marc

Originally posted by: Menotyou I have heard that because of the interstate system, everyone saves about 2,500$ a year, because of faster movement of goods.quote> Probably true, but the $2,500 saved goes for maintaining, repairing, and fueling a car, as well as for paying for treatments from highway-related ailments (air pollution, obesity, stress, etc.) I personally do not wish the interstate system another happy fifty years.

An absolute masterpiece! Not only is the bat stunning, but the lot work is perfect as well!

Awesome work! Its a shame much of this eye-level detail won't be visible in Simcity. By the way, what are (were) the gray entrance/boarding buildings made of in real life? In the model, I can see pilasters on the walls- does that mean they were cladded in some sort of stone veneer? That seems like a lot of weight to put on those spindly steel columns below them.

OK! OK! *Sob* I'll talk! I'll talk! I regularly visit RR-related sites too, since I am also a big railfan. (I have an HO scale layout at home and miss it a lot while I'm at school.) Great choice of youtube clips, by the way.

Ah, this looks like another winner!

That's a pretty good start- we can always use more batters. It seems like you already understand lighting, transparencies, and texturing. (Remember to read Gascooker's fake Photoshop raytracing tutorial if you haven't already.) This looks promising, but don't worry too much about producing stunning skyscrapers, especially not on your first try. It's always good to start with a small building and then progressively work larger. I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out. Ask any questions you like about batting in this thread- there are plenty of experienced batters here willing to help new batters out. Good luck and have fun! BTW: You mentioned you need a renderer for the project. How do you know your computer wouldn't be up to the task of rendering? What are your specs?- As long as you have 1gb of ram and a 2ghz or faster processor, this tower should render fine, even if it takes a while. (I have a T43p with a gig of ram and 2ghz of processing (outdated, I know) and it can render medium sized buildings (like the PdR on the STEX) within 3 or so hours on highest quality, so you don't necessarily need a spectacular computer to render fine.)

Originally posted by: SimFox Marczar: none of those are gradients per se... Just as I've said those are uneven NATURAL spots and splats! Trying to recreate those with automatic gradients will not do you any good.quote> Oh, I know. I use the dodge and burn tools to add such weathering, since then it can be uneven. (A few other batters look like they might be using these tools too- I wonder what Porkie does to get the incredible weathering on his Paris buildings?)

Hi Jason; To clarify: Your texture should be at least the same size as what you’re texturing is at zoom 5 (the closest zoom before it gets fuzzy). So for every 16 meters, the texture should be more than 110 pixels big. Otherwise your texture will have a lower resolution than what the BAT renders at, and your texture might look bad on your BAT. In Photoshop, you can go Image>Image Size to change the size of the image.quote> Most of the tutorial is crystal clear (and I assume it will be even more so with the appropriate screenshots) but the portion above confuses me somewhat. Did you mean the texture scaling should be set to the same size as the object surface itself or does the texture have to be made to cover the entire object surface? (I usually do a texture that corresponds to roughly the same height as the surface, but not necessarily the same width- ie- I let the width be tiled.) Along those lines, consider rephrasing "...shoud be at least the same size as what you're texturing is at zoom 5..." to "...should be at least the same size as the object the texture will be applied to at zoom 5..." By the way, how strict is the 16m=110 pixels rule? It may be difficult for some people to find out the height/width/area of a wall in meters (I don't know if gmax has built-in dimensioning tools) and then convert that to pixels, so emphasize that exact precision is not necessary except for perfectionists.

Originally posted by: SimFox First of all I want to caution people against abusing gradients. STEX is full of grotesk creation where say tiled roof getting 2-3 times darker in a mater of 10-20 m, this is absurd! So moderation, moderation and again moderation! Rule of thumb – if you see gradient – it is too big! Just as Jason said it should be subtle.quote> Quite true- although I admit I am a victim of such distortion (see the tile roof on the Taubenhaus residence.) However, in a few cases, gradients are indeed very prominent on buildings. For example, on shingle roofs or walls where water has stained one portion but not another, or on metal roofs where rust streaking has darkened the portion of the roof near the eaves. Also, buildings with light stone cladding have considerably darker staining on the bottom quarter of the facade, darkened by years of dirt splashing up from the sidewalk onto the walls during rainstorms. I'll try to find some pictoral examples and post them here. Here are a few examples of uneven weathered gradients. (I know they're all on abandoned buildings, but that's because I pulled all the pictures off of one site rather than hunting through google images.)

Good, thorough start. I was able to follow it fairly easily, and learned something new! (Making a peach-colored overlay; didn't know that helped blend BATs in with Maxis buildings.) Setting up a seperate layer for gradients seems to work well for fake raytracing, but I have so far only used the "dodge" and "burn" tools to directly apply staining to textures, especially on roof textures. Perhaps you might want to mention this alternative way of fake raytacing.

Originally posted by: Micah I'm sort of surprised to see how some people are able to relate DC to Pyongyang. Well, although certain parts of DC may look like Pyongyang, at least those buildings were built by people who had the freedom to build them. Those buildings in Pyongyang ...most people are ordered to live there...while the buildings in Washington DC are built there whether the people want to live there or not (Capitalism).quote> True, but in Pyongyang, those with the means (gov't employees) actually get to live in whatever they want- palace or shack. Everyone else (in Pyongyang) lives in the same type of apartment, regardless of social status. So there is at least equality among the normal classes, even though the government elite is favored. Very few people in DC (excluding the yuppies who arrived in the 90s) actually choose where they want to live. The unfortunate low-income people don't have the means to live in any other place- they don't choose their house. Many of the pictures I showed were government-subsidized or gov't foreclosed properties designed to serve as corrals for poor people rather than solving their economic problems. In NYC for example, I think the city owns more housing units than private landowners. Until 40 years ago, unless you were a white male, you definitely couldn't choose where to live. (But apparently we had capitalism 200 years before then as well.) And today this condition still exists for minorities. And while people can't choose housing in Pyongyang, at least all the housing provided to the common people is equal, whereas here you can easily tell someone's socio-economic status based upon how run-down their house is. Also, there's incredible waste in some free-market "choice" housing. Although Pyongyang housing gets drab after being the same for half a century, we build a house, let it get abandoned, tear it down, build another, let it get abandoned... and on and on.

Originally posted by: antronics ..Question for everyone, no matter which side of the fence your on about this tipic: Which country do you think has the better quality of life, and for both countries, where on the totem pole is that quality of life when compared to other nations? quote> That's a really broad question and can be interpreted thousands of ways- maybe we should redirect responses to a different thread so this one doesn't get off topic. (I have a sample interpretation waiting...)

Very nice work! As usual, your texturing skills are simply some of the best out there- I am looking forward to your tutorials.

Definitely the Bronx, NY So gritty, and so real: (Of course it's changed a LOT since these pictures were taken)

You know- I've always wondered about the trolleybuses. Not just in Pyongyang, but in any other city that still has them. What happens if the pantograph slips out from under the wires? (Or is it somehow fixed to the wires) If it can slip out, does the bus have some sort of backup power that will allow it to drive back under the overhead wires or does the driver need to step out and use some sort of tool to pull the pantograph back under the wires? I know trolleys/trams don't have this problem because they have fixed paths on tracks. By the way, the trainsets Pyongyang uses on the subway are the exact same as the ones used on Berlin's S-Bahn to this very day. It's also interesting to note how energy hardships have forced them to modernize more than they probably normally would- for example, all of their trams/trolleybuses (at least in Pyongyang) and especially their railroads are electrically powered. So in that respect they save fuel and are on par with Europe while ahead of the US. (Not intentionally, of course.) Many of their railroad trainsets seem to be East German. (I'm a railbuff and would love to find out where they were built.) ilikehotdogsalot- Yeah, fat chance she could ever get inside NK. At this point, NK won't let any American in. She'll probably stand in front of a cardboard cutout in Seoul with a photo of a slum pasted onto it and with sounds of moaning and hardship dubbed in. Edit: Or would she actually try to sneak in to North Korea? Haha, what a riot! A person actually trying to get in to NK! There's a real "Goodbye, Lenin" moment! 2nd Edit: No point making a new post... Lets take a trip into the North Korean countryside, which is very different than its urban areas as in many other Asian countries: Because of the oil shortage, these trucks have been modified to run on wood (You can see a pile in back- these are not steam-powered, but rather have a modified internal-combustion engine.) I believe Germany resorted to such measures during wartime as well when it ran low on oil. Small village near the foothills. You can see the wide floodplains surrounding the river. 19th century shacks (similar to our southern shotgun shacks) still remain in some rural areas, albeit powered by electricity nowadays. Farming done as it was for thousands of years- through immense human and animal effort... An electric train speeds through the countryside on what looks to be a hot day. Run-down shacks cluster around an unpaved street- although some have rudimentary TV aerials. Although the tourist commented that South Korean villages look pretty much the same. Another village spreading up the hillside. Two cellular phone towers can be seen on the hills- mostly used for military communications. Rice growing in a field with airport communication aerials nearby. Farmer's hut in the morning haze. Waterfall on Mt. Myohyang. North Korea has incredible natural beauty.

NK has a nuclear weapon because they think that after the US invaded Iraq, is planning to invade Iran, they will be next. A very accurate outlook- I can see their need for building up a defense fast. About going off topic: Yeah, maybe we should redirect our posts to this thread instead. Edit: That's fine if you are nationalistic- that is actually good. It's when it turns into fanaticism when it gets scary, and no one here is a nationalistic fanaticist. (Those people don't go online to simtropolis, they stay in their drive-in churches.) 2nd edit: (To post below, no point in making a new one) Yep- can't wait! Hope no sneaky tricks are pulled on us by these types...

Originally posted by: hamsterTK @marcaszar: I get what your saying, but half of that stuff is irrelevant and highly opinionated just to let you know. I agree with bixel, if they want to be socialist, they should go for it an the US should keep its nose out of their business but for that to happen Kim Jong Il and his cronies need to go though it would suck to start a warquote> Yes, I am opinionated, but in the numbered section of my post, I put down hard, cold facts. How can stating the US and NK both have armies over 1 million be opinionated? Or that the US invaded more countries than NK, for that matter? Edit: Bixel you said "I pray there will be no huge creation of violence during the regime change." Don't worry- I seriously doubt this would ever happen. Koreans are by their nature a very orderly, peace-loving society. As this Russian tourist asked a apartment dweller: " Regarding life in the apartment buildings - I asked the girls the following question: - When there are more than one apartment on a floor, who cleans the halls and staircase? - People take turns. - What if the person, whose turn it is, doesn't want to? - We will ask him. - What if they refuse? - ? (Clearly not understanding the question) Judging by this and other similar incidents I understand that discipline is Koreans' blood." So we can assume that if KJI disappeared (wouldn't that be cool), and the US ordered NK to embrace American-style democracy, the people would simply say "OK" and immediately go about doing it.

Special Eddie: That's exactly the point I was trying to make! Glad you picked it up People had been showing negative pictures of NK and showing the US in a positive manner. I showed positive pictures of Pyongyang and negative pictures of US cities. In other words, I did exactly the opposite of what other posters did to show you can spin the facts any way you want! We know both countries have slums and parks. Your post just switched the stream of photos back to the typical, sanitized view westerners are comfortable in believing. In my opinion, any country/organization with nuclear weapons is a threat to the international community. On another note, let's compare ourselves to the North Koreans: 1.) US active troops= 1,422,494/ Number abroad or in conflict: 350,000+ NK active troops= 1,106,000/ Number abroad or in conflict: 0 (The presence of troops everywhere does not indicate militarization, as this Russian tourist commented on his site, " Interestingly, all construction in the country is done by the army. As we can tell from the results, it is done rather well. From the point of view of an exterior observer it may seem that DPRK is a very militarized country. There are soldiers anywhere you look. No one can tell that they are just builders.") 2.) US persons in food insecurity= 38.2 million North Koreans who starved to death in 1990s famine: 3.5 million (Rations are distributed to everyone now, so everyone is guaranteed food, even though it might not be much. Apparently the food is very limited in variety and bland, but how would any of us know?) 3.) NK: freedom of speech is not tolerated at all and dissenters are quickly silenced. US: Anyone who says anything negative about the US is immediately branded as "unpatriotic," ostracized, and told to sit down and shut up or "go live in Iraq." 4.) US unemployment rate: 4.6% NK unemployment rate: 0.0% (Everyone is guaranteed a job, no matter how menial.) 5.) US homelessness: 3,500,000 including 0.9 to 1.4 million children Washington DC homelessness: 12,000 (This is who foreign tourists see huddled under our capitol in the "land of plenty.") NK homelessness: 0 (Everyone is guaranteed an apartment, no matter how unattractive) 6.) US Nuclear Weapons: as of 2002, 10,600 currently in the stockpile (Number of U.S. nuclear bombs lost in accidents and never recovered: 11) NK nuclear weapons: 1? (Unknown- also a few outdated bombs from the Soviet Union) 7.) US Music Video: (Yes I know Britney sucks, this is just to make a point) NK music video. Another. Conclusion- Both US and NK music videos display normal teen romance themes, no "propaganda." 8.) US: Fanatical administration in control, many are signers of the PNAC's Pax Americana. NK: Fanatical administration in control as well, leader loves to watch NBA basketball. 9.) US: Invaded Iraq without its will, interfered in the affairs of countless Latin American countries. NK: Invaded 0 countries (1 if you count SK in the 1950s, but at the time it was technically one country still split into 2 "temporary" regions), intefered in the affairs of 0 countries. 10.) US: Leader thinks God is guiding him, told him that attacking Iraq was the right thing. (Okaayyyyyy, whatever George) NK: Leader is idolized as well, however it is an ancient Asian tradition (China, Japan, Korea) of having very high respect for the person in power. 11.) North Korean sensationalism. American Conservative Sensationalism. Both countries seem pretty similar to each other. Both have strengths and weaknesses.

Originally posted by: hamsterTK Urban know it all? I live in a small NH town with a population less than 3,000. (I only go to school in Troy, NY) I have experienced food insecurity and it is nothing to joke about/quote> ok im sorry, but now you get my drift about being labeled?quote> Don't worry about it. Yes, I get your point, so let's not label the North Koreans until we actually meet them. Too many of us (myself included) are too quick to label something we've never seen/experienced before. Edit: Here's an example of labeling. By the way, I am in NO WAY criticizing the original poster (who probably didn't write the actual comment anyways), I just want to bring some logic to the comment to show how we westerners will swallow any garbage we are told about our adversaries: Hungry children look for food from a passing train...quote> The organization which took this picture is LYING to us. Let's look at the logic: Why would food in a country where it is not abundant be thrown out of a passing train anyways? The kids seem to be picking up pebbles; there is no indication of why food would be lying on a paved surface. (They would be looking through a dump or dumpster, not on bare ground.) The picture only shows a group of children, obviously one is curious enough to pick up an interesting pebble or coin, just like a child in any other country. In other words, many of the pictures we see are real, but the labels are lies. By the way, as a general musing: The two smokestacks pictured in the first photo in this thread are the only industry in Pyongyang- some kind of heating facility apparently. So that is not a typical city scene from the city. The photographer clearly had an ideological motive for making the city look as dreary as possible in the morning fog.

Originally posted by: hamsterTK Excellent point! Urban know it alls fail to see the real americans outside their neighborhoods and assume they are all what you describe!quote> Urban know it all? I live in a small NH town with a population less than 3,000. (I only go to school in Troy, NY) I have experienced food insecurity and it is nothing to joke about.

Originally posted by: hamsterTK Your doing exaclty what the north koreans want you to think, which is that you think they aren't all bad while your country has problems...I see zero reason why else you would wish to defend the worlds most bizarre regime?quote> I'm not trying to defend- I'm just trying to show the side people refuse to see. I am aware that North Korea has problems...You're doing exaclty what George Bush wants you to think, which is that you think every American is a happy contributor to the "Ownership Society" and lives in a cheerful little suburban home. Our country has severe problems, and if you can't see them now, I'm afraid you'll never be able to. Originally posted by: nofunk according to the 2005 Census, there are 37 million people in the United States who are in poverty. The population of N. Korea is 23 million. That means the number of people in the US who live in poverty is greater than the entire population of N. Korea.quote> Excellent point! Suburban drones fail to see the real America outside of their airconditioned SUVs, offices, and homes.

Originally posted by: hamsterTK Excuse but a very tiny minority of americans live in conditions like those while the vast vast majority of North Koreans live like that... North Korea has nice crap(if you call it nice, its fugly and outdated and heck that lobby for all we know could be from a hotel in Oklahoma city) for the purposes of propaganda. That bridge isnt impressive, every city has one of those these days. excuse my french but man what the hell are you talking about? don't make assumptions that 300 million people are racist because to you a few forumers at least seem to be.quote> This isn't propanganda, these are pictures taken by a Russian tourist- check out his eye-opening site here. It's translated into English, and the most interesting comment was this " There was an interesting moment when Alexey had trouble falling asleep and went out of the hotel at 6 in the morning to some random neighborhood. No one stopped him.He walked for about three kilometers, and was finally stopped by a policeman, who asked him for identification (in Korean, naturally). Since, first of all he didn't have identification, and second he knew but a few words in Korean, they could not reach an understanding. A crowd gathered around them quickly (they don't meet foreigners in residential quarters very often and finally there was someone, who knew the word "Russian". That was what he asked Alexey, and Alexey said "yes". After that the feelings got warmer, the policeman took down his name, and let him go. There were no consequences." I stand behind my comment on xenophobia, but I don't know how you got to "...To you a few forumers at least seem to be [racist]." I don't think anyone here has posted in a racist manner, just in an inconsiderate manner. Also, why do you think NK has "outdated" crap? You commented that the cable-stayed bridge they have is something "every city has one of these days" so it looks like they're keeping up with the times. Living in a housing tower in North Korea is not poverty, so they can't be compared to our unfortunate inner city dwellers. North Koreans may have starved before, but a full 11.9% of American households (that means 1 in 10 families) are food insecure.