Sgt Pepper's BATs

[British_Petroleum 3]

wow, thats as awesome as the song your named after!

[Sgt Pepper 864]

WELCOME TO PAGE 5

Thanks BP, glad you get my Username reference.

So I "doodled" in gmax today and made this-

It's just a crappy little bus stop I made. Lot editor view. I wanted something new that was made by me that I wouldn't have to place the maxis bus stops in my city blocks. I'm not sure if I should release it....I thought about doing a subway similar to this lot where it can be placed on the road.

I thought of my next non-NYBT BAT. I think the STEX could use some Self Storage Units. Anyone heard of those? Those little warehouses that you can put some of your excesses junk...err stuff in. There's some around Alexandria that gave me the idea.

EDIT: I started on the Self Storage Unit-

Not finished with the modeling but I started on some texturing. What do ya'll think so far? That's a zoom 5 render by the way. These are going to be small. If it was fitted into a tight space it would be a 1x2 lot, but I think i'll have it where the lots are 2x2 to help give some room on the lot(for like vehicles I guess). I want to put a "Self Storage" Sign on it with some phone number(most of the self storage units in Alexandria are like that with the sign but this one isn't based on any in particular). It will be a Low Wealth Commercial Service Building. But I think I'll have a Industrial Manufacturing Version too.

[Sgt Pepper 864]

So I'm going to do some w2w buildings.

This one is just a small 7 story art-deco structure.

And this one is about 14 stories tall-

This one is "L" shaped but it's W2W on both sides.

[Slashback 136]

It looks good, but it would look better with a 20-45 degree roof. However, it depends on what style you want to create, and European W2W is most likely seen with a non-flat roof.

[T Wrecks 10,209]

Well, these two buildings look definitely non-European to me, so they're probably ok with the flat roof.

[Gn_leugim 858]

Ya, non euro buildings, now we have to wait till you make some more details

[Sgt Pepper 864]

Yea these buildings are definately not Euro.

Well aside from those I started on this today and I plan to finish it today(I hope)-

The UWV mapping for some reason came out smaller than it appeared on the mechanical penthouse(not finished). This one definately not finished yet but I want to finish it today. Reason for the rush, I need another medium wealth office filler, demand in my city is high and one of my other buildings(BRAN Publishing Co, on the STEX) is growing like weeds so I need something like this to compete. I also plan to make another variation of this with a slightly altered shape for High Wealth Commercial Office and maybe Commercial Service too. I'm thinking about adding window shades to this one too. Also, the building is inspired by an NYBT BAT I'm working on, but this one is supposed ot be different.

EDIT: Actually, I'm probably not going to be able to finish this one tonight, so that gives anyone more time to complain suggest anything about it.

[T Wrecks 10,209]

Hm... is it just me, or is the floor height not uniform?

[Lugnuts 3]

Seems like it.

Also you should try to ajust the other building so it won't grow like weeds.

[Lugnuts 3]

Seems like it.

Also you should try to ajust the other building so it won't grow like weeds.

[Cockatoo 2,257]

One day BAT's normally don't turn that well. I wouldn't release anything I hadn't spent at least three full days on. Give people some time to get you your feedback.

Also, I assume you're a student. Have you considered getting Max? It's a much better program, Gmax is old and full of annoying bugs.

Btw, what happened to this:

http://i46.tinypic.com/2cosga8.jpg

[Cockatoo 2,257]

One day BAT's normally don't turn that well. I wouldn't release anything I hadn't spent at least three full days on. Give people some time to get you your feedback.

Also, I assume you're a student. Have you considered getting Max? It's a much better program, Gmax is old and full of annoying bugs.

Btw, what happened to this:

http://i46.tinypic.com/2cosga8.jpg

[Sgt Pepper 864]

My current overall work.

And up close.

TWrecks- I think I see where you mean now. I'll probably see what I can do.

Lugnuts- Hmmm, I'm assuming you mean something in reader.

Cockatoo-210893- Wise words. I'm slowing my pace on it now. Yea, I'm still a student. Highschool student to be exact...But if I can get MAX with a student, isn't it a free trial thing that doesn't last that long? I don't want to switch to MAX only to have to switch back when the trial runs out.

[Sgt Pepper 864]

My current overall work.

And up close.

TWrecks- I think I see where you mean now. I'll probably see what I can do.

Lugnuts- Hmmm, I'm assuming you mean something in reader.

Cockatoo-210893- Wise words. I'm slowing my pace on it now. Yea, I'm still a student. Highschool student to be exact...But if I can get MAX with a student, isn't it a free trial thing that doesn't last that long? I don't want to switch to MAX only to have to switch back when the trial runs out.

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

Actually, its for 13 months, long enough for them to put out a new version (and possibly another 13month licence).

See here.

On another note, try to make the windows on one teir line up with the ones on the others, this may mean you need to add a few more windows to gewt it centered, but it would look much more cohereant.

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

Actually, its for 13 months, long enough for them to put out a new version (and possibly another 13month licence).

See here.

On another note, try to make the windows on one teir line up with the ones on the others, this may mean you need to add a few more windows to gewt it centered, but it would look much more cohereant.

[Sgt Pepper 864]

Thanks for that link Todd, but I don't have a email with edu in it so......yea...

Oh and Cockatoo, I forgot to mention this in the reply to you. I forgot to upload that building a long time ago. I put it on the SCCommunity Site when I finished it but forgot to upload it here. I'll upload it as soon as I can.

[Sgt Pepper 864]

Thanks for that link Todd, but I don't have a email with edu in it so......yea...

Oh and Cockatoo, I forgot to mention this in the reply to you. I forgot to upload that building a long time ago. I put it on the SCCommunity Site when I finished it but forgot to upload it here. I'll upload it as soon as I can.

[Sgt Pepper 864]

Thanks for that link Todd, but I don't have a email with edu in it so......yea...

Oh and Cockatoo, I forgot to mention this in the reply to you. I forgot to upload that building a long time ago. I put it on the SCCommunity Site when I finished it but forgot to upload it here. I'll upload it as soon as I can.

[Sgt Pepper 864]

So I decided to remove the entire top portion of the tower which resulted in this-

I like it better looking more stocky and less tall. I'm still adding shades then I gotta work on the base and roof. Then it's the night lighting then I'm done. I think I'm going to have a second one that'ts thinner...as CO$$$ while this fat one will be CO$$.

EDIT:

Any thoughts on these?

[Sgt Pepper 864]

I was requested a shorter version of my recent office tower...but seeing the original completed model file got deleted I gotta start from the other save file when I first took apart the short fat office building to make a taller skinny version-

Unfortunately, this file actually saved over that fat office building(posted above) so that one is gone. But at least I can make a shorter version of that taller tower and make it a non quickie with advice and suggestions. So far, what do ya'll think? Oh, and I'm still going to get the colors to become the same like the other tower, so don't mind the current textures. An important question though, should it be a shorter midrise, or should I add a floor or two?

[Aaron Graham 4,417]

looks good for now.

[Sgt Pepper 864]

Been a little while since I updated my non-NYBT Thread.

HQ Renders.

This building is based on one in New York. I wanted just to kinda make a quickie for another office skyline filler on a 2x4 lot to compete with some other CO$$ Office Buildings. I didn't feel like completely recreating the building like the one in New York, I just wanted another skyline filler for Branhattan. I want to do more similar styled and shaped buildings.

[Aaron Graham 4,417]

Looks great I have to say, so your are modeling building for Banhanttan, thats great I was making the apartments in thread for my residential area in Aaron City. My plan is to make the apartments in New York ish.

[citiesxlfan42 27]

Personally, I like this new style, with the 250 Broadway styling without being 250 Broadway. Nice work!

[nihonkaranws 88]

Something up with the textures....

The wall texture looks a bit too artificial for me, you know? More like a model than an actual building. Instead of the gray color that I see statically running up the side of your building, try to find a more detailed texture, and maybe photoshop a gradient into it. Add more noise and depth to the bitmap, which can be done in any photo-editing program, to give it the appearance of concrete, or whatever you're going for.

The windows, because they make up most of what we see, are the most important however,

Office building windows give the impression of having a sort of blue tone. The reasons for this are 1. They are usually somewhat tinted, filtering out most light emitting from inside the building, if the outside light is stronger, as it is during the day, and 2. because they reflect the bright sky above them, as we look at them from below. Look at an office building from a SC4-style perspective, however, and we'd see that the glass is in fact not blue, but more of a mixture of the colors that it reflects off the ground and nearby structures. On top of that, because the sky is WAY brighter than what's on the ground during daytime, the windows themselves would REFLECT less light than as viewed from below, and the inside of the building would be more visible.

To introduce this kind of realism into your model, you might want to scrap the old blue-gray texture you're using, and instead use a bitmap that is more similar to the average ground-level colors of most cities. Don't make the image too detailed, however. Give the material less opacity, and model in the floors of the building and maybe some details that imply an office atmosphere, giving the impression of glass windows. On top of that, if you make your window texture a slight gradient - meaning that it gets a bit more blurry and lighter floor-by-floor, you'll very simply achieve a very realistic and believable look - one that I myself had struggled with for quite some time.

[Sgt Pepper 864]

I did some editing to this building...I'm not interested though in modeling out all the floors and making the glass have opacity. I don't see how that'll help. I've done quite a few skyscrapers using the same glass texture, editing its colors and self illumination, and it comes out fine and reflective. As for the wall textures, the way I had them is sort of intended with the style of such a building.

I plan on having the back of the building sort of w2w and have the structure seem like it could be a large w2w city block "capper". Of course, it will still be in a way where it doesn't have to be w2w and look good on a stand alone block or in a block that isn't w2w. I think I'm realizing now I have a thing for a cool color scheme.

[Aaron Graham 4,417]

Looks really good.

[SimFox 802]

Any kind/level of transparency ALWAYS look bad in GMAX - there is NEVER a point of having it (reducing opacity) It will NEVER look like glass. And modeling anything beyond blinds is also counterproductive in extreme - lot of work, crippled export speed, and it will never ever look either good or realistic. As for the blinds, those too are much better to be painted into window texture.

BTW isn't it a building just across the street from 250 Broadway?

[Sgt Pepper 864]

Originally posted by: SimFox

BTW isn't it a building just across the street from 250 Broadway?quote>

Based on it. It's where I got my inspiration. The one here is actually much smaller and doesn't have most of the actual structure's set backs or other details or exact proportions.

I'll probably recreate the actual building for NYBT later on. I probably should of went ahead and made a recreation of it, since the striking resemblence to the real building across from 250 Broadway. Too late now I guess, since I don't have the real life proportions of the real building nor do I have the same floor count. So it'll have to be a later NYBT project. Perhaps after 250 Broadway and whatever other building I would do next.