RagtimeMan1888

The first view was complete, except that it appeared kind of pixelated. My computer has 8 GB of RAM and an AMD A8-3500M Processor and is running Windows 7.

I have the 2012 version of 3dsMax, and am trying to export a fairly large building (about 300k polygons). I exported the LODs into gmax and created a SC4model file with them, and did a Day Export using that file. Since the building was bigger than anything I did before, I assumed it would take a while to render all the views, and let it run overnight. The first view that shows up is a zoom 4 view, but when I check on progress the next morning, the renderer still shows that view, with the progress bar at the bottom staying at around 17%. Is there something that's not going right, or is this just how the export process normally goes, and I have to give it more time?

One question before I continue: Is there any way to turn the U-Drive-it icons off? As you can see, they've shown up in some of the pictures. Now, back to the City Journal The Serene Field Cemetery, located in the Abbott Heights Neighborhood. This is where many in Mancroft get buried, sometimes when they’re dead. The Immigrant Row neighborhood on Mancroft’s South Side. As immigrants in the city became more affluent, they moved further away from the tenements near Downtown while still retaining their cultures. Currently, the neighborhood is informally divided into enclaves for the Uippans and the Husterrans. An intersection in the Earlston neighborhood. A part of the Ranier neighborhood in southwest Mancroft. While many Mancroft neighborhoods have become conclaves for specific ethnicities, Ranier is well integrated. The nearby neighborhood of Russel. This section of Mancroft has many vacant lots, as population growth has been outpaced by the city’s outward expansion. The city is selling these plots of land at reduced price in hopes of attracting developers. Already, empty lots are being filled by identical brick houses. The southeastern corner of Mancroft Park, with a nearby community center. The road surrounding the park is plagued by congestion, and plans ranging from adding lanes to putting roads through the park have been contemplated. A new South Side school. A combination of population growth and more children having the opportunity to go to school instead of working 12-hour days in a factory has placed a strain on Mancroft’s school system. Still, the city manages to educate children of different species together, and boasts some of the highest test scores in Delmora. Stonebreaker University, located in the Wakewood neighborhood. Established with money from a grant from industrial giant Gail Stonebreaker in 7152, Stonebreaker University offers academic programs ranging from civil engineering to Dersinian puppetry. The massive main building in the center houses classrooms, lecture halls, libraries, administrative offices, laboratories, and student lounges, though other buildings have been constructed to handle the rapidly growing student body. A shot of West Mancroft. In the beginning, this area of the city was a separate town called Elkrun. In 7106, it was incorporated into Mancroft. Now, it serves as a sort of miniature Downtown for people who live in the city's west side. A street in the Earlston neighborhood, where two new apartment buildings have sprung up. Mancroft Estates, on the far west side of the city. Initially, the upper crust of Mancroft chose this place to live due to being far away from the grime of the city, though it has since been encroached by urban developments on all sides. Here is a map of Mancroft showing the locations of the previously mentioned neighborhoods relative to each other: 1. Downtown 2. Hell’s Rumpus Room 3. Retail District 4. Hagen Gardens 5. Smeltzerfield 6. Wakewood 7. Immigrant Row 8. Blue Village 9. South Side 10. Park District 11. Earlston 12. West Mancroft 13. Brigley 14. Ranier 15. Mancroft Estates 16. Abbott Heights 17. Russell 18. Winedale 19. Nightside 20. Mancroft Heights 21. Ironwood 22. South Costelloville 23. Costelloville 24. Hardley 25. Quaraba 26. Canby 27. East Side 28. Easter Side 29. Wrennan Industrial Park 30. Zorn 31. Cornwallburg 32. North Cornwallburg 33. Meat Packing District 34. North Side 35. Delmora University Mancroft Branch 36. Hothley 37. Grinding District 38. Smelting District 39. Burning and Dismembering District 40. Cheap Crap Making District 41. Mancroft Quays In the next update: A view of the city's north bank, with the factories and the neighborhoods in their shadow.

Thanks all for the compliments. Now, for some close-up shots of the downtown area and surrounding locales. A shot of Downtown Mancroft. Pictured are the Kenge Building (1), the Penmore Industries Center (2), the Sheppard Tower (3), the P.L. Diamond Coal Company Building (4), and Nessen’s Delicatessen, home of the best hoagies in town (5). Each of these buildings was gleaming white when constructed, but the pollution from the factories across the river has since turned their facades gray. On the left is the Delmora Steel Tower (constructed in 7175), and on the right is the First Bank of Mancroft Building (constructed in 7179). In front of the First Bank of Mancroft Building is their largest bank branch, which features an underground vault containing a crapload of gold (one crapload being equal to about 500 tons). On the far right is the Riverside Hotel, one of Downtown Mancroft’s many places to spend a night. In the shadow of the Sheppard Tower is Mancroft Central Station. Once one of Mancroft’s more impressive buildings, it has since been overshadowed by Downtown’s many skyscrapers. Currently, the pathway up to the front entrance is being repaved, with a diagonal section next to the road yet to be finished. The station is barely able to handle the travelers going in and out, but no concrete expansion plans have been made yet. The Stonebreaker Building, Mancroft’s newest skyscraper. As the name suggests, this is where the Stonebreaker Mining Company’s offices are located, having previously been based in a smaller building located closer to Downtown. Located nearby are a train station and City Hall. Mancroft’s Retail District. This section of the city contains City Hall (top op picture), and the Mancroft Marketplace (center of picture). Established in 7124 as a means of bringing local produce to the rapidly growing legion of city dwellers, the Marketplace has been repeatedly renovated, and offers space for many vendors to sell their wares. Last year, the marketplace was retrofitted with air conditioning, causing many people to shop there just to cool off during the summer months. The Marketplace also features parking spaces, a much sought-after rarity in Mancroft. Further South in the Retail District is the baseball stadium and the Convention Center. The stadium has been the home of the Mancroft Dynamos since 7175. This season, the team made it all the way to the Damalandian Series, narrowly beating the Gateway City Explorers 5 games to 4. The convention center (bottom right) was built in 7140 in hopes of attracting the Planetary Expo to Mancroft, which never came to fruition. Behind it is the Regal Hotel, where most convention goers stay. Bowen Apartments, located near where the Blue and Yellow Rivers merge to form the Green River. Riverside developments have generally been avoided in the past, as frequent flooding can raise the river level by several meters. But as Mancroft’s Population grows, developers are opting to make use of this land. Elsewhere, the riverbanks have proven useful for drivers, who, unable to find any parking spaces, simply drive their cars onto the grass. The Hell’s Rumpus Room district. Lined with tenements built hastily to house the city’s growing population, Hell’s Rumpus Room is home to immigrants from every corner of Dunia. The district has been the center of an urban renewal initiative, with many of the older, more dilapidated buildings being torn down and replaced with newer apartments. The Hagen Gardens neighborhood, south of Downtown. Home to Mancroft’s emerging population of white-collar professionals, the older houses are being renovated or replaced by larger apartments. The Mancroft Technical Institute, near Hell’s Rumpus Room. Established in 7120, Mancroft Tech offers vocational training in a multitude of fields. With more people opting to receive a college education, the Institute has expanded, adding a classroom building, a laboratory, and a library with over 20,000 books. Conveniently located near the college is a train station, with office space perilously wedged in between the railroad line and Hamelin Avenue. Armistice Hall, located Downtown. One of Mancroft’s oldest existing buildings, it was constructed in 7025, and was where a series of violent border disputes with neighboring provinces was settled by the Grox-Salimabad Treaty of 7033. It served as Mancroft’s City Hall until 7112, at which point it became a brothel. Nowadays, it is primarily a tourist attraction. A section of the Wakewood neighborhood, south of Hagen Gardens. At this point, the row homes and apartments of the city center are giving way to single-unit houses with yards. Many of the people who live here are middle-class families who work Downtown or in the Retail District and commute to work via the city’s bus system, though more and more people are buying cars. The South Side neighborhood. A solidly working-class part of town, some families have taken to growing gardens in their backyard to supplement their incomes. A few blocks of stores in the Blue Village neighborhood. With retail space at a premium Downtown, these shops offer a chance for people who could not otherwise afford a place to sell their wares to do so. A church in the Ironwood neighborhood, with several elusive parking spaces. Located near the southern end of Mancroft, Ironwood is a neighborhood where different ethnicities and income levels live side by side. A statue of Melvin Grox, who served as governor of Delmora from 7023 to 7035, located in the Ironwood neighborhood. Mancroft has made it an initiative to provide plenty of green space for the city’s residents, although some neighborhoods have more than others. A lower-class section of Ironwood. The smaller size of the houses has one advantage, though: residents have room on their properties to build driveways, saving them from having to park their cars on the side of the street if they have them. The driveway craze has caught on, with some families who can’t even afford a car putting driveways on their lawn just for show. A section of the Park District. The green spaces of Mancroft Park are a stark contrast to the factories, refineries, and warehouses on one side of it. The Abbott Heights neighborhood on the southwestern side of Mancroft. This is an upper-class enclave, with many large, stately homes. Some homes have swimming pools, filled with a mysterious clear blue shade of water, dissimilar to the sludgy brown water of the Blue, Yellow, and Green Rivers. Mancroft’s Theater District. Downtown has a few theaters, music halls, and movie houses, but this part of town offers entertainment for people on the outskirts of the city at an affordable price. Sadly, a fire ravaged the district recently, rendering a few buildings uninhabitable. Mancroft Heights, located to the south of the city. This is where the richest of the rich call home. Mancroft’s most famous magnates have residences here, though many spend most of their time on the hundreds of acres of land each of them has far outside Mancroft. On the sides of the roads is the Deciduous Palm, a variation of a tropical plant that is mysteriously well suited to the northern environment of Delmora. While some consider them exotic, others view them as an abomination that should be eliminated from the face of Dunia. A church and school in the Winedale district. The people of Mancroft practice dozens of different faiths, with worship space for each. This particular building holds services for Aguariests, those who worship the gods of the waters. Coming up in the next update: Continuing the tour of Mancroft's southwest bank, and a map of Mancroft showing the various neighborhoods.

After playing SimCity 4 on and off for about eight years, I finally decided to make a City Journal. It tells the story of Mancroft, a growing city at the eve of a new period of history that promises to change the way people live, work, and play. This journal will follow the city's development over these years to see what changes they bring, be they for better or for worse. A Quick Teaser Photo: Background: This story takes place on a planet dubbed “Dunia” by its’ human inhabitants. Twenty thousand years ago, a mysterious alien race abducted several human tribes from earth, taking them tens of thousands of light-years to Dunia as part of a grand experiment. The humans would interact with alien races from other parts of the galaxy, with each species’ reactions to the others being documented. In addition to humans, Dunia is populated by seven other species: The Ursinoids- Average Height: 1.5-2 meters Average Weight: 190-250 kilograms Average Lifespan: 50-60 Dunian years (65-78 Earth years) Overview: The Ursinoids are a bear-like humanoid species. Since Dunia’s climate is warmer than the planet they came from, the Ursinoids usually make their home on the far north and south regions of the planet. Due to their size and strength, they require up to ten kilograms of food a day. The Dersinians- Average Height: 2-2.5 meters Average Weight: 140-230 kilograms Average Lifespan: 100-140 Dunian years (130-182 Earth years) Overview: The Dersinians are a race of aliens with five eyes and purple skin but otherwise defying description. This species reproduces asexually, having one child every two years until they pass childbearing age. Dersinians are herbivorous since their bodies cannot digest meat, and can even subsist on moss and leaves. The Ket’Jemenians- Average Height: 2.3-2.7 meters Average Weight: 170-240 kilograms Average Lifespan: 45-55 Dunian Years (59-72 Earth years) Overview: The Ket’Jemenians are a tall species with full-body fur. This makes them especially adaptable to cold climates, although they have a presence all around the planet. They have no ears, instead “hearing” things surrounding them by feeling the vibrations. The Uippans- Average Height: 1.4-1.8 meters Average Weight: 55-90 kilograms Average Lifespan: 40-50 Dunian years (52-65 Earth Years) Overview: The Uippans are a species with cat-like ears, light red skin complexions, and tails. They are extremely agile, capable of reaching speeds of up to 30 kilometers an hour when running on all fours. The Husterrans- Average Height: 0.9-1.4 meters Average Weight: 100-200 kilograms Average Lifespan: 120-160 Dunian years (156-208 Earth years) Overview: The Husterrans are a short, stocky species with hard skin that can survive in both extreme heat and extreme cold. However, they move very slowly. The Llobemings- Average Height: 1.2-1.9 meters Average Weight: 40-75 kilograms Average Lifespan: 30-45 Dunian years (39-59 Earth years) Overview: The Llobemings are a blind, winged species that avoids exposure to sunlight when possible. Because of this, they primarily live underground or in caves. Although they have wings, they can only use them to glide. The Epixians- Average Height: 1.7-2.3 meters Average Weight: 60-110 kilograms Average Lifespan: 400-560 Dunian years (520-728 Earth years) Overview: The Epixians are a slender species with wings and long ears. They are rarely seen by other species, some of whom believe that they possess magical powers. They are agile and hard to kill, but avoid fighting whenever possible. Each species inhabited separate regions of Dunia, and built societies, isolated from one another. As populations grew, each of the eight species began to interact with other species. Most of these interactions were hostile, and fighting ensued. Because each species had no immunity to the diseases of the other species, sickness killed off most of those who did not die in the various wars that broke out. However, each species proved resilient, coming back from the brink of extinction on several occasions. After millennia of war, each society begrudgingly opted to make peace with the other societies they had been fighting. Treaties were signed, borders were drawn, and an era of relative peace ensued. Afterwards, populations had grown to numbers unimaginable by past generations, world exploration had reintroduced different species to one another, and new technologies necessitated resources that each nation was scrambling for. Tensions rose, and world leaders struggled to stave off another even more destructive period of war. All human nations operate on a calendar based upon the founding of Parel Muppa, one of the first major human cities and the first one to start keeping track of the years. Currently, the year is 7197. Confined to the continent of Malcord and threatened by the neighboring Ursinoids, many humans emigrated eastward in search of new land. Eventually, they crossed the ocean and reached a continent they named “Damaland”. There, settlers encountered the native population of Husterrans, eventually clearing them out of most of Western Damaland, and establishing their own colonies and provinces. In 7002, the leaders of the provinces on the northern and western coasts of Damaland decided to form one nation for the mutual advancement of interests. One of the provinces in the new Damalandian Confederation of United Provinces (DCUP) was Delmora, on whose eastern side Mancroft is located. Mancroft at a Glance Population: 693,538 Year Established: 6981 Species Breakdown: -Human- 94.6% -Uippan- 3.5% -Husterran- 1.3% -Ket’Jemmian- .5% -Ursinoid- .1% City Motto: “Prosperity for All Who Prosper” City Nickname: “The Factory City” Mayor: David Jefferson (in office since 7188) Mancroft was founded on the banks of where the Blue and Yellow Rivers join to form the Green River, which then flows into Damaland Bay. The town was named after General Edmund Mancroft, who brought an expedition of settlers into the area in 6966. Because it was near many deposits of various metals and minerals, it quickly became an industrial powerhouse. Now, factories manufacture virtually every item one could think of. Unfortunately, this has made the city dirty and polluted, with smoke from factories blotting out the sun on most days. Nonetheless, the city still grows, with people migrating there for the job opportunities.