SPAs Urbanist BAT Thread

[Gn_leugim 853]

and btw, I was the 1000th post on your thread XD

[spa 968]

Todd: Thanks for the advice. In this case though I'm happy with it

Nofunk: Thanks Nofunk. I thin it's one of my better works.

Gn: Thanks. Night lights are a relatively recent adition to my skill set. The thing with batting is there is always more to learn. At times I think I'm done learning, but then something will come up. Happy 1000th post.

PhilsCafe: Neat. They really use to build banks with style. An ornate bank building said we're successful and permanent. Architecture, unfortunately, no longer delivers those messages and our cityscapes are poorer for it. I'll have to look up the Picasso Museum for interest sake now.

So incase you missed it over at Devotion, I'm working on the Morse's Teas Building again. I have basically finished the modeling now and I'm just tinkering with textures before I set at the lighting. Below is the current edition.

It's coming along, but this one has been a little more challenging than most. The textures have been fighting with me, specifcally the roof texture. The other day I took a picture of the real building's roof from a Pedway in the area and this is pretty close to what's actually up there. I'm generally content with the strange assortment of objects (I think the old chimnies and penthouse turned out particularly well). The thing that has been giving me fits is the roof texture. The roof is sloped so some kind of shingle texture is probably the best idea, but what I have on there doesn't seem to sit right. I'm thinking of maybe trying to dirty it up a bit. It might be too clean. I'm kind of stumped. Thoughts?

[SimHoTToDDy 2,938]

Wow, very nice, but defiantly a strange bit of architecture.

The brick texture on the top portion of the building seems kinda smushed horizontally, but it is passable if need be. The roof is at an angle you say? What a mess. If anything, I say the texture itself looks ok, but where the planes join things are funky. Perhaps if you added a bit of a ridge of shingles along that corner then it would hide the slight misalignment. If you do decide to dirty it up, only do something subtle, like some blotches of desaturation or brown/dirt. I think the tones are all good though.

Still flummoxed by this one, but your doing a damn good job,

-Todd

[jacqulina 162]

very nice

[art128 4,618]

this building is looking awesome my friend, great work

[allez l'om 1]

It looks so much great!!! typically the building from the 1900's in Industrial cities like Toronto or Chicago!!!

[PhilsCafe 8]

I like the textures on this building a lot. The roof texture looks good too, I don't think you need to change a lot there, maybe some moss or something, but not necessarily. If you want to dirty up the roof a little, maybe you should work on the textures of your roof objects... they look a little bit clean compared to the rest. And I agree with Todd about the corner, it does look kinda weird. But I can see that this is going to be another awesome building from you.

As for the Picasso museum: Here's the link to their website.

[panthersimcity4 162]

Wow, your BATS seem to be getting bigger and more detailed every time I stop by this thread!

[spa 968]

Todd: Your pointing to the brick texture has proven to be a eureka moment! Besides streatching it out, I also darkened it and desaturated it a bit. The end result has made the whole building fit together! I also added a ridge down the roof "seams." Great advice.

Jacqulina: Thanks

Art128: Thanks

Allez: Indeed. In Halifax, it forms part of the old industrial waterfront.

PhilsCafe: Thanks. I'll give some thought to tinkering with the roof objects. They were being a little difficult but a more creative texture might be in order. I took a peak at the museum you mentioned. It definitely has some similar elements and I can see why you thought of it when I was working on the Bank of Nova Scotia Building. The musuem even looks like it has a "crown" along the upper cornice.

Panther: haha you posted as I was posting. My bats of late have definitely got bigger. After producing so many main street type bats I have been feeling the need to create some larger mid-rises. I'm actually looking at moving into making some residentials in the next batch (after I finish the 4 I'm working on now).

So I went back to Morse's Tea again this evening with fresh eyes. Instead of focusing on the roof I took a whole building view and I think we now have a winner. I didn't change the roof, but instead I adjusted the rosy brick to a darker slightly more destaturated version. Check it out.

The new darker brick is actually closer to the real building. The neat thing is the roof texture is the same even though it now, to my eyes, looks like it fits. The only thing I might have to do now is switch the old ad texture to a darker version. I haven't changed it, but the new darker brick sure makes it look a lot brigther than it did before. Anyway, it has been a battle on this and I really appreicate all the constructive feedback.

[SimHoTToDDy 2,938]

I try! Sometimes my aesthetic side comes out and I'm able to express what the matter is, sometimes... not so much. But I'm glad I could be of service! I would have to agree about the roof junk (except those two chimneys, those look fantastic), but everything else I'll let you tinker with first.

Subtle, but significant improvement,

-Todd

[art128 4,618]

this BAT is looking good my friend, for sure I will use it in my city !

[PhilsCafe 8]

I like the changes a lot. The ridge on the roof gives a lot more depth to the roof and the red bricks fit much better with the lower part of the facade.

[Gn_leugim 853]

I like the building too.. you should do mirror one, so we could put them next to each other

[spa 968]

Todd: Well you hit the nail on the head this time. Since you posted I went back and tweaked the roof junk on the Morse's Tea just a little. It too is now improved, but more on that later.
Art: Thanks! I'm glad you'll find a use for it.
Phil: Thanks. They did work out. It's really funny how big a difference adding a small little line down a roof seam can make
Gn: I actually rendered the model on Thursday and I did a version for each corner

So I have finished the Morse's Teas Building. I ended up adjusting the roof equipment textures a little bit, but other than that no changes. I'll post some pictures of it in game later (I'm house sitting this evening and don't have any available). For now, I'll draw your attention to the LEX for a little Dec 6 surprise, the Halifax Explosion Memorial Bell Tower. Here's two pics of the real thing.


The Halifax Explosion occurred on December 6, 1917, 91 years ago today, and was the largest man-made explosion before the invention of nuclear weapons. The Explosion occurred when two ships, the Mont Blanc and Imo, collided in Halifax Harbour. The Mont Blanc was fully loaded with munitions and caught fire. The ship's crew fled and the stricken vessel drifted right into the Halifax waterfront around Pier 6. Almost nobody knew what the Mont Blanc was carrying so no one thought to take cover or flee. The eventual explosion devastated Halifax. Everything within a 2 km radius was flattened and roughly 12,000 other homes were badly damaged. Toppled woodstoves ignited the ruins and fires burned out of control since the city's fire department was virtually wiped out in the blast (firefighters were on Pier 6 trying to extingish the blaze at the time of the Explosion). Approximately, 2,000 people died and 9,000 others were injured. Relief efforts were hampered by a blizzard that struck the very next day. The first major shipment of outside aid to reach Halifax came from Boston, something that Haligonians and Nova Scotians have never forgot. This is why every year, Boston’s official Christmas Tree is carefully picked from the wilds of Nova Scotia and is provided to the city free of charge by the provincial government.




The long-term impact of the Explosion on Halifax was major. The disaster wiped out the City's already struggling industrial base. Most of the industry was never rebuilt. The devastated North End rose anew as the Hydrostones, Canada’s first public housing project. Halifax became a centre for research into blindness due to the large number of people whose vision was damaged by flying glass. American military planners carefully studied Halifax and a similar incident in Port Chicago, CA, in preparation for the atomic bomb attacks on Japan. The Explosion is remember by Haligonians every year at the Memorial Bell Tower in Fort Needham Park. To this day, the North face of the clock tower on Halifax City Hall is frozen in time at 9:05.

Anyway, here's how my version turned out.

I think jestar's planters look pretty sharp and fit the concrete tower nicely. I also made a bsc park compatible version.

[Fledgeling 1]

Great BAT and I found the story to be fascinating. Thanks on both accounts.

[Gn_leugim 853]

 A very nice Building, for a very sad story =(

[art128 4,618]

this BAT is great

[art128 4,618]

page flip ?

[Gn_leugim 853]

page flip lool.. god damn this bug lol

[spa 968]

Fledgeling: Thanks. It is a neat piece of Canadian history. If you're interested in that story you might also want to read about Port Chicago (a similar but much smaller disaster in the US).

Art: Thanks

Gn: yeah... it seems not one but two posts are needed to flip to the next page. Thanks.

So I'm back home again after a brief stay in the country at my parents place (I was house sitting while they were in Cuba). I did promise some pictures of the Morse's Tea Building in game though with the night lighting done and the roof object textures tweaked, so here they are.

You might recognize the little plaza planters I made from Brian's props from the Bank of Nova Scotia. They looked so smart on it I decided to use them on this one to. I did think about doing an alley, but the real Morse's Teas Building fronts onto streets on both sides so I decided to go with a plaza.

And a night shot.

I think the night lighting on this one turned out particularly well. The yellowish colour seems to fit and the lighting really shows off the small glass panes.

I have had another project on the go, the J.W. Johnston Building.

The Johnston Building is a provincial government office building in downtown Halifax. The building is named after James William Johnston, a lawyer and Tory politician who arrived in Nova Scotia after the American Revolution. Johnston was a major public figure during the dawn of Responsible Government in Nova Scotia (birth of Canadian democracy) and led the fledgeling democractic government several times. The building that bears Johnston's name wasn't always a government office. It was constructed in 1928 and was originally an Eatons department store. Eatons, however, abandoned downtown Halifax for the suburbs. The building's location near Province House (the provincial legislature) and several government office buildings made it an attractive purcahse for the provincial government. The province recently completed a major refit of the Johnston Building and as a result it is one of most well preserved heritage buildings in the city.

Anyway, here's my version:

Obviously it's still a work in process, but I think it's heading in the right direction. I decided to make the Johnston a non-corner building for Sim City even though the real thing is on a corner. It seems like an easy call since the real building doesn't really relate to the corner at all. It really doesn't affect the structure. It's just a regular 2x3 that happened to grow on a corner

[SimHoTToDDy 2,938]

Wow, that was fast, and beautiful work too!

First of all Morse's Teas is looking great, came out wonderfully good. Your new project is looking great as well. Only thing that I see that seems a bit off is the height of the utility building. Just by doing some eyeballing the floor appears to be just a bit taller than the rest of the building's floors, but it looks MUCH taller. Maybe it's just the narrower shape that is messing with me, I blame my eyes. All that gibberish aside, looks great.

Can't wait to see the rest textured,

-Todd

[mcarch 15]

Just a question... when building a city how would you position that building (Morse's Tea Building)? Could you show a picture of how you would position it? =)

[jacqulina 162]

wonderfull work

[allez l'om 1]

you have just started a new project as much wonderful as the last ones!! can't wait for seing the next pics of it!!!

[art128 4,618]

The lot on the first one of the page is great and the second one is looking good, can't wait fore more!

Arthur.

[Gn_leugim 853]

quite beautiful but or it of the perspective of the real life picture, or your building is a little short? =1

[Francis90b 748]

Actually a very good work, but the height of the roof elements seems to be too much if compared with the rest of the building.If you want to do it as a non-corner building maybe you should add ann alley on something similar, but this is my opinion.

[6underground 11]

Loving your BAT's spa!!

[Jasoncw 11,840]

I've finally gotten around to rating your recent buildings, lol.

Also, the new buildings are outstanding, though I agree that the penthouse on the one is too tall compared to the rest.

[spa 968]

Todd: Ahh but not as fast as it seems. I have had this one underway for the past month or so, but I have only been picking at it while I travel (it was on my fiance's laptop). I agree with you, and everyone else who mentioned it, about the penthouse. I cut about 3 meters off of it in the new version. 

Mcarch: Well when I see my buildings in CJs I'm often amazed at the uses and combinations that other people come up with so I'm not too worried about that. Still I'll give you two scenarios in which I could see Morse's Teas working well

1. On a narrow block with 1x2s and 1x1s

2. In conjunction with other building's that have little plazas

Jacqulina: Thanks

Allez l'om: Thanks

Art128: Thanks. The semi-seasonal trees seem to fit really well with Morse's Teas facade.

Gn: I think a bit of both. My version is probably a little wider so that it could be a wall-to-wall. The perspective of Sim City is also probably squishing it down a little. I'm not too worried since it only looks slightly different in comparison to the real thing.

Joint: Yeah. I shrunk the penthouse down. I have rendered the building and I have a plaza and alley version.

6Underground: Hey! Been a while since I have seen you around. Thanks for the kind words.

Jason: Yes you've been busy this afternoon! I take it your term has finished and you now have time to go back and download stuff you missed?

Well since I last posted I have finished texturing the Johnston Building and I actually rendered it. Below is how it shaped up.

As mentioned in my comments, I shrunk the size of the penthouse by several meters. It somehow ended up at nearly 6.5 meters per floor up there. It's not nearly so bad now. When I started texturing the penthouse it ended up taking on a real modern feel so I ditched the old style chimnies and put up two modern fans to fill out the space. Much like the real building, this oldie was subject to a major renovation and refit The roof texture gave me a lot of fits, but I think it works. It was really tough to get something that would work with the facade and the almost white edges. Anyway below is a side shot

And a night shot

Night lighting on this one and Morse's Tea was really rewarding. There is something about the many small panes of glass that really makes the lighting pop on both of them!

I have kind of thought that like the Roy Building, the Johnston Building might work well crossing a whole block. So I made a version with a lot on the back.

The setback doesn't work nearly as well as the Roy Building, but it's not too bad either. Anyway, unless anyone sees something that is really out of whack I'm ready to declare this one complete.