TUTORIAL - Night Lighting and Night Windows

[deadwoods 542]

If you move the spot object and spot.target objects around, you will change the way the light falls. For example, lets say both are on a line perpendicular to your wall at the same height. If you move the spot object down you will get a keystone-type effect that you're after. You might also want to play with the attenuation parameters to get different edge effects.

[masher 3]

Does anyone knows how to light up lines like these ones in the borders of the building?

BTW i'm making this building! and i have some real progres by now sorry i just can't upload screenshots for some reason my ALt key doesn't work that's really weird

[mntoes 271]

Thanks caliban and deadwoods , I'll try your suggestions.

[deadwoods 542]

Yes it can be done. You can use the window-style night (i.e. name the bit you want lit up with Night_). You will need to search through the BAT forums (probably BAT - Workshop) for nightlighting forums talking about the nightlite textures. Also see my Compendium, in the section about nightlighting. There are some links there to just this type of thing. You should also look at GOLDIVA's nightlighting textures (STEX and Forums) as I think there's a yellow one that will match what you're trying to do.

[Maranello575 5]

Is it necessary to put in the lights or do you choose between setting parameters or adding lights?

[maetoch 0]

i have been trying all day to get objects other than windows to light up at night. i have read several tutorials and tried everything i can think of and still a no go. right now im just trying to get a basic shape to light, but it doesnt work. any suggestions?please?

[mntoes 271]

Are you trying to light up a prop or a building?  If you are trying to light up a prop you need to enable light in the .desc file for that prop. Look under the advanced tab and set light to true.

 

Hope that helps.

[maetoch 0]

thanks ill give that a try.

*EDIT* That did it!! Thank you for the information

*dances a jig and exits stage right*

[gblock 0]

thats good info but why do the buildings u downloads show it lit up at night but when u download it its no light on your game

[AndisArt 2,068]

I'm struggeling with different  nightwindow intesities. When I apply different values on different objects they won't appear with nightlights at all in the render. Someone can help?

[Mathe Man 18]

Many BATters have this problem. I know, that in the past the light intensities worked. But now it didn

[Mary Maurine Mayo 984]

I have a question regarding nightlighting...

 

Now I read somewhere in these threads that you can't have different colored windows or such. so in my latest bat I have blue lights but the windows need to be beige or white so I wanted to use spot lighting to accomplish this can someone explain to me how to do this.

 

I just want the spot light on the square in the shape of one if possable.

 

Thanks.

 

Lynks

 

[Pegasus 2,836]

Date: 7/25/2005 3:22:36 PM Author: pmiller19574

I have a question regarding nightlighting...

Now I read somewhere in these threads that you can't have different colored windows or such. so in my latest bat I have blue lights but the windows need to be beige or white so I wanted to use spot lighting to accomplish this can someone explain to me how to do this.

I just want the spot light on the square in the shape of one if possable.

Thanks.

Lynks

quote>

 

That's correct... you can only use one color of the pre-defined nitelites. Because the nitelites make the entire object glow, they are best used for glass items such as windows. I have no idea what your new model is, but it might be better to make the windows the default beige nitelite and then use other blue-tinted lights for those blue lighted items.

 

** The alternative would be to use a seperate light for each window/pane... which is possible for just a few windows... but certainly not advisable.

 

 

However, if the windows are transparent and interior detail is supposed to be visible, then you have to illuminate the interior... keeping in mind that the lights only reflect off of surfaces. This means that you don't actually see the light(s)... you are just using the lights to make the interior surfaces bright enough to be visible through the (semi) transparent glass.

 

** A resource saving trick is to use normal lights instead of nitelites. nitelites double the file size of your model because they create seperate images for the night scenes. Normal lights, however, just brighten the model 24/7... and if you make them dim enough to not stand out during the day, they can often still be bright enough to be seen at night. It doesn't always work... but sometimes it does. It just depends on the model...

 

** Another trick that is handy can be used when only part of the model needs to be illuminated at night. Model that smaller part seperately and illuminate it with nitelites... leaving the bulk of the model rendered without nitelites... and being 1/2 the file size it would be otherwise. 

 

[Mary Maurine Mayo 984]

Thanks for the advise. I did figure out somewhat how to make the square lights but did as you suggested just used the default stuff for the windows and decided not to use the blue...

 

Its a Sim Mars Building that I am finishing up...

 

Lynks.

 

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//front_Modularhome_nite.jpg align=baseline>

in this pic I had used blue accent lights to this model then found I could not make the windows white so was going to try to use spot lights to do that...

 

then decided it would be to much of a pain and went with this one instead.

 

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Mars%20Modularhome_Updatelights.jpg align=baseline>

 

I gave up on the blue and went with the white instead.

 

Lynks

 

[Mary Maurine Mayo 984]

hi guys and gals,

I need a little advise on night lighting again...

 

When I sent my bats off to be repaired someone told me to just put the prefix nite on the front of what ever light I use

 

Problem with this is

 

#1 they light up durring the day in the GMax preview

#2 they are not as bright at night.

 

so to remedy this problem I have allways renamed my lights to (nitelite) with a number and this works but the person who helps me reseat and render can't tell what kind of light i used for the lighting.

 

Question :

Am I doing something wrong and if so what am I doing wrong?

 

Lynks

 

[Pegasus 2,836]

Date: 9/10/2005 9:23:43 AM Author: pmiller19574

I need a little advise on night lighting again...

When I sent my bats off to be repaired someone told me to just put the prefix nite on the front of what ever light I use

Problem with this is

#1 they light up durring the day in the GMax preview

#2 they are not as bright at night.

so to remedy this problem I have allways renamed my lights to (nitelite) with a number and this works but the person who helps me reseat and render can't tell what kind of light i used for the lighting.

Question :

Am I doing something wrong and if so what am I doing wrong?

Lynks

quote>

 

Hey p...

 

nitelite is the prefix you want to use. I generally name my BAT objects in an object oriented fashion, such as wall.south  or  wall.south.doorframe so a light object would be named nitelite.FSpot01.

 

When you create a light object, it has a default name that defines what type of light it is. In order to easily identify it later on, I suggest leaving the default name but prefixing it with 'nitelite' and possibly someother identifier. such as nitelite.interior.FSpot01

 

I'm sure you are aware, but I'll mention it just in case... any object can be made into a nitelte... simply by prefixing its name with nitelite.  If you have a cube and you want it to glow at night, just rename it to nitelite.cube and it will glow with whatever color you have selected for the default nitelites. (which you must enable in the Bat.Parameters rollout)

 

Also, keep in mind that use of even a single nitelite, doubles the size of your BAT model... and the time it takes to render. When a nitelite is used, a complete seperate set of night time images is generated for each view level and angle.

 

With some models, a trick that can be used to get around this is to use a normal light object. With out the nitelite prefix, the light will be visible both day & night without generating seperate nightime images. In some cases, the light will barely visible during the day, but will provide the night lighting effect you need in the dark.

 

Another handy trick, especially for lettering and signs, is to give the object its own 'self-illumination' in the Material Editor. Using this option, along with setting a very high Specular Level, will enable the object to glow in the dark while looking fairly normal during the day.

 

Hope that helps. If not... Lie to me!! 

[deadwoods 542]

There are two basic lighting options:

1. Use GMax lights. To do this prefix the light object (such as Spots, Directs and Omni's) with nitelite (I use nitelite_*, such as nitelite_Spot01) to turn on spots/directs/omni's only at night (otherwise they will be on 24x7).

2. Use the Maxis BAT night textures (i.e. the cream coloured window textures, but there are other colours) by prefixing the object with Night (I use Night_*, such as Night_Window01).

[tchntm43 0]

Date: 9/11/2005 6:02:55 PM
Author: Pegasus

Date: 9/10/2005 9:23:43 AM Author: pmiller19574

Also, keep in mind that use of even a single nitelite, doubles the size of your BAT model... and the time it takes to render. When a nitelite is used, a complete seperate set of night time images is generated for each view level and angle.

quote>
Well that would certain explain why my render time skyrocketed after I added an array of 180+ internal omni lights!

[Mary Maurine Mayo 984]

thanks guys yes tthis does help.

 

Lynks

 

[outriderdriver 4]

Nope this will never work...

[outriderdriver 4]

The update 1.1.638.0 from SimCity.com (14.4MB) does not fix the problem with displaying the bat building lights, but it will help to strip the lots of all their detail and make the city less realistic. Great Job Maxis! if anyone knows of what video card works best for this game i will gladly go  hungry and purchase it for my already pricy computer so that the game can work as it should. Thank you for helping out a SimCity fan thats about over the edge here...Good Luck on SC5 -people-!

[ArdRaeiss 0]

Did you download and install UPDATE_SKU2_TO_P1_B638 (patch) and SC4Update4BAT? You need both to correct BAT night lighting.

I'm play on GF4 MX440 - not good at speed, but(except particles) all running well. Currently i use GF 6600 - much better in speed and particles displayed right when scrolling.

[outriderdriver 4]

Tha update I believe is the same patch file given by the publishers @EA. however they are both titled SKU v1.1.638.0 which im scared to bother trying again. But the searches I found on that file came to be 17.1 MB, on simcity.com its 14.4 MB...?maybe ill try it again anyway. I did get the bat update. Thanks for your reply, I though it would take months for one.