Cockatoo's BAT Thread

[Cockatoo 2,256]

Originally posted by: SimFox

Cockatoo, you say there are no shadows on the top? But is top properly illuminated of is it all in the shadow?

I can't get the clear picture form your verbal descriptions of the problem and you don't post the picture of it, so I can't speculate how to fix it.

quote>

Yes, that's because I rendered them from ground level. If I had raised them up the 40 odd so meters of the base they would have had all the shadowing cut off from about the 170m mark onward. It's no big deal though unless I decide to do something really big in which case I'll have to track down a bigger lighting rig for Gmax.

Originally posted by: nihonkaranws Can you do this in Gmax: Put a red night-library to the white sign and vice versa to the letters?quote>

You can only use one 'night-library' at a time in the Gmax BAT. I thought of that, but it wouldn't have been possible.

Okay, this has been ready for release for ages, but I want it on the SC4D LEX before the STEX so I have a chance to get my downloads up there (so I can get my uploader rights faster). Unfortunately due to things being busy over there it's still being processed. I'm sure you'll be able to get it in the next few days... or if any of you guys (the HK crew) really want it now you can just PM me I guess.

[SimFox 802]

Who are "them"?

You don't need to track down anything, all you need is to adjust the lights in your light rig. All you have to do is to increase Hotspot and Falloff parameters in Directional parameters of the each light. That said there are couple of more issues. The biggest problem with default rig is that it uses shadow maps to generate shadows. these are like bitmaps - have a fixed resolution. If you increase the area covered by light - Hotspot + Falloff you are at the same time stretching this "bitmap" more and more - as a result you shadows will finally turn into some odd blob that bares no resemblance to the object that is supposedly casting them. So with increasing these parameters you have to increase the resolution of shadow maps as well. It is hard to say that they should be since practically nobody ever uses them anymore these days when raytraced shadows that are size independent are the king of the hill. Side effect of the increase of the Shadow Map resolutions is that it will become serious drain on memory.

So it will be a balancing act of sorts.

Night Libraries. Well you can't use those with GMAX, as far as I know (I may still be wrong) but you can perfectly fine use the Self-illuminated materials with GMAX BAT. "problem" in this case is that "light" would be on both day and night. But for the big billboards and signs this should really be all that big problem.

[fusion_lemon 2]

nice work!!! I can't wait any longer~ =P

[tankmank 853]

how big is it i'm guessing 10x4?

[bixel 1,223]

The new signs look amazing during the night. Can you send me your window texture, and I want tweak it in photo shop and see if I can get it to look like the photo.

[blue sinjid 7]

MAn that builing looks nice i cant wait till it is uploaded to the stex!

[shinkansen1 84]

Were there any images posted today? They aren't showing up!

[bixel 1,223]

Still working on it. You had waaaaaaay too many objects. All those splines can be combined into 1. Had to redo the windows. Still retexturing.... Its getting there.

[shinkansen1 84]

That's amazing! Thanks bixel! ^^

[Cockatoo 2,256]

WHOH! Bixel, you are amazing. It's so awesome to see one of my creations actually rendered in max. Here's the texture you ask for, remember this texture was intended for Gmax, so you'll have to lighten it slightly and adjust the yellow levels - and whatever other improvements you want to make.

Gateway Tower Glass Texture.bmp

When you're done, send me the new SC4 model file, I'll modd it with the X Tool, and then you can release it if you want.

[bixel 1,223]

not the gateway tower map, lol. the newest one.

[Cockatoo 2,256]

Why? I've already rendered it, do you want to re-texture that one too? If so, all I did was make a shaded gradient of the colour of the tower and merge in a few reflections - I'm sure you could make a better one if you wanted.

[bixel 1,223]

Ahh ok nvrmind then, I didn't know you exported it. I was going to make it look more like the photo.

[SimFox 802]

Oh! i see there is major re-rendering campaign is going on here!

[Cockatoo 2,256]

After being inspired by Bixel, I got the urge to make an R$$ HK pencil tower...

I am stuck for a name for the thing, any ideas?

[tankmank 853]

wow amazing well for a name how about Lun Man building ?

[Cockatoo 2,256]

I need to know how to do something...

I'm trying to move a pre-assembled set of objects (a tower) to a new location (10m up on the Z axis) ... but this time the location has to be precise so I can't just select and move it roughly.

I try selecting all the objects at once and then aligning them to a block at the required height (trying to get the base of the tower to the red line)...

but...

It moves all the objects individually, getting rid of the shape of my tower altogether.

So how can I move a set of objects to a precise point, as if they were only one object (so my tower stays together!)

[spa 968]

If I'm understanding your problem correctly, all you need to do is group all the objects together. You do this by selecting everything you want to move as one and then going up to the group menu and selecting group. Now they're one. Hit the move command and you can now enter 10 more on the z axis to move everything together exactly 10 units up. When you've got it positioned, go back to the group menu and select ungroup. Now you can go back to texturing and editing individual objects.

[Cockatoo 2,256]

Thanks so much spa, that's exactly what I was looking for, very handy.

It's actually more than 10m, you can see that in the picture, I just forgot how much I actually needed to move it up - but align fixed that.

Problem solved...

[bixel 1,223]

Sometimes when you group a lot of things the gizmo sometimes is not centered right - and when you move the group its off its mark. To fix this I draw a rectangle around the group using snap to vertex. I move the rectangle to the desired position and I keep track exactly how much I moved it, for example x25.125 y 3.75. Then I move the group by that amount.

[Cockatoo 2,256]

Coming full circle...

Unfortunately, due to the thing taking so damn long to produce even a single preview render, I have to postpone the release of Majestic Hotel until I can work out what's causing it.

But until I can be bothered, I will work on these - the Prince of Wales building (see Page 1 for some lol's) and Fairmont house. Bixel - if you want to make a glass texture for it, go ahead because now would be a good time... I just can't seem to figure out what the actual colour is, it's a bit like the Lippo centre, it's totally different in colour from one photo to the next depending on the whether and the lighting. Anyways here are some pictures of my weekends work.

[bixel 1,223]

YEHHHHHH PRINCE OF WHALES BUILDING is amazing!!! awesome awesome awesome!!!!!1

[tankmank 853]

wow looking amazing

[surdanis 6]

hmmm, i can't say that the Prince of Wales building (which, I don't think is called that anymore)... however, you've a wonderful BAT. can't wait to try it out!

[jacqulina 162]

amazing building great detail

[sunrise7 0]

Well the building is nice, but the Chinese character were wrong, this would the reflection from glass - so need to be reverse.

[bixel 1,223]

yeh, I knew something was fishy with the chinese characters

[Cockatoo 2,256]

Lol, Bixel can read Chinese!? Nice.

Anyway, if you are wondering why those characters are back to front, it's because I accidentally mirrored the image after I got it out of Gmax and forgot to change it back...

They're on the right way, trust me. Copy the image into Photoshop and mirror it.

[Ke|is 3,333]

Where are available? really good,

luck with everything friend

[bixel 1,223]

Cockatoo-210893: Wo gouyu bu tai hao. Keyi wo kan yi ge nu pengyou, hao kan le. Wo yao nu pengyou!!!

CUTE!!!!