Evillions BATs

[Sam 163]

Gmax does sometimes "forget" its textures, I've had it happen to me lots of times (it has nothing to do with moving the files, I always set up my texture folders at the start of the model and nothing gets moved after that). All you have to do is go into the materials navigator and re-load each texture's image file. It's a bit of a pain but not that big a deal.

[gottago 24]

Originally posted by: madhatter106

I don't know what  you're doing, but I've never found this to be the case - when I open an already textured model, or delete a texture for that matter, this never happens to me.  The only time I've discovered a completely textured model is "blank" upon loading is when I've moved the location of the textures files/folder, and gmax is looking in the location they previously were set to when I originally placed the textures.

quote>

Then you're indeed lucky!

Obviously Evillions is running into the same glitch I found when I started out with gmax, and have seen occurring repeatedly in the situations I posted above, despite the location and contents of the textures folder not changing. Another BATter mentioned this as a good solution and indeed it is; it keeps the textures in place--at least for your current session. As he said, "gmax has Alzheimer's."

[GlobexCo 33]

I remember a BAT fix on the SC4 EA site that should solve the texture problem:

http://simcity.ea.com/coolstuff/bat/index.php - the first update is the "Texture Fix", download this script and every texture will be loaded

[Sam 163]

I don't think that is the same fix. That one is for game texture files corrupting your model textures because of a conflict, not for them disappearing altogether. The problem still occurs with that fix in place. But like I said its not really a major problem.

[madhatter106 3,903]

I just looked at these replies again, and I'm wondering - are you texturing through the Material Navigator?

The reason I ask is because I was messing around in the Navigator last night, and saw this exact problem - textures going gray and wonky and disappearing. But I realized that I had never seen that, because I never USE the Navigator - I only open up the Material Editor...

Personally, I find that the time it takes gmax to load up the Material Navigator with all my textures is too long, so I tend to only work with the Material Editor window up - rather than loading up the Navigator and waiting for the list and pictures to appear, I will just use the "pick" button in the Editor and grab the texture from the perspective view - it's a fast way of applying a texture already built in the Editor.

So, from my experience, if you just texture with the Material Editor mechanism, you should be fine - you shouldn't have any problems with textures forgetting themselves or disappearing or shifting. If you need to go back to a texture that you've used before, just use the picker and grab it from the perspective view off the model. It's only been when I open up the long-loading Material Navigator that things start going squirrely...but like I said, that's been my experience, and 99% of the time I've had no problems with gmax forgetting textures, or having to through a laborious process of adding all textures to a box, or reloading texture after texture after texture...

[Evillions 552]

Well I managed to get the rendering back up running again.  So here's what it looks like with textures.  What else should I add?  It somewhat or kinda looks finished just fine... What do I need to add?

Courtyard stuff?, More details?, Anything?

[GlobexCo 33]

The facade on the courtyard seems too flat. Windows are only textures? I don't like the colour of the windows, I think you should apply another texture...

[madhatter106 3,903]

The grime on the walls looks great, but the roof looks too pristine and clean by comparison. I also think you need to do better with the window textures, the color and opacity looks unrealistic.

[Evillions 552]

Originally posted by: madhatter106

The grime on the walls looks great, but the roof looks too pristine and clean by comparison. I also think you need to do better with the window textures, the color and opacity looks unrealistic.quote>

I'll see what I can do with the roofs.  Where in the roof can I add grime anyways? 

On the window texturing issue, what do you suggest on what color and / or textures I should use.  Also, the opacity of the windows, like 54 or 70?

[gottago 24]

Great progress, but agreed with madhatter--the sloping roof looks like gold tiles. I'd drop the contrast on the texture and enlarge it about 15-20%--it's not going to render well ingame at that scale--and apply a gradient. Re: grime, some not too heavy streaks coming off the coping at top should do it. The flat roof could be dirtied up as well.

For your windows, you don't have that many so you can take some RL window pics and use them as your textures. Make alphas from them and give them 35-50% transparency for your nitelights and they'll look quite realistic. Put in simple floors inside though, so you have something for your lights to reflect off of and give a glow.

@madhatter: very interesting your post re: the navigator. So that's where the bug is--thanks for the info, very good to know.

[Evillions 552]

Well all I can say is I tried to make the windows all in a realistic window texture.  But when I change the opcity, it never changes.  I want it to be real as I could make it.  Anyways, I knwo roofs and other things still need to be changed.  But, here's some progess on the courtyard and some other stuff.  Let me know if the "textured" (not regular colored" windows should be appiled regardless of opcity.  Or just this color which is shown below.

So how is it so far?  And how much more until I can release this?

[madhatter106 3,903]

Well, regarding the windows, the answer to the question will depend on your nightlighting situation...are you going to use the awful Maxis nightmaps to light the windows, or are you going to do lower opacity windows with stuff modelled and lit behind them?

As for the "how much more until I can release this" question, my standard reply would be "when it's 100% done and ready." Don't be tempted or get antsy to upload something that's not complete - it only angers the forum commenters anyways It may seem endless and boring and soul-less, but once you see the first few BATs through from start to finish, you'll begin to improve your workflow and cut down on the time it takes to see something to the end. My first couple of BATs took what felt like centuries - now, looking back, I could do them in maybe three hours tops, from modelling to texuring to nightlighting to export.

[jacqulina 162]

very nice work

[Evillions 552]

Originally posted by: madhatter106

Well, regarding the windows, the answer to the question will depend on your nightlighting situation...are you going to use the awful Maxis nightmaps to light the windows, or are you going to do lower opacity windows with stuff modelled and lit behind them?

As for the "how much more until I can release this" question, my standard reply would be "when it's 100% done and ready." Don't be tempted or get antsy to upload something that's not complete - it only angers the forum commenters anyways It may seem endless and boring and soul-less, but once you see the first few BATs through from start to finish, you'll begin to improve your workflow and cut down on the time it takes to see something to the end. My first couple of BATs took what felt like centuries - now, looking back, I could do them in maybe three hours tops, from modelling to texuring to nightlighting to export.quote>

Well I'm not going to use Maxis night maps.  I want it to look realistic as much as possible as for the nightlighting.  Anyways, so to answer your question, yes I will light the back of the windows to get a "life" look to it, similar to what your BATs have.  Also, I do have one question, how do I decrease the "goldness" of my roofs in GIMP?

[madhatter106 3,903]

Hmmm, I'm not familiar with GIMP, I'm a Photoshop junkie...

[gottago 24]

Re: your window opacity, you have to make an alpha texture to go along with the diffuse one. It's just a greyscale version of the original. Load it with the other in the ME under "opacity" in Maps and set it to 35-50%.

I don't know Gimp but there must be some tweak function where you can shift the component colors of your image. Dig around.

The cellar doors in the alleyway are a nice touch but the texture is glaring. Otherwise excellent progress here.

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

You can go to Colors> hue/saturation (among other things) to adjust your image. I would reduce the contrast a little bit so you don't have such aggressive noise on your roof texture, either that carefully use the burn tool on the highlights. I might even try shifting the hue to something more red or more blue, I think I told you about how well yellow/green meshes with the game.

I also thing the texture for your storm doors is much too bright, but in general you are making progress.

[Evillions 552]

Well I did toned down the colors from the roofs and the storm doors.  By accident, I pressed Day and Night rendering so I decided to take both.  So here's what it looks like so far in day and night.  Also, I've learned something in this rendering,  the night maps I used earlier somewhat fit in with the window color I'm using.

But, I have to still use the Omni-lights for the night time stuff.  Anyways, should I add a sign like "Apartments for Rent" type of thing?

[madhatter106 3,903]

I'm not sure if it's the color of the gold roof, or the fact that the texture is so small that it's causing this weird striation and vibration visually. It doesn't look like rooftiles, it looks like horizantal television interference. I suggest easing up on the UVW map of it, and let us see the individual tiles...

[Evillions 552]

Well I decided that I'll move onto 3dsmax2010, for my next project I'll try doing this:

Some textures might be hard to find and edit, but I think I can manage.  Just how do those types of balconies?

[timcravey 168]

Cool! Looking good.

[Evillions 552]

I started working on this block after that post, here's what it looks like at zoom4.

Yes, other basic things needs to be added.  However, how can I get more of the red brick part than the drity one in the wall?

[Evillions 552]

Since I've improved in the BATing process, I've came up with this:

Basic things added to the walls, but I might add another wall for complexity.  Additionally, the balancoy needs to be sized down a bit.  Mullions is something I'll get to in a bit.

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

Zoom 4? I'm pretty sure that is HD zoom 5 (aka, zoom 6), which is nice and all, but we can't really say how it will look at zoom 5 (or even a legit zoom 4).

That being said, interesting choice of bitmaps, was not expecting something so grungy (I like it though). I think you might want to mix up the windows and doors, don't want to seem to repetative. Just remember to model them into the walls.

Not sure what else to report, take some time and get some substantial work done on it and I'll see how it looks then

[Evillions 552]

I've added two more floors and changed some window textures around.  Since 3dsmax2010 has a more powerful rendering engine, I don't think that I have to add mullions in this, but I'll do it if needed.

Also, what did you meant by "model them into the walls"?

[Evillions 552]

Alright, I've gotten back to BATing. This time, I decided to do a Brualist Styled building, this isn't based off anything. It's just something I saw in Jason's workshop in ST.

This is in a day render and I made this is like 30 mins. I know the doors needs improvement and a more modern look. So this is just a very rough WIP.  If you feel there's something wrong, please post it!

[Gn_leugim 858]

Oh my eyes!!! |: jking

well, you still have much stuff to work on, lack much details, on everything actually. but looks a promising start.

[madhatter106 3,903]

What is your floor height?

[nathanthemayor 1,261]

Looks awesome!

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

Originally posted by: nathanthemayor

Looks awesome!quote>

No, no it doesn't. Care to explain why you say this? 

Personally I think it has a long way to go. But the more pressing issue at the moment is that there appears to be a smoothing group issue on each of the window "slabs". From the looks of it, it would be better turning off the smoothing groups. I can't really understand the shape that it is trying to describe, most likely because the hard edges the slabs ought to have are being hidden by the smoothing groups (that's what they are supposed to do, FYI).

Scale is also a significant issue. Good rule of thumb is 4m high floors, unless your reference and application say otherwise. You could easily be pushing 8m by rough guess, which is way out of proportion with the game.