Bixel's San Francisco BATS

[bixel 1,224]

Thanks! I am still working on Chevron - its textures and windows are prooving more difficult than I thought, but I wasn't able to get it to grow. I got more plans for SF, I think I may do Hilton Tower next, or even Holiday Inn Tower, but I need more pics.

[nihonkaranws 88]

Great job! As for North American cities, I'm used to Vancouver (since I have family there). What surprised me when I visited San Francisco last weekend was its downtown. It's like a WALL of buildings, amazing (they're so much taller than in Vancouver). Anyway, great job, and good luck!

[crazyarchitect 7]

beautiful job on SF so far, I'm not the biggest fan of the Cali cities, but they do have beautiful buildings. So keep up the great work

[T Wrecks 10,209]

I've taken a look at Chevron Tower and couldn't find anything technically wrong, by the way. Have you tried growing it after putting it on a really unusual lot size?

[bixel 1,224]

I've tried growing it, and it still hasn't grown. I am thinking however of working more on it since it has a sister building that is about half its height right next to it. I think I will just model the whole LOT. Windows still need to be fixed as well as the textures. I've seen the building in real life and it looks grayer than the photos.

[bixel 1,224]

back to the SF Bats, going to fix Chevron Tower soon, meanwhile...425 Market St.

[Welshy123 1]

that is looking good so far

[kellydale2003 2,276]

Oh this is what you mean by other projects. Interesting. I think my 2nd City of Arcitechture is New York. HK I LOVE. And I Love your BATs. I never would've started BATting if I didn't see your uploads. But Yeah, I started on Big Projects, like making 2x2 HK Residentials (making a BAT pack). I also started the First World Trade Centers (Construction Phases 0/2. And I need to finish up like 10 BATs, Fix my thread, and Polish up the Greenwich 200 before its release. And those Towers I sent you, you can upload them whenever you like. I'm trying to get 3ds Max, and that script to work, but I got Simtropolis tools working. I willl post some pics soon bixel, See ya!

[bixel 1,224]

cool man! glad to inspire you. Once you start tho - you cant stop! ahahahahhaahhahaha

[bixel 1,224]

almost done!!!

[scotty222 549]

Awesome man

your a  machine

[Gn_leugim 858]

impressive!!!

[jacqulina 162]

very nice work

[Ferrariguy1000 43]

very good. I love it.

[patriots_1228 51]

good work..alot of towers in america look like this.

your speed for this kind of quality is incredible. Nice job

[psander5 197]

That looks incredibly awesome from this angle! I like the roof especially. Never been to America, but San Francisco is in my top ten places I have to visit (in the world)

[bixel 1,224]

Yeh SF has a lot of BOXES type skyscrapers, they are just new pulling into the new style with the Millennium Tower and the Four Seasons Hotel. The Box style buildings are so incredibly easy to do, it is just a matter of correct texturing, at the moment I am have very bad mother Board problems, and having a hard time getting past the POST boot, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_On_Self_Test. I have a ASUS P5K SE with Intel 2.13Ghz 6400 Core 2 Duo and 2 ADATA 1gig 800FSB sticks. Most of the time fans turn on but no vid display occurs until I sort of mess around switching out stuff from the USB ports and connecting reconnecting IDEs and SATAs. Then miraculously it will start with a BIOS unable to auto overclock failure.

I have my BIOS setting voltage to ram at 1.85, with bus speed @ 800. CPU voltage is set to 1.35, yet everything remains very cool. CPU temp fluxes around 16-22 C. which is either wrong or amazing. I've been trying to do more resarch to fix the problems but I got a weird feeling its my 500 watt powersupply, I think its dying or something. So I may have to replace that. As soon as these problems are addressed I am going to release some MEGA packs of all the SF BOX buildings. It will have both Hyatt Hotels, 2 Holiday Inns, 2 Hilton Hotels, and several more on Market Street. the 4 Embarcadero Buildings will be worked on as well. I got a digital camera so i have been taking pics like a total freak nerdy nerd of everything.

[SimFox 802]

If your CPU temp is about 16-22 C than you certainly have a problem! there is NO way it could be that low! The ambient temperature is higher. That means that by working CPU cools in stead of heating up, and you know that this is IMPOSSIBLE.

[ILL Tonkso 1,238]

Keep it up B-Man!

[Interchange 0]

Did you say....EMBARCADERO CENTER?!

[bixel 1,224]

Interchange: you bet i did!

[Interchange 0]

*faints*

[crazyarchitect 7]

Long live the boxes!!!!!! lol, great job

[nihonkaranws 88]

Lol Interchange... ... Anyway, looks great bixel, amazing detail on the roof junk. Keep it up!

[patriots_1228 51]

No!!!! what are you doing? Do you realize when interchange finally gets his hands on embaracacadadacadooo center he will be so happy that he sucks the happiness out of everyone else, forcing the world to commit mass suicide?!

you are ( ) this close to ending the world

[just kidding, good luck]

[T Wrecks 10,209]

Originally posted by: patriots_1228 you are ( ) this close to ending the world quote>

Never mind, he could BAT a new one in three days.

[nihonkaranws 88]

Damn right.

[bixel 1,224]

OK!!! Motherboard fixed!!

and as a bonus, a small tut for those 3ds max users (srry gmax doesnt support raytrace)

Making cool windows!!!

google mosaic in images

download cool mosiac

load up 3ds > your model

go rendering > environment > environment map > pick the mosaic, enable map

press 'm' for materials - select your windows and glass materials > maps rollout

reflection = 15 pick map as raytrace

budda bam and done!

(feel free to experiment with reflection amount.)

[Jasoncw 11,933]

From the SC4 angle though, it wouldn't reflect the environment, it would reflect the ground plane, so it would be better to apply those types of textures to the ground plane.

I've been creating a loose texture which has all of the base textures, adjacent roads, and general building shapes that will be near the building, and I use this for the ground plane. I don't know if it's actually making a worthwhile difference, but I'm hoping that the subtle light bouncing and the reflections will make the buildings sit more naturally on their lots in the game.

[bixel 1,224]

I am pretty darn sure it will work even in the export - since i am have done this type of things before with my older buildings - but it has been awhile. Maybe I will test it on a smaller box just for experiment reasons.