The Portland & Oregon BAT Team, Chapter 1

[DuskTrooper 316]

You can also use your scroll wheel to scroll in and out, if you have one.

[jtportland 184]

ohyea! almost forgot about the scroll wheel, that works too

welcome to page 5!!!

[sparkythepenguin 90]

Thanks Jt! It looks a lot better than what my computer renders it...

So does anyone know how big to make mullions on all-glass faced buildings? Dusktrooper and Jt, you guys have some experience with this, any suggestions?The Fox has 2 different sizes and I would like to be able to have it look as realistic as possible.

Looks like however big I must make them, I'm going to have to back track and simplify some of the design. Blecccch!

[sparkythepenguin 90]

Ooops forgot, and this should be an edit... but its my thread and I don't care:

Thanks for those pics JT. The first pic was the last angle I really, really, really needed!

Also, the mullions on the Pioneer Park's Abercrombie windows would probably suit my needs well... I use a larger scale to construct my buildings, so its probably dumb to ask how big they are.

So, its official, the Fox Tower is now going to be quite a bit more slower as I rebuild most of what I have.

[jtportland 184]

cool sparky! i'm really glad thoes pics are helpful! too bad you'll have to re do the detail work, it would have looked real nice if simcity was more detailed i guess haha.

i rendered Pioneer Park, and i think it fits in real nice in city



...comeing soon to a STEX near you...

[sparkythepenguin 90]

Awesome JT! I've spent a lot of time in and around that building and it looks almost like the real thing!!!

BTW, did you get the KOIN section that I sent?

I'll have to try some things and get the Mulions just right. I'll run some stuff thru Rhino and see if it works. I may have to have you texture it, so be ready for that...

Oh, remember this?



I have all the Transit Mall stuff on a GMax file and all I need is to have it lit up, maybe textured. Do you still have the file? I can re-send it to you if need be...

[jtportland 184]

i don't still have that no, resend it, i can light it up!

and i did get the koin peice, i will start working on that tonite, or tomorrow... heh

[sparkythepenguin 90]

Awesome JT! Will send over on email... I think the files small enuf to send..

I went and worked on a preliminary revision of the Fox Tower walls. I hope this works better. I'm somewhat happy with it.

Here's a BAT screenshot compilation showing a chunk at all the zoom levels:



Any thoughts?

[Superstar 69]

looking good!! see your work is moving, page 5

[Alkaola 18]

great job guys , can't wait for more!

[jtportland 184]

sparky, that would look a lot better with half of thoes vertical window seps (the thicker ones) and also you should get rid of the small seperator near the top of the window. it's the horazontal seps that make the scratchy look, but the vert seps don't really. i think you should remove these cus there isn't enough window! and they really kill the stripe look that fox has.

[sparkythepenguin 90]

Hmmmmmmm... Well, you can see those thiner seperators close to the tower, the thicker ones are visible a little farther, say about PGE Park or the Kings Hill MAX station. Its an effect that I wanted to add to the tower, but probably won't fly. GMax is crap!

I've thought of increasing the height of the top part of the window (the blue quarter height windows above the main windows), as well as increasing the size of the main windows. I think I need to scale things up a little bit, since you must to make things look right with the SC4 angle. I'll try this and also a version without the dividers.

Perhaps the effect I am looking for may be textured in? If so, then I'm definetly going to need your help JT!

BTW, didja get the Portland Transit Mall pack?

[jtportland 184]

yea, too much detail (especially horizontal lines) can kill a bat in gmax lol, and about the vertical ones, you can keep the thick ones, or keep the thins one, but having both i think would be too much...

see how much detail you can see in this picture?



that is about how much detail you want to use for fox tower. the same goes for you sig pic too, the vert seps are hardly noticeable

also, i did get the transit mall suff, i have been busy today working on pioneer park to get it on the STEX, and i have finished it and posted it a few moments ago! yay... then i will light the transit mall stuff, and work on koin some more to.

[sparkythepenguin 90]

cool cool cool!

I guess you're right! That pic is almost at SC4's angle and would you say that looks like zoom 5? I'll just consider it fait acompli that there's not going to be any small dividers. I'll still make them individual windows so that they will light up randomly.

Just send the Transit Mall back to me and I'll run it thru Lot Editor and post it. I've decided to make the lots for it in a certain way, so the bus stations work in SC4 as they do in real life. Oh and do you know how to make lots with transit-enabled roads running through? Perhaps I'll save this idea for later in re: the Transit Mall.

[sparkythepenguin 90]

Crap, I've been trying and trying to get something that looks right. Not to mention something I can live with... Nothing seems to look good. I'm going to take a break form the Fox and try something else for a while. JT, if you want to try to tackle this one anew, go ahead. I'm completely burned out for now.

Perhaps its time to focus back on Waddle's...

[jtportland 184]

ok sparky, i will go ahead and give fox a try, since i don't have anything else to work on in bat anyways.

i finished lighting up all the transit stuff, i will render it now, since i'll be out and about for abit in town.

NOW, i have some good news and i have some bad news...lol
the bad news is that i axadently throughaway KOIN gmax scean
but the good news it i remembered to do the nightlighting on koin before i rendered it last, so i might getaway with it... haha or i'll have to do the texturing and base all over again

[sparkythepenguin 90]

Do ya need me to send the transition peice again? I can if you need...

Still KOIN looks awesome!!!!!! We've almost got it done! Its truely a building that belongs in SC4. You can't have Portland in there without KOIN! Other than the Fox, I can't think of a more signigant, eye-pleasing building.

I'll be off the comp for a bit here, then I may be up in St. Johns for the rest of the weekend.

Let me know!

Thanks for attempting the Fox. I'd work on it more, but I'm just so upset with GMax. I'm sure you'll do as good a job on it as I was planning...

[hogmeister 7]

The Koin is one of the most distinctive buildings around, and you look to have got all those roof angles spot on, cant wait to see it in game, excellent work guys.

[sparkythepenguin 90]

Thanks Hogmeister!

You don't know how cross-eyed I got putting together the bulk of the KOIN Center! Although hard to do themselves, the base and spire are pretty easy compared to getting the Q-bert pattern exactly right! But Jt's the one who expanded my work and made it absolutely perfect!

One can only imagine how many photo trips I had to make to the KOIN, how much graph paper was used, and how many just odd close-up pics I have of this building now!

It's been over a year in the making. From my original, pathetic preliminary model to Sim City is quite an accomplishment!

Thanks JT!

[jtportland 184]

thanks hogmeister! it was a chalange to get the spire just right... koin is a very weird building! not many brick skyscrapers out there! haha

sparky, it wasn't the transition piece that i deleted, it was the most recent and only gmax file i had of it. but i stil have the old file with just the tower and the spire, so i would have to redo the base, and textures and everything else that i spent a lot of time making. but i think what we have now looks great enough, it's not perfect, but the only difference would be the base balcony's but i can live without thoes haha

[sparkythepenguin 90]

OK, sounds like a plan...

I'm not going to fuss, since I think the KOIN's great. You know me... details, details, details... Unless someone's really really versed in Portland's buildings- that is they have windows counted, even the bricks in it counted!- There should be good ratings on STEX. I'm just always overconcious with these things.. If you couldn't all ready tell.

As for what's next on my part, I think I'm going to try to do a BAT all in GMax. I need a really simple, but signifigant building.

I'll keep on with Waddle's in Rhino. It looks OK whenever I've rendered it in BAT. I may also start working on some more TriMet stuff: Portland's transit stations and even the MAX trains and buses. Putting them in SC4 after I'm done is another thing.

[sparkythepenguin 90]

Just posted the Portland Transit Mall on the STEX! Enjoy!

Thanks JT! Couldn't have done it without ya! The night lights look awesone, just like they do in real life!

Good job!

TriMet in the house! Now to get the MAX, Vintage Trolley, and Portland Streetcar trains and stations into SC4! Come to think of it, there should be TriMet buses too...

[crazyarchitect 7]

my goodness, what a couple of busy bees, you guys are, very nice work, too bad on the KOIN center and the Fox tower, good luck with those and as always, can't wait to see more

[sparkythepenguin 90]

I've started on an easier building for my Getting a better feel for Gmax/BAT project. It's the Congress Center, formerly the Orbanco HQ building.

Its a quite a simple, black box hexagon. Now if I can only figure out how to make a lattice work, it may not take too long to make!

[jtportland 184]

no problem sparky! the tranit mall wasn't too hard to light up

and good luck on your bat building! i highly recamend you download the tutorial Random Windows by cerulean, the first part describles how to make a skyscraper, and it is most easiest way to do lattice, at least that's the way i always do it. haha, but yes, this tutorial should really halp ya:

Cerulean Tutorial

thanks crazy! we have been pretty busy it seems huh? finnly getting portland in simcity! hehe

[crazyarchitect 7]

That's for sure, with you two as a team, Portland seems to be getting closer to done

[sparkythepenguin 90]

Thanks Jt! I'm hoping that's a beter tutorial than ones I found out there so far.. I figured out how to do the lattice thing, hopefuly Cerulean knows an easier way! I love the Array tool! Sure makes things a lot easier.

Now, I'd have some progress to show y'all. Unfortuneately, GMax ate it when I tried to render it.

Here's a pic of the Congress Center. It's right in between the Transit Mall streets, and just a short walk from the Standard Insurance Center (I think there's a reflection of it in the picture).

[sparkythepenguin 90]

Well, well, well...

My forray into my making my 1st all-BAT created building has paid off! Most of the modeling is now done and I have the pics to show it!

Here's the Congress Center:



Thanks to Jt, I've got a good idea of how to make this building look as if it is reflecting the skyline, as it does very well at in real life. Still needs roof crap and work on the base area. CongCen doesn't really have an impressive base as it could have had. But that's typical of SOM projects in Portland.

So what do y'all think?

[Superstar 69]

looks great, though not fully textured, well that will be fixed I suppose

[jtportland 184]

looks great spraky! the base looks really good too.

if you need textures, like windows, roofs and such, let me know and i'll send some, i have lots of good ones!

also, not sure if you have this or not, but you should get it!



RLI Prop Pack

it's a pack with a whole buch of great props for GMAX, like doors and roof junks, also, the door is great for making sure your model is to scale, just merge the door to your building scean and make sure that the floors are about the right size, atleast this is how i do it, since im not good with #'s lol