SPAs Urbanist BAT Thread

[josefmayor 8]

I can't wait to have taht in my city, you got me extreamly excited.

[JBSimio 152]

Sorry Spa... I guess that's what happens when I try to catch up.  Looking back, I was referring to something that was new to me, but that you posted over a week ago!  Not that important... pretty much a rather bad attempt at humor!

JB

[tag_one 133]

wow those models look very good! I like the shapes and textures so far. they will be a great addition to our cities

[Spike345 20]

Thats unfortunate about the booths, but your recreation of the building so extremely accurate, I love it so much and I am aching for its release! lol, hope to see some of those Queen Street buildings soon!!

[mackeast 0]

Spa!! Awesome work here! The detail is incredible...awesome. I was wondering if you were accepting any requests for BAT's? I have so many things I wish I could have in my CJ, but I am useless when it comes to BATing

[spa 970]

Wow guys, I'm humbled by the response to this one. Replies below.

Kwakelaar: Thanks. I like how the shape turned out to. I'm actually a little surprised at it myself as there is a lot here that could of clashed and ended up looking bad, but it doesn't seemed to have happened.

Josefmayor: Thanks for continuing to follow this one and offer feedback.

JBSimio: I get your post now! I looked back at my old ones and I know what you're talking about. However, it looks like it's not me that you should be worrying about. Ytmic has released some JBSimio compatiable shops

Tag_One: Thanks.

Spike345: Yeah it is. I wish I could have included them. You know though with the proportions on this building, even if I had thought about it before hand and tried, it would have still been difficult. I might have had to scrap it in the end. The proportions on this one just seems to naturally fit on 3 wide lot. Given these Sim City limitations, I might have done myself a favour in my failure to plan. BATs from Queen Street will becoming along at some point (Steve's Music shop anyone?). Not soon though. I want to do a few more buildings from Calgary while I'm still living here and before Queen Street I'll probably start batting the CBC Building. It's a great building, I'm a huge CBC fan and I think it would be fun to make.

Mackeast: Generally I don't do requests. I like to just do whatever catches my fancy and I work almost exclusively from digital photos (makes texturing a lot quicker and less painful). I love your CJ though so PM me and tell me what you're after. I might have something in my own projects (I have photos of 352 buildings from Calgary, Halifax and Toronto) that might work for you that I could start earlier than I originally planned.

Just to avoid making this a 100% repsones post, I'll show one quick picture of the latest changes. I haven't done much since my last update (been working on my thesis and playing Civ4) but I did spend four hours making custom roof textures. The results are below.

Let me know if there is anything about the texturing that doesn't look quite right. I'll make a real update when I get the roof junk done.

[josefmayor 8]

what's the size of this 4x4?

Beautiful I absolutely can't wait for it.

[sloppet 3]

nice work there spa, I wish I could BAT like you...

[jacqulina 162]

nice work indeed

[6459978. 106]

Those are nice roof textures, but if I may suggest something, I think they are probably too pristine still. I don't know for a fact, but I'd imagine a building like Sam's would have more wear and tear on the roof. And something I've noticed that may or may not be beneficial -- I think a lot of the Maxis buildings have a sort of inside lip on the trim around the top. Like just a small spline, usually darkly coloured, that runs around the inside perimeter of the roof. And the roof textures usually have more "dirt" around that lip.

But anyways, whatever you choose, it's looking good.

[spa 970]

Josefmayor: 3x3 actually. I should be done this weekend or earlier barring any unexpected time constraints.
Sloppet: Thanks! It took me a while to get to this point but it's certainly doable for anyone with the time and patience. I learned exclusively through tutorials here on Simtropolis although I did have some prior experience with 3dMax from a summer job that I had many years ago.
Jacqulina: Thanks
6459978: Thanks for the feedback. You're always a great critic to have  I haven't had a chance yet, but I'll look into dirtying things up a bit. I was actually wondering if anyone would mention it. I was thinking that the lower roof especially looks a little clean. I did make a custom texture for the ice cream roof that includes dead leaves since a little nook like that would probably become a place where such plant junk would land. Anyway, I'll take a look at the lower roof for sure.


So replies done here's my actual BAT update. I have made progress on Sam's over the last week, but I'm not ready to show anything yet. I have the roof junk mainly done (I need to make one more heavy-duty HVAC) and I'm going to look at dirtying up the lower roof texture. After that it'll be night lights and then I'll be off to the lot editor. Very close to release now. I'll have one more final update on it before release. Tonights update though is on the Ardmore Tea Room. You remember that right? No I didn't think so. I last worked on it three months ago (I think the original pic I showed was back on page 2). Anyway, I needed a break from Sam's so I went back to this ancient project and I have things pretty much wrapped up and ready for release. Below are the pictures.

The Ardmore is a traditional style diner on Quinpool Road in Halifax. The place has grown to become a local institution over the years. The family that owns and runs it lives above the diner and around back. So this BAT will have a fenced backyard even though it's a CS$$ building. It'll grow on a 2x2 right corner lot. Particularly observant  viewers might recognize the plant and lawn chairs on the Ardmore patio from my Royal Manor Building, the bucket by the back kitchen door from Corner Gas and the bicycle from Ridley's Cycles. I love having a misc gmax file that I can just merge grouped objects from. Great for reusing things without making a prop pack.  Any comments on the Ardmore are welcome. If there are no last minute show stoppers I'll likely release this one tomorrow night.

[JBSimio 152]

Really nice, Spa!  I like this new one a lot.  I have one very minor realism issue for you, though.  Your "mushroom vents" in the middle of the building look a little small and probably shouldn't be smack in the middle either.  These vents are typically the exhaust fans for grills, etc. and therefor located above the kitchen, which I doubt would sit in the middle of the restaraunt (unless it's a counter diner with grill in plain view type of place... in which case ignore me)  I only notice this because food service is what I've done for most of my adult life! 

Do you model your sign lettering (like the "restaruant" sign on the roof) or is that just fancy custom textures?  I'm forever having trouble with signage.  I don't use much of it yet, but the time will come...

JB

[spa 970]

JBSimio: Thanks for the comment. I'll move the "mushroom" roof equipment. They're actually downblasters? I don't know what they do. They're modelled on roof junk that I can see on the roof of the small commercial buildings across the street from my apartment tower. In any case I'll move them to the right side. 

As for signage, the restaurant roof sign has been modelled using gmax text and the front restaurant sign and hanging Ardmore sign are textures with a modelled outlines. I never model individual letters as that's usually a waste of time (Corner Gas's CAFE sign was a 'I have no choice' exception). About 50% per cent of the time I'll model my signs with gmax text and the other 50% I'll just use a texture. It really depends on the type of sign, how complex it is and what I have available in terms of digital photos to get textures from. However, one nice thing about using gmax text is that using a non-uniform scale and by changing fonts you can really force the letters into the space you want them to without worrying about distorting the texture. One thing I always do is make sure my signs extend out from the building far enough so that I can shine nightlights on them that, with the proper attenuation settings, won't touch anything else. It can make for great lighting since you can make the sign shine but have the rest dark.

[spa 970]

My 10th upload, the Ardmore Tea Room, has been finalized and released. You can download it here:

https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?id=16341

Below are pictures of what the final version looks like in game.

The Ardmore will grow easily on a 2x2 right corner lot on the Chicago and New York tile sets. There is also a plop version. Enjoy.

[6459978. 106]

The tea room looks great! Nice texturing, nice modelling, looks like it'll fit into the game perfectly, and also reminds me of lots of places in real life.

[spa 970]

6459978: Thanks! The real Ardmore is a typical diner. It's the kind of place that every city has one of. I'm glad you think I have captured that.

So I have Sam the Record Man basically done. The roof junk is up and I took the advice offered and dirtied the roof up a bit around the edges. All that's left to do now is the night lighting, which shouldn't take to long. I'm expecting to upload Sam's on Sunday or Monday night. So, now's the time for any objections, constructive criticism or comments. In particular, what do you guys think of the textures on the double HVACs on the left hand side and the posts supporting the billboards. I'm not 100% sure about them. Check out the photos below.

 

[Kwakelaar 92]

I have downloaded your diner, and SAM is looking like it is finished, great work on this. The new rooftexture is giving it a more realistic look.

[SimGoober 2,353]

Everything looks really sharp, but the backs of the billboards need something. They are too "pretty" and pink... generally the backs of billboards are fairly grimey; unfinished wood or such.

[simdad1957 3]

Spa:

I'd just like to say that I really appreciate your work. Many of the great old time BATter's seem to be moving on to the "happy hunting grounds" but with people like you and JBSimio coming along it is clear that Simtropolis is not dead but merely in a transitional phase. It is good to see BAT's that can fit into a small town or into a residential neighbourhood and I really appreciate the increase in Canadian content on the site.

Since you like to do BAT's from Halifax, I'm going to make a couple of suggestions from the greater Maritime neighbourhood. How about Peggy's Cove lighthouse, Province House in Charlottetown or the Fairmont Algonquin Hotel in St. Andrew's, New Brunswick.

Love your work!

[Jasoncw 11,941]

I was there when I visted Toronto, and it's an impressive store!  Nothing like it in the Detroit Metro area.

The only thing is, I was hoping that there would be bonus tracks on them like they get in other countries, but they were the same as the American versions.  I didn't even notice any packaging difference.   but 2 for 25$!

I agree with Simgoober about the backs of the billboards.

I also think you should model the insides of the store.

[simdad1957 3]

Spa:

I have read some of the posts in your thread since my message above and I now realize that you generally only model buildings that you have digitally photographed yourself and as such do not do requests. That's cool but I still think you should consider the Peggy's Cove lighthouse. It is iconic of Atlantic Canada and located only about 20 km from Halifax. It would make a great alternative to the Maxis lighthouse.

Cheers.

[____----____ 37]

SPA: awesome work i do agree with SG though those pink billboards are cool form the front but the backs are too smooth

Sam the record man is sweet kinda like half empire records and half Pinkys form next friday you are doing great work and i can't wait to have that in my cities

AK

[6459978. 106]

Well! It really does look great! I'll agree with the others on the billboards (and maybe the solid red texture is too solid also). And I'll agree with you about the posts supporting the billboards -- something is not right there... either shrink the UVW or try a texture with less large scale variation, I think.

[spa 970]

Thanks guys for the feedback. It's exactly what I needed.

Kwakelaar: Thanks! I hope you enjoy the diner.

Simgoober: Thanks! I take the point about the billboards. I should have noticed that, but you know how it goes sometimes, you spend so much time on something it starts to look natural to you. I'll definitely look for a way to grime up the back.

Simdad1957: Thanks! I'm glad you like my work and the infusion of Canadian content. Indeed, you've discovered on your own that I don't generally do requests because of how I work. The Lighthouse at Peggy's Cove though.... now that's an interesting idea. You're right it is such an iconic symbol and it's also such a simple, tiny little building that it wouldn't take much to do. I actually have digital photos of it already from my last trip home (took the girlfriend out there since she had never been to Atlantic Canada). I'll have to think on that one. The only thing that gives me pause is getting the light effect that the Maxis lighthouse has. I have no idea how that was done. I'm assuming it's an effect added in the lot editor which would mean I would have to use some custom LODs in a Peggy's Cove BAT to get it? I'll think about this one for sure. It's an appealing project and one that hadn't occurred to me.

Jasconcw: Thanks! Even though I was at Sam's I never actually went inside. I only had one day to take pictures so my mission was get as many interesting buildings to potentially BAT as possible. As I mentioned in my reply to Simgoober, I take the point about the billboards. It's something I just missed.  As for modelling the inside of the store, I think I'll take a pass on that. I tried modelling the inside of a room once (it was on my CIBC) and it really didn't turn out well. I ended up deleting all the furniture and fixtures I had made. I find that modelling the inside often makes things look too busy. My own personal preference is generally just to stick with the outside.

Aleking: Have no fear, I'll definitely change the back of the billboards. Thanks for the comment.

6459978: Thanks! I'll take a look at the red texture. It's one I'm kind of loathed to tamper with because the actual shade of red is finally exactly the colour I want and I went through several variations before I was able to get it to this point. Maybe just putting a slight gradient on it would help? I'll give it a try. As for the posts, I agree. Something just seems off and I don't really know what it is. I think the shade is right it's maybe just something with the lighter splotches. As you've suggested, I'll try a smaller texture that has less defined splotch effects and see if that helps.

Again guys, thanks for the feedback. It's invaluable and exactly what I was looking for (confirmed my fear about the posts and got the back of the billboards issue). I'll make the changes sometime today and I'll put up an update when I'm done.

[Jasoncw 11,941]

I made a small mock up with some BATed cd racks glass, and photoshop.

I'm not sure if modeling the inside is worth it (you can have the cd rack model if you want it though), but I think adding some faded shapes to the glass texture would make it look better.  Mabye a floor with some shapes on it too or something, idk.  It's just that the windows are so big.

The double HVACs look really good.

[JBSimio 152]

I still can't get over just how cool this building is.  There's just something about it that I really like.  Definitely a project worth the time you've invested, not to mention done a great job with.

@ Simdad:  I'm not sure if I belong in such company, but thanks for the vote of confidence!

JB

[spa 970]

Jasconcw: Thanks for putting in the time to do a mock up for me. You sold me and I did some basic modelling on the inside. Check it out below.

JBSimio: Thanks. Ths one has tended to drag on. I expected to be done three weeks ago but it's still here. Oh well, soon it'll be ready.

So this is just a small update. Things have been slow for me as I have been struggling with the thesis. I need to have my draft wrapped up this week if I'm going to be able to defend at the end of August. It's a tight schedule with minimal free time that I like to spend avoiding numbers, which is not exactly batting. Anyway, I took the suggestion offered and this is the new finally final version of Sam's.

As you can see there are now chairs and tables inside over by the ice cream stand and CD racks in the retail areas. I don't know if maybe the opaqueness of the glass should be turned up another notch or not. On the roof, I altered the texture for the billboard supports and I think they're a lot better now. Finally I added a faded a real back to the billboards from an image of a wooden wall I stumbled across. This is my 12th texturing attempt for the back and is the current best. I'm still not entirely content with it, but I'm at a loss for a texture that fits better.

Anyway, that's where things sit. So let me know what you all think. I know that I have been showing image after image of this project with only slight variations, but I promise, this time, I'm almost done.

[Spike345 20]

I love it, I cannot pass this building anymore without thinking of you, ahahah, whenever i pass this thought goes through my mind "I wonder spa's project is coming along" then i come home to see if you have an update. Good Luck wiht your paper!

[Kwakelaar 92]

Wonderful, it is your best building so far, but I already told you that. The backside of the building has enough details to be interesting and look quite realistic. Also the big signs on the roof are improved, I don't really see it as a wooden texture though, to me it looks more like aluminium.

Good luck with your thesis and I guess it will be a rather exciting time for you at the end of august.

[spa 970]

Spike345: Thanks. Your wait is just about over.

Kwakelaar: Thanks. Indeed August will be a very interesting time. I forgot to add I'm moving across the country (really across the continent) for Sept 1 as well. A lot on the go that's for sure.

So another small update, but this one isn't from GMAX. After two failed renders I have successfully brought Sam the Record Man into the game. The first two renders failed because for some reason GMAX decided to leave all the textures behind. I have never had that problem before. Luckily, shutting down the computer, rebooting and then ungrouping everything in the scene seemed to set things right. Still cost me two hours in wasted effort, but that's how things go sometimes. Anyway here's the pictures.

There's one thing I'm not pleased with. If you look on the front view day shot you can see that below the big records at the base of the building the texture has been distorted. I have no idea what caused that to happen, but it certainly doesn't look proper. I'm going to bed now and I'll let another render go while I'm asleep. Hopefully the problem will go away on the second run. If not it's something I might just have to live with... that is unless anyone has any ideas what caused that to happen. In any case, barring any last minute catastrophes I'll have this one up on the STEX tonight.