Show us What you're Working On

[tariely 4,499]

On 2021-06-09 at 5:02 AM, korver said:

Some views from Santiago - showcasing some of the new BATs, custom lots, terrain mods, and overall progress on the recreation I've made lately. More from my recent CJ update here.

 

(, but, ah, all those wonderful buildings we'll never get.... )

[Whte_rbt 1,431]

I know. Its enough to make me consider hacking into the dude's system.

[Buildings_Top 50]

10 hours ago, mattb325 said:

When I was asked for some height variations on apartments that I showed recently, it got me thinking about all of the folks who rely on batters for new content and how they are basically at the whim of those batters....and it prompted me to test something out, which didn't turn out too shabby.

Modular, D.I.Y. skyscrapers.

It's something that I don't believe has been done before.

I made 3 separate building pieces of a fictional, international style skyscraper: a 5-floor base, a 5-floor middle and a 5-floor top piece...all shown here in an expanded form in the lot editor.

From these three pieces, a user can assemble their own skyscraper: feasibly anywhere from 10 floors to 100+ floors. The height variation is achieved by stacking multiple middle sections together. So the above picture becomes these:

Now of course, because it uses just three pieces, one of which is repeated ad infinitum, there will be repetition and it isn't absolutely seamless - but do remember some of the misalignment you see in the pictures is due to the way SC4 chops up images and displays them and this phenomenon also happens on regular buildings -  but if people like this sort of thing, I can  translate it to other types of skyscrapers rather than the bland, ubiquitous, internationalist style box.....

What a wonderful idea!

[art128 4,622]

1 hour ago, tariely said:

(, but, ah, all those wonderful buildings we'll never get.... )

Almost every building in that picture are available.

[Rott 2,399]

More HD remasters almost ready... 

[Barroco Hispano 26,931]

Pinus pinea 

Icons

[matias93 7,535]

14 hours ago, mattb325 said:

When I was asked for some height variations on apartments that I showed recently, it got me thinking about all of the folks who rely on batters for new content and how they are basically at the whim of those batters....and it prompted me to test something out, which didn't turn out too shabby.

Modular, D.I.Y. skyscrapers.

It's something that I don't believe has been done before.

I made 3 separate building pieces of a fictional, international style skyscraper: a 5-floor base, a 5-floor middle and a 5-floor top piece...all shown here in an expanded form in the lot editor.

From these three pieces, a user can assemble their own skyscraper: feasibly anywhere from 10 floors to 100+ floors. The height variation is achieved by stacking multiple middle sections together. So the above picture becomes these:

 

Now of course, because it uses just three pieces, one of which is repeated ad infinitum, there will be repetition and it isn't absolutely seamless - but do remember some of the misalignment you see in the pictures is due to the way SC4 chops up images and displays them and this phenomenon also happens on regular buildings -  but if people like this sort of thing, I can  translate it to other types of skyscrapers rather than the bland, ubiquitous, internationalist style box.....

This is modernism at is finest! Modularity is one of the key principles of a design thought to be easily replicable everywhere.

Now, about the repetition patterns, I guess an option would be to make 2 or 3 middle modules with subtle variations and use them as prop families.

[mitsos 12,966]

17 minutes ago, Barroco Hispano said:

Pinus pinea 

Icons

Wow. Magnificent work

[matias93 7,535]

5 hours ago, tariely said:

(, but, ah, all those wonderful buildings we'll never get.... )

Several of those I can recognise from the STEX or the LEX. They match the city wonderfully, but aren't reproductions of the real buildings.

And I think I've said it before, but if you want to recreate South American cities in SimCity, Eastern European BATs are an almost perfect match.

[gutterclub 2,729]

14 hours ago, mattb325 said:

When I was asked for some height variations on apartments that I showed recently, it got me thinking about all of the folks who rely on batters for new content and how they are basically at the whim of those batters....and it prompted me to test something out, which didn't turn out too shabby.

Modular, D.I.Y. skyscrapers.

It's something that I don't believe has been done before.

I made 3 separate building pieces of a fictional, international style skyscraper: a 5-floor base, a 5-floor middle and a 5-floor top piece...all shown here in an expanded form in the lot editor.

From these three pieces, a user can assemble their own skyscraper: feasibly anywhere from 10 floors to 100+ floors. The height variation is achieved by stacking multiple middle sections together. So the above picture becomes these:

Now of course, because it uses just three pieces, one of which is repeated ad infinitum, there will be repetition and it isn't absolutely seamless - but do remember some of the misalignment you see in the pictures is due to the way SC4 chops up images and displays them and this phenomenon also happens on regular buildings -  but if people like this sort of thing, I can  translate it to other types of skyscrapers rather than the bland, ubiquitous, internationalist style box.....

What a great BAT but more importantly what an incredibly great idea that turned out so well!!! Thanks mate

[Whte_rbt 1,431]

3 hours ago, matias93 said:

Now, about the repetition patterns, I guess an option would be to make 2 or 3 middle modules with subtle variations and use them as prop families

Would this technique allow the creation of 'identical' buildings with differing nightlights?

[davide1983it 5,426]

It's 5x5 lot :-) i don't know if make  5x6 with a garden in front of Skyscraper

[Whte_rbt 1,431]

36 minutes ago, davide1983it said:

i don't know if make  5x6 with a garden in front of Skyscraper

Any chance of a version that is tight to the edges of the lot (4x4 maybe) just so it can fit in denser looking areas?

[davide1983it 5,426]

3 hours ago, Whte_rbt said:

Any chance of a version that is tight to the edges of the lot (4x4 maybe) just so it can fit in denser looking areas?

i will work for 4x4 ;.)

[Scaley McSlither 1,714]

I can't even help myself. Instead of working on diagonal plane lots, I came up with a Handley Page Victor; one of the V-Series of British bombers. Needs a little work still but I'm liking where it's going...

[reg 1,480]

We will soon be able to show you the full picture of our new city.

[Dreadnought 8,231]

22 hours ago, mattb325 said:

When I was asked for some height variations on apartments that I showed recently, it got me thinking about all of the folks who rely on batters for new content and how they are basically at the whim of those batters....and it prompted me to test something out, which didn't turn out too shabby.

Modular, D.I.Y. skyscrapers.

It's something that I don't believe has been done before.

I made 3 separate building pieces of a fictional, international style skyscraper: a 5-floor base, a 5-floor middle and a 5-floor top piece...all shown here in an expanded form in the lot editor.

From these three pieces, a user can assemble their own skyscraper: feasibly anywhere from 10 floors to 100+ floors. The height variation is achieved by stacking multiple middle sections together. So the above picture becomes these:

Now of course, because it uses just three pieces, one of which is repeated ad infinitum, there will be repetition and it isn't absolutely seamless - but do remember some of the misalignment you see in the pictures is due to the way SC4 chops up images and displays them and this phenomenon also happens on regular buildings -  but if people like this sort of thing, I can  translate it to other types of skyscrapers rather than the bland, ubiquitous, internationalist style box.....

O.M.G !!!

It appears that "blizzards" bring on "brain-storms" !! 

Is there NO distortion when the map is rotated ??? 

I've had some problems with "stacked" props and "elevated" props -- they tend to move around when the lot image is rotated in EDITOR.

What did you do RIGHT -- that I have been doing WRONG?

But I agree -- it is a stroke of genius!

[ohdude 2,353]

On 10/6/2021 at 9:12 AM, mattb325 said:

When I was asked for some height variations on apartments that I showed recently, it got me thinking about all of the folks who rely on batters for new content and how they are basically at the whim of those batters....and it prompted me to test something out, which didn't turn out too shabby.

Modular, D.I.Y. skyscrapers.

It's something that I don't believe has been done before.

I made 3 separate building pieces of a fictional, international style skyscraper: a 5-floor base, a 5-floor middle and a 5-floor top piece...all shown here in an expanded form in the lot editor.

From these three pieces, a user can assemble their own skyscraper: feasibly anywhere from 10 floors to 100+ floors. The height variation is achieved by stacking multiple middle sections together. So the above picture becomes these:

Now of course, because it uses just three pieces, one of which is repeated ad infinitum, there will be repetition and it isn't absolutely seamless - but do remember some of the misalignment you see in the pictures is due to the way SC4 chops up images and displays them and this phenomenon also happens on regular buildings -  but if people like this sort of thing, I can  translate it to other types of skyscrapers rather than the bland, ubiquitous, internationalist style box.....

 

 

The Beijing National Stadium was made following the idea that @mattb325 is exposing. To me is a great idea... at the end everything is just an illusion isn't it?

Look

[BartonThinks 3,416]

8 hours ago, Dreadnought said:

I've had some problems with "stacked" props and "elevated" props -- they tend to move around when the lot image is rotated in EDITOR.

I'd guess this has something to do with how the prop is rendered in relation to its LODs? I know this was an issue that I ran into a bunch when I started lotting and I thought I could place props on the roofs of buildings. I would try to put the prop on top of a building's roof, and I'd get it lined up perfectly from one angle in the editor. Then I would rotate the lot and find my prop was in a completely different spot than I had originally thought. The reason was usually that the LOD of the building made it impossible to actually stack a prop on top of the building, so I'd end up moving the prop around until it looked right in whatever view I was working in, but whatever solution I came up with would always be a trick of the eye that only worked from one orientation.

---

Finished all of the slope-friendly versions of the bungalow lots with HD textures and props. For flat terrain and minor slopes, there will be eight 1x2 lots, four 1x1 lots, and four 3x2 lots. For slopes, there will be four 1x2 lots, four 1x1 lots, and two 3x2 lots.

Here's how one of the 3x2 lots looks in Zoom 6. Having multiple yards on each of these lots really helps with the variety, even when the same lot grows next to itself or in clusters (as happened here).

And here's a Zoom 4 shot of the city where I tested the slope-friendly lots, with a mix of 1x2 and 3x2 lots. (Note: the front steps on a few of the lots toward the bottom half of the image are... uh... not up to code.)

[Dreadnought 8,231]

@BartonThinks

Yo, guy --

I came to the same conclusion about the LOD's and realized some props would work even with the "dancing effect".  I just have to reject the situations where it does not work.  And I had a sneaking suspicion that Matt's method of rendering had made it possible.

But, I DO appreciate the logical explanation.  It's nice to hear it from someone with a higher skill level than mine!

[mitsos 12,966]

Penthesili Hills, north suburbs

[Girafe 1,729]

On 08/06/2021 at 12:14 AM, BartonThinks said:

I would be very, very happy if he @Girafe could export each fence divided into 4m lengths (or even 8m).

I have added 4m versions of the fences into this pack: https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3192

But I am doubtful about their quality as they are so small and will disappear in most of the zooms. Redundancy could be high too.

[BartonThinks 3,416]

7 hours ago, Girafe said:

I have added 4m versions of the fences into this pack: https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3192

But I am doubtful about their quality as they are so small and will disappear in most of the zooms. Redundancy could be high too.

That is very kind of you, and I look forward to testing them out!

Edit: Hey @Girafe, I can safely say that the 4m fences look great! They're perfect for filling in small areas or extending the length of the original fences, and they look fantastic in-game!

The redundancies aren't especially noticeable outside of the tin fence. In any case, I'm planning to reserve these fences for small areas and/or lots that only grow on slopes, where the repetition will be less noticeable. I didn't have any issues viewing the props in different zooms (with one exception).

There were two very minor issues that I noticed, but I'm not sure they're anything actually worth worrying about...

• The occupancy size for "Grfe_wood_fence_B_4m_2" has a depth of 0.6 (compared to 0.1 on most of the other fences), so it needs a bit of finessing in the lot editor to get it lined up with the original fence prop or the edge of a lot.
• There's a new style of fence with angled slats ("Grfe_wood_fence_D_4m_1"), which I like quite a bit. However, in one rotation, the angled slats are aligned almost perfectly with the viewing angle, which makes the slats appear very thin. This makes them somewhat indistinct in some situations (e.g., if there isn't enough contrast between the slats and whatever is behind them) and certain zoom levels (the slats look almost non-existent in Zoom 4). I took a couple screenshots to demonstrate, if it helps at all. This fence looks more like a $$ or $$$ fence to my eyes, so I wasn't planning on using it for this set of lots.

In any case, they're minor issues. I'm a big fan of the new fences, and I'm very grateful you took the time to include them. The dependency list for the HD lots just got a little bit longer.

[bladeberkman 720]

On 6/10/2021 at 2:12 AM, mattb325 said:

When I was asked for some height variations on apartments that I showed recently, it got me thinking about all of the folks who rely on batters for new content and how they are basically at the whim of those batters....and it prompted me to test something out, which didn't turn out too shabby.

Modular, D.I.Y. skyscrapers.

It's something that I don't believe has been done before.

I made 3 separate building pieces of a fictional, international style skyscraper: a 5-floor base, a 5-floor middle and a 5-floor top piece...all shown here in an expanded form in the lot editor.

From these three pieces, a user can assemble their own skyscraper: feasibly anywhere from 10 floors to 100+ floors. The height variation is achieved by stacking multiple middle sections together. So the above picture becomes these:

Now of course, because it uses just three pieces, one of which is repeated ad infinitum, there will be repetition and it isn't absolutely seamless - but do remember some of the misalignment you see in the pictures is due to the way SC4 chops up images and displays them and this phenomenon also happens on regular buildings -  but if people like this sort of thing, I can  translate it to other types of skyscrapers rather than the bland, ubiquitous, internationalist style box.....

Brilliant! 

[SIM-ple Jack 17,450]

[BartonThinks 3,416]

16 hours ago, Dreadnought said:

@BartonThinks

Yo, guy --

I came to the same conclusion about the LOD's and realized some props would work even with the "dancing effect".  I just have to reject the situations where it does not work.  And I had a sneaking suspicion that Matt's method of rendering had made it possible.

But, I DO appreciate the logical explanation.  It's nice to hear it from someone with a higher skill level than mine!

I think the main thing is that the top of Matt's props are rendered so that the top is completely flush (or as near as possible to completely flush) with the LOD/wireframe. In any case, I'm almost certain it's a case of what Matt's doing right when creating the BAT as opposed to anything you're doing wrong in the lot editor.

(Also, lol at the higher skill level, but thank you for that bit of flattery!)

---

Edit: Went back and made some final updates to the HD lots with Girafe's new fence props. The HD set of lots should be finished.

Below are couple screenshots of the new SD 1x2 lots, which now include both non-slope and slope-friendly variants. I've switched over to using C.P.'s fence props for many of the lots, since they are more slope-friendly than the Maxis fences.

[Girafe 1,729]

12 hours ago, BartonThinks said:

That is very kind of you, and I look forward to testing them out!

Edit: Hey @Girafe, I can safely say that the 4m fences look great! They're perfect for filling in small areas or extending the length of the original fences, and they look fantastic in-game!

The redundancies aren't especially noticeable outside of the tin fence. In any case, I'm planning to reserve these fences for small areas and/or lots that only grow on slopes, where the repetition will be less noticeable. I didn't have any issues viewing the props in different zooms (with one exception).

There were two very minor issues that I noticed, but I'm not sure they're anything actually worth worrying about...

• The occupancy size for "Grfe_wood_fence_B_4m_2" has a depth of 0.6 (compared to 0.1 on most of the other fences), so it needs a bit of finessing in the lot editor to get it lined up with the original fence prop or the edge of a lot.
• There's a new style of fence with angled slats ("Grfe_wood_fence_D_4m_1"), which I like quite a bit. However, in one rotation, the angled slats are aligned almost perfectly with the viewing angle, which makes the slats appear very thin. This makes them somewhat indistinct in some situations (e.g., if there isn't enough contrast between the slats and whatever is behind them) and certain zoom levels (the slats look almost non-existent in Zoom 4). I took a couple screenshots to demonstrate, if it helps at all. This fence looks more like a $$ or $$$ fence to my eyes, so I wasn't planning on using it for this set of lots.

In any case, they're minor issues. I'm a big fan of the new fences, and I'm very grateful you took the time to include them. The dependency list for the HD lots just got a little bit longer.

Thanks for the feedback.

Fence B LODs were not tight compared to others, it's fixed now. Regarding fence D, it's much trickier and the issue is related to the design and rendered angle of the slats as you said.

[AP 3,591]

I went through the effort to relot some beach props because I wasn't quite satisfied with the ones available. Would anybody be interested in me sharing them?

It is basically a mix of the Nams Props Pack Vol 2 and the LBT Tropical Beach Props combined with some other old content, so no credit goes to me

[monkeywater 910]

New tree controller

[korver 27,686]