly their pots... average HK family can be housed in those... And, of course, odd twist/bend in vertical architectural elements running along the facade. And generally many small elements are grossly oversized - that makes the model looks like a toy.

Texture wise... it is difficult to say, and very much so because those could only be judged when there is right and final lighting. But one on the renders couldn't possibley be called that - there is a very serious issue with it. But one thin I notice - you typically terribly oversharpen the textures you use. that make it look unreal and out of scale IMHO.

Reflectivity is a tricky one. First thing I see when I look at it - there is no way you would see such things in reflections from that viewing point. But that is an old discussion and I see no point continue it here - all who wanted to know anything about it have had red it by now hundreds of times. So it is a very much a point of personal decision. That said - still you should give some effort to mimic the bend in the facade in the reflections as you see them. right now geometry says -bent; reflections say -NOPE.

BTW have you ever been to HK/China??

[Cockatoo 2,256]

Woah, Simfox, is it really that off? Just try and keep in mind here that I am just still a beginner, not a skilled 3DS max user like yourself.

I know that it's not perfect and I never said it was but I doubt that the average SC4 player would even notice even half of those things. But seems as you have taken the time to write a critique I'll try to fix what I can (or what I know how to fix- lighting and shadows not being one of them for the moment).

And yes, I've been to Hong Kong twice for a few weeks, I actually got a good look at the AIG tower... for about 3 seconds as this mad as hell taxi driver speed us around the streets of central.

[SimFox 802]

Well, it is...

And it has nothing to do with the level of skill in MAX or any other package... I mean do you really luck skill to make you pots for palms smaller? I'm sure that is not the case. Yet still we have those absurdly huge one right there...

But I just want to stress that my remarks were not to be taken as orders, to-do-list... All I wanted to do is to point out some issues I see. I know and that is scientifically documented fact, that after working with a model (or anything else for that matter) it becomes difficult to see it for what it is. You mind is faster then your eye, it tend to substitute such a mental image in place of reality. So looking with a fresh eye often reveals issues that are missed otherwise.

It is absolutely your decision what if anything to do with it. My task ends with listing of the issues I have noticed. Particularly about degree of life-likeness.

What are you rendering it with... I mean that light/shadow situation is really weird... or may be indicative of very serious flaws in modeling... Right now, though I just can not imagine what in particular would cause thing like that - never seen in my practice...

[Cockatoo 2,256]

I’ve been playing around with the night lighting for the last few days and all of a sudden this problem arises. Dark diagonal lines all over my model? I think I must have changed some setting somewhere but I have no idea what it was or how to fix it. Oh and just so you know, I've just hidden the rest of the model so you can get a good look at the problem but it is occurring on most other objects. (The problem only occurs in the preview renders too, looks completely normal in the view ports.)

Any ideas as to might be wrong or how to fix it?

Simfox:  Of course I don't lack the skill to make my pot plants smaller, and I'm going to do that. What I meant by I'll try and fix what I can and me only being a beginner is... I have no idea what to do about the lighting situation.

And as for what I am rendering with, just the standard rendering tool that you get with the BAT, chances are that's it's something to do with my modeling but if not anything you can suggest to maybe help the situation?

[SimFox 802]

yeah... if you use standard bat then it must be caused by modeling... But without seeing the model (I mean the real thing not a screenshots) it is difficult to say.

In the last screenshot I, to be honest fail to see those dark diagonal lines you're writing about.. But couple of things strike me - first of all is the fact that the wall is separate from others but the columns- in it's lower part are on the other had are part of the wall... and second is that it (being glass curtain wall and all) has such a thickness -given the scale of things I would say about ,8m right?

As for lighting you may try to get fixed giant lighting rig. It has been floating around. Unfortunately I don't have is as I use completely different lighting solution, but people using classical one and doing big stuff must have it.

BTW take a look here:

https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=2867.0

and here:

https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=2877.0

even though it wasn't done for GMAX, still many principals may be applicable there as well and it makes much easier to model with precision...

[Cockatoo 2,256]

Right, back from my little break making CJ's...

Still not quite sure what do about the lighting / shadows issue so I guess we're just going to have to live with that one. As for the thickness of the glass, well when I look at this picture, my glass seems to be about same thickness as the glass outer wall on the actual tower. I know that it's not really solid 8m thick glass, but I'm sure it would take a lot of time to model the framework (that can be seen in the second picture) inside the two panels of glass so I just tried to keep it simple.

I think the model is just about done now. Ready to export now and should be on the STEX within several days.

CLICK FOR FULL IMAGE

Oh yea, obviously I was too busy working on the lighting for this tower over the Christmas period to make more HK block pack buildings... I'm starting back into that now and hopefully I'll be able to set a new rough idea of when it might be finished soon.

[jacqulina 162]

excellent work and progress

[toxicpiano 125]

Wow! Nice!

[connorc24 2]

Great progress! I can't wait for the download.

[Cockatoo 2,256]

Okay, here are the first in game testing pictures:

I'll post some nice ones in my HK Cj when I get some spare time but for now I'm going to upload this in a few minutes.

[Interchange 0]

That is an awesome building, C0ckatoo! I love the lighting effects at the base.

[connorc24 2]

Nice building! I love the glass! Looks really cool.

[Cockatoo 2,256]

Ah @#$%!!! Looks like the AIG Tower disappeared off the STEX after I updated it to fix some broken links in the description and readme.

Once again, the STEX is broken, I wonder if we will ever find a permanent solution to this problem... Sorry to anyone who had plans to download. I'm sure it'll be back up in a few days of so.

[tankmank 853]

i downloaded it before you fixed it

[Cockatoo 2,256]

Now that AIG is out of the way I can start work back on the Hong Kong block pack project, although I don't think we'll be looking at a release now until late Feb or maybe even March because I seem to be spending so much more time BATing just a single building.

Here's some of the latest renders for the night lighting on Chung Fook Luk Terrace:

[crazyyaya 4]

Sweet building, I hope it's all wall to wall, it looks realistic in an asain neighbourhood. I like all the details in that building, I can't wait until the release.

[ilikehotdogsalot 308]

Very funky Asian building, it looks great Your AIG tower upload was also incredible, very nice job! You're improving so fast

[connorc24 2]

Nice building! There is a desperate need for more Asian W2Ws.

[____----____ 37]

that new hong kong block style building is the exact same size we need so much more of, love the overhanging signs like on a previous release of yours, your a great new bater and were all lucky to have you contributing.

[tankmank 853]

thats very hong kong just brilliant

[SimRabbit 48]

Chung Fook Luk Terrace looks great, im sure it will look good in a ghetto

[jacqulina 162]

very nice and i like the little building too

[Interchange 0]

I love that little building so much!

[bbfan02 23]

Excellent job with that building! It is so lifelike with the clothes and the dirtyness of real-life slums.

[sim_city-freak 0]

very cool i want to see how this turns out

[bixel 1,223]

Chung Fook Luk Terrace looks great!

[Cockatoo 2,256]

Bye bye... we're never gonna see that one again...

[sithlrd98 66]

Man , that was looking good....I'm sorry that I haven't commented before but thats usually what happens to some amazing works! Gotta love computers!

[villagemayor 0]

Chung Fook Luk Terrace looks amazing! Perfect for my gritty neighbourhoods!