BAB - Bitmap Animation Builder

[Toothless Stitch 2,901]

Hi

I don't know if there is already a thread about it. I found the BAB (Bitmap Animation Builder) by OverPop on SC4Devotion.com which makes it possible to create moving objects in SC4.

(Pictures by OverPop)

It's already existing a manual as a download by denham2010.

It's only working with gmax, not with 3dsMax.

Links on SC4Devotion.com

https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=8003.0 general talk

http://myrovp.fromc.jp/SimCity4/BAB/Readme.htm install and uninstall

http://myrovp.fromc.jp/SimCity4/BAB/BABHelp.htm tutorials

https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=2082 download

I hope this is the right place and I'm able to start such a thread.

  Edited February 7, 2025 by Cyclone Boom  
Restored missing images from local backup copy.

[harishna 847]

actually I was not aware of this, looks really cool

[Aaron Graham 4,417]

In the past I have tried using this to make some New York City stoplights, it so cool. I just had some a same problem, I need to try it again.

[miguelkuk 109]

Hi there.
I just came across this excellent tool a couple of days ago and am really excited about it. I have, however, been trying to create an animated advertising screen, but can't figure out how to do it on Gmax. How do I animate the screen? This is what I've tried:

With Photoshop, I have exported the animation into separate image frames. Then on Gmax, I created the screen and tried to assign it a material with each animation image on each frame. But it only ends up showing the last applied material on the screen, instead of changing the materials as the animation plays. Is it not possible to change an object's material on each frame, or am I simply going about it the wrong way?

Thanks in advance

[Toothless Stitch 2,901]

I don't know if they still exist, but I remeber there were 3 or 4 text tuts comming with the download... it'll take some time to get into it since you need modelling AND animation skills plus some special way to render to make it appear in SC4

[SimCoug 5,973]

I believe rivit might be able to help you... He created an alternative to the maxis drive-in theater that was animated with different movies.

He's still active in this community, so try sending him a PM.

[JP Schriefer 5,590]

This really didn't work with 3ds Max? 

[Jasoncw 11,843]

Since you already have the frames you need, try making a Multi-Sub Object material, and putting each frame into a sub material there.

Apply that material to your screen object. With your screen object selected, go to materials > Surface > Material, to give your object a material id modifier. This modifier will change the material id of your object and will allow you to flip through the corresponding sub materials/video frames of your material. You should be able to set a different material id in that modifier for each key frame, and thus you should be able to make an animation that way.

But I don't know much about animation so I don't know if that's the best way to do it, but I just tried it myself and it works just fine, and it's pretty simple to do, so that's what I would recommend.

It's too bad there isn't a version of this for 3ds max, although this tool could probably be used to make the animated .SC4models, and then the .FSH could probably be manually replaced. Back when bat4max wasn't as advanced you'd have to manually insert or remove .fsh files in the reader. I'd look into the feasibility, but even if it worked it would be a lot of manual work. Animating things would be enough work as it is.

[miguelkuk 109]

Thanks for taking the time to help me, guys.

@Jasoncw: I kind of understood all you said. Kind of lol. But I still must be missing something.

I have the screen created. Applied it a multi-material created with each frame image as a distinct sub-material. Each has its own ID.
On Frame 0 I see the first material on the screen (ID 1).
I pressed the Animate button and moved the slider to Frame 1. I then applied the sub-material with ID 2 to the screen, and stopped the animation.
Now when I go back to Frame 0, the original ID 1 texture is no longer applied.

Would you mind being more specific about which steps to take? I'm pretty used to animation on Premiere and After Effects, but this bit with textures and materials is confusing me a bit.

[Jasoncw 11,843]

So another possibility is that you make a video file in one of those programs. I don't know if gmax does, but 3ds max accepts .avi .mov and maybe some other video file types and they can just be used as bitmaps. The only thing is, and I'm not sure about this, but the framerate of the video has to match the framerate of the animation.

But right now the submaterial method seems the easiest. I don't know why it's not working for you though. 

1. Click on the red sphere icon in the upper right corner of the screen to open the material navigator/editor. 

2. Click on the "new" button, and select "Multi-Material"

3. With the new material made, click on the "Set Number" button and change the number of sub materials to the number of frame images.

4. Go through each sub material and add the appropriate frame image.

5. Select your screen object, and press the "apply" button that's near the top of the material editor/navigator window.

6. With the screen object still selected, go to Modifiers > Surface > Material to add a material modifier, which will allow you to change the material id of the object. 

7. Next, press the "Animate" button. The viewports should be surrounded by a red border to indicate that you've changed modes.

8. Drag the slider to the desired frame.

9. Select the screen object, and use either the up or down arrows, or type in a new number, to change the material id in the material modifier. The material id parameter of this modifier is an animatable parameter, while changing the material id of the editable polygon itself, directly, is not animateable. After you change the material id number in the modifier, a few things should happen. The up/down spinner of that paramter should get highlighted with red brackets to indicate that that is a parameter that has changed for this key frame. And then on the track bar, a blue box should appear on that frame which indicates that a new key frame has been added there.

10. Drag the slider to the next frame you want to do, and repeat the process.

11. When you're done press the Animate Button again to leave animate mode.

I can't think of anything that that leaves out. Hopefully this helps.

[miguelkuk 109]

Thank you so much!

I didn't know about the Modifier bit. It works perfectly now

[Jasoncw 11,843]

Yep the modifier is the key.  Some parameters are animatable and some aren't. For example I think the diffuse color of a material is animatable (so if it was just a solid color you could animate the color) but diffuse bitmaps aren't (unless the bitmap itself is a video).

[Toothless Stitch 2,901]

That was a good one, Jason! The basics of animation. However, I always thought the real problem is bringing something animated into SC4. 

 

Also, just to set this straight - since I don't animate vids or stuff like that on a plane - did I get it right that in case you have a video you want to add on a plane or something you'd have to add every single frame? Wow, that should be a lot work for a 30 sec HD vid ...

[Jasoncw 11,843]

No, like I said you can load video files as bitmaps. So instead of picking a .jpg or .png you would pick a .avi or .mov instead. The only complication is that the frame rate of the video, and the frame rate that you wish to export at have to be the same. In other words, if you were intending to render your animation at 24 fps, and you had a video texture of video game footage at 60 fps, the video game footage would go really slow (at 24 fps it takes 2.5 seconds to burn through 60 frames, even though those frames are intended to last only 1 second). Because max would say "rendering frame 1 of the animation, use frame 1 of the video. Rendering frame 2 of the animation, use frame 2 of the video" because max deals in frames and not seconds. So if the frame rates don't match the video texture will go too fast or too slow. I think there are ways of adjusting this in max but I'm not sure.

[miguelkuk 109]

You could always use Adobe Premiere or other video editors to export the original video at the frame rate you want to use. Even Photoshop can do this with smaller videos by importing them into video frames first and exporting it to video with whatever frame rate you choose.