thecitiescenter

Welcome Back to my City Journal, "Touring the World"! All Cities shown are inspired by reality, but may have subtle differences with their real-life counterparts. These differences may be due to game constraints... or... just because. For this entry, we'll be returning to the US West Coast! Starting from the north, we return to the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area! Downtown Portland is known for its 200 ft by 200 ft blocks - originally designed to maximize corner units and thus developer profit - today, an unintended side effect has been that the blocks are short, walk-able and pedestrian friendly. This photo shows the area around Broadway and Main Street, including two very interesting buildings, 1000 Broadway (the building with the white dome) and the Portland Building (top right corner), which houses the City of Portland's various bureaucracies guarded by the statue "Portlandia" who stares down at every citizen of Portland who dares enter the building to file a Planning Department permit for their backyard fence remodel or whatever else they need local government for. Another shot of downtown Portland, this one along Burnside Avenue. Included in this photo is the City's (and the State of Oregon's) second tallest building, the US Bancorp Tower, also known locally as "Big Pink". It stands at 43 stories tall. On the 30th floor is one of those fancy restaurants with great views but overpriced food and drinks. Also in the photo is the MAX Light Rail, which serves not only the city of Portland but also surrounding suburbs and the Portland Airport. At the bottom left is the Chinatown Gate, located on 4th Avenue, it provides a cultural icon and entryway into Portland's Old Town/Chinatown neighborhood. In August and September of 2020, vast forest fires raged throughout the western United States. The Portland area wasn't spared. Due to the fires, air quality in the Portland area plummeted to over 450+ AQI (air quality index). At that time, the air quality in Portland was the worst recorded globally. The photo below shows the St. John's Bridge, a suspension bridge located approximately 5 miles north of downtown Portland and crossing the Willamette River shrouded in a thick orange haze. This photo was taken September 15, 2020. Just 10 to 15 miles west of Downtown Portland is Washington County a mix of suburban housing tracts and rural farmland. One of the striking things about the Portland area is how fast you can go from an urban center with skyscrapers to vast open farmland. Much of this farmland is protected by Oregon's strict land use regulations and the Portland area's "Urban Growth Boundary". The photo below shows the rural and privately-owned Twin Oaks Airport in Hillsboro, Oregon, approximately 12 miles south-west of downtown Portland. Eugene, Oregon is located 105 miles south of Portland along Interstate 5. It is the second largest city in Oregon with a population of about 150,000. It is also home to the University of Oregon and the 2020 Pac-12 (football) Champion Ducks. The Ducks play their home games at Autzen Stadium, pictured below, which is located just north of the University of Oregon's main campus area. Travelling further south on Interstate 5, you will find yourself in California and its capitol city, Sacramento. While we won't visit Sacramento itself during this entry (we will in a future entry), lets swing by really quickly to Roseville, California, which is a suburban bedroom community located directly east of Sacramento in Placer County. Roseville's development is typical of inland California, featuring endless tract homes and neighborhoods, churches, parks/open spaces and big box retail. Many people moved into this area in recent decades to escape higher housing prices in cities along coastal California. There is no lack of land in the Roseville area and this housing is much more affordable when compared to the Bay Area or Los Angeles area. A typical home in the neighborhood below sized between 2000 and 4000 square feet could range from $300,000 to $600,000, a steal considering a similar home would easily be over $2,000,000 in the Bay Area. To the west, Oakland, California. Oakland is one of three major cities surrounding San Francisco Bay. It's population is approximately 480,000. It is also home to the second largest container and shipping port in the western United States. Each day thousands of containers are loaded and unloaded. Many consumer products manufactured in Asia and elsewhere and destined for customers in the United States pass through here. From the Port of Oakland, these products are either loaded onto semi-trucks for delivery within the Bay Area region or within California, or, loaded onto freight trains where they head east. In recent decades, downtown Oakland has seen a bit of a revival. Due to the lack of build-able land in the Bay Area, housing prices are exorbitant and always in short supply. Oakland has always been seen as a more affordable alternative when compared to San Francisco while still providing some of the same urban amenities and lifestyle. Taking advantage of this, developers have built "luxury" condos and apartments throughout Downtown Oakland in recent years. Of course, a 800 square foot one bedroom unit on a lower floor will still set you back $850,000+ if purchasing, or at least $3,500 a month in rent. Oakland is home to Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics (A's). The A's play at Oakland Coliseum, an outdated facility surrounded by a huge parking lot. There are ongoing discussions about building a new ballpark for the A's at a waterfront location closer to downtown Oakland. The Coliseum was formerly home to the NFL's Oakland Raiders before they relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada. The Coliseum is also located next to the arena formerly known as Oracle Arena. Oracle Arena was home to the NBA's Golden State Warriors prior to their move to new facilities in San Francisco. The Warriors won several NBA championships in this building. Both the Coliseum and the Arena area are served by the Coliseum BART station (BART = Bay Area Rapid Transit) and pictured top right. From here, commuters can catch BART trains to San Francisco, San Jose, the Oakland Airport, Berkeley or other suburban destinations throughout the Bay Area. The freeway pictured at the bottom is Interstate 880 which connects Oakland and San Jose to the south. Rush hour traffic on this freeway is an absolute nightmare due to the amount of commuters and truck traffic coming to/from the Port of Oakland. West of Oakland and across the Bay Bridge is San Francisco, California. One of America's most recognized cities, San Francisco is home to Golden Gate Park, pictured below. Contrary to the name, the park is not located directly adjacent to the Golden Gate Bridge, but rather, a few miles south. Similar to Central Park in New York, it provides respite from the urban hustle and bustle. It is also home to the De Young Museum, the California Academy of Sciences (which features an aquarium, a bio-dome and one of the largest green roofs in the country), and the Golden Gate Park Japanese Gardens which are pictured below. Next, we return to Los Angeles. In the hills above downtown LA and adjacent to Elysian Park is Dodger Stadium, home to the 2020 MLB Champion LA Dodgers! Although the ballpark is similar in age to the Oakland Coliseum previously seen, Dodger Stadium retains much of its "retro-charm" and has preserved outfield views of the surrounding hillsides. Finally, we visit Downtown Los Angeles, home to the tallest building on the US West Coast (by spire), Wilshire Grand, on a rare rainy day in LA. Thanks for visiting! You can also follow my CJ's and other content on Instagram.

Its a custom model that I downloaded and converted but honestly cant remember what the name of it is, nor where exactly i got it from.

Update on jet bridge. Expanded and added 3 level jet bridge to terminal connector. The idea behind this is that you can interchange Domestic and International flights using the same gate (no more need for dedicated international terminals). 1st level is for international arrivals to direct passengers securely to customs and immigration. 2nd level is for international departures. 3rd level is for domestic flights (arrivals and departures). Also testing alignment to B777-300. Plane sold separately

Thats awesome, very unique! I like how its gated I dont think we have very many (if any) lots like this in game currently.

Guess I'll jump back into the aviation game as well. Jet bridges, coming soon:

@Barroco Hispano and @Scaley McSlither You two are gonna bring back the Aviation industry through sheer willpower with all this great work! So glad to see aviation alive and well in SC4! That IL-76 will definitely need some nice runway to land on. Likewise @korver is that AMS shot SC4 or MSFS2020? It seriously almost looks like MSFS!

Kims Convenience! NICE! Look forward to seeing this in game!

Looks great! Even better if it comes with a Mai Tai

I Love these! and actually I like the red lights it gives the Chinatown feel much more than blue lights would. White lighting would also be neat.

Welcome Back to my City Journal, "Touring the World"! All Cities shown are inspired by reality, but may have subtle differences with their real-life counterparts. These differences may be due to game constraints... or... just because. We're now off to East Asia! Tokyo is the largest city and capital of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, it is located on the main Japanese island of Honshu. It's metropolitan area is home to over 37 million people. During the 1980's it was an economic powerhouse. Today, it is one of the most frequently touristed cities in the world. Shinjuku is one of the most famous districts of Tokyo. It is home to the world's busiest train station, office towers, hotels, department stores, Godzilla, countless restaurants, cafes, bars and Pachinko parlors. Now let's take a trip on Japan Air Lines (JAL)'s Airbus A350 from Tokyo to Osaka. No trip to Japan is complete without a look at Mt. Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776.2 meters (12,389 feet) and perhaps the most recognized cultural icon of the country. And now Osaka, Japan's second largest metropolitan area, with a population of over 20 million. It is located south of Tokyo in the Kansai region. Hong Kong is one of the most recognized cities in the world, a favorite tourist destination known for its many sights, shopping opportunities and delicious food. Its skyline contrasts against a background of lush green, subtropical mountains and deep blue ocean seas. With a population of over 7 million people at 17,550 persons/square mile, it is one of the densest cities in the world. Due to the lack of build-able land, it is also one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in, with 350 square foot condos being easily valued at over USD $3 million per unit (!!!). With such density, its no surprise that Hong Kong is home to one of the most successful public transportation systems in the world. Hong Kong is also one of the world's primary financial hubs with almost every major international bank having some level of operations in the City. And now a historical picture of Hong Kong's Kai Tak International Airport, circa 1980. No longer in operation, this airport was located in the heart of a dense urban area. Due to twist and turns, no visibility of the runway until the very last second, and the low altitude approach above apartment towers a mere couple hundred feet below, landing at Kai Tak was enough to make even the most seasoned airline passenger nervous! Here is a shot of the old Kai Tak terminal building, including various Cathay Pacific Lockheed L-1011s (Cathay Pacific is based in Hong Kong), a Pan-Am Boeing 747 bound for San Francisco, and a Thai Airbus A310 bound for Bangkok! Shanghai is the largest city in China, home to 35 million people. In the 1930's, it was known as the "Paris of the East" harking back to scenes of a romantic and historical waterfront area known as the Bund. Today, however, it is a modern skyscraper-filled financial center. The area known as Pudong, which as recently as the mid 1990s was nothing more than rice fields, is today home to multinational corporations, investment banks and some of the tallest buildings and hotels in the world. Taipei is located on the northern section of the island of Taiwan. It is home to over 2 million people and the economic center of the island. It's suburbs are home to Taiwan's well known semiconductor industry, but when you're in the City, you can't miss the 1,671 ft Taipei 101, located in the upscale Xinyi District, home to world-class shopping malls, high end retailers, five-star hotels and super expensive condos mainly reserved for wealthy businessmen or celebrities. Kaohsiung is Taiwan's second largest city. In contrast to Taipei, Kaohsiung is decidedly industrial and blue collar. It is home to the 85 Sky Tower, an architectural marvel rising to 347.5 meters (1,140 ft). While Kaohsiung doesn't garner the same level of attention as its big sister to the north, it is still well worth the visit, especially considering that the trip from Taipei only takes about 2.5 hours on Taiwan's High Speed Rail. Seoul is South Korea's largest city and capital. A highly successful business center, it is home to the chaebols, South Korea's conglomerate, mega-corporations. These corporations are best known for their consumer products, such as smart phones, appliances and cars. These high quality products aren't the only thing that the City exports. Seoul is home to South Korea's well known entertainment industry, churning out Korean drama shows and of course, "K-pop" music. While not as popular tourist-wise as some of the other cities in East Asia, those who have visited Seoul have had nothing but good things to say and always want to come back. Though if you're inclined to warmer climates, you may want to avoid winters here, which can be downright chilly. Thanks for visiting! You can also follow my CJ's and other content on Instagram.

Somebody put that in the BAT Request Thread please

@korver Your work is always amazing, and as a sci-fi fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Although I'm not completely sure why everyone seems to think the Golden Gate Bridge will be turned into a solar farm in the future (they did this in Star Trek too)... I guess they have machines in the future to blow away all the fog

Try rendering it in parts... e.g. render one set of LODs for the bottom half of the tower. Then Render the second set of LODs for the top half of the tower. That will get you two sets of SC4MODEL files. Make both of these props. Then make a "blank building". Then put both props on top of each other in LE (this will be your actual building). Finally replace the Building with your "blank building" SC4MODEL file. Feel free to PM me if you need further instructions. Good luck

Happy New Years everyone!

It is sc4, not photoshop.

Part of an upcoming entry in my City Journal Touring the World... the beginnings of my re-creation of Eugene, Oregon, home to the University of Oregon and the 2020 Pac 12 Champion Ducks!

Whoa Raymond thats amazing!!!

I've noticed that different cultures and languages assign different value to the word "sorry". Some seem to use it much more casually than others, and the meaning doesn't always seem the same as in English. This has, of course, lead to instances of epic fail proportions in the realm of international diplomacy throughout modern human history... among other things. I've also noticed that some cultures and sub-cultures tend to value being overmodest when communicating, while others treat it as some form of "weakness" . Just my observation, nothing more. Anyhow... If you're looking for an example of what happens to a western-styled town when brought into present day and turned tourist trap... I give you this... Old Sacramento: https://www.google.com/maps/@38.5824431,-121.505867,3a,75y,101.6h,92.5t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sylt_fHqqZZhX7Lg9p_sEsg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 Which btw, has a pretty cool Railroad Museum if you're ever in the area.

And we drank Folgers. Black!!! Like real men! Not some corporate half-caff vegan almond chocolate mocha vanilla pumpkin spice frappy whatever. Hoo-rah! USA! USA! USA!

If you did a version without the construction pieces this would make for a very good WW2 time period piece - such as recreating Caen or one of the other towns from Normandy during the battle. Double bonus if u threw in a sniper somewhere inside the building.

At this point, you need to drop the word “Newbie” from this thread. Its false advertising

Coming from someone who used to literally live right next to this site and who worked as part of the development team of this building IRL, I am soo looking forward to seeing this in-game. Hope you are able to finish it! As for LOD splitting I suggest taking a look at the discussion/example about 2/3 way down page 9 of the linked thread below. The method worked well for me on a test model.

You could also just model the tunnel and the highway into the model itself, and then TE it. All you'd have to do is make sure the entrance height and width lines up to one of the available road pieces (elevated highway, elevated RHW, or Road Viaducts). The easy/lazy way would be to overhang it, or even lazier way, just offset the building when rendering and run the road or highway or ave or whatever you want right thru it Anyhow, hope you make this, it'll look great in my Osaka map!