The Sci-Fi City Project

[GlobexCo 33]

 ATTENTION

The Sci-fi City project will be available only for Cities XL  wait, I'm not sure!! If there will be something wrong with CXL or custom content won't be available, this project will be again for SC4. The project still need people who can help it (also me). Lots of details and new textures will be made if CXL will accept custom contents. If SimMars will still produce something for SC4, I hope that a .3ds model exchange can be made between this project and SimMars so sci-fi buildings can be batted for SC4 and SimMars buildings can be ?ed for CXL.

Do you agree?

@ bdswim

At the moment I'm making only 3ds models, the "Ilives Reader" part will came after.

Sorry, no pictures now.

[Follarch 326]

Aw that's a bummer, I was really hopin' for some amazing future skyscrapers to come out of this for SC4.

[Evillions 552]

WHAT?! Cities XL is moderated due to the dumb PO. MMOs cause SO much problems for a hybrid game, and it never works.

I was hoping for more content and maybe creating a new theme and region to this project.

[GlobexCo 33]

At the moment all the buildings are only a 3ds models, so nothing has been already made for SC4 or for CXL.

There are lods in both games, but CXL limites the number of polys that you can use (so, goodbye details!). Nothing will be released until MC gives us the 3dsMax plugin that they created to build their buildings. In SC4 you can't see the littlest details and in CXL you can't create them! Now I'm making 3d models for work (my first time) and I don't have much time to do something for this project, but soon I'll post some pictures. Also, now I'm using 3dsMax 2010 and BAT4Max doesn't work for this version, so I can't export them.

@Archean

Remember that sci fi is not only skyscrapers. I have some ideas also for downtowns and rural villages

@Evillions

What do you mean with "creating a new theme and region"?

[GlobexCo 33]

Some news:

First: a detailed plan on what the project will be:

Planning the releases for SimCity and Cities XL

As I said before, all the buildings that I’ve already created are only 3d models; so nothing exported at the moment. I’m creating also an UI replacement only for SC4, but this can be released separately. There are two main games, because we know that the game market is full of city builder games, that can use those models: SimCity 4 and Cities XL. So this is what I planned…

SimCity 4 content pack

SimCity4 has a grid base, there are 6 years of knowledge about .dats, BAT and other tools and at the moment we can mod quite everything in the game. The grid base can helps a lot in the level system and when placing landmarks, but the 3d engine of SimCity4 is very old, it’s a fake 3d and the littlest details in each building can’t be appreciated. So I decided to release the sci-fi city project in packs with five or six buildings inside. Those buildings will have all the level system props and all things that I’ve already explained in the last “chapter”. The reason why I can’t release those buildings in packs like other teams do (HKABT and others) is that the level system is only modular. I’ll try to release in December or January a first pack where I put basic things; then each month (or two) a new pack will be on the STEX. In order to promote the project I’ll upload them also on the LEX.

The first pack must have basic things so everybody can put in their city one of those level system buildings. Each pack will have one or two utility/park lot and three buildings not functional (landmarks): a residence, an office and a factory. Mod packs will be released separately. Until the street mod will be finished (and I don’t know if it will be finished), buildings won’t be functional or growable.

Here’s the detailed plan:

Months	Packs releases
Dec / Jan	2 Parks 1x1, 3 buildings (RCI), prop pack 1, texture pack 1
Feb	Power Generator, 3 buildings (RCI), UI mod, prop pack 2, park+ 1x2

 

Cities XL add-ons

Cities XL is new, has curved roads, a good 3d engine but nobody is sure about custom contents. In CXL you can appreciate littlest details and you can take fantastic screenshots, so buildings must be a little different from BATs for SC4; but this isn’t a problem because I use to create also details that you can’t see. There’s only one, big problem: the CXL exporter is different from the SC4 one. In SimCity you have 3 LODs and on those LODs the game apply an image of the building; in Cities XL there are 5 (or more, I don’t remember) LODs and each LOD contains “maps” of information: so there will be a poly map, on it there’s a bump map, a diffuse one, … In the poly map there’s a big limitation in triangles available and you’re obliged to create low-poly buildings using bump maps for details. So there’s a problem in creating buildings for both games, but it can be done!

In order to start to create custom contents for CXL we have to wait MC to release their own plug-in for 3dsMax because all those maps are compiled by this exporter in a .sgbin file and there’s no way to open and modify it. CXL sci-fi buildings won’t have the level system (too difficult to use on a non-grid terrain), but I’m sure that there won’t be lots of problems in modding street textures and car paths. After the release of the first GEM I’ll try to understand how these modules work and maybe we can try to reproduce one of them to patch the game with our own creations.

No release is planned at the moment for Cities XL, but I’m sure that we’ll be able to customize CXL and maybe in the future a Sci-Fi City pack will be released also for this game.

 

---

And now something for your eyes:

a new industrial building in two level versions and from different views: -SC4 perspective nord/south and CXL terrain view.

Industrial building, level 1

level 2

(imagine yourself the other views)

[Evillions 552]

Are those pipes textured? Anyways, looks nice!

[GlobexCo 33]

Originally posted by: Evillions

Are those pipes textured? Anyways, looks nice!quote>

Yes, they have the mental ray preset "brushed metal" (arc&design). I think I'll put as physical sky a picture of coruscant, so it'll reflected by brushed metal.

[Evillions 552]

You could add some windows to some of the buildings you know. Its not like Sim Mars, well sort of in a time way.

[GlobexCo 33]

New set of building started.

This pack (I'll relelase it in March - hope I'll do it) will include four landmarks that you can place on water. Going to be released for both CXL and SC4, since in both game is possible to place things on water.

All buildings inspired by the Comic Book "Orbital" (Pellé, Runberg - Dupuis Editrice).

They're offices of the ODI (Office Diplomatique Intermondiel in French) on the planet Orbital; in the sci fi city they'll be "Maxis offices" .

Maxis Office n1 - admin building.

(CXL view / quite SC4 view - I'm going to try to put some of the BAT4Max scripts so I'll be able to create true SC4 previews)

(not finished - I want to add some platform for helicopters or ships)

[Evillions 552]

Holy! You should make a land version of that but a growable. That would be nice! Tell me, how did you make those little details in that globe of yours?

[GlobexCo 33]

Originally posted by: Evillions

Holy! You should make a land version of that but a growable. That would be nice! Tell me, how did you make those little details in that globe of yours?quote>

I'll think about the growable land version.

3 simple steps:

1. I created the sphere

2. added as modifier Greeble (download it here, if you want. It's free!)

3. Used a Multi/Sub Materialwith two different textures.

(remember that the model created is very heavy - 300.000 polys in my model)

[simcity4fan12 13]

Hello GlobexCo!

I saw this thread before and browsed but never commented on it until now. This is a great project going on here. Are you doing this all by yourself? I hope this is for Simcity4 as well as CXL. I used to draw Sci-Fi skylines in 8th grade(which was only 2 years ago I believe) and I was wondering if I could share some building ideas with you to help a bit. I don't have the drawings any more, which is a shame becuase they were really good, but I can remeber most of the buildings and I can make basic shapes of them in sketchup and show pics of them for ideas for you if needed.

-simcity4fan12

[GlobexCo 33]

Originally posted by: simcity4fan12

Hello GlobexCo!

I saw this thread before and browsed but never commented on it until now. This is a great project going on here. Are you doing this all by yourself? I hope this is for Simcity4 as well as CXL. I used to draw Sci-Fi skylines in 8th grade(which was only 2 years ago I believe) and I was wondering if I could share some building ideas with you to help a bit. I don't have the drawings any more, which is a shame becuase they were really good, but I can remeber most of the buildings and I can make basic shapes of them in sketchup and show pics of them for ideas for you if needed.

-simcity4fan12quote>

Yes, I'm doing this project all by myself . Yes, the project is going to be released for both games.

Ideas and other things can help a lot the project. If you want to help the project with drawings and pics, I'll put them in my "to-do" page on OneNote (MS 2007); if you want to create some basic shape with sketchup (a funny program imo, because it remembers me the ketchup), can you export them in a max-compatible format (.3ds,...)?

Thank you SimCity4fan12!

[simcity4fan12 13]

I can export 3ds. format with sketchup that's how most of my BATs were made. Here's only two I can remember for now, I'm trying to think back...

I called this one the "Bolt Enterprise Tower", I had similar buildings like it where it was either bolt shapes up there or gears. This one is only around 950 ft. tall.

Here's a design based on my Wrenchos Towers design, but's it's different from it.

This one is over 1,300 ft. I believe. I know it's taller than the Twin Towers. I'll try to remember more for ya. But I might have to re-model these basic shapes for ya if you want them.

[GlobexCo 33]

@Simcity4fan12:

interesting shapes, tell me if you want to model them and export to .3ds models: so I won't create the same building you're doing...

NEWS:

MAXIS OFFICE PACK FINISHED.

I'm going to post all the 4 buildings of the maxis office pack. I hope that someone is working on BAT4Max version 2010, so I can export them (any news?)...

All landmarks ploppable on water. They're 3x3 lots without any function.

Maxis office 1 - admin building

 

Maxis office 2 - residences

 

Maxis office 3 - workers building

 

Maxis office 4 - main building / residences

 

Next building? Don't know...I'll see later.

[simcity4fan12 13]

Well, I started on the basic shape of the building you showed me. So far, I think I got it going good. Anything you think I need to re-shape? The photo was kinda blury so I'm not sure if I got it exactly right.

Don't mind the flat plane beneath it, that won't be there when I'm finished with it. Do I need to re-shape anything before I start adding the facade? How exactly should the facade look?

[GlobexCo 33]

Well done! I think that the main (and tallest) part of the building should be thinner, like the part behind it (not exactly, but quite similar).

Now I'm going to BAT the factory for the first pack.

[simcity4fan12 13]

I apologize, I haven't worked on this in a while- but here's what I did just now-

In the photo there were these solid black areas on the part I'm working on(they are divided by the skinny rectangles that stick out of it). I didn't know if those were windows or not, so I thought adding some box-like parts and pipes and such to those areas would make it more futuristic. Is that good? BTW, this structure total is about 100 something feet.

[GlobexCo 33]

Originally posted by: simcity4fan12

I apologize, I haven't worked on this in a while- but here's what I did just now-quote>

Don't worry... I'm very busy at the moment with a 3d contest, so It's probably that I won't touch sci-fi buildings for 1 or 2 weeks.

Is that good?quote>

Well done. I try to search again the original photo in order to post it here...

[simcity4fan12 13]

This one?

I saved it and I've been using it it as a reference. I think I got something wrong on mine compared to it...I'll have to fix it.

[GlobexCo 33]

Prop Pack 1: SFC Levels

Finished the first prop pack.

I made it with GMAX because I'm not really sure about the grid measures in 3dsMax, and I didn't want to loose time in exporting everything from Gmax to 3dsMax.

With this prop pack you can add levels to your buildings, so you can merge old buildings in the Sci Fi City.

Here's the picture:

As truetype I used the same of the old Commodore .

[willfish 0]

i think a floating canal would look incredible

[Evillions 552]

When though I'm working my spaceship projects only for SimMars.  I decided that I'll just post them here just for ideas and other reasons.  Here's my recent progress, and this doesn't mean that I'll join just like that.

If you want to render any of these when finished.  PM me and I'll give the 3dsmax 2010 file.

[Pieman6711 211]

Nice space ship.

[gianthaiku 5]

Nice ship!

i really like that

[IGGYMAN 101 1]

cool ship! Just I wish I had to downloaded in STEX

[Jeffmaster223 24]

hmmmmm... everything's coming along nicely!

i'd help but i SHTINK at BATing.

Topic locked at authors request. Cockatoo.

[DeltaCity101 5]

is this project still alive?

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Well, the last update was over 2 years ago, so...

[Cockatoo 2,256]

Looks like the lock fell off this. I'll put it back.