Mushy's Random BATs

[JP Schriefer 5,590]

Looking nice!

Is it hard to make these trucks as mmps?

[MushyMushy 3,617]

I'm not really sure. Simcoug offered to do it and I assume that's still going to happen eventually, so you could ask him. I really have no idea what goes into mmp making! 

[MushyMushy 3,617]

Quickie update here... well, quick to look at... it actually took a while to make this puppy.

This time I took the liberty to do some mild deviations from the original truck. Here comes some fun facts (that I got of the internet)! Firstly, the real life ones are called "Super 18" dump trucks because they have 18 wheels. Mine has 16. The real life ones have a "stinger" on the back that lowers an extra axle with single tires on it behind the bed. This makes the truck about 15 feet longer and helps carry more weight... but it doesn't actually need the "stinger" or the triple drop axles. The base 3 are fine. Why does it have them? Apparently in Arizona, the state where I first saw these (and that inspired me to make them), which is also the state these were originally designed for IRL, is one of a few states that has a special law regarding weight distribution across the length and axles of the truck. Shorter trucks with 3 or 4 axles would be limited by state law to a capacity much lower than they are capable of. So several truck companies created models like this that basically get around the law by shoving as many axles as possible onto the rig and then making it longer by putting the "stinger" on it. So IRL these trucks are basically a workaround for a law.

Back to the differences. Aside from the removal of the stinger (I think they look incredibly stupid so I didn't do it), I also made the base model the T800W, when in reality its supposed to just be a T800. I figured the beefier model would look better for such a huge machine. I also made the bed slightly longer than it is in real life to make it look like the drop axles are actually needed (because in real life the thing looks quite comical). Also, same as with the 359 dump truck, if you look close enough you can see that the axles are raised on the empty variant.

---

So I'm looking into various things to stick on the flatbed trailers aside from the usual fare. Mostly I'm brainstorming for construction/industrial vehicles right now (those vehicles will eventually be released as a set, too). As of right now, I've thought of:

• Bulldozer
• Excavator
• Front End Loader
• Parts for a Grader
• Parts for a Giant Dump Truck

Anyone have anything to add?

  Edited August 26, 2015 by MushyMushy  

[T Wrecks 10,209]

How about a large generator / transformer the like of which you'd see at a power plant or substation? Or a turbine? Closer to your topic of construction vehicles, a crusher also comes to mind.

Oh, and I just looked up those "Super 18" trucks - you're totally right, they look absolutely ridiculous, especially with that stinger!

[Belfastsocrates 1,753]

Generator is great idea T Wrecks!

What about tower crane parts or a truck crane? 

[JP Schriefer 5,590]

Impressive models!

[SimCoug 5,972]

I'm not really sure. Simcoug offered to do it and I assume that's still going to happen eventually, so you could ask him. I really have no idea what goes into mmp making! 

Not to worry, it is still on my to-do list

Also, with the flat bed list, this sounds like it will be a great heavy machinery set!!  

[Aaron Graham 4,417]

Looks great.

[MushyMushy 3,617]

All of those are great ideas. I'll probably do all of those except a truck crane... I was actually going to make a full set out of models like that later on!

I decided to start with the giant dump truck. Really, the first step is to make the original model that will be a set at some point. Then for this flatbed cargo set, I'll just take it apart and put it on trailers. I decided to go with the CAT 797F, it isn't the largest haul truck, but it's probably in the top 5. It can apparently carry 400 tons of stuff in the back and still hit a top speed of 40 mph. This will be the most detailed model I've done yet, due to the tires and the overall size. A single tire alone weighs about 50,000 polys due to the treads, and there are 6 of them. With the addition of the small amount of work I've done on the front section, the model currently has about 315,000 polys... my computer is not a fan.

Keep in mind that aside from the tires, this is all very rough. I'm still working out the scale of the grille. Once I do textures, expect them to be exceedingly filthy. I may actually go for two different schemes, with one that's more "dirty" and one that's pretty much been turned grey and black with coal dust. I'm not completely decided on what types of cargo to include for it, but coal and dirt (which would be useful for gold, silver, rare earths, etc mines where most of what is unearthed is not the target substance) are definitely going to be included.

Here's what the front end of one looks like in real life:

I've got my work cut out for me...

[nos.17 5,120]

A single tire alone weighs about 50,000 polys due to the treads, and there are 6 of them. With the addition of the small amount of work I've done on the front section, the model currently has about 315,000 polys... my computer is not a fan.

Sooo, maybe I'm mistaken (I have no expertise on this), but since this will be used for an SC4 Prop, do you really need all of the polys? Especially in the treads? I get that you want to make HD props, but 315k (in my opinion) seems like overkill especially for a model that looks only half done.

[MushyMushy 3,617]

A single tire alone weighs about 50,000 polys due to the treads, and there are 6 of them. With the addition of the small amount of work I've done on the front section, the model currently has about 315,000 polys... my computer is not a fan.

Sooo, maybe I'm mistaken (I have no expertise on this), but since this will be used for an SC4 Prop, do you really need all of the polys? Especially in the treads? I get that you want to make HD props, but 315k (in my opinion) seems like overkill especially for a model that looks only half done.

I see what you mean, though it's mostly due to the size of the tires. If they were smaller I'd be more inclined to simply texture it, but since they're so enormous I figured it would appear too flat if they weren't modeled. The poly count is of course driven up greatly since the tubes that make the tires and rims, as well as the wedges that make up the treads, have to have a lot of "sides" to appear truly rounded since it's so large.

  Edited September 1, 2015 by MushyMushy  

[SimCoug 5,972]

Sweet!  

[Hotwheeler 409]

Wow,love your newest Trucks.And you are right,those lifted Stingers really look ridiciulus.It looks like they found a Spare Axle with Wheels somewhere on the Highway and thought "hey,why not taking this lost Axle Home,just throw it on the Dumper of the Truck...

And the huge CAT Dump Truck...wow,i`m eager to see what you will come up with.I love how you put so much Work into Details like....Tire Treads?

 

[airman15 4,111]

These would go perfect with Somy's Bucket Excavator!

[JP Schriefer 5,590]

That's nice! Remember me a vehicle collection (https://i.imgur.com/SJboIPk.jpg) in which that were some construction trucks and tractors. That was from my father, later to my old brother and then to me (oh my God I need to have kids to give them).

  Edited September 4, 2015 by JP Schriefer  

[MushyMushy 3,617]

These would go perfect with Somy's Bucket Excavator!

Incoming nerdiness!  I've used Somy's bucket wheel excavator before, and it actually appears to be the Krupp Bagger 288, which like a decent number of BWEs, doesn't actually load haul trucks like the 797f!  The Bagger 288 in particular actually has a complex conveyor belt system that is built into the back of it and strung out for miles that carts the surface material to a nearby train line, which then takes it directly to a coal power plant nearby.

The giant dump truck that I'm making will probably require me to make some loader and excavator props like these:

The CAT 7495 in the second picture is actually sitting next to the exact model of haul truck I'm modeling (797f), so one can easily get the idea of how massive the excavator is.

I've made some reasonable progress on the front section of the truck, but not enough for me to feel like screenshotting it or making a test render.

---

So I've spent about 2 hours exporting those blasted 53 foot trucks. I got about 40 more exported and have another 40 more before I'm done. After that, I have about ~130 props to mod and then it'll be ready for release (the standalone 53 foot trailers were exported and modded a while ago, if you remember). Speaking of the standalone trailers, they were accidentally included in my 40ft trailer pack that I released a while ago. I haven't seen anybody use the stuff yet so I don't know if anybody noticed it, but I fixed it and released an updated pack without those 53ft trailers included. While I'm sure those of you who already downloaded it would like to keep the 53ft trailers, just remember that the issue is there since it'll cause a ~3MB redundancy when the 53ft pack is officially released. One can get the fixed download here: https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/30733-hd-north-american-40ft-semi-trailers-vol1/

---

Once I get through some more of this stuff, I'll move back to the EU truck series! In other news, I'm considering doing something that would likely be a first: a full-fledged truck pack (like the NA and EU ones) for Japan. Really, it's not going to be terribly hard once I'm done with the EU set since the trailers are fairly similar. I'd need to simply model some new cabs and do some tweaks to the trailer models. The straight trucks for Japan are really no biggie since many of those models (at least some of the variations) also run in the EU and in NA (particularly Isuzu and Mitsubishi ones in NA). I mostly have an interest in doing this for my own sake since I've been wanting to make an Asian-themed CJ for quite a while, but I'm sure there are some other people who could use such a thing.

---

So that general dump truck set I was making earlier (with the 359 and the T800W)... here's a few more models I intend to add before calling it done:

A semi truck with an end-dump trailer:

A regular T800 dump truck:

An old Ford 9000 version (this will be a totally new cab model, and it will likely appear later on several other straight trucks):

  Edited September 7, 2015 by MushyMushy  

[philforhockey51 4,211]

Really Great work Mushy! Reading through the thread you see many of the top artists in the game appreciate your work. 

 

[MushyMushy 3,617]

The 53ft semi truck set has officially gone live!

Happy trucking!

[Belfastsocrates 1,753]

Congrats on the newest upload!

[JP Schriefer 5,590]

Looks very good!
I've plans to do a big gas station soon, probably your trucks will be there in the final product

[MushyMushy 3,617]

Thanks for the comments!

So Labor Day was obviously intended for modeling trucks, right?...

Here's that Ford 9000 (I used a 1980's - early 1990's model):

---

Aaaand I finished all of the base models for the dump truck series:

(click for full size)

Just add the T800W and the 359 from page 3 of my thread and that's the set!

All of them will have a color variation or two and all of them except the end dump trailer w/o a cab will also have a loaded variant with dirt and one with gravel (people don't usually load them if they don't have a cab!). All in all it'll be a very large set (almost as big as the 53ft truck set), but it won't be as bad as the other sets because these props are a good bit smaller so they'll render much faster. The painfully long render times were why the 53ft set took forever to finish!

  Edited September 8, 2015 by MushyMushy  

[airman15 4,111]

Yay! More trailers! More trucks! It makes me happy!

Have you considered making some fictional trucks/trailers, like some movie based ones (anyone remember this guy from Maximum Overdrive?) or some joke trailers like those you'd expect for Wacky Packages? Similar to the lighthearted jokes in Paeng and Pegasus props.

Not really a request, just more out of curiosity. The only request I would have is to either have an Airborne Express or a Matheson set of trucks.

[SimCoug 5,972]

Mmmmm... I can smell the diesel from here

[MushyMushy 3,617]

So I took a break from the dump trucks (since it's a large set) and worked on those Sprinter vans! Remember them?

This set will be done soon. I'm going to add a few more liveries for each and call it finished. I'll get around to the Vito van later since it'll take a while to model.

I'm not entirely sold on the DHL yellow paint for the van body (not the box frame, I think that texture is fine)... it crosses me as too bright in some ways. At the same time though, it is glossy paint on the vans in real life so I'm not sure. Thoughts?

[airman15 4,111]

I'm not too fond of DHL's colors either. It looks like if McDonalds secretly runs a cargo company but in Germany and with flipped colors to avoid suspicion..

[T Wrecks 10,209]

Yes, the DHL truck body (not the load box) is a tad too bright and saturated. Toning that down to values similar to the load box should help.

[Belfastsocrates 1,753]

Exciting! They look great

I agree with the others regarding the DHL colouring but aside from that they look very good.

[MushyMushy 3,617]

Yay! More trailers! More trucks! It makes me happy!

Have you considered making some fictional trucks/trailers, like some movie based ones (anyone remember this guy from Maximum Overdrive?) or some joke trailers like those you'd expect for Wacky Packages? Similar to the lighthearted jokes in Paeng and Pegasus props.

Not really a request, just more out of curiosity. The only request I would have is to either have an Airborne Express or a Matheson set of trucks.

Forgot to reply to this earlier.

I do plan to make more sets of trailers at some point, and those 2 RL companies at the bottom would be no sweat. I'd never known what Wacky Packages were till I looked them up (I'd hear of them though), and those would be pretty fun trucks to make. I'll probably do that!

---

So I altered the DHL texture slightly. The south render (where the front is facing the camera) still hits me as a tad bright, but I tried going darker and with less saturation and at that point the paint started to look dingy. I suppose it's fine if it's bright at that one angle since it's basically facing directly into the light source due to the angle on the front of the van. Other than that, I made a few other texture variants for the vans. I might make one or two more and call it finished. It'll be a somewhat small set.

Later on I might revisit the Sprinter for other uses, seeing as it is popular as a bus, flatbed, pickup, police, and utility vehicle. Since all of those would require fairly major modifications to the model and are really quite different vehicles overall, I decided to split the them up (much like I split the semi truck box trailers from the flatbed ones).

I may also fire up 3DSmax in the next few days and play around with some textures (which is honestly the main reason I half-gave up on it... that texturing system is complex ). If I am happy with the results, maybe I'll make a post about it. Now I just need to go read Jasoncw's thread for all dem tutorials on reflections and plants and sunken BATs and such...

  Edited September 15, 2015 by MushyMushy  

[Ceafus 88 1,794]

Haha I remember making Automata with some of these companies! Amazing work in here!

[MushyMushy 3,617]

As I said, I'd boot up 3DS. Since I'm a brutally impatient person who likes results right away, I went with something really basic.

As I've said before, I've been wanting to make an Asian CJ, so I went with a pretty blandly designed apartment building from Japan. I was stumbling around on Google Earth looking for something to model since I knew I didn't want to make a house (too complex) or anything tall or sprawling. Eventually I ended up in Yokohama (横浜市), Kanagawa Prefecture. I saw the green roofs of this complex and was pretty sure I had found what I was looking for, since from most of the Japanese CJs I've seen, these apartments tend to have green roofs. In the end, I'll probably make a variant that is longer as well as one that is one floor taller. No textures (except for some test ones on the windows) have been applied yet. The entrance is actually on the back of the building, which I've yet to model, so I decided to only show the front. I'll probably have to scale it up vertically by 133% when it's all said-and-done because the model looks too squat.

Here's the building it's (loosely) based on: