BL's BATs - Now Using 3ds max!

[mightygoose 92]

good work, but arent those signs a little large?

[Vahr 341]

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone!

Replies:

CG: Heh, thanks!

CXLF42: I plan on making them in packs, so first will be these merge signs.

TPM: Thanks!

B22R: heh, no problem. Your work in the help desk is extremely appreciated by the members of the community

DCM34: Heh, I'll be BATing as long as I have time

MG: Well, at first I did think they were a tad large, but when I compared them to a few of the merge signs around here, they're about the right size.

As it seems that there are not many objections to the sign, I'll go ahead and start packing them for uploading. They should be up later tonight or tomorrow.

And I've been meaning to revamp my ERHW Cosmetic Mod for RHW v4.0...

I'm aiming for a matte painted look (so that means no rust , sorry for those of you who wanted that ) similar to the overpasses around here. I decided on the 3 column box support due to scale issues with a capped support.

(11 M is not enough space for these....)

[SounderBruce 173]

Ooh...I like! I hope to see a revamp soon! I would also like to see this mod for RHW-6S/C/8/10/etc.

[MandelSoft 2,769]

Sorry for not noticing this topic before  I've a few critics about your signs.

First your recently released RHW Hazard Sign Mod: Lane Ends

1. The signs look rather big. Shrink them by say 25 percent.
2. Use a real signage font like Clearview or FHWA. Here you can download these fonts.
3. The signs for the RHW-6S and 6C are so wide, that it would be logic to place another support pole on the other side of the highway for stability.
4. It misses some kind of detail, I don't know what.

I've made a design of my own of these waning signs. Maybe you could use it:

    

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/6513/leftlaneendsmergeright1.png 

Size: 4.5m x 3.5m

US signs often only use words (which I don't like, since some people don't speak English). Europe uses more symbols (like arrows) to describe the situation. A combination of text and symbols can do the charm

About the directional signage, take this sign for example:

Not a real beauty, eh? Here's why.

1. Please don't use 3D object for things like arrows and text. Use textures instead
2. The arrows are too large.
3. The warning sign on the left sign is not only way too big, but also it doesn't belong on this type of signage. Place a seperate sign instead.
4. Again, use a real sign font.
5. You placed H-1210 twice on the same sign!
6. The sign support can be a lot thinner.

Here's my own design, without making severe changes to the design:

 

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/2888/exitdevlinsoutheast.png

Looks more clear, don't you think? I've also replaced "Exit" with a exit symbol. This symbol is used in quite a lot of countries in Europe.

I hope you can use some of these tips!

Best,

Maarten

[Vahr 341]

Heh, Maarten, thanks for droppin in!

1. They are actually in scale (relative to itself and to the highway) to the signs around here.

2. I actually am using one, but its one of the less used ones

3. I did consider that, and I will create gantry versions in the next pack.

4. Possibly round corners? We're inconsistent around here with the outlines, some are square, others are round (rolls eyes at ODOT)

I do like your merge texture, it looks very nice for a Euro sign. But I'm going with US styled

Oh hey its my crap old Series IV (I'm working on Series X/10 now) Destinial region signs (not US)

1. I've quit with that, except for a select few items (they're more flush, before I was using OpenGL viewports and they didn't Z-buffer quite well (shows fine on the renders though) Ive since swapped to DirectX)

2. Yeah I agree

3. DDOT method. Odd I know, but it actually works pretty well. Interchangable with the standard ramp caution signs

4. Didn't have truetype highway fonts back then (This was made in December or November lol)

5. It was a highway split; DDOT has the Highway Designator on the rectangular blue panel so occasionally in circumstances like this you have "duplicates"

6. Agree

These signs look really good, I admit. No wonder people consider you as a sign master

I'll take these into consideration, thanks a lot, Maarten!

Vince

[MandelSoft 2,769]

Thank you! I'm making signs BATs over the past two years, got some critics on another website about my designs and before you know it, you're an expert

[Follarch 326]

hey I found your BAT thread.

Summary said "mostly" transit BATs, but I have a fancy skyscraper model up for grabs.

[Vahr 341]

Some more stuffs...

Testing the T11A RHW-8 gantry with a diagrammic exit sign.

Series X Sign base templates (for my SC4 region, but some of these can be easily modified for standard US signs)

RHW Cosmetic in some tweaking

A green option

Comments, suggestions are appreciated!

[psander5 195]

I'd suggest desaturating the blue and green on those bridge pieces. They look quite cartoonish at the moment to me. Maybe some light grime would also help. I think the colours on the signs look a bit vivid too.

I like the models, and I'm using your previous version.

I once found myself inside a box girder structure like that in Sheffield. It was just like being in a submarine!

[Vahr 341]

psander: hey, thanks for stopping in! A: Yeah, I think I'll return to the old textures after all. B: Signs are vivid, silly

*radar ping here*

Anyways, I've been working more on signs today.

The texture:

Draft render 1:

Draft render 2, after adding nightlights.

Comments on how I can improve stuff (mainly the light and the gantry) are very appreciated, however keep in mind please dont go firing off about "Not everything is FHWA font!!!!!!" "Why arent you using MUTCD?!?!?!" I'm entitled to developing my own sign content style for a fictional region as I please, thank you. (This isn't directed at any particular person, nor is it directed at anyone in this thread, but I've been asked these two things many times in chat by people who arent familiar with it)

[mightygoose 92]

any chance of a red/orange version on the cosmetic mod. XD

[MandelSoft 2,769]

Quite interresting design, but I have a few points of critic.

- Well, your route numbers could be a bit smaller an can use a white line on the edges. This improves the readability of the sign (ever heard of the rule of tincture? It's commonly used for coat of arms, but you may also find it on signage and license plates). Round edges look also more nice than sharp edges.

- I also don't like the colors so much. You could use some more darker green and and a darker, greyish blue. The blue is a bit too bright.

- Also there is a unused space at the bottom of the sign, so the sign could be a bit lower.

EDIT: the end result might look like this :

I'm using the ANWB Uu here for the route numbers, but because this is not a point of critic, this could be just as easy another font. By the way, I like your fint you showed in the X-design diagram. If I may ask, which font is it?

- The gantry looks O.K., but if it's a RHW-4 in this case, I would make this sign a full portal sign, with support poles on both sides. The light is O.K.

I hope you can use this.

Best,

Maarten

[Vahr 341]

Why thank you for your suggestions, Maarten! I have integrated some into my new region's sign base:

SERIES XI (11)

(Please view in full, the letters look like crap at this zoom out)

Changes:

A more MUTCD-ish yellow (MUTCD: 252 209 022 Mine: 252 219 012)

A darker green (006 134 058)

A darker blue (000 000 225)

Border and rounded corners on shield

Smaller 2di shield, seperate 3di wide shield

Font is Roadgeek 2005 Series 3W

Anything more that I can improve? I want my new region to look as best as possible on its highways

OLD one for ref

[MandelSoft 2,769]

Maybe you can reduce the saturation of the blue (my favorite color blue is: 016 073 138), but even in the current state it looks good enough for a proffesional looking signage system!

[UrbanLatinFemale 1]

Originally posted by: psander5

I'd suggest desaturating the blue and green on those bridge pieces. They look quite cartoonish at the moment to me. Maybe some light grime would also help. I think the colours on the signs look a bit vivid too.

I like the models, and I'm using your previous version.

I once found myself inside a box girder structure like that in Sheffield. It was just like being in a submarine!quote>

Agreed, here in the tri-state NYC area, we have to paint them every 5-10 years and its almost always something bland like beige (blue or yellow undertones) or just a pale green. 

I'm going to chime in about not seeing this thread until now. Although the SC4RH highways are true to the newly paved concrete interstates, I still miss the dark and quiet asphalt highways. 

[Vahr 341]

Quick update to bring this thread up to speed...

I did take out the rounded shield corners, simply because they looked out of place next to the square features of the signs.

UrbanLatinFemale: In Akron-Cleveland, Ohio, our overpasses are kept painted about once every year to two years, ranging in colors from light blue, deep blue, brown, grey, and some are a reddish brown.

As for dark asphalt highways, this make you happy?

(its called Darkphalt )

Comments, suggestions, constructive criticisms, etc are greatly welcomed!

Vince

[MandelSoft 2,769]

I'll give your signage system a "go!"

[Vahr 341]

mrtnrln: Why thank you

I've decided to sidetrack a bit and have thought about making signs near my area for the RHW to upload as generic RHW signs.

IRL Google Maps LINK

EDIT: And another one

Google Maps

[Ryan B 35]

Looking better & better all the time, Vince!

[Wrightguy0 40]

^ i second that opinion, these are all looking good

[Jasoncw 11,840]

I hope I'm not too late in suggesting this, but for the overpass, the girders (or the reinforcement welded to the girders) isn't always spaced equally.  Sometimes they're tighter near the columns, since that's where the force that that kind of reinforcement helps against is.  I can't remember the right terms, and I can't find a photo of it, I only remember it because it was an anecdote in my Structures class (at architecture school, not engineering school, which is why I don't know how to explain this better, lol).  I'm sure you've been looking at a lot of overpasses lately, so you can decide what's most common, but I thought I'd share.

Anyway, all of the signs and stuff is looking good. 

[Vahr 341]

Replies:

ryan: Heh, thanks! Practice makes better.

wright: Thanks!

Jason: Oh no not late at all! In fact I'm waiting still to allow myself to observe more and for suggestions from people like you. After you mentioned the spacing thing, I've just noticed that on a few overpasses around here (from the few that have those struts anyways) do have uneven spacing, while some have even, and the vast majority have none at all.

This variety has led me to consider this system:

3 colors to choose from. Blue, Green, and Grey

2 grits: clean and slightly dirty

2 styles: strutted and strutless

Due to the nature of the models of how they're laid out, I'm afraid I can't do the uneven spacing thing, as in some cases it would end up with very odd patterns.

On the clean version, the colors will be more desat so it looks more metal than plastic. However I'm sorta unsure on how to do the slightly dirty texture. I tried a few days back and it didn't turn out well. So can anyone either link me to a tutorial/write a short tutorial or possibly provide me an overlay? (I'd prefer the tutorial personally. Give a man a fish... well you know the rest)

[SounderBruce 173]

Your signs look very nice! For that new "darkphalt" texture, one suggestion: Can you make it be able to work with Connor (DTP)'s American Dark Asphalt Textures? Many people around ST use it and it would be painful to find it in our plugins.

Here's a link:

https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/details.cfm?id=19957

[Vahr 341]

For that new "darkphalt" texture, one suggestion: Can you make it be able to work with Connor (DTP)'s American Dark Asphalt Textures? Many people around ST use it and it would be painful to find it in our plugins.

quote>

Darkphalt would override it and you wouldn't see DTP's textures at all. And I suggest you remove it, just run a filename search in your plugins folder for "zzz_DTP+VS_RHW_textures.dat" But most likely its in your RHW folder.

Got bored and did this. Tried adding mesh fencing on it. GMAX didn't like my transparent texture. So I compensated for the lack of a high barrier by making the concrete 2 meters above deck.

I plan on making these into a lot based set. Any suggestions? I'm considering adding lights to it.

EDIT: And added

[CHR 2]

I think the support columns look too small to it hold up. But overall, very nice!

[Vahr 341]

CHR: I'll considering scaling them down. Thanks!

Well, I've decided to redo my darkphalt set to something better than recolored RHW v4.0 default textures

I should have new ERHW cosmetic pics soon.

[Vahr 341]

Double post I know, but heres an update on the signs.

-Sign was set 2 meters in front of the gantry, thats why it looks so low. Already been fixed.

RHW 6S/4 Type C D ramps

RHW6S/4 C D Ramps

RHW6S/4 C D Ramps

RHW8C/6C C D Ramps

We don't have many RHW-4 only signs around here, as pretty much all ramps have a accel/decel lane.

[SimCity4IE 202]

Ooh! I finally want to use RHW in my cities. The dark asphalt looks amazing. ^^ 

[Sky Guy 163]

Great work! Question though: Are the bridges you were working on on page 1 included in the new RHW4.0? If not are you releasing them soon? **crosses fingers**

lol anyway cant wait for more from you!

[twinsfan14 36]

How about some ground signs such as these?

These are very common on American highways and interstates, especially in places where over-highway signs aren't needed.