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Sciurus' Factory

Started by Sciurus, August 30, 2008, 06:26:34 AM

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kbieniu7

Although it is in LE where one can find the biggest possibilities to create best layouts, I will insist, however, that issuing puzzle pieces to in-game plopping would reach a bigger audience ;)
Thank you for visiting Kolbrów, and for being for last ten years!

mgb204

Some modular platform props would be really useful for us lotters. I did take a stab at this myself, but I could not get the separate pieces to line up seamlessly. Although the idea of modular pieces came from a mod for OpenTTD:



If you think of the platform pieces each as 1x1 lots, using just a small number of segments, you can make a huge variety of different stations. This may be more problematic with SC4, since you can't place two TE lots together. But that's not unsolvable. If basic platform segments (ideally 16m Long) existed, along with end pieces and maybe a few shelters, the rest of the props you'd need probably exist already. If you were to make such models, I would gladly utilise them to create such lots.

In any case, I'm looking forward to your work on this small station. It's good to have one with more realistically sized platforms. Most stations are way too small, especially in this area.

Sciurus

#162
Thank you for your interest. I think I can make both solutions :
- One that allows you to lot different stations directly in game, with pre-lotted platform of 32m : then you can make them TE and there is no problem, I think ! The minimum is so 96m (3 pieces), which is the tiniest station you can find IRL.
- One that allows you to lot these platforms in the LE, and add every props you want. I BATted some one, you find them here just below :P  @Krasner is doing other ones, to complete the collection. At the end, we think to publish a French stations prop pack.



Then, stations I worked on today and yesterday :







I hope you like it !!
Enregistrer
[/size][/color]Enregistrer
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* * * * * Longwy * * * * *

M4346

These look really awesome!
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kbieniu7

Cool models, I especially like the one de Jarville-la-Malgrange. Nice to see both of you cooperating on this topic  :thumbsup: now just wishing that you could put this fancy SNCF's jingle used for the beginning of voice announcements as a sound for query tools  $%Grinno$%
Thank you for visiting Kolbrów, and for being for last ten years!

Ernestmaxis

Wauw wauw the details amazing work &hlp

Girafe

#166
Lovely models you BATed  &apls &apls &apls

Hopefully, LOTing will be top notch  ;)
The Floraler

This is the end, hold your breath and count to ten, feel the earth move, and then...

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *    *   *   *   *   *    * 

art128

Looks great. Nice to see you BATing again Guillaume. :)
I'll take a quiet life... A handshake of carbon monoxide.

Props & Texture Catalog

compdude787

Check out my MD, United States of Simerica!
Last updated: March 5, 2017

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mgb204

Quote from: Sciurus on January 21, 2017, 09:34:55 AM
I hope you like it !!

Like it, this is really amazing. It's really one of those things that should have been done by now, so it's great to see such quick progress. I also like the range of platform options on offer too. Please consider making some diagonal renders of the platforms/props too.

Now it would be really easy to make a few small buildings for a different theme/locale, but re-use those stations props like the platforms. These are bound to be seriously useful.  :bnn:

Simmer2

Wonderful and much needed models!!

Bravo  &apls &apls

Nick
________________________________________________________________________________

Sciurus

Hello everybordy !


First, thank you very much for your enthusiasm, it's really motivating to see it !! :bnn:
I kept working on the pack, I made platforms, with 6 different 3 textures and 3 different base pieces. So like it's written on the images, there's and end piece, which can be used in the both sides, a middle piece and a middle piece with a walkway, to go through the ways. These pieces are 32m long, so they will be overhanging, made for those you don't want to lot platforms. I just thought about on thing : if you want to plop props on the overhanging part, I have to uncenter them in Gmax right ? Or I can directly merge them into the model, it could be a solution too... If someone can share me the best solution to him, tell me :D


Now, let's images talk for me !





I hope you still like it !


@+
L'atelier d'architecture
* * * * * Longwy * * * * *

kbieniu7

As far as I know from experience, to put an overhanging prop on a lot, you indeed need to move its centre in gmax. If it was 48m long platform (3 tiles long), then you wouldn't need to do anything, as its center would match the center of a lot. If it's 32m (2 tiles), then you need to decentre it by 8 meters. See attached picture.

And, of course, great models!  :thumbsup:
Thank you for visiting Kolbrów, and for being for last ten years!

mgb204

One way to offset a model is by rendering a new one, but that's a lot of work, not to mention makes a load of redundant models you don't need.

Two other ways of doing it are using the RKT4 property and a new prop to offset a copy of the original, all whilst using only one model. Otherwise, using model tweaker and a copy of the S3D files only, you can offset the LODs and link back to the texture of the original model. Since we've been talking over PM, I'd be happy to handle that for you. Realistically, if you have 4 new offset props, 32m & 64m in both Left and Right directions, that allows for 5 to be linked together for a total platform size of 160m. I think that should be sufficient for most uses?

Great progress BTW  :thumbsup:.

Silur

And I love the dirty platform. But any thing from You is always interesting. I wish you success. Thank you.

Indiana Joe

Now this is a modding comeback I'm really excited to see.  And rail content?  Fantastic.   :D &apls

Welcome back!

matias93

Quote from: mgb204 on January 23, 2017, 12:22:58 PM
One way to offset a model is by rendering a new one, but that's a lot of work, not to mention makes a load of redundant models you don't need.

Two other ways of doing it are using the RKT4 property and a new prop to offset a copy of the original, all whilst using only one model. Otherwise, using model tweaker and a copy of the S3D files only, you can offset the LODs and link back to the texture of the original model. Since we've been talking over PM, I'd be happy to handle that for you. Realistically, if you have 4 new offset props, 32m & 64m in both Left and Right directions, that allows for 5 to be linked together for a total platform size of 160m. I think that should be sufficient for most uses?

Great progress BTW  :thumbsup: .


And since you already involved on this, why not use your sidewalk-mimicking models to create an adaptative set of platforms? That would be very useful, and up to what I understand, not too hard to do...

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Sciurus

Hello everybody !


Thank you for your comments, first of all. mgb204, I'll contact you in the next days (I've already said that last week I know :D ) about platforms and props modding.
I continued the station pack and began another station, Longwy !





After this one, I think I'll stop modeling stations for the moment. I'll make some later maybe ! Modding part is a big one and it'll demand me some big time..
Then, I wanted to ask you : is that normal that when I make it in the PIMx, it gives me .loosedesc and not a .sc4desc like every other BATs ? I fond it bizarre and I don't know how to do &mmm  thanks for your lights !
L'atelier d'architecture
* * * * * Longwy * * * * *

mgb204

Quote from: matias93 on January 23, 2017, 07:19:57 PM
And since you already involved on this, why not use your sidewalk-mimicking models to create an adaptative set of platforms? That would be very useful, and up to what I understand, not too hard to do...

Making a rectangle sidewalk-adapting prop is itself not complex at all. It only gets hard when you start making more complex shapes, which requires UV Unwrapping which I've yet to work out how. Until now, I've used math to calculate them manually, which is unworkable beyond a certain point, since I'm no math genius either. The hard part is making a model/lod which allows you to seamlessly attach the prop to it. A similar thing would be the retail banner props for my convenience store, which took a lot of work to avoid props colliding, which looks terrible.

Quote from: Sciurus on January 28, 2017, 02:18:45 AM
Thank you for your comments, first of all. mgb204, I'll contact you in the next days (I've already said that last week I know :D ) about platforms and props modding.

No rush. Actually, I've been sidetracked onto other things this week, so that will probably work out better anyhow.

Andreas

#179
Quote from: Sciurus on January 28, 2017, 02:18:45 AM
Then, I wanted to ask you : is that normal that when I make it in the PIMx, it gives me .loosedesc and not a .sc4desc like every other BATs ? I fond it bizarre and I don't know how to do &mmm  thanks for your lights !

The .loosedesc file is used by PIM-X to store the Building Exemplar file temporarily. Once you create a lot for your new building, it is saved inside the *.SC4Lot file, and you can safely delete the *.loosedesc file. This counts for all ploppable buildings; unfortunately, the Maxis Lot Editor doesn't do the same when making a ploppable lot from an *.SC4Desc file that was produced by the Maxis Plugin Manager, so most people include that superfluous file into their upload.

For growable lots, the *.SC4Desc file is kept separate, since there are often several lots that use the same Building Exemplar file (which stores values like the capacity, cost etc.). So if you create just one growable lot for some building model, you could copy the Exemplar file with the Reader and insert it into the *.SC4Lot file manually, and then delete the extra *.SC4Desc file.

This is basically the same procedure as merging model and desc files of serveral props into one DAT file; it doesn't matter for the game, but keeps things simple for the user. If you look at one of those superfluous *.SC4Desc files for ploppable lots, you'll see that they're not used by the game at all, since some IDs don't match with the lots, and properties like the lot icon aren't assigned (this step happens when the Exemplar file is copied into the *.SC4Lot file).
Andreas