IDS's (mostly) Minnesota BATs

[darn42 1,268]

I recently wrote a tutorial on how to quickly make roofs look better, easily. Might be worth checking out
 

Otherwise, I think it looks like a nice, respectable, and well done BAT.

[Jack_wilds 550]

chiming in my two cents... I like it with the base and a version ought to have it and then a notion, have one with the base and then, hand off the 'baseless' version to T-wrecks to lot -if he would care to do so... still hoping for a clinic-hospital version... as for the roof, adding a few communications stuff -as suggested previous, to it would take away some 'blandness'... still like it

[Sgt Pepper 864]

Ah, you're at that perfectionist stage where you think you see so many flaws but there actually isn't. I know this feeling with my artwork and writing.

 

If you ask me, I think it looks perfect! I missed popping in here and seeing your work.

 

T Wreck's idea sounds interesting, if you're willing to give that a go.

[His Divine Hand 244]

I say go with the base.  It adds character to this set up.  If you feel like it, maybe make renders of the two towers separate.  Your roof does look passable.  Sometimes simplicity is the best way to handle it.

[IDS2 3,346]

T Wrecks: I love your ideas! Don't be so modest Besides, this model is all made up - I'm really not sure where I'm going with it. I've split the model into the two towers so I can play around with that other arrangement. And thank you for giving me something to try for those horizontal bands

Simcoug: I agree -  besides, I'd much rather see a nice lot created by you guys than try to create something comparable myself. Lotting really isn't my strong suit - I'll try to leave as much of that to you guys as I can BATted ground is a lot harder to pull off than I used to think, and I'm finding that it's not the best option for this scenario. 

MTT9: I agree with you there. And I'll be sure to keep it, but I'll tweak it a little here and there

darn: Thanks for the tutorial I wish I had learned about composite maps earlier! I used to use blend for a few things, but it didn't do the job nearly as well and it often made my render times go up more than they should. 

Jack wilds: I'm keeping a copy with the base, then And I can certainly manage to modd it as a hospital too, although it is missing some important things that a hospital would normally have. We can just call it modern

Sgt Pepper: Haha, I've fallen victim to the cycle of perfectionism At this point I'm really just trying anything - I never trust my own ideas with this stuff 

His Divine Hand: That's what I like about it too, especially since I put a lot of work into it. BATted ground makes shadows look strange in game, though, which makes it tricky. But I can release both

 

 

Alright guys, I did some experimenting! Don't worry, I kept a copy of the base in case anyone wants a version with the base Give this version some time to grow on you first, but if anyone still prefers the original, I can release 2 versions (but I'll probably scale the base down a bit). Also, I'll be sure to add some sort of communications equipment to the taller tower roof. All in due time

 

I also did some experimenting with darn's composite texture technique and I really like the results! I may have applied it too strongly (or perhaps it's not strong enough), but that's easy to fix. However, for some reason, it seems to be affecting the cladding of the short tower. Does anyone know how to fix this? 

 

So, here it is with the setup T Wrecks suggested:

I really like this orientation, but unfortunately the tower reflects a lot of empty plaza this way and it looks a bit funny. Any way I could fill it in somehow without actually having anything there? 

 

And the original setup:

This one doesn't have nearly as much of the problem with reflecting empty plaza since it's a lot more compact (I can fit it on a 5X4 lot instead of 5X6 like the other one), but it's not quite as visually interesting or as versatile when it comes to lotting.

 

Preferences?

[scotty222 549]

i dont really have a preference as far as the orientation goes

 

what i would recommend for a baseless version is to render each tower seperately, it allows for a lot more flexibility with LOTing

for example you could have both set ups you have shown above but it also allow for a lot more variation, for example you could have each tower on its own seperate lot or any number of interesting configurations using 1 tower, both towers, or even many instances of each. Id look at mattb325s recent apartment BATs as a good example of what you can get by going this route

 

Also i thing the BAT's great

[T Wrecks 10,209]

Yes, I'm 100% with scotty (nice to see you again, by the way! ) - just render them separately with a standard ground plane. This will give both of them vague, distorded window reflections that look... well, city-ish and generic enough to make a decent impression in just about any configuration: Narrow lot with the building nearly touching the lot edges, wide lot with the building sitting in the middle of a large plaza, whatever configuration.

 

You have reached a level of perfectionism where you worry much about correct reflections, and that's good. However, don't forget that at least 95% of any reflections you see (and on any BAT you see!) are generic simulations anyway, and not true reflections of actual surroundings. Once in game, this little trick will fade into the background and go unnoticed unless a player focuses their attention on it, and this generally doesn't happen. In fact, the only aspect that is suitable to lead a player to examine reflections more closely is a very defined and clear reflection of other objects. If you see such a defined reflection, you'll take a look where it comes from (and often discover that the reference object isn't actually there). As long as reflections are vague and generic, a player's mind will feed back "oh, buildings with shiny reflective glass", and everything will be just fine.

 

I also like scotty's idea of using several instances of a building, or each one of them individually. I can totally see 3-4 of the smaller ones lined up next to another, or several of them aligned in a square around the taller tower, and so on.

[SimCoug 5,972]

Yep, two separate models would be ideal.  Nice work.

[IDS2 3,346]

Thanks guys It seems like we're in agreement, then! Let's see how it looks with 2 separate renders.

 

Now, can anyone tell me why the cladding on the short tower looks different from the cladding on the tall tower even though the material on each tower is identical? It started once I added the composite map to the roof, so I know it probably has something to do with that, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it would be. The composite maps on each roof are also identical, so this is really confusing me...

 

 

 

Each building fits snugly on a 2X4 lot. Hopefully I can get some good mileage out of these. 

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Try using the eyedropper to select the material that is correct, and then select the other object and apply it to it, just in case.

[PBGV103 729]

It looks to me like the materials are the same but the UVW mapping is off.

[IDS2 3,346]

Thanks guys! it seems to be working now. 

 

I think I may be done with the short building. I'm trying to finish up the tall building with some communications equipment and other misc. stuff on the roof. I'm not sure if what I have so far looks good but I think it's close. 

 

 

[MTT9 187]

I think it's time night lights

[Metzger28 6]

Absolutely loving this set of buildings. It's definitely got a mix of Corbu and Breuer going on. Nice!

[scotty222 549]

I think the roof looks great, the antennas are a nice touch

[darn42 1,268]

Looks fantastic! I can't really find any glaring problems besides the roof grime near the walls is looking a bit too noisy. If you are doing the AO method with a noise map, increase the size. If you are doing something else, just make it less noisy. 

 

I'm excited to see the nightlights on this

[Delecto 941]

Ready for nightlighting!

[Darknono35 3,137]

Yes, very good building, I can't wait to see your night light for this BAT. They will be originals like the building  

[libellibicus 396]

Almost there......

[rjamesp 138]

how do you make the windows? ... Im just new on 3dsmax and I have been looking for a tutorial about how to make windows such as those in your awesome buildings (black lines dividing the window panes) but to no avail... 

[IDS2 3,346]

Alright everyone, I think it's time for lights Just to be safe, though, here are some final day previews (if you see something you don't like, be sure to let me know!)

 

 

 

 

 

rjamesp - Here's how I usually go about it 

EDIT: I should add that quickslice and cut should only really be used if you have snaps and a reference object. Eyeballing it isn't the way to go. 

[darn42 1,268]

Instead of using cut or quickslice, use connect. It's much more reliable and accurate and fast. Select edge running horizontal that you want to make the mullions, then select the ring using alt+r then you can connect them and make however many mullions you want. Windows = #number of connected segments + 1

[IDS2 3,346]

Thanks darn! I'll be sure to try that. 

 

I was lucky enough to have a snow day today, so I decided to begin the night scene:

Everything is obviously still very much a work in progress. What do you guys think of the reflections? Does the interior look convincing?

[gutterclub 2,729]

Yes and yes...stunning work

[libellibicus 396]

The interiors are bang on.

[MTT9 187]

That looks awesome

[Delecto 941]

Yes it is!

[Gn_leugim 853]

looks great

[T Wrecks 10,209]

^ I second all of the above.

[Toothless Stitch 2,901]

Stunning!