Jason's BATs & Tutorials

[Aaron Graham 4,417]

You are damn right, I'm glad you talked about correction because I was to lazy to do it.

[Jasoncw 11,840]

 

It's been a while since I've BATed, so to help get back into it I've started a quickie BAT. I'm completing #6 of my abandoned BATs. Way back when I started it, it wasn't an art deco building, but before I abandoned it it was in the process of becoming an art deco building after a uvw mapping accident caused the limestone to be at different heights on the facade depending on what object the texture was applied to. So I kept that, and some other features, the main differences being at the top of the building. Another difference is that this building will (if I can pull it off) have brick that transitions from dark purplish bricks at the bottom to bright orangeish bricks at the top. Most of the model is temporary/in progress right now.

 

Right now the building is a 5x3, and a corner lot (  _|  ). Is this good? Or should it be a double corner lot (  |__|  )? If it's a double corner, should it be a 6x3 instead? Or is that starting to get too big?

[Aaron Graham 4,417]

Looks great, I can wait to see more.

The building can pass as a double corner building.

[JP Schriefer 5,590]

Looking nice! Double corner would be good in my opinion 6x3.

[Toothless Stitch 2,901]

It's awesome to see some important batters come back recently. I personally (though I'm not important) won't get back soon as there are several reason but I appreciate that you got your inspiration back. Plus these haven been abandoned. Good luck!

[Jack_wilds 550]

luv it...it is very promising... can't wait for it to show up on the stex...

 

I am in lament for the 1001 woodward perhaps you ought to just put it on a simple downtown lot to make it easier...    but whatever  ...

 

could you put a sporting goods supplier or store in it; if it'll be okay...

 

 

[Jasoncw 11,840]

A bit over a week ago I started a new BAT:

 

 

I had also gotten some more work done on the department store. I made it a 6x3, worked on some details and worked on the gradient brick texture, but I don't have a preview render on hand.

[Toothless Stitch 2,901]

This was something something like a "bam, in you face!"

[sencillo1 47]

Glad your still at it.

[Aaron Graham 4,417]

I love the model!!!

[SimCoug 5,972]

Yippee!

[gutterclub 2,729]

Loving the details on the window frames and door.

[noahclem 262]

Looks very promising Jason, glad to see you back at it!!

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Thanks guys!

 

Toothless Stitch: Originally I was going to just upload it when I finished it but it's taken longer than I expected so I figured I'd post about it.

 

 

Here's an update on the department store. The big holdup lately has been figuring out the stone grill, but I think I've got something that works now. It still needs a little adjusting though.

 

 

Unfortunately the image is just big enough to need to be clicked on to see it fullsize and not blurry.

[Toothless Stitch 2,901]

Uh, what happened to the retail space glass? It doesn't look Jason-like.

[T Wrecks 10,209]

I don't think it's fully done and Jason-ified yet.

[Hotwheeler 409]

Hooray,Jason is back in the ring.Love your buildings and also of course your newest creations.My favorite detail on the brick department store are those Art Deco like grid patterns on the upper centerpiece.

Can`t wait to see more

 

 

I don't think it's fully done and Jason-ified yet.

Ohhh,i love that word creation...Jason-ified

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Thanks!

 

And yeah the glass and the ground plane and all that is still very temporary.

 

Here's some progress on it.

 

[Aaron Graham 4,417]

Wonder work on the model, keep it up buddy!!!

[JP Schriefer 5,590]

Looking beautiful

[Sabretooth78 808]

Very nice, although I can't help but think the brick texture is a little "noisy" - although I would assume they haven't been fully refined quite yet.

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Thanks guys

 

Yeah I agree that the brick is noisy but I think that's how it's going to be if I have it be a gradient. Before this is done I'll tweak the bricks some more and hopefully I'll be able to get the effect right. The noise is also a problem because the facade is pretty flat and the bricks are interfering a bit with the facade's geometry.

 

 

[Thin White Duke 4,072]

Oooh! It's a nice start! I only hope you'll model a lobby or something so the bottom floor won't look all empty.

[Aaron Graham 4,417]

Loving the detail your adding to the ground floor.

[Roger51 381]

what amazing detail Jason!! just insane

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Thanks guys

 

Oooh! It's a nice start! I only hope you'll model a lobby or something so the bottom floor won't look all empty.

 

I'd *like* to put mannequins and other displays inside the windows but it's possible that it'd be too much of a pain to do, so we'll see.

 

 

I've done most of the modeling for the back of the building, and I've remodeled the setbacks using the more detailed parts from the main facade. Later the roof will have a small roof access penthouse or something, and maybe some skylights. The back will have a loading dock of some kind plus some doors (standard alley stuff).

 

 

(click for full size)

[darn42 1,268]

Looks awesome! I love this style and the details you are putting into it.

 

Consider changing the gradient, though. The contrast between top and bottom is way huge right now. What are you trying to simulate right now with the gradient?

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Yeah I should explain more about the bricks. I'm trying to simulate a literal gradient in the brick color.

 

The two real life examples I can think of (although I know there are more and if anyone knows of any to share go ahead) are the Wisconsin Gas Building and the Ottawa Power Station.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/djck/9901899473

 

On the building to the left the top of the building has different bricks from the bottom, and is brighter because of that and not lighting. 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeankeefer/13197293095

 

Here it can be seen that the effect is created with only a handful of color variations of bricks which are gradually mixed in at different ratios as you go higher on the facade.

 

For this building the gradient is pretty subtle in real life, and there is more building height to spread the gradient across than on my building.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/30743089@N05/6434426193

 

It can also be seen that because of the way the bricks are mixed, the brick pattern actually is noisy.

 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/marioq/5045583537

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/eridony/2375948640

 

This one is different. Here there's only 2 or 3 different brick colors and they're in horizontal bands with only a little bit of mixing/blending. 

 

 

 

Then there's my current brick material which is a composite map. There are two gradient bitmaps I made in photoshop which transition between the two colors but are slightly different, each put on their own layers in the composite map. And then the top layer has a tiles map as the opacity map, which controls how the two gradients mix together.

[darn42 1,268]

Interesting. That makes a lot more sense now. 

 

I want to suggest maybe doing more of the horizontal banding rather than the straight gradient. Or have sharper transitions--not completely sharp--but just enough to see where one color ends and the other begins. Mainly because in the past people used the gradient to simulate AO and other things that aren't just brick color, and that's what it looks like right now, and it gives it a more antiquated look (not necessarily a good thing).

 

This is just what I think of when I see it, though. What you described as your intention and what it ended up looking like are the exact same so there really is no problem in what it is.

 

Also, I'd be interested in seeing just one of the gradients being applied as the color for the tiles map and the variation in color be applied through just color and fade from the tiles parameters.

[Shy Dude 149]

The brick pattern on the Wisconsin Gas Building seems to get nosiest at the middle and the bottom is almost uniform while the top is somewhat noisy, it's a pretty odd detail for a random building.

 

Also have you seen the Terminal Commerce Building in Philadelphia? Your building has a pretty similar concept to it, it might be a good reference.