How to make Street Side Props?

[simcityplayer15 33]

I've always been wondering how people made props for roads, streets, and avenues. For example, The Japanese Style Decoration Road Mod (This is one of my pics) and Porkie Props vol1&2. I'm wondering what software application is used to make those props for the roads. I thought The Lot Editor Tool was the software used, but Idk because it shows how to customize lots and stuff. If anyone know what software application is used to make these props for the roads and streets, please tell me because I wanted to create my own props for the roads and streets, etc. If anyone can tell me please and thank you because I've been looking and I can't find what software is used for making props.

[Magneto 316]

Pardon me if I sound pedantic here but to clear things out, props are various little objects that can be found in the game: lamp posts, garbage cans, vending machines, fences, trees, etc. To create props you need a 3D modeling program, such as 3DSmax or Gmax and then  the Building Architect Tool (BAT) to export the model into a file supported by the game.

 

However, it seems obvious this isn't what you're after. You want props to appear along streets and roads (or any other network), not create them (which is very different process). To have props along a network is referred as T21, or T21 exemplars (as it was labelled by the developers of SC4: a network lot).

 

To create T21s, you need 2 tools: the Lot Editor and the reader. The lot editor is mainly used to help you with prop placement, and everything else is done with reader. The LE is pretty straight forward to use, and everything that need to be done with reader to create T21s is far from being complicated,  it's essentially basic file manipulation (copy-pastes and a bit of editing). What is slightly trickier though is to understand how the T21 works in the game.

 

Fortunately there's a good article that explains how to create T21s on the omnibus: link. It has all the information needed to succesfully create your 1st T21 file. Once you get the hang of it, you realise it's nothing overly difficult (although some situations are tougher to handle but they are rare). Don't hesitate to read and re-read the tutorial several times; I had to do so many times before being able to assimilate everything and have a good grasp on what I was doing.

 

Should you have any questions about T21 modding, don't hesitate. If you wish, I can provide some T21 templates for you to get started.

 

Happy reading

[cmdp123789 710]

Wow Greg! You just keep scoring on this subjects!! People are crazy about their own T21s... it seems like its the real deal nowadays!!! 

[Yarahi 1,823]

Sorry for this little hijack..

 

I've been fiddling around with T21's myself, but one thing I can't seem to get the hang on;

How do you decide which side of the street/road a prop appears on? What property in reader do I need to edit?

[Magneto 316]

Although you obviously can control prop placement by tweaking the reps with reader, this is a tedious method. Reps 4, 5 & 6 are respectively for X, Y, Z axis.

 

A much easier and intuitive method is to use Lot Editor.

 

If you want to add a prop to a T21:

 

- start the LE, choose a 1x1 lot with invisible building (Pz 1x1 grass is my favourite for this task)

 

- add a road texture on it to mimic the network you wish to put the T21 on (use a street texture for street T21, etc.). Do not rotate the texture, it must be laid exactly as it appears in the LE (provided the texture is oriented the same way as it would be by the transit texture you want the T21 on- refer to Mandelsoft database or check for yourself in the simcity/NAM dats with your tool of choice). Personally I always directly use the textures from the database and change the GID to 0986135E so it appears under LE - this method is foolproof.

 

- refer to screenshot for prop placement. Red arrow points toward the imaginary road and show the direction. So if you want for example to put a signal on a RHD road, you would put it on your right when you're facing that imaginary road.

 

 

- save the lot when prop is placed and open it with reader

 

- find the LotConfigPropertyLotObjectData property and paste it in your T21. Reindex Lot Config and save.

 

 

To modify an existing T21:

 

- create a simple lot with LE

 

- open T21 with reader, select all the LotConfigPropertyLotObjectData properties there and paste them on the lot, then reidex lot config

 

- open the lot in the LE. From there you should now how to roll on things!

 

 

Exceptions

 

When transit textures are mirrored, the above method will only work on the non-mirrored texture. The mirrored texture will require an alternative prop placement, so you'll have to create 2 exemplars: one for non mirrored placement with property FlipsAllowed set to 0x01 and the other for mirrored placement, property Flips to 0x00. Luckily this not happen very often.

 

Hope that was clear enough

[Yarahi 1,823]

Thanks for the explanation Magneto I will try that when I get the time

[KonstantinII 1,106]

Do I have to make the test lot transit enable?