Kefkas BATs

[Lord_Bertrum 3]

Kefka, I think you're right when you edit your previous post it doesn't show up as you posting a new post. So people think that there isn't anything new there for them to look at.

In my personal opinion I think it's a shame that you added more floor to your building. I think it had a certain charm to it when it was the original height. As a BAT it would have been more suitabel in lower density small cities or cities as they're begining to develop.

[kefka 3]

I thought that it looked goofy being the shape that it was, lol.  Also I figured the game already had enough 2x3 medium density commercial buildings for the chicago and new york tileset of that size and could use a 3x3 that was a little bigger.  And I wanted to shove as many CS$$ jobs in it as possible, so I wanted to make it as tall as possible, at this height, if placed by an avenue, you'll still be able to see the sidewalk on the other side.  I'd do both, but I didn't save the short version when I made it taller. 

I agree that the shorter one had more charm.  I've also noticed that my BATs in general are a little generic and bland.  How should I fix this? 

 

P.S.  It was a pleasent surprise seeing my thread on the recent replies list on the front page

[Lord_Bertrum 3]

Date: 4/1/2005 12:34:01 AM Author: kefka

I thought that it looked goofy being the shape that it was, lol.  Also I figured the game already had enough 2x3 medium density commercial buildings for the chicago and new york tileset of that size and could use a 3x3 that was a little bigger.  And I wanted to shove as many CS$$ jobs in it as possible, so I wanted to make it as tall as possible, at this height, if placed by an avenue, you'll still be able to see the sidewalk on the other side.  I'd do both, but I didn't save the short version when I made it taller.

I agree that the shorter one had more charm.  I've also noticed that my BATs in general are a little generic and bland.  How should I fix this? 

P.S.  It was a pleasent surprise seeing my thread on the recent replies list on the front page

Firstly I can't believe the lie that I've just heard, your buildings have a very unique style of their own. Don't under estimate that. You're choosing to create buildings from the New York and Chicago tilesets. One could argue that those two tilesets give BATters the least level of creativity as the buildings from these sets in real life tend to be built primaily from brick and stone. The Euro set for example allows for a greater use of glass and a wider variety of shapes.

 

Do you still have a backup of the original building, prehaps you could release both onto the STEX?

 

I'm also very impressed with the slightly oriental looking building featured half way down the page. Can you tell me more about that one please?

[kefka 3]

The grey/whitish building is going to be one of those diagonal buildings that rest right up against the road.  Since American cities that have wall to wall buildings like this ussualy have some diagonal streets (the wheel road layout was popular back then) I figured I should make a few (I'll be making more someday).  Plus they could be used just to round out a city center area, with a few diagonals in and intersection you could create a diamond shape with the roads and then put some kind of a park in the middle.  the building is based off this -> http://www.thesavvytraveller.com/agraphics/calendars/2005/pomegranate/chicago_architecture.jpg   I'll pretty much be doing the bare front of it (no bridges or towers or anything) and then I'll toss a mechanical room and a water tower ontop.  As you can see from the picture there's alot of detail there, and I can only do that much detail when I'm in a certain mood , but since I'm almost done with this building (I didn't save any backups or anything) I might start working on the other one again.  It'll either be a CO$$ or $$$ or a CS$$ or $$$ (hotel, these kinds of hotels where also popular then).

 

oooo, ya got me in the mood to BAT now

[ExiL3 10]

Man those are some great BAT's you've got there!!! keep up the good work, AND please load them up on the STEX!!!

[Lord_Bertrum 3]

Date: 4/1/2005 12:00:34 PM Author: kefka

oooo, ya got me in the mood to BAT now

quote>

 

I certainly hope so, cause I for one can't wait to see MORE

[kefka 3]

Sorry, I was out of town over the weekend.  I just did some work on the diagonal building.  Here are some screenshots.  It's going to be a CS$$$ named the Wagner Hotel.

 

 

Since I only have gmax I can't do good renders (or any renders at all) of anything other than the Sim City angles.  This is a screenshot of the viewport, does anyone know how to increase the quality of this?

 

 

 

This is a rough copy of what it'll look like when it's done.  I'll fix the size of it so that it perfectly fits the corner, wall to wall.  There will be a water tower on top, a penthouse type thing with a small rooftop patio ontop, seperated by a wall and the rest will be mechanical stuff.  You can also see the boiler room on the other building next to it.  With this picture you can see the type of envirorment I'm trying to create with my BATs.

 

More to come soon.

[Lord_Bertrum 3]

I really like those large ground level windows that I guess would be shop fronts.

[Tunafish 48]

To do renders at different angles rotate the building so it's angled towards the camera

[DuskTrooper 314]

Wow..beautiful! Looks maxis quality! Keep up the good work!

OH, and if you have MSN messenger, could I have your SN? It would be great, if you could. Thanks.
EQ should be returning soon, so, you could discuss things with him about joining us, if you are still interested...

[kefka 3]

thanks!   I sent you a pm too.

[Lord_Bertrum 3]

It seems that there may be too many in NDEX already, so I hope you don't have any trouble joining.

[kefka 3]

I worked more on the building.  I finised the windows and addded some more detial to the lower front.  So basicly the 'fancy facade' part (in the diagram I showed a few posts back) is done.  This part gets duplicated and turned at a 45 degree angle for the diagonal part.  Also, I resaved the building itself into a new file without keeping any of the things lying around from making it (extra windows, extra columns, extra walls, ect.).  Those where put so far away that a different lighting rig was used, which caused the lighting to be bad in the building itself.  Well, since that stuff is gone now it doesn't look so flat.

 

I'm not a part of NDEX.  Equinox says that some major changes are about to happen and after all of that then maybe.  I have a feeling that the major changes will be refocusing the group.  Anyways, I'd be BATing either way, but now I'll have to learn the reader...  and it might be a while...

[Lord_Bertrum 3]

I really don't think it's essential for everybody to be 'signed' up by a couple of groups.

[kefka 3]

The last image I showed where the buildings lined up perfectly was made by pasting a low preview render into photoshop.  It turns out that the building doesn't fit so prefectly into the corner of the road.  This is an actual preview.

 

So, right now, I either need to add another section of windows, or remove one.  The difference is that the total lot will be 6x2 or 5x2.  It will bring back the symetry of the front, but I was sorta likeing how it had more off to one side.  Also, the Wagner Hotel is grand, and I think having the extra wallage on one side makes it more grand.

 

any thoughts?

[DuskTrooper 314]

Nice work! And yes, we are having some reforms right now..but don't worry! If you need help, you can always ask me for it!

[kefka 3]

Date: 4/8/2005 9:10:39 PM Author: DuskTrooper Nice work!  And yes, we are having some reforms right now..but don't worry!  If you need help, you can always ask me for it!

quote>

Thanks .  Equinox said the same thing too, I should've mentioned it before.  Both of you guys are a big help.

 

Oh yea everyone, remember that I haven't textured any of this yet, I ussualy add more detail in with textures, since modeling things so small is just a waste of polygons.  Most of what I'll be adding will be the stone releifs that run up some of the columns.  It should look alot better once it's textured.

[kefka 3]

 

Tada!!  I textured most of the wall, and finished the rest of the walls.    Along the lower left side of the building going into that nook, there will be some railing trees (or lamposts) and inside the nook there will be a statue or fountain.  The roof will have a fancy penthousey type thing on the right side roof.  I shoved this building around my town in photoshop and surprisingly it fits in with the rest of the buildings, especialy next to the opera house.

 

The ground floor will be the lobby, and I'll be modeling the insides of that.  The texture on the windows will be varied.  I feel that the hotel is too closed in, and I'd like to model the inside ofthe rooms too, but I don't think I have the computer power for it.  I'll also be adding some horizontal flags.

 

I wasn't planning for this building to be so decorative, and old looking, but as I was making the textures it was turning out that way and it looked great, so I didn't mess with it.  Also, the Diagonal sides look good at all angles.  I'm realy happy with the way this is turning out.

[GaryReggae 80]

This looks really good Kefka, you're really got a very good mastery of that architectural style.

[kefka 3]

^ thanks

Equinox made some great tutorials on his webpage ( http://spartan117.simvision.net/Tutorials/EquinoxLotTweaks/index.html ), so I'm finishing the poirer building (the first building seen in this thread).  However the name will be changed to 'Poirer Interior Design' or something along those lines.  Someday a 'Poirer Hotel' will be made, and then maybe a 'Poirer Building' (headquarters).  For christmas I gave my brothers girlfriend some pockey and 3? (forgot the number) simcity buildings named after her.  At the time she was studing photography, and now she's thinking of going into intertior design.

 

I'm redoing the lots for Poirer Designs, since I didn't spend very much time on the old ones.  Plus they probably suck .  I think it would be easier to modd the building if I only had a few files to work with instead of the test renders, the old lots, the old test lots, ect...

 

anyways, that's all I can think of to say.  The most recent building 'Wagner Hotel' is pretty much the same as it was before.  I've been trying to make a short crown for the rectangular part of the building to the right, but so far I'm having trouble.  I think I've found a wiener, but untill I make it i won't post any pictures.

 

Thanks for reading this thread

[kefka 3]

Most of the work on Poirer Design is done.

 

I updated 'Poirers Pictures' on the stex.  I corrected the plugin manager values.  The way that it was before I think it was pumping out 30$ a month, and plus it grew way too often.  Before downloading make sure that your budget will do fine without the bonus.

[kefka 3]

eh.  I'm going to be too busy to do any BATing, the most I'll do for a few weeks is mod buildings that are already made and release them.  Also, if I do any major BATing it will for simmars.  I made a new building over the weekend for it, but it doesn't look very futuristic so I might release that as well.  It's a 2x4 either cs or co $$ or $$$.  That was the last major chunk of free time I'l be having.

 

 

[DuskTrooper 314]

Ok, cool. Well, I'll be waiting!

[Chris M 406]

Wow, kefka you are a really superb BATer. I am amazed at your stlye. I like the textures you use.

-DragonAnime

[Lord_Bertrum 3]

How is the new BAT coming along?

[mcarch 15]

I hope a ploppable will be included!  *crosses fingers*

[kefka 3]

ooo, replies .

I've been told that the most recent building does indeed look marsish enough, so it will be part of simmars.

 

Wagner hotel isn't done yet, it's where it was last time you saw it I belive.  I haven't touched it in a while.

 

Poirer Design (the brick building at the begining of this thread) has been modded into a growable lot, but I'm waiting for equinox to finish his tutorials before I make it a plopable.  I think I might change the name, I don't like it.  It might be a hotel instead, since there are enough offices.  I'll also include the residential as requested.  Maybe 'Mary Hotel' and 'Mary Arms' or something along those lines.

 

I also have an older building that I haven't mentioned at all in this thread that needs a slight re-texturing and a re-render (the first render gave goofy results).

 

The department store needs a little bit more work on it and then it can be rendered.

 

I'm still realy busy but the school year is almost over and then I'll have time to finish everything on my plate.

 

Thanks for posting replies too!

[Lord_Bertrum 3]

Kefka _ I was looking at the new building in the picture and I couldn't help but notice that the cross bracing on the side of it was made with a brick texture, wouldn't a rusty metal look be better?

[kefka 3]

I made the entire thing to be made out of metal, but I don't care what anyone thinks it's made out of as long as they like it .  I'll remove the horizontal lines on that area before I render it.  I'll also be making the verticle gradient more subtle.

and https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?mode=files&filetype=BAT&Str=poirers pictures  has 473 downloads and gets more every day.  After looking through the stex that's not bad for a building of that size, style, and purpose.

[kefka 3]

it's a cafe that I think will have a bookstore on the upper floors and then an apartment on the top floor.  It's going to be a light brown-ish color, and the red blind wall (which I tried to make interesting) will be a red-ish brick.  I still haven't added in the windows glass, or textured anything.  Unfortunatly alot of the detail I put in isn't showing up .  It's a 1x2 CS$$$.  There's going to be stuff on the roof.  the file corrupted an hour or two in it's making and it couldn't be gotten back, so I had to restart, lol.

 

Once I learn how to do the lots for the other buildings I'll finish them up and render them and release them.  I realy need to start releasing my buildings