Mushy's Random BATs

[T Wrecks 10,209]

Looks like you're up to a great start! Good idea to start with something simple, too. Less frustration, less risk to run into a dead end, good way to learn the ropes of the tool, and more rewarding feeling when you actually get something done.

Back to vans - looking at the darker UPS truck made me wonder whether you could find a better window texture. The solid grey looks OK with brighter body colours, but combined with a darker body colour, it doesn't really convince me. If you look at the automata available on the STEX, some have really great window textures. This is the one area where I feel there's room for improvement. I love pretty much everything else about your vehicles.

[MushyMushy 3,617]

Looks like you're up to a great start! Good idea to start with something simple, too. Less frustration, less risk to run into a dead end, good way to learn the ropes of the tool, and more rewarding feeling when you actually get something done.

Back to vans - looking at the darker UPS truck made me wonder whether you could find a better window texture. The solid grey looks OK with brighter body colours, but combined with a darker body colour, it doesn't really convince me. If you look at the automata available on the STEX, some have really great window textures. This is the one area where I feel there's room for improvement. I love pretty much everything else about your vehicles.

Yeah, I kind of thought that about the UPS ones as well when I was making the test renders. Do you think I should also alter the textures for the tires and the plastic strips as well? While those and the windows all have separate textures, they all look kind of odd (bright) on that particular van due to it's body color...

It wouldn't be hard to darken them or something along those lines.

---

So I've done most of the modeling for this apartment building. All I have left is the interior and the roof junk (I intend to do the roof junk after doing some of the texturing). I may release it as both a standalone building and with a base rendered with it (like SOMY's various apartments). I say this because several of the Japanese BATers have modeled the bases for some of their buildings to get more detail that would be harder to achieve with props. As I said, I'll still release a standalone one as well so lotters can have their fun. It'll fit on a 2x1 lot. Once I get around to making the longer variant, it'll probably be a 3x1.

  Edited September 20, 2015 by MushyMushy  

[Harry's Place 918]

looking good i like it

[MushyMushy 3,617]

Small informal update here. Started on the textures for the Japanese apartment.

That roof though...it took a while to make that texture.

[Belfastsocrates 1,753]

The roof texture looks very good. Looking well so far, I'd be happy to use them in-game, would make for realistic affordable or social housing while not being too 'grimy' looking.

[SimCoug 5,973]

Yep, that texture looks fantastic.  

[Bombardiere 591]

Very good start. The textures has nice grime on it. May be a bit of shading and roof junk but that is in artist's discression.

 

Japanese builders do often include the base in the building. Very beautiful buildings, however I have experiensed two downsides because of this.

1. As the main building is a prop and the building desc an invisible box and many times tiny, it messes up the building stats. Occupancy is often adjusted, but many times the building value (and other stats, such as pollution, power consuption etc.) are left undealt.  AFAIK the tax is calculated from the building value and if this is low because of tiny invisible box, these building do not create tax revenue for my cities. Bad if you want to play the city, not just plop. I had to go through my favourite Japanese BATs and with SC4Tool adjust the stats.

 

2. With heavy slopes this kind of building can hang on the air. It can look comical.

 

 

[airman15 4,111]

I could use apartment complexes like this one! My region echoes the styles of New York and San Francisco but only in the Capital/main port areas. Anything else outside relies on prefabricated or otherwise uniform buildings (just as long as they aren't Maxis..)

[tonyr 926]

Looks great, Mushy!

[JP Schriefer 5,590]

Looking very good, you're going great modeling buildings

[simlink 1,098]

Echoing others above, that roof texture is awesome. Nice work, building is looking great so far.  

[MushyMushy 3,617]

So I'm done with the base building, roof junk included (they don't have much in real life). I tested out some night lights for the stairwells, though I need to add some to the inside part of them and not just the front. I aimed to add variation in the intensity and color of the lights since most exterior light fixtures I've seen on less prestigious buildings are dirty and discolored. I've yet to add interior and exterior clutter (furniture, clothes hanging over the balcony railings, general junk) and interior nightlighting, which I will keep minimal since this is a residential building. I'm most likely going to make a second version of the building with a different roof texture (same colors, just different looking), different roof junk setup, and different clutter so that it will be less repetitive if you grow more than one. Seeing as this stuff is HD and it's becoming a larger set, I may release the wider variant separately. I'll try to get around to exporting and modding the vans and dump trucks soon. A week-long break is coming up, which should give me a reprieve from this schoolwork and give me more time to work on stuff.

Also, I have zero skill with modding buildings. Would somebody possibly be interested in doing that?

[Aaron Graham 4,417]

Wonderful work buddy!!!

[Harry's Place 918]

If it hase time @nos.17 could help you lotting  He's very good at that

[nos.17 5,120]

If it hase time @nos.17 could help you lotting  He's very good at that

Agreed!  

If you ever need anything, just send me over a pm. I'd be happy to lot anything for you...looking at something different than b62 buildings would be nice, for a change...

[MushyMushy 3,617]

It's been a while! Due to some unfortunate RL circumstances while I was on my trip I got a lot less done than I had hoped to. Quite a bit has changed since then though!

For starters, expect the eventual release of my dump trucks to be my final gmax release. I've found it much easier to make variations of models in 3DS max and since I'll be getting a significantly more powerful computer in the near future my render speed in 3DS will be better than it is now. As such, I'll be moving my vehicle production over to 3DS, which will bring along many perks such as better quality textures, reflectivity, and overall HD render quality. Vehicles that I was was previously working on will be redone (future NA truck packs, the Sprinter and Vito vans, heavy equipment, and my planned set of more JPN-themed trucks).

---

Before I start showing off the newest stuff, I've gotten a little farther with the Yokohama apartment. Pretty soon I'll be able to move on to making a 2nd version which will be pretty easy. After that I intend to make 2 variants of the longer version of the building (has 3 stairwells instead of 2). All that's left on this current model is finishing the interior and exterior clutter on the right side of the south render (the side with balconies). Once more interior stuff is added the lighting will look better on that part of the building. I've kind of been holding back on working a lot on this building right now because at this point my render times for it are atrocious (try about 10 minutes per Z5 angle... about 40 minutes for this set of test renders!)... something that should be fixed slightly by the new computer in the near future.

One can easily see how the right side of the south render isn't finished. I need to add towels hung over the railings and add clothes hanging from the balconies above. It will end up looking like the left side... where some of the balconies have heaps of junk but others are totally blank. I noticed this on the real life buildings when I was looking closely at it... guess some people are more neat and tidy than others!

---

So I've started working with some EU trucks. Because of 3DS's far superior modeling tools (and texturing), this look better than the other set I've released a while ago. There's a Scania and a DAF as I had originally planned. The Scania is s somewhat recent model and the DAF is from the 90's. I think the trailer needs aerodynamic covers on the underside though... (between the tries of the trailers and the back of the semi cab).

I'll be making regular box trucks later... I was just having fun with metals. I'll probably make a semi trailer version of the metal boxes as well. The trailer shown isn't done - it needs reflectors and I need to add a different texture for the front panel (shown on far-right render). The Scania 8x4 will definitely be reused for a dump truck and likely a large straight box truck. The semi cab version will only be used with heavy/oversized loads. For the same purposes I may make a 10x6 and/or a 10x4.

  Edited October 29, 2015 by MushyMushy  

[airman15 4,111]

I remember having a model of a Mercedes semi in DHL colors that had a triple axle trailer! I also remember how easily it came apart whenever it was knocked off the shelf.. But at least it could just be stuck back together and put back as if nothing happened.

[raynev1 1,886]

The apartments look great and the trucks as well . 

[MushyMushy 3,617]

Thanks for the comments!

---

Worked on some more trailer configurations (and a 10x6 cab):

Expect a few more designs before I start messing with liveries. Also, I've seen other BATers use stuff downloaded off sites as part of their BATs before (e.g. download cars > use them in the BAT's parking lot). I'm assuming I could do that for some of the cargo on the flatbeds as long as credit is given?

---

I've also been getting an error during the export process with BAT4Max (I wanted to test out one of the models in the LE to see how it looked). I exported the LODs to gmax just fine (and successfully exported them from there into the mods folder), but when I try to export the day render of the model I get an error. It happens after I click "yes" when a window pops up asking if I want to render 20 views. I then get a window with the code for BAT4Max pop up (I guess to show me what went wrong) and another window pops up that says "no **flush** function for undefined" or something like that. Anyone know what's up with that?

[philforhockey51 4,211]

Really looking good Mushy, keep it up

Hopefully someone can help you out

[Aaron Graham 4,417]

I love it!!!

[Belfastsocrates 1,753]

Those are looking absolutely superb! Really really looking forward to this Euro set!

[art128 4,618]

Did you try to merge the model(s) into a new scene? It often helps with whatever problem you may have.  Only the model itself, not the lods or camera/light rigs.

[Girafe 1,729]

Amazing trucks.

It would be lovely to customize them with some international brands / logos to give variety

[gutterclub 2,729]

Lookig great, my advice on the apartments to fit them in with the pallette of the game would be to lighten them somewhat, add a bit of warmth and a slight (5% opacity) of pink or purple to them. They look a little too cool and dark at the moment. Would be worth dropping into a SC4 screenshot to see..

Great work though, midrise apartments are always needed and these are lovely, especially like the little details on the balconies!

[raynev1 1,886]

Those trailers look awesome , I especially like the tankers . Shiney 

[MushyMushy 3,617]

Thanks for the comments! I'll look into messing with brightness and other values on the Japanese apartment later on when it's closer to being finished. Right now it's render time is so painfully long I'd rather wait a bit before making a functional test render. Thanks for the suggestions though! I'll definitely look into them.

---

 

Textures are fun.

I aimed for a decent variety of colors... the companies come from several diferent countries in Europe. You guys have any livery suggestions?

My plan is to split stuff up into packs like I did with the NA trucks. I'm not sure exactly how I'll be dividing them up, but I'll be sure to share my plans when I make them.

  Edited November 5, 2015 by MushyMushy  

[Belfastsocrates 1,753]

A few British ones that come to mind would be; 

• Eddie Stobart
• Marks and Spencer
• Tesco
• Sainsbury's
• TNT

The retailers may be more suited to the box trucks though.

  Edited November 5, 2015 by Belfastsocrates  

[art128 4,618]

Since you're making a Japanese region too, why not model some Japanese trucks? (If I recall correctly, I've never seen semi in Japan)

[Girafe 1,729]

For France:

- STEF

- GEFCO

- geodis calberson