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[Jasoncw 11,840]

Excellent!

[Broonie 15]

Hi,

I'm trying to render a 3DS model in Gmax, but the colours at the top of the model are incorrect and too dark (the whole thing should be a uniform shade from top to bottom). It's a pretty tall model, and I've tried refitting LODs.

Any ideas?

[rsc204 21,806]

For such a large model, you might find the default lighting rig is not sufficient. Modifying that is not an easy task, I seem to recall some modified scripts somewhere for that purpose, but I don't have access to that right now.

Bear in mind, beyond a certain point, the model will be too large to render as one model. So you might find splitting the model into two pieces vertically, then placing them back together as separate props later is a better solution.

[Broonie 15]

Thanks, the joys of ancient technology...

[Odainsaker 2,134]

This gmax light rig problem with taller BATs was also encountered in Ng_pillow's BAT thread, with a downloadable solution linked to by T Wrecks.  The solution involves replacing the default gmax light rig with the BSC Caliban - Huge Light Rig. (v1.0) created by Caliban and found on SC4Devotion's LEX:

https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=725

To correctly use the downloaded file in gmax, be sure to read the associated instruction thread for the Replacement Huge CamLightRig.

 

[Broonie 15]

Brilliant solution and has fixed my problem! Thank you

[Barroco Hispano 26,671]

Is there any way to fix this?

I export the LODS and the model in HD

[Odainsaker 2,134]

I seem to recall that FSH files, the textures applied to the S3D models of our exported BATs, have their own lossy compression.  I don't recall that anyone has found a direct means to control or block this FSH compression, and so it may be a limit to BAT image quality.  Naturally, compression induced color changes, blurriness, and artifacts will be most noticeable on HD renders.

Sadly, SimCity has long been notoriously anti-WYSIWYG...even SCURK's 256 indexed colors had wonky palettes with chunks of swatches reserved and reshuffled.

 

[rivit 3,391]

FSH by default are DXT1 (1 bit alpha) or DXT3 (4 bit alpha) and are lossy formats with quite high compression. Furthermore one can only really expect 5,6,5 RGB bits after decompression. The only mitigations available are working in 4x4 pixel blocks, and using 4 key colours per block as all 16 pixel colours are reduced to 4 per block then reconstructed/interpolated on decompression. In general avoid high contrast/saturation to improve things - makes the interpolation less obvious. 

This format was "high tech" in 2003 in the early days of DirectX when memory and GPU resources were at a premium - that SC4 (and other games of the era) has done so well over so long is a testament to how well it works.

Of course today's 4k television and 64bit colour technology makes this look truly archaic - but it's still surprisingly usable and doesn't require oodles of storage and memory for small objects in game.    

[CorinaMarie 29,576]

I don't often venture over here into the CC area so if this is in the wrong place, feel free to split my post to to the proper location.

I already suspect the answer is no, but I figure I won't know for sure until I ask. I created a lot for myself using PIM-X's Lot Editor.  The Barn is a Building Prop.

 

I'm using it in my play region. (Pics here are in a test tile.) While messing around with some other tests I accidentally saved my city tile while not having the prop's dependency in my plugins. So now it looks like this:

 

Adding the proper file back in doesn't make the barn reappear. Bulldozing and letting it re-grow does.

My question: Is this simply how it works and there is no way to get the barn as a prop to reappear without bulldozing and letting the lot regrow? (Will be useful to know if helping other peeps troubleshoot problems.)

[rsc204 21,806]

3 hours ago, CorinaMarie said:

My question: Is this simply how it works and there is no way to get the barn as a prop to reappear without bulldozing and letting the lot regrow?

This behaviour is related to the way the game saves are structured. Some content is dynamic, meaning it will automatically update as things change. Other content is static, meaning once plopped or grown, it will never change unless re-plopped or re-grown. When the game was saved without the Prop (or Buildings) Exemplar present, it no longer had the necessary information to link to the model file (barn) anymore. For reasons that might seem counter-intuitive but are shown by the behaviour exhibited, that change is dynamic. However, when the Exemplar is restored, that change is not dynamic. Similarly, if you just change the link to another model ID, that will happen dynamically, whereas changing the props upon the lot will not. This includes moving their position as well as changing those used.

I'm fairly sure once the prop is gone, you won't be able to get the game to dynamically refresh it, even though all the data should really be present for that to occur. It really is one of those paradoxical things that is surely a by-product of some specific coding that it's hard to be absolutely precise about. Perhaps though there is one method that might work, which I know was mentioned re: Prop Pox. That is to set the details in the graphics options to low, save the city, then enter and set them to high again. Not 100% sure if it will work, but there is the potential things go wrong too. Therefore I'd recommend backing up your region before trying, just in case. You may also need to exit the game for the changes in settings to take effect. Sorry if a little vague, but I'm working from memory here, if you care to dig through the Prop Pox thread on SC4D, I'm sure you'd come across the more detailed version of this. You may also find this reference useful, since it pretty much sums up what's happened in your game.

[Linus van Pelt 293]

Hi, I'm making seawalls and they worked out quite well so far.

But one piece makes problems.

As you can see parts of the seawall aren't visible in the second picture. I guess it has to be something about the LODs. But I'm missing the technical understandig to figure it out by myself. So I hope somebody could help me.

I include a picture of the LOD, maybe it helps.

[rsc204 21,806]

Hard to say what the exact problem is from these pictures, but certainly the LODs for such pieces are very difficult to get right if I recall correctly. It would help to do some research on making seawalls, somebody must have discussed it somewhere at some point. Sadly I can't point you to anything specific, so trawling the forums here or at SC4D is really all you can do. Searching Google with every combination of phrases I can think of hasn't really got me very far. Similarly, I don't recall any in-depth information on the subject, just small titbits here and there.

@blunder did make some seawalls and is the only member I can think of that might have some specific knowledge, having made the Stanley Seawalls set. Everyone else with experience of them to my knowledge is inactive. Perhaps given the page, he'll pop in with some advice, but he's not hugely active any more either .

If the same piece is working in one rotation but not others, it suggests the LOD should be made a little wider so it overhangs the embankment/cliffs a little more. With a similar adjustment to the model too. In any case, it's best to start with a simple 1x1 piece and get the mechanics worked out, before more complex pieces. Since that will serve as a good guide as to what works and what doesn't. I know this is all a bit generic advice wise, but it's the best I can offer right now.

If all else fails and no one else can help, I'll see what I can to take a look at the modelling/modding if need be. But let's see if someone more knowledgeable comes along first, since that would likely be best.

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Is that entire seawall segment one piece? Like is that the LOD for one entire exported BAT or is that all of the LODs for several modular pieces?

If you open the .SC4Model file in ilive reader, there will be an .S3D file for each of the rotations and zooms. Click one each one of them and they should all look normal. It's possible that you had a bad export and that it doesn't have anything to do with the normal difficulties of making seawalls.

[blunder 1,079]

/Stumbles in.

Hi All, i still pop in every 3 weeks or so, so if i'm tagged i will see questions.

As @Jasoncw says it might be a bad export. In my experience the LOD for seawalls are a royal PIA, both for how the terrain pokes through and for how the seawall pieces will line up with each other. I don't really have any good advise about it, sorry; i took the easy way out by making the tile plop on the slope, and building the wall way out from the top edge of the slope by putting a walkway before the wall drops down. It is entirely a trial-and-error process to get it good enough.

[Linus van Pelt 293]

Thanks all of you,

changing the LODs to a simplier geometry eventually made it.

[rsc204 21,806]

Glad you managed to find a solution, these walls are looking great BTW, I hope you'll consider releasing them when you're finished.

[IwanKir 150]

Hi everyone I need help

maybe someone can explain my problem. Why when I export is there a message like this? chronologically, I exported the model file from sketchup to 3dsmax and when I want to export using bat4max there is a message like this? Or  Maybe files not be supported for export? I have followed the tutorial given by @Bipin but I stopped in this section

every answer I really appreciate 

[rsc204 21,806]

Under Custom LODs, you need to click LOD3 to create the LOD for your model. Then once it's finished, click LODs 4&5 to create those as well. If you don't have LODs, you don't have a model SC4 can use.

[IwanKir 150]

Yes when I have used LODs it works and then exports the 3ds file via the building architecture and returns to 3dsmax for the Select Target Model button and when I click DayExport there is another error message like this

[IwanKir 150]

 

the problem is solved thanks to @Jasoncw those who have provided the solution 

[TakemeThere 5,833]

And the merry go round starts again, it's been 2 years since I last worked with 3ds so I'm a bit on the rusty side. I managed to get 3ds to render models again just not in HD. Getting that dreaded code 6 error when I tried instead(the anything & everything error). 

I've followed the exportation process as described here to a tee but to no avail;
- 3ds max run as admin
- Let there be light Day selected
- sky selected
- HD output selected in preview
- automatic LOD's
- export LOD's
- 3ds file imported into gmax SC4 BAT
- units not converted 
- named/saved file
- HD output selected in preview
- model exported from SC4 BAT
- target model selected in 3ds max
- day export
- export fail code = 6
- but daytime FSH are created & inserted


I'm working with the 2016 version of 3ds max which from what I understand is more problematic to use than prior versions of the program. Unfortunately older versions of the program seem to no longer be available for download. Everything works when exported in SDoutput but not in HDoutput. If I had to guess I'd say my problem is probably lies with the script which enables HD - "SFCameraRigHD" Is there a specific or updated script for different years of 3ds max? Or perhaps I'm forgetting some additional steps when it comes to exporting HD versions. 


*Update*
The plot thickens... Somehow I had a different version of the SFCameraRigHD script in Bat & 3ds. The on in BAT is the same as this one from SC4D 
https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=7430.msg238749#msg238749

But when I replace the one in 3ds with that script this happens when I select the HD option;
(happens regardless of naming the file "SFCameraRigHD" or "SFCameraRig_HD")



The version of the script that I had in 3ds would at least get to exporting the LOD's but when I put that version of the script into BAT this error pop's up:


So it would seem like there different versions of the script and it makes sense that different versions in each wouldn't be compatible. So I guess I need to find one that's compatible for both BAT & 2016 3ds bat for max...? 


*Update*
Got it to work with the same script(from the SC4D link) by renaming the files 
"SFCameraRig_HD" in 3ds
"SFCameraRigHD" in BAT

But the code 6 error persists 

  Edited February 19, 2019 by Takingyouthere  

[Barroco Hispano 26,671]

11 hours ago, Takingyouthere said:

 

Sometimes it happens when the model is too big...

[Jasoncw 11,840]

@Takingyouthere I would undo the manual file replacement that you did, and instead re-follow the instructions on the instructions page. It looks like you're swapping out different files from different versions of BAT4Max (that post was from 2009).

I agree with Goldman that it might be that your model is too big. It works in SD because the SD renders are smaller, and stops working in HD because the renders become big enough to push it over the size threshold. If you posted the dimensions of your BAT it would help narrow that issue down.

[TakemeThere 5,833]

@Goldman Sachs @Jasoncw Thanks for the responses guys. Unfortunately I don't think it's a case of the BAT being too large as even with a small test model, a single box 5x5x5m in size, the model won't render in HD. 

If you don't mind me asking, what version of 3ds are you two running and did you have to download any additional service packs from autodesk to get your version of 3ds to function properly? Which version of the SFCameraRigHD file are you using, the one that was included in the bat4max download on the STEX or another version? 

Perhaps this helps, the following error pops up when I try to preview the model in HD. This is after I set the rig for day & automatic LOD's are generated for the model.

[Krio 624]

So I got me a 3ds Max 2019, did I do bad? Must I change it to older version for batting?

[rsc204 21,806]

Here is something you should be aware of (Autodesk Support).

Quote

Mental Ray has been removed from 3ds Max 2018 and more recent versions of the software and has since been discontinued by NVIDIA.

 

Solution:

In 3ds Max 2018 and more recent versions, Mental Ray is no longer a built-in render engine that ships with the 3ds Max installation. 

 

NVIDIA has since discontinued the render engine, with a final plugin released for 3ds Max 2018 as a third-party download only. Mental Ray will not be available for 3ds Max versions 2019 and higher.

Since BAT4MAx absolutely relies upon Mental Ray, there is no way you can make 2019 work for batting. You'll also need the additional Mental Ray from NVidia, if you plan to use the 2018 version. Another solution would be to use an older version, but there is a big caveat here...

We'll need completely re-written BAT4Max scripts before it would be possible to use the new renderer in 3DS max for batting. Since student versions of 3DS Max need to be renewed every couple years, at which point you are forced to update. That means if no one comes along to update BAT4Max in the interim, your ability to continue using 3DS Max is a ticking time bomb.

Autodesk keep altering how 3DS Max works, but the scripts (BAT4Max) have not been updated in many years. So if the scripts call a function that's not there or has changed, this can have all sorts of repercussions.

See the fist post of this thread to ensure you've all the relevant fixes/settings to make BAT4Max work with your version of 3DS Max:

For example, I posted a fix to the scripts which is needed to make 2016/2017 releases work. There are other tweaks/considerations needed too, so best to familiarise yourself with this post.

[CorinaMarie 29,576]

1 hour ago, Krio said:

So I got me a 3ds Max 2019, did I do bad? Must I change it to older version for batting?

While it's completely out of my realm of experience, I do recall reading somewhere that certain scripts (or something) have been updated to handle later versions of 3ds Max. Hopefully one of the experts will pop in with a linky to same.

Edit: Oh, I see there's already a good reply (was on the next page for me and I didn't notice it.)

[Krio 624]

Thank you both for replies and it means that I need to get older version then. Sigh. Or just stick with good ol' gMax.

[AndisArt 2,066]

50 minutes ago, Krio said:

Thank you both for replies and it means that I need to get older version then. Sigh. Or just stick with good ol' gMax.

I think 2016 or 2017 versions should still be available for download and like rsc204 said he made some fixes for it so it should work.