SimHoTToDDy BATs

[Gn_leugim 858]

sad views indeed.. how did such big apartments became vacant? =\

[wolverine 12]

^ They were public housing, and were not adequately funded or maintained. There were stories about seniors being trapped on the upper floors because the elevators were broken or the stairwells being entirely filled with garbage. They may not be a total loss. A cluster of 3 of these exact type of towers were resurrected from a similar state into senior housing and got major upgrades. At the time these were built, they were considered some of the best housing in the city with spacious units and sweeping views of the city..

After the city closed the property, scrappers stole the barbed wire fencing, and then the windows. The property is completely accessible to everyone. Not even the cops would stop when they saw a group of us with cameras. The inside is ridiculously eerie. Smoke detectors on a dying run chirp to one another from floor to floor You always think there is someone floors above you with the wind blowing thing around.

They will eventually be demolished, so no one is really doing much to keep people out.

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

Someone really needs to stop me, I keep getting distracted with new shiny things and I forget about what I need to finish. For example, until yesterday I completely forgot about the Pripiat long block that is almost done only remembering when I was flipping though my thread on SCpolska (which I haven't touched in ages).

Anyway, this time I was distracted some models from other games, I blame Mcdrye

A little game called Fallout 3 has some lovely models (with a lot of complete geometry, not too many blank sides), and even better textures. After a few hours of accumulating the appropriate software for conversions, I was able to come up with this in no time at all.

And that is with no texture adjustments aside from affixing the bump maps (which I learned how to do just recently too) The model translates to this for SC4:

Its a bit yellow/green, but nothing I can't fix. We have always needed some good destroyed buildings in game

We will return to your scheduled programming... eventually.

[Francis90b 748]

That's really impressive, Todd !

It's always good to know that you can take something from other source and convert it.

Best of luck , i really like all your current projects!

[nofunk 1,933]

I see you're hard at work making beautiful things for our cities...

Seriously though, that's pretty cool! And I definitely think we need more grit in SC4.

That reminds me... why haven't I received the Douglass models yet?! lol

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

Well, Jason isn't done with them I don't think, partly because I messed up the LODs and need to re-export them (those pesky open corners). Perhaps I'll do that tomorrow... Jeze I'm lazy.

Oh, while I'm here I might as well ask how to get alpha maps working in Mental ray. The opacity slot that you would use in scanline isn't there and none of the other slots seem to work. Some of the things I have googeled point toward "doesn't work" but then again, the context was different. Worst comes to worst I just dig out my old light rigs and don't use MR, either that or do the little extra modeling that the maps save me.

I'm new to the whole procedure, so I might just be missing something.

[jacqulina 162]

wow thats great

[Neofita 31]

great idea

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

We have nighlights for you, in png

I am having some trouble getting spotlights to work though. I'm using a template simfox posted in this thread a few pages back and since I have been using it, I have been unable to get any spot to shot up in my renders. Forexample, this one is right next to the left stair tower:

is there somthing in the modify tab that is not right (there are a few mr related things in there)? If I try this in a new scene ( ie. not the template) they work like a charm, but as soon as I use the template, I get....nothing. This is really annoying because I would like to light up the enterances and some things on the roof. And I really don't want to use scanline... thats the whole reason I want through the trouble of exporting this to max 2008.

Anyway, this is just about done. Thoughts?

-Todd

[jacqulina 162]

fantastic work

[autoVino 26]

Try using the photometric lights and play around with the settings, they seem to work better with the photographic exposure.

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

  No dice so far. I tried NOT using the template too but, every time I introduced mental ray, any working lights stopped showing any signs of life. Its not that I need something that works better, I need something that works AT ALL.

Anyway, guess what is back from the dead!?!

In max 2008 and ready to roll, it is my 3rd real BAT! Don't mind the textures, the roof especially, I just slapped on the ones I had from the long block to get an idea of how it will match. A little tweaking is needed and a little modeling here and there, but most of the work has been done previously. Oh, and while I'm at it, this is what it looked like before in 2009:

Looks like I might have a few things done shortly.

[jacqulina 162]

very nice work

[SimFox 802]

Hm.. odd.. this is me talking about your problem...

Anyway give a try to these templates: http://rapidshare.com/files/247677396/truNite_templates.zip

These are complete templates, they contain own rig. In normal operation scripts (both preview and export should recognize it and not try to stick another in. But if for some reason you see something odd then check if it has been done... To do that go to File -> X-ref scene. If you see there another one just delete/remove it.

Zip contains 2 scene one set to the Maxis default night illumination levels and hues. Used as is (together with all other settings) both give very close approximation.

Although there are no clearly defined shadows the light is directional. Meaning that you model wouldn't look flat. Sides exposed to the light source (located in the same place as the one in the day rig) will be brighter an those turned away from it will be darker. In addition to that there are very soft and barely noticeable area shadows. Not to strong to look unrealistic, but strong enough to enhance shape definition and provide realistic darkening in the crevices and narrow spots.

here is an illustration of the example resembling one of your bats:

maxis

and here is a dark version:

[Kryptowhite 9]

Looks great, very realistic textures. For the roof texture, would you be able to use the one you used in the 2009 version? that looked pretty good.

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

You really are a saint Simfox . Not only do I get a great night scene, but what ever setting you changed with that lets me use lights again (both regular and MR lights). Also tested self illuminated textures, which now illuminate the scene and function properly as well (jeze, what was wrong with my MR?). You are a real lifesaver.

Kryptowhite: I could, but I think I would need to change it around so much that it really wouldn't be the same texture. But I kinda agree, a solid concrete type roof might look really good. My whole idea was to make it blend with the other blocks as well as possible (they are right next to each other in real life). Thanks for stopping by!

[Francis90b 748]

I hope you can resume your semi-abandoned Camden warehouse as well...

Anyway, i can't wait to download all of your upcoming projects.Every time i come there, i have nothing to say except that everything you're doing is wonderful !

[_Atticus 10]

All of your projects are wonderful, but it's about time you started finishing some of them up

-Pingangster

[Gn_leugim 858]

lol, I made some small debris\roubles\ruins too ^^ but mine are very small compared with those ^^

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

Francis, thats probably the last thing in max 2009 that I haven't converted yet. I suppose it was rather nice (small too), maybe I'll put some time into it after I wrap these few things up (shouldn't be long, exports willing). Thanks by the way

Thanks Pingangster I have been trying to do that for some time now, I might actually have *counts in head* 3 projects that are wihtin a stone's throw of being finished.

Gn_leugim: Really? I like debris, too bad I haven't had the chance to use them in game yet. That time will come for my CJ at one point or another

Here are some updated night views of the long block, I have to say that they look better in so many ways, especially the glow of the self illuminated textures.

[nofunk 1,933]

That looks great, Todd! I really like the variation of light in the windows.

[spa 970]

Looks done to me

[art128 4,618]

Wow Todd, that last block is great !

[delija21 295]

Wow mate...love what i see...just hope to see it on the STEX soon

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

Hi everyone!

I just exported Production Steel and the Pripiat long block and the are ready to be shipped off to Jason & Nofunk Inc.

I'm just having one of these type mismatch problems on the long block:

I was reading the thread Cockatoo posed a few pages back and it says to just renumber the IDs for the fsh files... But didn't really show how or what exactly was being chnged. Seems simple enough, but there is a lot of stuff in the reader that im not about to play with. By the way, no obvious problems in Reader, this error only happens in game.

[delija21 295]

Hi mate, the only thing i do when i get that problem is to remove some of the latest bats from the plug-in folder and render again,,,,works every time

[Aro0w 1]

Originally posted by: SimHoTToDDy

Someone really needs to stop me, I keep getting distracted with new shiny things and I forget about what I need to finish. For example, until yesterday I completely forgot about the Pripiat long block that is almost done only remembering when I was flipping though my thread on SCpolska (which I haven't touched in ages).

Anyway, this time I was distracted some models from other games, I blame Mcdrye

A little game called Fallout 3 has some lovely models (with a lot of complete geometry, not too many blank sides), and even better textures. After a few hours of accumulating the appropriate software for conversions, I was able to come up with this in no time at all.

And that is with no texture adjustments aside from affixing the bump maps (which I learned how to do just recently too) The model translates to this for SC4:

Its a bit yellow/green, but nothing I can't fix. We have always needed some good destroyed buildings in game

We will return to your scheduled programming... eventually.

quote>

DUDE!

that's genius, I love it.

Oh and Fallout's pretty good too

[bixel 1,223]

you need the texture names fix.

http://simcity.ea.com/coolstuff/bat/index.php

[spa 970]

Besides what's already been suggested, I have found it helpful to merge everything into a blank screen and then save it with a new name when errors like this show up. I never ever render with anything in my plugins folder. I use to and before I started emptying it out before I did a render I use to get all sorts of errors like this one. I would give it a try. It seemed to be the source of my early woes way back when.

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

Well, I got all that mismatch stuff worked out for now. Thanks folks

While I wait to figure out what to do with the lights on MY warehouse, I made this (I'm proud of myself, only took me an hour or two )

HD and SD. There will be about 6 of them on a 2x2 or 2x1 for both R$ or CS$ I think, so these should be a lot of fun to grow

And yes, I'm going to make quite a few variations just like the ones IRL. I was at a loss as to what to start today, but I pass these on my way to work every day, so I had to make them!