New Airport Terminals

[clarkjordan12345 108]

New Airport Terminals

 Everyone knows that there is very little in the way of diversity in airport terminals for SC4 so I have decided to start this thread (along with my Inverdeen BAT Thread) to show my development of the project.  I have a few images ready to show.

These are the main terminal pieces, It is three pieces put together, one in the middle, one end left piece and one end right piece.  These are not the textures that will be used in the models, just a mock up of what it will eventually be.  Textures are open to discussion and it would be very appreciated if some suggestions could be made.

This is the terminal from the back, this is where the gates will connect (these models will be compatible by with all the jets currently on the exchange) to, along the extended part of the side, under which there will be a service road with airport vehicles sing it. This is in the very early stages and I will be updating this thread with all the work I have been doing.

Please discuss and comment!

[thepokemaniac 18]

That looks. Really awesome.

[clarkjordan12345 108]

Thanks! I think I might actually make my own gates and I'm definitely going to make 2 train stations (1 terminus 1 through) in the same style of the airport, also a hotel and a multi-storey car park. If anyone would like to help, I'd much appreciate it.

[3dpuzzlemaster 20]

Those models are awesome! In my opnion, the curved roof would look good in a brighter shade of blue, the front of the building should be a reddish-tan color while the back of the terminal, the trim on the front, and the pillars are a dark tan.

[clarkjordan12345 108]

Yes, that's almost what I was thinking. If anyone was wondering, I got a lot of inspiration from Oslo Gardermoen Airport.

[antsel 841]

I like the concept so far, really interested in how it will pan out. Do you intend on making it modular?

[clarkjordan12345 108]

 Yes it will be modular, I have dozens of pieces planned out.  For now, here is one of the end pieces that people will use with terminals that have no concourses leading for them, so a dead end piece really.

[psander5 195]

New airport terminals are a great idea!  They would be much appreciated.

There's not much to comment on really because, as you say, it's in the early stages.  It's also in sketchup, which I don't use for BATing, so I can't really add much.  There are a couple of things though....

The roof isn't connected to the internal volume of the building, which seems odd to me.  It probably won't matter in game as SC4's perspective will probably hide the gap, but in these perspective views it doesn't entirely make sense.  The roof is the key feature of your design, and I think it should be more than just a huge, decorative object hovering on top!  The gap might cause some issues in windy weather wind as well!

Since you used Gardermoen as your starting point, I thought I'd show this...

You can see that the wavy roof forms the internal volume as well as the external shape.  It makes a much nicer space than if it was just a wide, flat ceiling, and it's probably the whole point of having a wavy roof in the first place.  Plus, it probably saves money on construction materials having just one roof instead of two

Another thing that I can spot is the placement of those thick, heavy looking columns at the rear.  They're positioned right over an overhang.  It would make more sense if they continued to ground level.  If they interfere with the service road space then you could just move them back so they fit wholly within the building... they look substantial enough to support a few extra metres of roof overhang! 

PS, I'm not speaking with any authority - I'm not an architect!  These are just things that don't quite make sense to my untrained eye. 

Matching train stations are a great idea, and having a terminus and a through station is great for flexibility! 

I look forward to seeing how it looks when you migrate it to GMax and do some SC4 previews! 

[clarkjordan12345 108]

 I see what you're saying and I agree, I have addressed the problems in my own way, hope you like it!

This is the second end piece and I will update the other pieces I have made with the changes.

[nathanthemayor 1,261]

Are you making those in sketchup?Cool!

[clarkjordan12345 108]

Yes, I make the basic shape in sketchup then export them to gmax for texturing and exporting.

[Aaron Graham 4,417]

Great job the the airport terminal, need more of those. To me sketchup is so hard to work with on making anything. Keep it up.

[clarkjordan12345 108]

Actually, sketchup is really really simple! all you do is export the model as a 3ds model and open it in gmax for texturing xD  I have some in-game pics.  please note that the ground textures are there for test purposes only and I will have proper textures in the final upload.  Also I am thinking about retexturing the whole building, but if anyone likes the ones i have, please say!.

[Xyloxadoria 1,099]

I would suggest filling in the area under the roof with a thrid floor and adding in skylights everyone and then to break the bordem of the roof. Most airports ive been to or seen have a thrid floor, When i saw your terminal, it didnt remind me of Oslo, however with a few roof and edge changes, it looks just like Washigtons airport

[1.21_Jiggawatts 4]

Wow! Now my airports won't be so boring! But I do suggest that you may want to make the roof thinner, much like the Dulles airport terminal above me.

[clarkjordan12345 108]

@Xyloadoria: I agree about both your points, the dirst one, I have already slightly addressed, I have turned half of the area into a third floor and I am thinking about turning the rest into a third floor, however I quite like the large columns I have set up. And about the roof, that's a good idea, I will see if I can find a good texture, or I'll create my own in Photoshop and add some skylines with the illusion that you can see through the roof.

@1.21_Jiggawatts: thanks for the feedback! I am contemplating making the roof more curved, shorter and thinner, keep looking back for some updates!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a list of buildings and pieces that I am proposing, yes I know there is a lot and it would really help if I could get a hand or two to get it done quicker, no experience needed!  Message me if interested.

 

 

Main Terminal Pieces:

re"> Main piece 1

re"> Main Piece 2re">

re"> Main Piece 3

re"> End Piece 1 Left

re"> End Piece 1 Right

re"> End Piece 2 Left

re"> End Piece 2 Right

re"> End Piece 3 Left

re"> End Piece 3 Right

re"> Concourse 

re"> Concoruse End

re"> Concoruse End With Entrance

 

Prefab Terminals:

re"> Small Prefab Terminal 1

re"> Small Prefab Terminal 2 

re"> Medium Prefab Terminal 1

re"> Medium Prefab Terminal 2 (with concourse)

re"> Large Prefab Terminal 1 (with concourse)

re"> Large Prefab Terminal 2 (with concourse)

re">

Gates:

re"> Gate without Jetway 1 

re"> Gate without Jetway 2

re"> Gate Without Jetway 3

re"> Single Deck Left

re"> Single Deck Right

re"> Double Deck Left

re"> Double Deck RIght

re"> Cargo Gate

re"> Helipads

re"> (Diagonal Decks may be considered)

 

Cargo:

re"> Cargo Terminal 1

re"> Cargo Terminal 2

re"> Cargo Terminal 3

 

Support Services:

re"> Hangar 1

re"> Hangar 2

re"> Hangar 3

re"> Hangar 4

re"> De-icing Unit

re"> Refueling Unit

re"> Fuel Storage

 

Transport:

re"> Cargo Station 

re"> Cargo Station Integrated

re"> Train Station 1 Terminus

re"> Train Station 1 Terminus Integrated

re"> Train Station 1 Through 

re"> Train Station 1 Through Integrated

re"> Train Station 2 Terminus

re"> Train Station 2 Terminus Integrated

re"> Train Station 2 Through

re"> Train Station 2 Through Integrated

re"> Tram Station Terminus

re"> Tram Station Terminus Integrated

re"> Tram Station Through

re"> Tram Station Through Integrated

re"> Bus Stop

re"> Bus Stop Integrated

re"> Bus Station

re"> Bus Station Integrated

re"> Taxi Rankre">

re"> Taxi Rank Integrated

re"> Car Rental 1

re"> Car Rental 1 Integrated

re"> Car Rental 2 

re"> Car Rental 2 Integrated

re"> (HSR may be considered)

 

Othe Buildings:

re"> Hotel 1

re"> Hotel 2

re"> Airport Fire Department

re"> AIrport Fire Department Integrated

re"> Small ATC Tower 1

re"> Small ATC TOwer 2

re"> Medium ATC Tower 1

re"> Medium ATC Tower 2

re"> Large ATC Tower 1

re"> Large ATC Tower 2

re"> Airport Sign Pack (Including Road Signs)

re"> Building Connector Over Road

re"> Building Connector Over Street

re"> Building Connector Over Avenue

re"> Building Connector Over Ped Mall

re"> Building COnnector Over Tram Line

re"> Building Connector Over Rail

Please Comment and discuss! Do you think there should be something added to the list or removed from the list?  Please give us your views!

[Xyloxadoria 1,099]

For you refrence in case you choose to change the roof, here is a section of Washington Dullas, the airport in my last post

[psander5 195]

That's a lot of pieces! My advice is to get the first model looking right, then start on the others knowing you have all the common elements spot on.

It's turned out just how I expected... the roof has completely hidden the gap. In fact, It's hidden most of the BAT!  This is one key advantage GMAX has over Sketchup for BAT work... you get game perspective previews!  I would suggest doing some dimension tweaking to get a bit more of the under-structure in view, such as raising the roof or scaling the whole building vertically, and reducing the depth of the overhangs.  Such adjustments are common necessities in BATing thanks to the game's fixed perspective. 

Regarding the textures, I'd say the glass looks ok, the rest though needs more work.  The roof occupies 95% of your BAT, so it really needs to be right.  I would consider adding more structural detail to the modeling in some way.  Right now it looks like a simple curved box, and texturing such a large expanse is always going to be tough.  Xyloxadoria's skylights suggestion is a good one. 

Have a look at some real world 'big roofs' to get some ideas on what details to add and what textures to make. I looked at Dullas and Gardermoen on Google maps, but they're both washed out with over exposure.  The only other terminal building I could immediately think of that might be similar to yours is Heathrow's Terminal 5, which I've considered making myself one day! (Google maps Link).  Take a trip around the world's airports and I'm sure you'll find a few more examples to borrow from. 

PS: While you're showing BAT progress it's probably easier to use the preview render function of GMAX rather than having to export and lot it. 

 

[clarkjordan12345 108]

@Xyloxadoria: Thanks for that, It's almost what I'm looking for, I'm going to try both Gardermoen, Heathrow T5 and Dulles, then I'll let the pucblic vote on it. Thanks for the help!

@Psander 5: I want to create a lot of pieced for flexibility, I think I'll take a few months to create this and I'll probably keep going back and changing things, and I'll try and get a fixed element as soon as I can and show you guys, My head is screaming T5 Heathrow (I've been through it) but my heart wants me to do Gardermoen, but Gardermoen would be a bit more difficult, who knows? Well I can always do another pack.

Basically I'm going to make 3 models (I'll screen shot them from gmax render), one of my attempt at Gardermoen (With a shorter roof), one of a Dulles inspired terminal and one of T5.

On the subject of textures, is there any texture you could recommend? I have a few but I'm not sure about them.

Thanks for all the help you guys!

[psander5 195]

T5 looks quite straight forward, but the walls are continuous glass... meaning the night lighting would be tricky!  That's what kept me from attempting it

There's a member of this community who is fond of the following phrase...

Good textures are made, not foundquote>

...And it is very true.  Personally, I make most of the textures I use, whether that's by using elements from existing textures or buy 'painting' using various brushes and filters.  In fact, for a long time now the only textures I use that I haven't made are doors, signs and adverts, and even then I usually have to edit them quite a bit in Photoshop first.  It can be daunting to think of making a large texture from scratch, but it's possible, and it's the best way to get the end result you're after! 

That doesn't mean it's 'taboo' to use ready made textures, If you can find one that fits then that's great! 

CG Textures is generally regarded as the best source for free textures... although I doubt you'll ever find one that's perfect for your roof straight out of the wrapper... you'll need to tweak them like crazy

[clarkjordan12345 108]

Thanks, I think I'll make my own textures, I'm actually half way through making T5 in Sketchup, but it's not as easy as it looks, the roof was quite difficult to create but I nailed it. I'll upload a pic when I have it in gmax.

[TekindusT 3,809]

I see you've got many projects on mind. It's good to be ambitious, but please don't rush your work to keep making new buildings.

I mean, no offense; that I prefer to download a worked out and realistic terminal building than a low quality hundred-buildings pack. Just take your time to make everything well, to texture the buildings as realistically as possible and to work out with the nightlighting. The STEX will not be closed the day after tomorrow...

As an avid airport-builder, I have to say that the model is looking very nice right now; but please try to make the ACB-VLT lotted planes jetway (used in the 95% of the SC4 custom airports) to match with the windows on your model to get the maximum awesomeness... Keep up the great job!

[3dpuzzlemaster 20]

Wow! I can't wait until these are released, keep up the good work!

[1.21_Jiggawatts 4]

I think you shold try to make those packs one at a time. Start with the terminals, then the others to make sure it's done right.

[clarkjordan12345 108]

@3dpuzzlemaster: Thanks! I will.

@1.21_JiggaWatts: Yeah, that was the plan. I wont upload a second set until the first one (the terminals) is perfected.

[clarkjordan12345 108]

I am sorry to say that this project is no longer possible due to my mother destroying my laptop while I was away on holiday, the hard drive is damaged and therefore all files are impossible to recover. I shall restart the project some time in the near future.

[+Guest]

Dang, that sucks. Well, when you get back, come on over to the SketchUp Designers thread. We're showcasing our works over there.

[clarkjordan12345 108]

I've been looking through that, and I will do

[nathanthemayor 1,261]

Originally posted by: clarkjordan12345

I am sorry to say that this project is no longer possible due to my mother destroying my laptop while I was away on holiday, the hard drive is damaged and therefore all files are impossible to recover. I shall restart the project some time in the near future.quote>

Oh boy...you were doing so well

[maxsimcity 8]

Looks Great! Maybe add more sky lights?