Jason's BATs & Tutorials

[____----____ 37]

this is looking great love the attention to detail you are putting into this

aK

[Simfan34 11]

???????????????????|! Nice! And you should upload the garage model to the stex.

p.s. Tell michi that we want some pics of  the Whitey Buliding.

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Thanks

I just spent 3 hours trying to light 211 West Fort.  I got the red "211" sign on it to light up the way it should, and it looks nice.  I'm having problems with the top part, but I've made progress.  I really only have the rest of today and tomorrow to finish and render all of 211 West Fort before going away camping for a week.  While I'm away my computer will have Windows reinstalled, and all of my stuff will sit on my 2nd drive.  After that, I'll finally get 3dsmax on it.  I was hoping to have most of my BATs finished by then, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.  It feels like I've worked so much on these buildings, but they're still not done.

But anyway, I'm sick of lights, so now I'm going to start with bushes.

Simfan34:  Do you have an Urban Planet account?  Most of those people also post their pictures at Flickr, here is a search for "Whitney Building".

[Jasoncw 11,840]

I'll be camping from tommorrow, to Sunday, so I won't be around.

[Jasoncw 11,840]

ok, I'm back now.

[U3D 6]

Welcome back

[Don Miguel 560]

Welcome back.  What are the chances of this building being touched up and released?

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Very high

I just need to modify the top part to make it smaller.  I think I've textured the other side too, but I don't completely remember.  The thing is, this building is going to be rennovated.  It's currently abandoned.  The renovation is mostly grass roots based from what I understand, and that's what inspired me to start the building in the first place.  However, the renovation might change the first floor, and I don't know how the back part will be changed, since they're adding a garage to the basement and an elevator to get the cars there.  They're also adding a sign.  So I've been waiting to see what the plans are.  Right now I don't really feel like working on it, but once I do, I can just ask one of the people involved if they have any drawings or information they can send me.

3ds max is now on my computer, so once I finish up my other stuff and I feel ready for a challenge, I'll start the Guardian Building, or the Penobscot Building.  I still need to get gmax, the BAT, and BAT for max set up.  Right now the gmax download page on turbosquid isn't working, and I think that's where I need to get it.

[ardecila 124]

Please tell me you don't have Max 8 - it's horrible - plugins don't work, and neither does the MaxBAT.

I had to install 7.

[Jasoncw 11,840]

I got 8!!!

But I heard that the problem is where it installs, program files vs C drive.  I guess I'll have to do more research on the issue.

[toxicpiano 125]

See MAX 8 installs under C:\program files\Autodesk\3dsmax 8, unlike previous versions which install under C:\3dsmax " ", apparently BAT for MAX has a problem with the new directory so it needs to be installed under C:\3dsmax 8, like its younger versions. You buildings look very nice btw!

[6459978. 106]

Does this mean that BAT for MAX will work with Max 8 if you install it in the right place?

[mcarch 15]

I love that building. Its cute.

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Yeah, from what I understand, 3dsmax 8 will work if it's C:\3dsmax8/stuff instead of C:\program files/autodesk/3dsmax 8

Pearl Place, I've modfied the textures.  Any critiques at all are very welcome.  I still need to add the sign to the overhang above the door.

As you can tell, I got gmax and the BAT running again.

[ramvid01 0]

wow, that is just freaking amazing. I really love these art deco style buildings, they just add an amazing touch to sim city. I love the textures too, not relaly sure if you could add anything to it really. Is this residential or commercial?

[Jasoncw 11,840]

This is actually an incompleted building from last spring.  I should probably go over it.

I asked T Wrecks what he would like to see me do, and he consulted with some people and came up with a list of some New York skyscrapers, and something like, "an R$$ with 2,000 occupants" or something like that.  I started working on 500 5th Avenue (I think that's what it was called), but it was too big for me to make on my computer, so I started an R$$ based on Robert's Apartments, since I like that building.  I know this won't have quite as many residents, but it will still have a lot (at least for my cities, lol).

The white texture was difficult, and the preview renders took forever because of the building's size (which made it hard to tweak the textures).  Those things were the major roadblocks for this building, but time solves both of them.

So that's the building's history.

[jacqulina 162]

excellent work very nice

[T Wrecks 10,209]

Wow, it's nice to see Pearl Place again!

The only thing that looks a bit odd to me is that angled roof entrance; somwhow it doesn't look as if it belonged to the building, but as if someone had slapped it onto the roof after the building had been finished. It also makes me wonder what the staircase of that building might look like...

Another (very minor) observation: Looks like the smaller roof sections at the sides cannot be reached, neither by a ladder or metal stairs from the lower roof section nor through a trap door or something similar. Just a tiny detail of course.

All in all, modeling and texturing are once again immaculate and beautiful, and I don't have any suggestions.

[JBSimio 152]

I forgot all about this one!  Now I remember how much I like it!  I do agree with both roof access points by T Wrecks... but beyond those tiny things, it looks great!

JB

[Hanson784 165]

Glad to see you BATting again. Its too bad 500 5th was too much for your computer to handle, as it would lighten my BAT load. Though, I'm steadily working towards it on my list.

Fantastic work as always. Your work is constantly excellent but I think Pearl Place is my favorite. It looks a tall version of Maxis' Roberts Apartments.

[Jasoncw 11,840]

I made an elevator shaft up to the middle roof.  I removed the windows below, where the shaft would be.  I also added trap doors to each wing, one of which can be seen in the lower right corner of the picture.  Is that ok or should I try something different?

Everything is done with the BAT (unless there is something I should change), and I might render it tomorrow or maybe even tonight.

Hanson, I'd send you my work on 500 5th avenue to help your cause, but I hadn't done much work before I realized how difficult the entire building would be.  I might have deleted the file as well, but I don't remember.

There is also a sorta-big problem with Pearl Place.  You can see at the top of the building that there is a funny black shadow.  From other views it's a blue tint.  I've tried all the different lighting rigs in Gmax, but none of them solve the problem, so that's just the way it's going to be.  Unfortunatly there isn't anything I can do about it.

[bixel 1,223]

Nice textures..Jason have you made the leap to use 3DS max? If so you might want to consult Simfox about rendering the scene...you have a lot of white texturing there and his render of my TCC was excellent. It might solve the dark (roof entrance?) rectangle you have there.

[Jasoncw 11,840]

This was made with Gmax a while back and I'm just finishing it up now.  It doesn't seem like I can use Gmax models in 3dsmax.

[U3D 6]

in preview BAT renders i get that too, the shawdows aren't fully dark and somewhat uneven, it might be because Gmax reconizes light as it reflects of an imaginary surrounding enviroment, but this is just my theory. What does it look like from other angles?

[Jasoncw 11,840]

I think that the lighting rig is so simplistic, that the way that I've modeled it, light from the rig can't get to those points.  The area's affected are high, or in a mostly enclosed space.  I've heard of people having trouble with light wells, and that's almost what these wings are.

I'm planning on rendering it tomorrow at 2 PM, since that afternoon I won't be at my computer anyway.

[Hanson784 165]

Wow, thank you! Send the model if you have it, I'd be more than grateful to finish it up.

[T Wrecks 10,209]

Hey, that's a very nice idea with the elevator shaft, and it makes the building even more interesting! I had thought you'd rotate the roof entrance and texture it a bit differently, but the solution you chose is even better!

The trap doors for the smaller roof sections are fine, too. Ladders and stairs would look nice on a red brick building, but on this one, the trap doors are a good solution. Anything else wold have looked too fancy probably.

Great job!!

[jacqulina 162]

great idea

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Pearl Place has been sucsessfully rendered!

Off the top of my head, 211 W Fort will be the next to be finished, since all it needs is nitelites.  After that, One Woodward Avenue will probably be finished, since it needs nitelites and it's lobby needs to be reworked.

[JBSimio 152]

Three cheers for successful renders!!!  I really like the elevator shaft/trapdoor solution too... looks very nice.

With Woodward and Fort Street on the "Coming Soon" list, should I be dusting off the BSP Query stuff?

JB