Beebs' BAT Workshop

[jacqulina 162]

oh wow very nice

[panthersimcity4 162]

That looks really nice! Awesome work

[Gn_leugim 858]

the roof is still to bright yet.. still you made a good job

[Francis90b 748]

Hi, your BATs are really good.

However i would advice you to take a better look on the real building pictures you' ve posted in the previous page.

If you open them in any image editing program and you use the eyedropper tool you can notice that they' re actually tend to blue-ish colors, while your roof texture is rather yellow-ish.

Also, if you want to keep that exact texture, you may de-saturate it a bit, since it is way too coloured.

The other textures seem to be good-looking, and i really can't wait to see more .

[art128 4,622]

great progress Beebs I like the texture .

[PhatHead 248]

Hey that house looks good enough to move right into when can I move in. Super work. Better than I can.

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

Windows really aren't that bad on the small scale, you can take almost any non uniform texture, change the hue brightness and saturation to something logical and throw it in there. Looking how the colors of the house are going, you may want to put more divisions in the windows and put a relatively light glass behind it (the gray you have on there is about the right brightness). As for the blinds, they only really look good if you have a very obvious variation between windows (like some half opened ones or none at all), so you don't think the blinds' texture is the window texture.

For my windows, I usually use a image of tiles with subtle variation that I blow up to make a nice array of probabilities and differences when it is applied to the windows. No two windows next to each other should look exactly the same, so flat colors don't work. The only real way you learn with a program like this is to play with things and see what works and what doesn't. If that means trying 10 test renders for one texture (that's usually what I do ) then so be it, you will come out of it knowing better how to make them.

I think you have done a great job with each succession of progress, a few things like the roof line still need some work, but I think you are doing a better job than you realize.

-Todd

[nihonkaranws 88]

Apply a blue tone to your roof in color balance (like J1 mentioned).

For your windows, make them have an opacity of about 50-60, and place a floor inside, so that when you use lights it will looks quite good.

And concerning the drain pipes, how about you crop out the roof texture so it includes the semi-shiny bit, and apply that to your drainpipes, which will make them stand out more. Then use a darker, bluer texture for your roof.

I also think that your doors are way too wide. Use edit mesh modifier to move the vertex of your door in a bit, because right now they are looking too much like windows. Keep in mind that you want to BAT everything a bit taller than normal, since the SC4 export slightly 'squashes' the BAT.

[Francis90b 748]

As Nikonkarawans said, SC4 render squashes things, making them lower.To solve this you should scale a bit up the height between 1,3 and 1,5 times the original height.I prefer to use a 1,25 value for low buildings and a 1,4 value for the tall ones, but that's my choice.Just try until it looks good.

[Deathtoall 28]

Nice work Beebs! You did the windows, i cant imagine all that pain but i know your whining Now one little point, the roof to me now almost looks a bit like concrete blocks but i do love the brck standing out and the red highlights around the edges. I dont think it really needs those drainpipes becuase it looks good already, now just lot it already and upload it .

[beebs 129]

Yes, I've noticed that the house does look a little squashy compared to others, in the previews. Is it too late to fix that or could I just select everything and scale vertically?

In the meantime, I got the roof texture better (I think anyways. ). I darkened it about 15% in photoshop, but I think it might need a smidge more. Squeezed the doors a little bit, I see what you mean about them now.. mental notes for next time.

I tried doing an opacity on the windows as you suggested, nihon, but I couldn't get it to work.. it just showed the texture as it is. Am I missing a step somewhere?

edit: Deathtoall: those red highlights are drainpipes.

[kant01 5]

Hey Beebs - Excellent progress!! I still think the gradient on the roof could be turned down a bit more but looking great Also I think I changed my mind about the windows per our conversation yesterday. Since that window is so wide open it probably would look better with something on it of some kind rather than a solid color. Not sure what though so its probably no help.

In any case, I like what I am seeing and looking forward to more

[Deathtoall 28]

Beebs, they are more pinky and i meant the ones around the windows and doors silly. I know that the drainpipes where there, i quess i didnt explain it well. But know that you pointed it out the drainpipes do look good. The roof darkening has also got rid of the concrete look aswell.

[buddybud 63]

leaps and bounds!!!!

great improvements. I've never really tried the whole "window" thing so i don't have any suggestions...

keep it up! And get me a timmie's while your at it...double double.

Bud

[Interchange 0]

Those are really good! There definitely aren't enough custom homes for SC4.

[jacqulina 162]

great progress

[Francis90b 748]

Originally posted by: beebs Yes, I've noticed that the house does look a little squashy compared to others, in the previews. Is it too late to fix that or could I just select everything and scale vertically?Pquote>

you can still fix it.Go to Edit-Select all, and then group (make sure you've grouped all the objects) and use-select and uniform scale.

[beebs 129]

I tried doing something with the windows.. I'm not sure if I like it, but I think it's an improvement nonetheless. If anyone has any suggestions for how to get some better window textures going, it would be much appreciated.

[ilikehotdogsalot 311]

Textures look good, but I'm still waiting for that Plop-a-Moose!

[nihonkaranws 88]

Looking very good Beebs! The roof texture seems perfect!!!

[beebs 129]

I've fought with the bloody windows long enough. That looks wonderful, and noone will tell me otherwise.

Nah just kidding. Once again, if anyone has any tips for me, I'm more than welcome.. I'm kinda making it up as I go along when it comes to these window textures.

I'm going to attempt the rescaling today, and then if I get ambitious I'll see if I can't figure out exporting to get a peek at it in the game.

[nihonkaranws 88]

Of course I won't tell you otherwise. The window curtains look great! I hope you plan to texture those pink parts though.

What do you plan for nightlights? I suggest giving the window an opacity of 40-50% and putting an omni inside the house!

[Deathtoall 28]

Looking good Beebs, i think the window textures are almost there, just tone down the black on the frame work of the windows becuase otherwise they stand out a little to much. That my opinion though ultimately the decision lies with you. Nice work, and don't forget....

Cooming soon, Lot Editor (Enter scary music)

[beebs 129]

Excuse my atrocious lotting skills. I scaled it vertically 30%, as well as shrunk the whole thing down a fair bit.. it seemed a little oversized, with the amount of space it would be taking up. I got the actual red trim texture on the drainspouts, so you don't need to worry about the pink anymore.

Nihonkaranws: Nightlites, for this one I've just used easy-out way of putting nite in front of the name of the window you want nightlighted. Looks lame, but I'd like to learn how to get stunning nightlites on a project that would do them justice. Baby steps, as they say.

[kant01 5]

Beebs - Great job! I think that really came together nicely

[beebs 129]

Alrighty.. while that one passes through the Lotting Gods, I've started another house..

I'm starting to get ambitious.. a front porch this time! I'm going to have to scale down that side wall a smidgen I think.. it looks a little imposing. Could just be the angle though.

[beebs 129]

Eek double post!

I've made a bunch more progress.. most of the walls are put up now.

Does anyone else think the front looks.. wonky?

[Jasoncw 11,954]

Looking good.

[T Wrecks 10,210]

Originally posted by: beebs Does anyone else think the front looks.. wonky?quote>

I sure don't.

You know, staying here for a while has brought many new things and phenomena to my knowledge of which I hadn't thought in my wildest dreams before... for example, I learnt that there appear to be zillions of restaurant chains on the American continent, some of which have odd names like "Chick-fil-A" or even "Backyard Burger". Not to mention that Canadian "Lick-a-Chick" restaurant SG recently released...

I learnt that ordering houses from a catalogue apparently is as normal in the US (dunno about Canada) as ordering clothes or kitchen accessoires by mailorder in Europe. I've seen Sears catalogue houses, foursquares, and saltbox colonials ... by now, I wouldn't be surprised to see pepper mill homes. I learnt of drive-in churches, drive-thru banks and McMansions, quite often pinching myself in order to check I wasn't dreaming... I've seen houses in all possible (and, quite often impossible) styles or wild mixtures of styles, many of which had a front that was 90% garage door for the average 6 SUVs an American household seems to have (plus three other cars, plus motorised lawn mower, plus golf cart) - so how on earth would I think that this front looks 'wonky' in any way?

You'd better listen to some Americans, because having seen what I have seen I wouldn't even be surprised to see a house turned upside down, with hexagonal windows and sliding Star Trek doors, delivered to the proud owners in a big crate dropped by parachute from a cargo plane, regarded as something perfectly normal... the first reply (while I'm trying to climb back onto my chair) being a bored "Ah, finally someone is making one of those. Got dozens of them right across the street."

[jacqulina 162]

these are very cute