CT14
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Everything posted by CT14
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If you scale it down to 10% of its current size does it still give the error? Also, did you make this in gmax or import it from another format? It's easier to solve these sorts of problems if it is a native gmax model.
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@mattb325 well, I didn't have any luck with the is_ground_model property on either main model or grunge props. But, moving the grunge props up by another .1m fixed it. Blank props have been added to the roof grunge prop family, for a 25% chance of no grunge on roofs. Thanks for explaining the reasoning behind 17x17... I gave it a shot but decided I prefer 16x16 transparent props for this project. With the variety of grunge models, the edges weren't really blending very well at 17x17. Modular windows After much trial and error with LODs, I've gotten modular windows working to my liking. Night windows are included in the variations. Still to do: bottom story windows, applying this system to a few of the other main building props (which need rerendered anyway for hue). I'd also like to get some more variation on the windowpanes with some sort of texture map, but now that's easy to do for every lot by rendering a new window prop (30 seconds). Side by side testing In addition to the texture work detailed above to make sure the overall palette fits SC4, I've begun testing these BATs side by side with the classic auto factory BATs by SimGoober, nofunk and jestarr. I'm also running all sorts of NAM networks around the lots to get a feel for how they look together. And of course, the IRM I-M filler lots. Park sidewalk bug The park lots have been triggering pink sidewalks, but should probably be the grey ones to fit into an industry area.
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Scripting Reader to place sidewalk textures on overpassed networks
CT14 replied to delta9's topic in SC4 Modding - Open Discussion
Great work so far! I've successfully scripted Reader by using AutoIT to record a process, then editing the recording to optimize/reduce delays. Only took as long as doing 10-20 of the processes by hand... and once you have a working script it's a huge timesaver. Caveat: the script will depend on Reader's window being in the same size/place on screen. -
New lot for tadasu Ishihara Building which gives a W2W diagonal effect: You can get it here:
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Version 1.0
1,070 Downloads
The Ishihara Building from Osaka, Japan was created by tadasu, and was originally released on a 1x2 lot. As tadasu has retired from SimCity modding and allows free distribution of his work, I've taken the liberty of relotting this building for W2W diagonals. Here is a 1x1 plop lot allowing you to create a W2W appearance on a diagonal network. The building will occupy an outside corner lot on a diagonal. CS$$$ stats have been adjusted with PIM-X. Stats: Menu location: Landmarks Plop cost: 100 Capacity satisfied: CS$: 93 CS$$: 26 CS$$$: 12 Dependencies: Ishihara Building by tadasu Available from the following site along with many more fine BATs by tadasu: https://tsushinikai.com/SimCity 4/ Or you can use this direct download link: http://tadasu.main.jp/SimCity 4/tds25_yodoyabashi_sw.zip Installation: Unzip to your plugins folder. Removal: Remove the "CT14/tadasu Ishihara Building - Diagonal" folder from your plugins folder. Bugs: None known. Please report problems to the development thread: https://community.simtropolis.com/forums/topic/69360-ct14s-railroad-lots-and-bat/ -
@T Wrecks Thanks for moving the thread! And for making sure it was done right. Behold...The @mattb325 method Still needs to be tested with roofjunk, but the effect seems good so far. I found a grungemap with the sort of tiling, non-perpendicular pattern suggested, and adjusted its contrast and brightness in GIMP, then mixed in a sand texture so it wasn't totally flat appearing. Roof schmutz prop families: What does and doesn't work Stacking transparent props in the Lot Editor will create visual glitches (plane or box, doesn't matter). I'd hoped to get the variations by just stacking a few rotated schmutz props on the roof, and letting the prop family do *all* the work, but that doesn't work. You get these gnarly diagonal lines clipping through, even with no LOD collisions. Stacking those same objects in Gmax works great. I did some collages each with 2 "stain/leak/damage" images, with a box with height 0.001 on Z=0, and a second box on Z=0.001. This would probably work with planes as @mattb325 suggested, but I'd been testing Box objects to eliminate possible causes of the clipping bug mentioned above, and never switched back to planes. I did use the 15.95m square LOD on the stain props, but with a lesser height to avoid interfering with roofjunk (0.01m). Question: What is the purpose of using 17m square objects for this instead of 16m? I tried 17m to start, but a lot of the textures were bleeding into the edges at the 16m point and creating problems. Since I'm lazy and didn't want to resize/position each texture in Gmax maps, I simply used 16m objects. But if I'm missing something important about why 17m is the number, I'd like to know. Color saturation All the textures have now been tested for saturation. The yellow was still around 47-51, and I reduced it twice to around 37-40 at this point. Other textures (roof, concrete) are around 10-20. It seems nearly impossible to eliminate the lines on the roof in between tiles. Fortunately, they are prototypical areas to find a seam on a bitumen roof... I'm not going to worry about it. The ruffles at the bottom of the building are back, and I'm going to see if it's possible to eliminate them. Tutorial: Transparent Props in Gmax Transparent props are great for applying decals and signs to a scene. This assumes you already have a suitable PNG or TGA image with a mask layer. Appropriate images will show up with the mask in black when previewed in the Gmax material editor (in the "Select Bitmap Image File" open dialog's preview area). In the material editor, create a new material. Set your image as the "Diffuse Map" as usual. Adjust amount if necessary for desaturation (a "Diffuse Color Amount" of between 50-100 is normal). Still in the editor, drag the image down to the "Opacity" slot. Select "Copy" in the resulting popup box. This will set the opacity map, based on the mask layer. Leave the "Opacity Amount" at 100. You can now apply this material to a plane, or a box with height .001, depending on the needs of the project. Create default LODs. Render to .sc4model, make a prop exemplar and try it out in the Lot Editor. The new prop should be transparent at the masked areas.
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@mrbisonm The "AC Saturn" plant is attached to this post. I don't believe it's on the STEX yet. I also included the required dependency, AC's Saturn prop pack. kociol_regeneracyjny.zip ac_saturn_prop_pack.zip
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Thank you all for the feedback! It is much appreciated. There are currently only 13 building models in the set, which each take about 10 minutes to render, as far as that goes. Seams we have a problem I agree the roof is still seaming too much, and there are some jaggies between roof tiles in zoom 4. There is also a 2 pixel off center on the Fancy Corner visible in the above shots, and possibly chimneys 1px too far forward + docks 1px too far back - need to fix on lots. As suggested, I will try changing the roof texture in GIMP to blur the edges. The "not lining up" was to try to make it look more varied by rotating textures on some models - I will also try having them all be the same direction (as strips of tar paper, should probably go across the roof perpendicular to the building's main axis). Other geometry woes There is an error in the geometry (overlapping of two boxes at the roof seam point) which is being fixed and tested. As well as the zig zag foundations visible on roof chimney lots. And a few other mesh errors which are visible in these pictures. Yellow brick I'm ready to try to use GIMP try to take the yellow a little further over to the red side properly. Attempts in Gmax so far have failed. It does seem that the color photos of the prototype are themselves skewed to the green side of the palette. Query-to-plop @T Wrecks Someone on the Historic Harbor project figured out that you can configure a plop lot to send you from a custom UI query straight back to its plop. It's a bit complicated to program and I'll have to dig up the details - would be nice to have documented. It was discussed in the Historic Harbor thread in relation to some of the lots having bugged functionality (the bugged lots query-plop the wrong lot). Anyway, you can try it with the official HH lots to get a feel for it. Retexturing Here's a first stab at adjusting the roof texture in GIMP. I think I overdid the effect, and it's not a net improvement. There are still some artifacts. A person could spend a lifetime chasing rendering artifacts in Gmax. A color shifted, less green brick texture is also visible here on the test BATs. Zooming out reveals the concrete is still too bright - it will be toned down until it's not.
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Fisher Body Modular Factory Finishing up the first stage of the Fisher Body Plant modular project. @matias93's idea to make it as modular as possible was a good one. There are only 6 different 1x1 lots used to create the structures above, with 3 different park lots (plus a sign) reproducing the prototype's landscaping. Ortho, chimneys and loading docks use prop families for variety. The big wacky stacks are venting from paint booths and upholstery production spaces. The lots are nearly ready to go. I'm looking into adding query-to-plop functionality as with Historic Harbor lots. And some more standard roofjunk on an ortho variation.
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Fisher Body Plant No. 1 in Flint, Michigan...
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Wild West revisions I've begun updating the Wild West models to have 3.2m (2-tile) setbacks instead of 2m setbacks. A rather quick job for the ortho models, fiendishly time consuming for the corner ones as @T Wrecks predicted. Since this puts the walls out of view behind balconies and awnings, I made a new variation on the corner BATs, with rolled up awnings for sunny weather. The front awning rails stand up year round. There is also a version with full awnings as before. I made some new props for the porch area include tack hanging from the railing, wet barrels (this size is standard for wine) and a hitching post. The post and barrels will also be rendered as standalone props. Night lights all got the 2nd pass and should be cheerfully bright. Lots of texture and mesh fixes. A version of this building without balconies or awnings could represent a typical 20th/21st century survivor. Plain Jane wooden version: Here's a new 1-story model.... this version is occupied by a tinker. The window covering also says "Clocks" on it, but it's too small to see at scale...just part of the magic.
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@ESP15 Hey, that looks like a great start! I suggest you start a new thread for your works in the BAT forum, that way we can give you detailed feedback. In Gmax, Windows are usually Arrayed as Instances (regular spacing with the Array, all changes reflected on all windows with Instancing).
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STEX Rules Clarification and Possible Revisions Discussion
CT14 replied to T Wrecks's topic in SC4 - Custom Content
I'll let you in on a dirty little secret... Half these models that people are having fits over were taken from SketchUp Warehouse anyway. A proud tradition that goes all the way back to Pegasus (what, you thought he scratch built all that stuff?) So it's extra silly for uploaders to be stressing these things when they didn't create half of what is being uploaded. We are just lucky that the SketchUp Warehouse terms allow reuse and modification for any purpose, or things would really be a mess!- 141 Replies
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These are some attractive BATs for sure! What tremendous variation @Haarlemmergold put into the details like awnings, windows and etc. The textures on the lots look very clean and natural as well. One way to solve the common problem of 'swingsets in every backyard' is to make a prop family that includes some blank props - that way there are different props on each lot, or no props at all on some of them. This effect is of course in proportion to the number of blanks. For example: six prop exemplars are created belonging to a new prop family: a swingset, a charcoal grill, a kiddie pool, and three separate blank props. Only half the lots will have a prop in that location, and the other half will be blank. If you're interested in this sort of thing, I encourage you to give it a try as this isn't really more difficult than creating regular prop exemplars - you don't need all the fancy cohort file jazz, just a prop family ID range assigned to you in the BSC Prop Family Index thread over at SC4D. Here's a link to the place to request a range: https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=2490.440
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Oof. Probably, since it's famous. At least I can get some clues about how to lot this beast. Most of the roofjunk and main texturing is now done, the model needs nightlights, rear windows, a couple of skylights and signs, and the industrial texture version. Edit: found the prior art - this lovely SD model from 2005: Looks like he did it as a 2x2 lot, chopped 2 bays off the long side (12 vs 14) to fit with the 1 tile set back. His lot uses some of his other cast iron NYC bat models to fill the empty space (from BSC Mega Props Misc Vol01 - https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=426). Presumably, if I want to keep the last 2 bays I'll need to make it a 2x3 lot with more filler buildings. A prop family with those smaller cast iron buildings could do the trick. Rant about broken robots.txt I hadn't seen this before, because Simtropolis disallows Bing (and thus DuckDuckGo) from indexing pages properly. Already reported the bug and the fix (in robots.txt). Hopefully staff gets a chance to implement the fix soon, so that the site doesn't continue to suffer from losing all potential traffic from Bing/DuckDuckGo.
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Looking for a 4x2 R$$$ Chicago-style Luxury Condos building
CT14 replied to Psiman's topic in SC4 BAT & Lot Workshop
Great prototypes! For the Pullman Building, the deep side looks like a good match for 4 tiles in 4x2... Lacking elevation drawings, one may use the measuring feature in Google Maps to figure out these kinds of distances. As you've probably already found, there are floorplans and lots more information on the following site: http://www.pullman-museum.org/theCompany/pullmanBuilding.html I also very much like the Tremont House which occupied the site of the Pullman Building before its construction. Note the barriers on the street trees - presumably to keep them from being damaged by wagons! But, this is rather pre-1890... -
Indeed, as soon as slope is involved all bets are off... I'm curious, which growables didn't work?
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After you first posted this railway I had to look it up - wow! I couldn't find any pictures that didn't show a sharp curve in the line, even in the towns! What a fun prototype road. And a delightful layout with the old half-timber BATs.
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Version 1.0.1
681 Downloads
Here is a collection of 51 small commercial buildings for your older towns and cities. All models are rendered in HD with night lighting. Ten growable CS$ lots featuring building prop families have been modded for proper capacity stats. These lots will grow on any tileset, in any density, and have a 2 tile setback to match JBSimio SmalltownUSA and Cycledogg 19th century lots. Big thanks to @T Wrecks for helping figure out setbacks and general feedback on the lots. Buildings: 16 short 15 medium 20 long Lots: Stage 1: 1x1: 2 lots 1x2: 1 lot Stage 2: 1x2: 4 lots 2x2: 1 lot Stage 3: 1x2: 2 lots Install: Unzip the file "CT14 19th Century Small Shops.zip" into your plugins folder. You should now have a "CT14/19th Century Small Shops" folder in your plugins folder. Remove: Bulldoze all of the lots, and remove the "19th Century Small Shops" folder. Upgrade: Remove the folder, then do the install process. Bulldozing also highly recommended. Dependencies: Historic Harbor https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/29880-historic-harbor/ SM2 Mega Prop Pack Vol1 https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3640 SM2 Mega Prop Pack Vol2 https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3645 SCILT Maxis Default Version (This page has links for other sidewalk mods versions) https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3173 *OR* Maxis Wood Plank Version with Sidewalk Mod https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3170 Bugs: None known, but probably an out of place mesh or two. Please report any problems to the development thread: https://community.simtropolis.com/forums/topic/69360-ct14s-railroad-lots-and-bat/ Version history: 1.0 12/2/2018 Initial release 1.0.1 12/9/2018 Changed Occupant Size on all lots to match blank.dat empty building prop used, rather than the sizes used to calculate appropriate Capacity Satisfied. This should improve ability to use MMP on the lots, and potentially avoid other undesirable side effects. Thanks to @rsc204 for bringing this to my attention.- 2 Comments
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Nice props! Colors might be a little bright on a few like red and green, scale looks pretty good though. The quad on the top left stands out as being quite large. The big dirt lot in the second picture is looking good too!
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19th Century Small Shops minor update to 1.0.1 After @rsc204 cleared up a few things for me in this thread, I went back and updated the small shops lots to the original OccupantSize of 8,1,8 matching the blank.dat used to create the placeholder building. I'd had them at the larger, realistic sizes used to calculate Capacity Satisfied. Apparently you're supposed to change it back after doing the CapSat stuff. Oops. The fix has been posted and the readme improved a bit. Introducing the Haughwout Building I've now completed both facades and the fire escape. Remaining are the roof details such as fancy bits on top cornice, elevator house, the interior, the nightlighting, texturing everything. The back walls are almost entirely eclipsed by neighboring buildings, but there is also a small lightwell with plain brick window openings at the rear. Here's the progress in scaled previews: This building has seen a lot of changes through time since 1856... The present day state of this building resembles the original, as it has been recently restored to match. However, I'd like to do one alternate version with rusty, faded black paint to match the wonderfully grimy Broadway Manufacturer's Supply Company days...
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@Bombardiere Thanks so much for the comments, it is very helpful for me to know how successful each aspect of this work is. Regarding roof textures and tiling, I agree completely with the sentiment that more grime is better, and tiling is bad. I've made an update already to try to address this in the newer brick warehouse. In general most of my textures end up with specular maps applied in Gmax. I've takens some screens of the roof materials' specular level map and settings... sometimes I use a lighter specular color but this texture was already rather bright... I would be happy to know if there are better ways to do this in Gmax. Likewise, here is the brick material, with salt texture specular map. Along with a squished preview. And the roof material. Turning Diffuse Color down to 60 from 100 results in more of the Diffuse color swatch coming through over the bitmap - this is more often near 80 but needed to darken the render quite a bit: And its specular level map - size is increased by 100% by setting Tiling to 0.5. This picture of salt has been working very well to generally grime up a lot of different textures: So there's still a bit of tiling, not as much as before but I'll look at ways to use multiple maps. I'd also love to find a setting that creates a gradient on the texture in Gmax, to simulate shadows/darker areas near the bottom of the building. Placing low intensity omni lights above and to the side of the building might be one option. And finally, I guess I could look into bump mapping, fake bump mapping or just adding new meshes to break up those perfect vertical shadows on the pilasters - perhaps a cornice at the 2nd floor is in order.
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SANTANA ISLAND - Traditions die hard - Classic view on SC4 CJ
CT14 replied to Silur's topic in SC4 City Journals
Hey, this is awesome! I like the curved dirt roads and the steam shovel...- 73 Replies
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Is it a Venetian palazzo? Or a Garment District sweatshop? Hmm...
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First floor unique parts made, window bay depths adjusted. Brass kickplates installed on main doors: The secret to working with too many polygons is to hide most of the objects when you're not working on them - no more lag. Update: Broome Street facade complete (there is a bug in the windows, can you spot it?)
