vailo's BAT Thread

[vailo 13]

I'm making a model of a globe statue like this one.

I'm having problems wraping it around the sphere. It looks like the hidden faces are messing it up a bit. I backed up the continents as extruded splines so i can further edit them.

Do you have any suggestions?

[Liberater444 11]

looks pretty good so far! Be sure to post renders later when you get the textures set!

[SimFox 802]

In 3d things can bend ONLY along the lines connecting points (called vertex - pl. Vertices) at the edges of the object.

[jacqulina 162]

very nice

[mightygoose 92]

so what simfox is saying you need to interpolate and subdivide the faces of your map object to allow you to effectively bend it around the sphere.... if you had something like polyboost it would do the topographic interpolation for you but you may need to consider creating the map again as a NURBS surface.

[vailo 13]

After a few minutes of keyboard mashing, I found a nifty toolbar that showed me the FFD tool. Then sliced up the planes and came up with this result:

I'm happy with those results . I'm also going to BAT a base and some rings around it. Do you guys have any tips to improve or how to make the base?

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

We would need to see some renders first.

[Timmystwin 201]

wow, if you released this file you may save people a lot of time. The base would be good if it didnt interfere with the beauty of the model, so we could see it.

[vailo 13]

Timmystwin, do you mean upload the globe as a seperate BAT file so that people could use it in their models?

I have the renders!

Suggestions please!

[CHR 2]

I think he may mean release it as a Gmax file. I imagine a lot of people would want to use it in various sizes and materials in all kinds of models.

It is looking very good! Were you going to lot it in a park, or release release it as a prop?

[Slashback 136]

Wonderful! How did you made the map? Converted an image into 3d?

Looks very, very promising. It would be great as an avenue roundabout filler!

[vailo 13]

CHR: It's going to be a park, and it might be a roundabout if I get it to look like the subway/bus station seen below

ImVhOzzi: I dragged an image onto the viewport to use as my reference. Then I used splines to painstakingly create the outline of the globe.

Hooray. Progress...

The base is obviously not done, but you can see the basic shape. I want to make a roundabout version that'll cover up the grass such as mas71's roundabout station:

Also, I'm having trouble getting a night time preview in gmax; I set up lights but they don't seem to be showing.

-----------EDIT 5/11/10-------------

Other new stuff I'm working on

Corner office building, might make a straight model

Water tank; this will have higher capacity than water towers, and you can put them on hilltops as gravity will pull water down effortlessly to your sims.

[Slashback 136]

@ vailo: That was a clever way to do it, and nice progress too! It'll be great to get this on the STEX!

[vailo 13]

I finally finished the base for this building! I hope you like it. Does anyone know if it's possible to make reflections in gmax?

Also, I don't know how I should apply the night lights; they go right through the globe, and it wouldn't be realistic to shine on top since there are no floating lights, err.... yeah.

I'll make this come out as a 3x3 normal plaza lot, and a 2x2 avenue roundabout.

[Sgt Pepper 864]

You can't really make reflections in Gmax like you can with MAX but you can fake them. But you won't really be able to make the water reflect the globe model though. I would make the water texture have some self-allumination. That should help fake reflections a bit(even though it won't, you know, have the globe relection on it). But of course, SimFox will be able to explain it better.

So far I like the model very much and I'm looking forward to using it! I think that white ring part at the base could be less white. It looks really bright there. As for your other works you posted before. They are looking great too!

[Lugnuts 3]

I would put the lights on the ground pointing to the globe.

[Simbourgeois 139]

This is coming along very well  It will look great near major international convention centres or airports, for instance...

Can't wait to see how it develops. Sorry, can't help with gmax issues...

Best regards,

Simbourgeois

Mayor of Belleville

[vailo 13]

I've found out how to use iLive's reader! 

Also, is there a way to get rid of that pesky nighttime shadow on the model? I have 3ds Max 2011, but I haven't a clue on how to bring .gmax files into Max.

Here's a look at the lighting:

Any suggestions? 

[citiesxlfan42 27]

WARNING: THIS POST IS AFTER THE RELEASE!

Wow! The Unisphere turned out incredibly! It's really nice! It would look really cool in a roundabount in front of a major international corporation, don't you think?