Chicago BAT Project

[Vlasky 1,803]

OMG!!! :O This has got to be the biggest greatest surprise on this site recently! Such great detailed modeling, and such amazing choice of the building! I wish you keep progressing as much as you have already and keep up the tempo! I did already asay all this, but I just can't seem to find more words. Lemme go back to staring at renderings

[Toothless Stitch 2,901]

As darn has already said in the first post I have also started with my first BAT from Chicago.

It's Marchandise Mart :

So I can do my bit, I also start with sharing my newest previews. Inho, I think that it is a bit too soon to share my progress with the guys, but darn brought me around so here it is

What you see is a HD Render because it is hard to see anything in a SD render. And I know about the lines of the columns. I don't know why 3ds Max isn't showing all of them accurately. I have done my best to make it look as detailed as possible. Unfortunately I'm not making as fast progress as darn, but I hope this is enough to begin with.

  Edited June 29, 2012 by skyscraper241  

[Ion_Cannon 677]

It's a nice building, but I'm not sure if you were aware but it's been done before. https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=2274

[darn42 1,268]

holy crap Never knew that. Thanks ion. I guess you'll have to do something else sky :s Kinda sad. Glad we figured this out early though.

[PBGV103 729]

It may have been done before, but knowing it was made in gmax and you're using 3ds max, there's a vast number of ways it could be improved upon. In fact, I know of a few people who only use 3ds max made buildings in their cities because the difference in quality has become so noticeable.

[Toothless Stitch 2,901]

:|

[PBGV103 729]

For the issue with details of the columns being blurred together try turning up your samples per pixel and your final gather precision presets.

[harishna 847]

PBGV103 increasing the samples per pixel and final gather precision presents won't increase significantly the rendering times? I think that on a SD render those details would be almost unnoticeable and too small to be resolved accurately from top of my head I remember that things smaller than 5 cm don't render properly so it may be better to just oversimplify them a bit.

  Edited June 29, 2012 by harishna  

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Try modeling the columns a few different times, each time changing the size/number of lines. Bigger lines will show up more clearly. Then do a preview render with all of them in a row and decide which one is the best.

[PBGV103 729]

Bigger anything will of course show up more clearly, and of course render time will increase some when you turn up the quality. But if your goal is to make an accurate model first, and worry about everything else second, then the best option is to turn up the quality of the render. With more samples per pixel to average from your renders will have less of those type of errors. That is why in the last preview you showed some of the column lines showed up correctly while others seemed to disappear.

[darn42 1,268]

Btw guys, I just released a pretty advanced tutorial for spline cage modeling on omnibus, once it gets approved, and on my tutorial thread.

[paulvmontfort 616]

@ Skyscraper: I know you prefer to do use polygon modelling but I suggest to use a new base object for every part of the building that requires a different material, like the windows for instance. It would save you a lot of time later on when you start texturing

[Toothless Stitch 2,901]

@ Skyscraper: I know you prefer to do use polygon modelling but I suggest to use a new base object for every part of the building that requires a different material, like the windows for instance. It would save you a lot of time later on when you start texturing

@ Skyscraper: I know you prefer to do use polygon modelling but I suggest to use a new base object for every part of the building that requires a different material, like the windows for instance. It would save you a lot of time later on when you start texturing

Well, after my last BAT was made by using poly modelling I made everthing you can see by using one obejt per texture. Everthing that doesn't belong to the same texture but is made out of the same object was detached.

[darn42 1,268]

Now that I'm done with the tutorials for now, I'm going to work on tribune again. I fixed those minor modeling errors harishna pointed out.

Now I'm going to finish up the base, hopefully finish that today, and start work on texturing.

[T Wrecks 10,209]

Yeah, you've teased us with that sexy clay model long enough. Now I can't wait to see how this beauty will look once it has some textures on it!

[Girafe 1,729]

Indeed modeling is impressive but texturing will be a real challenge!

  Edited June 30, 2012 by Girafe  

[Toothless Stitch 2,901]

Modelling si great. But I'm wondering the whole time what the blue thing is?

[darn42 1,268]

woops. That's what I used to model the unseeable satellite dish thing at the top. I basically modelled that and gave it a bunch of subdivision then got the shape from that and gave the splines geometry. unfortunately, it was pointless as I can't see it.

[Sgt Pepper 864]

The Merchandise Mart has actually been done before by Simgoober, but as always multiple versions of buildings are welcome. Like there are multiple versions of the Sears Tower, the Seagram Building, and a few others if I'm not mistaken.

That Tribune Tower is proving to be such a beauty. I think the famous Quingley Insurance building from SC3000 was based upon that structure.

[darn42 1,268]

Looks like it would be based upon the first runner up. The building just across the river from wrigley and tribune was also based on the runner up to tribune tower. It's a neat design.

[Sgt Pepper 864]

Ah that sounds about right. I think the Kong Tower or Gold Tower, I think that was the names, from the same game were based upon previous designs for the Chrysler Building. Interesting where Maxis gets its ideas from.

As I've said or implied, you've done the Tribune Tower great justice with such recreation. Those details are fine. And as T Wrecks said, time to quit teasing us with the clay and texture it!

[darn42 1,268]

I heard you like clay

Anyways, I believe my modeling is done so I am free to start texturing. Any last tips before I start?

Here's a perspective of what I've done today.

[Aaron Graham 4,417]

As darn has already said in the first post I have also started with my first BAT from Chicago.

It's Marchandise Mart :

So I can do my bit, I also start with sharing my newest previews. Inho, I think that it is a bit too soon to share my progress with the guys, but darn brought me around so here it is

What you see is a HD Render because it is hard to see anything in a SD render. And I know about the lines of the columns. I don't know why 3ds Max isn't showing all of them accurately. I have done my best to make it look as detailed as possible. Unfortunately I'm not making as fast progress as darn, but I hope this is enough to begin with.

Do you really want to model this building, a Sim City 4 legend already made it.

https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=2274

[Chris M 406]

Fantastic progress, darn42.

As darn has already said in the first post I have also started with my first BAT from Chicago.

It's Marchandise Mart :

So I can do my bit, I also start with sharing my newest previews. Inho, I think that it is a bit too soon to share my progress with the guys, but darn brought me around so here it is

What you see is a HD Render because it is hard to see anything in a SD render. And I know about the lines of the columns. I don't know why 3ds Max isn't showing all of them accurately. I have done my best to make it look as detailed as possible. Unfortunately I'm not making as fast progress as darn, but I hope this is enough to begin with.

Do you really want to model this building, a Sim City 4 legend already made it.

http://sc4devotion.c...php?lotGET=2274

I would strongly encourage you to continue the Merchandise Mart project, skyscraper241. SimGoober's version is good but you could do a much better version with 3ds Max.

  Edited July 1, 2012 by DragonAnime  

[IDS2 3,346]

I think if you want to do Merchandise Mart, you should definitely go for it. I've always been somewhat disappointed with the Simgoober version. It's a decent model, but it certainly leaves a lot to be desired, especially with the night view.

That Tribune Tower is freakin godly, man. Saying the model is amazing would be a massive understatement. I'm excited to see the textures. I'm just wondering about the blue spots - am I seeing the sky through the facade here?

[zahrul3 471]

Fantastic progress, darn42.

As darn has already said in the first post I have also started with my first BAT from Chicago.

It's Marchandise Mart :

So I can do my bit, I also start with sharing my newest previews. Inho, I think that it is a bit too soon to share my progress with the guys, but darn brought me around so here it is

What you see is a HD Render because it is hard to see anything in a SD render. And I know about the lines of the columns. I don't know why 3ds Max isn't showing all of them accurately. I have done my best to make it look as detailed as possible. Unfortunately I'm not making as fast progress as darn, but I hope this is enough to begin with.

Do you really want to model this building, a Sim City 4 legend already made it.

http://sc4devotion.c...php?lotGET=2274

I would strongly encourage you to continue the Merchandise Mart project, skyscraper241. SimGoober's version is good but you could do a much better version with 3ds Max.

As someone who has handled CJs beside BAT, I'd prefer SG's version anytime, as HD buildings are heavy on computers and don't look right in CJs that I've visited. HD is best suited for small props that look grainy in zoom 5, where their load on the graphics is quite acceptable.

EDIT: Use Scanline, or use SD. You can look at churches BATted with gmax and they still have details.

  Edited July 1, 2012 by zahrul3  

[darn42 1,268]

IDS2: I already fixed that, dw. Some normals got flipped somehow and stuff. I've started texturing today, and I think it turned out better than I expected, but I really am not nearly happy with the textures yet.

Zahrul: As for me, the whole point of BATing is because I enjoy making detailed buildings and I want to improve my modeling, there's no way to do that if I limit what I do by making the quality lower.

(edit: posted link instead of image)

Some very preliminary texturework. I basically just took a brick texture I liked, edited color, tiled it to 5000x10000 pixels and added some variation for the walls btw. Pleasepleaseplease comment and give me some advice on texturing. It's the main thing I I am bad at.

  Edited July 1, 2012 by darn42  

[Amthaak 1,501]

Which materials do you use for the windows? It seems you have an odd green reflection at the upper part of the bdg.

BTW, fantastic batting work! But ("unfortunatly") , you have to reach the same quality level for the textures...!

[darn42 1,268]

I just used an arch and design glass and turned down transparency a little. I mostly worked on the brick today, though. A lot of parts to texture and UVW map

The green place you are talking about isn't a window, it's some weird grate thing that goes through to the inside, so it's all dark. I haven't changed it's texture from the basic standard color I used to identify which parts are what.

I think I'm going to add some blinds and such into the windows eventually also.

[Francis90b 748]

I'm really impressed by your work !

However, i can't help but feeling there are some things that might need some attention:

1)

Stonework above the central section of the tower, between the octagonal pillars - i can't help but feeling that what's in this pic is a bit different than what you have now - also notice the corner of the building - the pillar dividing the group of windows go up and divide the stonework as well, they don't end as the floors end like in your model.

2)

Rectangular section - top windows:

The design of the stonework inside the bigger arches (those that span two wondows, in the center of the pic) above the windows seem different in your model than it is in reality.

3)Spandrels

Look at my first pic for reference.In your model spandrels have a deep hole in them, while window are at the same level with the spandrels.

In real life the spandrels are flat (BTW, you might want to use a texture rather than modelling to represent detailing over them), and windows are placed slightly deeper than spandrels inside the facade.

I am aware that there might have been motivations for all your modelling choices, but i honestly think that it would be better if those three things could be re-considered.

  Edited July 1, 2012 by Francis90b