simmars-forum-threads Mars BAT Building Thread!

[Pooty 228]

Hey, falcon, how do you get the cross-section of a sphere in the BAT?

[GouRou 2]

mmm, oranges, reminds me of florida, also of pumpkins, here in indiana, can you squash the domes, but bulge them, so they are less tall at the peak, but have steep sides? and, put one in the center, so there are no tubes, just a bunch of open air domes connected by central struts.

 

can you make a small version, say a 2 dome, that could be deflated, and fit in a pack that could be carried? we need to be very creative here, as I have an idea for a growable zone that should be possible with help of certain modders.

[Arphaxad Locus 0]

I think they would look better transparent.  Like one heck of a lot better.  And that way, there would still be a reddish hue (from the reflection of the dirt).

[GouRou 2]

I'm curious to see if we can change the hue of the day light in the game, the way it changes the night. perhaps if we are creative, we can get it from pinkish towards blue at sunset, then straight to whatever mars is at night, hehe.

[Pooty 228]

Ok, mine is not as great as falcon's, but I tried. All I need are some dome-ish textures.

 

 

 

With the night one, I tried to have some omni lights to it, but it didn't really turn out too well, since this is the first time i've used lights on a building. But that's all I have for now....https://community.simtropolis.com/assets/emoticons/16.gif>

[Pooty 228]

Ok, here's my idea of the mars clean power plant. It has the same stats as the wind power plant.

 

 

 

There you have it! Hope that helps us in the making of Mars: SC4 Conversion!

[falcon5018 21]

yeah, i'm still pretty new at the bat, but i know enough to manage.  how could i make the domes transparent?  or does anyone know some good textures i could use?  The textures I made are suppposed to kind of reflect mars... is there anyway i can make the texture and dome semi transparent and then add stuff inside?  that way you see the reflection (what they look like now) AND the inside (some box-like building structures, etc)

 

i think dome buildings like this are kinda what we want to go for.  we could spice things up by maybe adding more wings to the structures, or building sleek towers, but i think buildings made of lightweight materials would work best.  because most likely, materials would be shipped to mars from earth, and therefore they would have to be lightweight and easy to compact and store.  a big, thick canvas material or maybe a fiberglass are the kind of materials these things would be made out of.

 

what I think would be really cool would be a dome but inside the dome it has 2 circular floors.  around the outside of the floors is a hallway, and on the otherside of the hall running parallel to the dome wall is a wall with doors going into housing rooms.  think sort of like taking a motel (with the room doors open to the outside), wrapping in a circle, and putting in a dome.  anyone get what I'm saying? 

[falcon5018 21]

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On 3/4/2004 1:28:30 AM Pooty wrote:

Ok, here's my idea of the mars clean power plant. It has the same stats as the wind power plant.

 

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looks good.  i think the base might need a little work but awesome.  maybe you could attach the link for the solar panel textures so people can put solar pannels on their buildings too.

[Pooty 228]

I attached the solar panel .zip file!

[gshmails 534]

 

 

here is a very quick model i did a while back.  It is the futurama office, but it could be anything.  If people like it, I will finish it for this project.

[Arphaxad Locus 0]

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On 3/4/2004 2:42:58 AM gshmails wrote:

here is a very quick model i did a while back. It is the futurama office, but it could be anything. If people like it, I will finish it for this project.

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First of all, you have no idea how obsessed I am with that show. Seen all the episodes, own all that are out on dvd etc. So let me say that the color is fairly wrong. That is way to bright. And where are the owls outside? But anyway, this could be used for something, I think it just needs a bit more work, such as windows and props, plus good painting and coloring. Great job though. I wish I could use the BAT and gmax.

[Carpman 0]

Nice work. Keep at it, people!

[gshmails 534]

 

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On 3/4/2004 2:41:26 PM Arphaxad Locus wrote:

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here is a very quick model i did a while back----------------

First of all, you have no idea how obsessed I am with that show.  Seen all the episodes, own all that are out on dvd etc.  So let me say that the color is fairly wrong.  That is way to bright.  And where are the owls outside?  But anyway, this could be used for something, I think it just needs a bit more work, such as windows and props, plus good painting and coloring.  Great job though.  I wish I could use the BAT and gmax.
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That is why I said it was a quick model.  I did it in an hour and a half, with no reference pictures to look at.  I will finish it, at which point it will look correct.  I also wanted to do Madison Cube Garden and Iron Cook Colliseum.  Maybe not for Mars, but for the BAT.  Don't ask for who the bone bones, it bones for thee

[JoshuaC 8]

Here's a Quick model I did in about 30 minutes I still have to do alot of detail but i just wanted to show everyone.

 

 

[The Great Chozo 34]

Is anyone looking for some nighttime outdoor lighting???

It will be most necessary for those late night walks to the broken down power relay station.

This is not rendered yet, but it is my recreation of the lighttowers we have here in Austin. They are called Moontowers, because they simulate moonlight. I think that they could have a very practical application in the SimMars Project, here is a picture,

 

 

I just wanted to say my two cents as well.

This is about domes.

I know everyone has seen domes in SciFi films and read about them, and they have been put to very practical use here on Earth , but..... Before we go off and make a fleet of domed structures, think about this first. I don't think that every single building should be a half sphere dome. We can take examples from New Mexico adobe style architecture, or Inuit building techniques from the Arctic. These structures are designed in order to protect the inhabitants from the elements. More examples can be found in the Star Wars world. Mos Eisley is a spaceport that has architecture more similar to what the American Southwest Indians built, than futuristic Mars domes. Domes are quick and easy to put up, but I can almost guarantee you that if we really establish a base on Mars in real life, that it won't be completely constructed out of dome structures. I like the domes, and the have use, but we need more buildings like what JoshuaC just posted. Simple square or rounded buildings, with some utility structures attched are good as well. Igloo style buildings work.

 

Think about this, if we have colonies on Mars, then we will have put stuff on the moon first. The moon is the largest accessible source of the raw materials needed to make concrete. So there will definitely be shipments of lunar concrete, or the mixing materials at least, that go to Mars. This means that there will be concrete structures built there. In order to build a concrete dome there will be numerous support columns on the inside (Don't tell a Roman this, they mastered that art), which take up space. This would not be practical, so there will definately be some buildings fabricated out of concrete, that don't look much different than what you might find in a modern day suburban commercial office park.

 

What is my point? Let's not just focus on domes, because in any person's common sensical mind, you know that there will be other structures. GouRou said we wanted to keep this as realistic as possible, but yet still make it look like it is the future. Well lets do that then.

 

Do you like my tower? I do.

 

The Great Chozo

 

 

[gozman99 0]

I'm for wind power as the optimal mars power source, as the sun is blotted out by the thick clouds. Also, we'll probably be burning carbon fuels to warm up mars, that could potentially provide power. Biomass power is also a likely source on mars. The algae could provide oxygen and power. Speaking of oxygen, that should replace water - as we are likely to have 'dry' technology up there. And oxygen should be a prerequesite to devolopment.

[Sam 163]

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On 3/4/2004 11:15:44 PM gozman99 wrote:

I'm for wind power as the optimal mars power source, as the sun is blotted out by the thick clouds. Also, we'll probably be burning carbon fuels to warm up mars, that could potentially provide power. Biomass power is also a likely source on mars. The algae could provide oxygen and power. Speaking of oxygen, that should replace water - as we are likely to have 'dry' technology up there. And oxygen should be a prerequesite to devolopment.

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Is there any wind on Mars? I thought the atomosphere was very thin and still and that would probably rule out wind power.

 

Solar power is a good idea, many satelites have solar collectors to supplement other power sources. I didn't know mars had a thick cloud cover? Or is this an alteration for this project?

 

I like the idea of algae to create oxygen, since the atmosphere is mainly carbon dioxide. Or cyanobacteria, as they are tougher and won't need as much water. You could have big transparent tubes to house them and expose them to the sun.

 

edit: TGC I think your tower looks great!

[geek12 0]

 

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On 3/3/2004 9:42:58 PM Pooty wrote:

Hey, falcon, how do you get the cross-section of a sphere in the

BAT

?

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I asked this question to. what you do is in the goesphere there is an option for hemisphere chek that box and voila.

[Casper3141 60]

What you guys need to do is look at mars transportaion. Someones needs to make a complete set for it you know like Avenues that are encased so sims arent sucked into space when they go for a drive.

[AragornJDL 1]

well as an aerospace engineering student currently working for NASA, i can probably shed some technically legit light on the subject. not that this has to be realisitc but if you want it to be, you might want to take these things into account.

Domes: Mars has an atmosphere, but it is about 1% as thick as sea level on Earth, compared to the summit of Mt. Everest which is 30% of sea level. any habitat on Mars would have to maintain a much higher pressure than outside, so it would be a pressure vessel. Think balloon. The ISS of course has the same problem. For any pressure vessel, you must avoid sharp corners or you could have a disaster like the Comet aircraft back in the 50's (look it up if you're interested). That doesnt mean the exterior shell would have to be curved or dome-like, but it might be simpler to actually build like that.

Concrete, etc: It's a fantastic, possibly even necessary, idea to build Mars habitats from natural materials for a few reasons. First is radiation. Mars' atmosphere, being much thinner, doesnt provide nearly as much protection from radiation as Earth's atmosphere. You would want to bury your habitats under a few feet of dirt as shielding. Also you could make Martian bricks or maybe concrete. If you've ever seen the movie Total Recall, the way the whole mining colony is built into a cliff might actually be a great idea.

Power: solar power is pretty simple, and may be used a lot in a Mars colony. However, for large amounts of power, a nuclear reactor is almost certainly going to be what is used. You can get more energy per pound of stuff you have to launch than any solar panel. Although Mars' atmosphere is thin, it can have some fairly violent storms, which have a maximum dynamic pressure of a stiff breeze on Earth. High wind speeds somewhat counter the thinner air to produce noticeable effects. I dont think we know enough about Martian weather to say if wind power would be practical, but I think it's possible. If nothing else, it would be simple to build one if you had an electric motor and some metal; a lot easier than making another nuclear reactor. it may have it's uses.

for various things you'd want to model, you might think of it like this: any item that is even somewhat advanced would be shipped from Earth and as light and high tech as possible. anything that you could get away with would be produced on Mars. if you are thinking this is a mining colony, this would include bricks, concrete, and even steel. By the way, with 1/3 of Earth's gravity, you could build much larger structures. these would certainly look a lot more low-tech and thrown together. architecture and efficiency would almost certainly give way to quick and dirty.

hope that helps. if you have any specific questions i'd be more than happy to answer, i visit the site here daily.

[cammo2003 20]

Mars doesn't have a thick cloud cover. That would be Venus. https://community.simtropolis.com/assets/emoticons/2.gif>

 

 Mars does, however, suffer from massive dust storms, which can blot out the sun across the whole planet for as long as a year (possible disaster?) which quite obviously would limit your solar power production possibilities...

 

Despite this, solar will probably be one of the main means of power generation. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to have some backup nuclear cells for communities (nuclear isotopes can have a long life, so they're well suited to this purpose)... And initial bases will probably have nuclear generators in the complex.

 

And I wouldn't be surprised if plants were also used to generate oxygen - there's certainly plenty of carbon dioxide on the planet, although the planet IS bitterly cold.

 

And so people have ideas: Initial settlement is going to look at least similar to what NASA has in development. So take those style ideas in. After all, it's going to be the space authorities conducting the initial settlement process (companies won't realise the potential for a while yet)...

 

 

[The Great Chozo 34]

Aragorn:

I couldn't agree with you more. What you said is on the money. (looks like your education is paying off)

 

Quck note,

 

It seems that people are stuck on the idea of primary settlements, and intial landings and the like. Well, if this is going to be a conversion of SimCity4, then we need to realize one thing; We have been on Mars for a while. We can't get caught up with the intial foundings of the planet. There is much too much advanced technology in SimCity4 to use for a forward operating base.

 

Industry has taken a foothold, so has commerce, and large living settlements. What we have talked about and brainstormed so far needs to be applied to a Mars that has already been colonized. In SC2000 you weren't allowed to build certain things until a certain year had been reached. I don't think we can do that here, because SC4 isn't set up like that.

That's my opinion, though I could be wrong (thanks Dennis Miller for that one)

T.G. Chozo

[DarkMatter 21]

Doesn't anyone else think its a bit premature to be making buildings already? I mean, this project is what, 3 days old? We don't even know what the target look and feel is yet. We don't have ANY reference material, no artists conceptions, not even a FEW ideas, let alone enough ideas to really get this project moving.

 

There are also very few people so far who have enough skill with the BAT yet to make the kind of quality buildings were going to need to pull this project off properly. We need creativity and ideas right now....making buildings now is months ahead of schedule. If we don't plan this project right, its just going to end up like SCR and flop once there are too many people trying to do things too many different ways without any kind of cohesive organization. I think this is an excellent project, but I already see the seeds of failure sprouting. Thats very depressing.

[Screwballl 196]

looks liek an interesting project but for now i am concentrating on creating usable buildings on a game already released... maybe after i get bored with real buildings will i step into the scifi section lol

[The Great Chozo 34]

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On 3/5/2004 1:33:32 AM DarkMatter wrote:

Doesn't anyone else think its a bit premature to be making buildings already? I mean, this project is what, 3 days old? We don't even know what the target look and feel is yet. We don't have ANY reference material, no artists conceptions, not even a FEW ideas, let alone enough ideas to really get this project moving.

 

There are also very few people so far who have enough skill with the

BAT

yet to make the kind of quality buildings were going to need to pull this project off properly. We need creativity and ideas right now....making buildings now is months ahead of schedule. If we don't plan this project right, its just going to end up like SCR and flop once there are too many people trying to do things too many different ways without any kind of cohesive organization.

https://community.simtropolis.com/assets/emoticons/7.gif border=0> I think this is an excellent project, but I already see the seeds of failure sprouting. Thats very depressing.

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I'm with you there DarkMatter.

[JoshuaC 8]

DarkMatter I think we all are just getting a fell for what we should Make when we do start I myself havent even started making any serious Buildings We are just throwing Idea's and Concepts I guess we can call thin the R&D Stage for SimMars nothing Has been Started and wont be till we get more idea's

[guinea 29]

what we ned now is reserch for this . im doing ok in the trasportation thread .but we need you guy to find idea and some pictures of what mars should look like (even if you hand draw them ) we need your reserch before we can ever start on this project

[DarkMatter 21]

Here is my thinking on this. This project has garnered a TON of interest, and all the prominent members of SimTropolis with the skills required to make it happen have put their bet in. We all want this project to be high quality, and we want it to have a cohesive, Martian look and feel.

 

To accomplish that, we need a few things, but two important one are this. First, we are gonna need a TON of skilled modelers and BAT users. People who know exactly how the BAT works, exactly how to get a building to render properly, etc. I've been using the BAT for a long time, before it was released, as a beta, and I still can't make buildings as good as Maxis's. Second, we need to come up with a standard look and feel for martian buildings. Something that as many people as possible agree will give Martian cities a truely martian feel to them. To do that, we need to first draw up sketches of architectural design, scan them into a computer, and post them. We then need to do some preliminary models to get a feel for what architecture is possible in the BAT.

 

Before we jump off the cliff and dive into making Mars buildings, which we have no idea what they should look like, why not hone your skills making buildings for the normal SC4 look and feel? We have hundreds of buildings from Maxis to reference, and making normal buildings will allow novice modelers to improve their skill, not just with modeling, but also with using textures properly. A couple more months with the BAT trying to replicate Maxis's quality and detail in normal buildings will build up our team of skilled BAT users and 3D modelers, which were going to need to pull this Mars project off decently.

 

Again, this is just my take on the subject.

[GouRou 2]

First off, I agree, we arent ready to start creating buildings, but your thinking like these people are our workers DM, we cant just tell them to create sketches, and poof, out come sketches. I am quite happy to see the ideas that people come up with, I even specifically said to not worry about details, just general concepts for right now. This IS the idea place, it may not seem like it to you (unplanned, right?) but this is what we have after 3 days. In a couple weeks we will have things called 'managers' (we have two already working on this btw) that should clear up some of the chaos. I dont dictate how people create their concepts, I think a gmax building is a rather easy way to make concept art for a lot of people, not many people today can sketch. and btw, our target is being worked on, but to show it, we need more concept art, once we have enough of a set of styles, then we can take those and say, 'look here, this is our target' but we have nothing to show yet, so be patient. your reading things into other things, and those are two different things. patience.

[DarkMatter 21]

but your thinking like these people are our workers DM, we cant just tell them to create sketches, and poof, out come sketches.

 

Hmm...I don't know if I came off sounding like THAT. I don't think these people are workers. I was trying to clarify why I thought making buildings in the BAT was premature. But maybe more clarification is needed.

 

Why do I think sketches are important? Modeling from scratch in 3D, using only a concept in your mind, is extremely difficult. Having some basic profile sketches (i.e. front, side, top) scanned into the computer give you some reference material. You stick these images as a texture on a simple plane in gMax and move them so you can see them in the top, front, and side viewports, and it can greatly help the modeling process. It gives you some basic guides on top of which to lay splines and other details. Sketching also helps creativity flow, and makes it easier to refine and improve a basic building concept. The sketch doesn't have to be good....it doesn't even have to be mediocre. It just has to start out as a basic rough of what you want your building to look like, and as a catalyst for creativity. I'm a highly creative person, and I've learned that several things help spark the idea generation process (which is critical to creativity): Brainstorming and Sketching.

 

A Brainstorm is a simple process where you sit down for 10-15 minutes, with a pen and paper, and just write out every idea that comes into your mind for a particular topic. You write EVERY idea down, no matter how dumb, extreme, or down right crazy the idea is. Once you have your ideas written down, you cross off the obviously worthless ones, and do new brainstorms on some of the better but more general ideas. Its a classic process, and if a few people did that for this project, we could end up having some truly genious ideas. I've seen dozens of people come forward offering to be idea men.....so, here is one way to come up with ideas. I'm not trying to control people....just fuel them and their creativity.