Let there be light... Or not

[Typoknig 0]

First time posting, so please be gentle.

I'm having an issue with inside lights showing up at night. I'm using BAT+GMAX, PluginManager, and the Lot Editor. I followed this tutorial (https://www.simtropolis.com/omnibus/index.cfm?path=Main.SimCity_4.Custom_Content.BAT_Essentials_Page_One) to learn how to make my own buildings. Awsome tutorial by the way. After a bit of following the tutorial, I got my first building to show up in my game (bow to the left...bow to the right). I even got the outside lights to work (at least the back ones did... I THINK the front ones did too). But no lights in the windows. I checked some boxes, render PM, LE, Nope, no lights. Changed some more things. Render no lights. Changed some more things... Render ... No lights. After rendering my building for 2 days now (20 min a render) I made a new simple building. 4 walls, roof, floor, and 2 windows, 1 in the front and 1 in the back. Down to 1 min render or so. Did the tutorial for the walls, windows, and inside lights. Still no lights.

Then I searched a gazillion more posts and followed this tutorial (https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=37&threadid=104932&enterthread=y). No lights. Moved the inside lights around. Still no lights.

But this is the weird part. Inside lights show up in the preview and also in the render images, just not in the game.

I PluginManager the building to a CS$ and choose a CS$_2X3 lot (I know I know... New building is only 10X10 but it is the lot I was using before and it's easy to find) in lot editor.

I have no clue what's happening. I follow the tutorials and the buildings render and place great, but no inside lights. I can get outside to work fine, just not inside.

Thanks in advance (and remember to be gentle).

[Lugnuts 3]

Are you adding the "nitelite" prefix to the windows?

[SimFox 801]

Just to make sure do other custom building show night lighting at night? If the do NOT just like you own then the most probable cause of this sad situation is that your game hasn't been updated (Update 1.1.640.0) to take advantage of custom content lighting.

This update could be downloaded either from game official site (it has been moving around last couple of years), or much easier from SC4Devotions site. You have first to come to this place and accept terms and conditions and then follow the link to Building Architect tool (BAT) there in the table find "Sim City 4 Buildings Update 14.4 MB".

Caution prior to this game have to be properly updated to 1.38 version. the tricky part if you not doing it at the official site is to choose version of this update that is right for you. There are 4 and the choice is dependent on where your particular copy of game had was supposed to be sold. Since in this day and age a lot of them move all over the world it may be hit and miss...

Another key thing to remember is that you can NOT alter game main EXE in any way or update will not work, or if done after update be invalidated. This includes all No-CD version and some such...

[Typoknig 0]

OK now... Here's an update. DO NOT try doing what I did. Took me about 3 hours to do it all.

First, I checked my light names. I had the windows as 'nite' and the omni lights 'nite' as well.
I re-rendered the building, did the PluginManager thing so it was a CS$ building and used lot 0x60000060 CS$1_2x3 in the Lot Editor. Started the game, and kept demolishing buildings as they popped up until my building showed up. No lights.

Then I changed the windows to 'nitelite' and repeated the process. Then changed the omni to 'nitelite' as well and repeated the process again. Then I changed the windows back to 'nite' and left the omni at 'nitelite' and did it all again. No lights on any of them.

Next I did the downloads. I checked the log for both the sku and SC4BAT updates.

Evidentially I had them both.

Did the renaming, rendering, PluginManager, etc again. No lights.

Then I remembered from somewhere in my poor mind reading something about adding a building (I think). Did what I remembered and presto! LIGHTS!!!!

What did I remember reading you ask?

1. Remove all instances of the building in the game.
2. SAVE and quit.
3. Reload game.
4. When the building shows up, lights.

I'll be right back... I'm gonna jump out the lighted window now.

I appreciate the help and suggestions you both gave.