Three Rivers Region

[girlfromverona]

Yes, narrow ditches! ... I guess that they should be part of the rural street or road itself, so within the tile of the street/road. Another SAM texture maybe?

If somebody could send me all the textures that would need doing, I'd be very willing to give this a go...

Those guardrails look fabulous - I was looking for some recently and couldn't find any. Guess I wasn't looking in the right place! I ended up using a white fence but it just wasn't the same. 

[dedgren]

Tonight I'm doing a little something for a great friend.

After an extended time where he was inactive, Jason (jplumbley) is back at work on the Street Addon Mod- one of my favorite transit add-ins and a centerpiece of 3RR development.  He's working on new textures for Version 4 of the SAM, and has posted some in-progress pics here [linkie].  It appears to me that, in tackling Squidi's stone street textures first, Jason has taken on quite a task.

Earlier today, he PMd me and asked if I had any texturing tutorials kicking around that might be helpful to folks who were interested in working on SAM textures.  As some are aware, I'm working on a redo of the game road textures right now, with particular emphasis on fixing those dreadful "curves" that the designers so obviously didn't spend more than a minute or two cranking out.

current game
 

retexture


So, I thought it might be useful to show everyone how we create those smooth curves.

* * *

Creating Smooth SAM Curves - A Tutorial

This tutorial assumes moderate competence with a full-featured graphics program, such as Paint Shop Pro, PhotoShop or the Gimp.

We'll work on the Squidi "stone street" texture that Jason noted he was was struggling with in his recent post on the Sam thread.  A particular pair of textures that seemed to be giving him trouble were the pair of textures needed to curve an orthogonal street surface into a diagonal one.

#1


Now, these are tough textures to work with in the first place.  The many transverse lines across the street surface make creating intersections and curves a real bear.  Let's see what we can do.

We'll start by creating a new 256 x 256 pixel workspace.

#2


Why 256x256?  SAM (and other) transit textures are 128 x 128 pixels in size, and we want to fit the entire curve into the workspace so that we can deal with it as a whole.  I have found this infinitely more effective and efficient than trying to work from one individual texture square to another.

Set horizontal and vertical gridlines to 128 pixel intervals and turn on the "snap to grid" function.

#3


Load in the existing textures we'll be working from.

#4


Turn off the snap to grid function.  Add a new vector layer and draw a circle that is tangent to both the ortho and diagonal parts of the road surface in the location shown using the radius and centerpoint information given.  The diagonal tangent should be right at the point the gridline is crossed.

#5


We'll be redoing the portion of the curve noted in green.

#6


Erase that portion and fill it with the background color.

#7


Closer in, here's what we have.

#8


From an ortho section of street surface, copy a transverse segment 10 pixels wide.

#9


Paste the copied segment as a new image.  Repeat these actions on a second 10 pixel wide segment taken from a different area.

#10


For each segment, increase the workspace size to 75 x 75 pixels, keeping the segment centered in the resized workspace.

#11


Rotate the "curve" workspace so that it is the same orientation as the two segments.

#12


Do a free rotate of one of the segments three degrees to the right (clockwise).

#13


It will look like this.  Select all, then copy the segment.

#14


Paste it at the point the circle is tangent to the ortho section of road surface.

#15


Using the second segment, rotate it six degrees right, copy and paste it tangent to the circle.

#16


Alternating the segments helps keep repetitive patterns from forming.  Each segment needs to be reset to the perpendicular after it is copied.  Repeat the above steps in three degree increments- 9, 12, 15, 18 and so on.

#17


After a while, we get to a segment rotation of 45 degrees and the gap is almost closed.

#18


Zoomed out a bit, here's what we see.

#19


After the last segment is in place and with the circle deleted, the curve looks like this.

#20


Turn the gridlines and snap to grid function back on and copy and paste as new images the newly completed 128 x 128 pixel texture squares..

#21


We're all done!  Looks better, eh?

#22


Later.


David

257577

[Gwail]

If I can advise anything, I'd try to use unsharp mask (or another sharpening filter) on the curved section, as it has been blurred (antialiased) due to rotate. And maybe increasing contrast a bit should make it better looking.

EDIT:  Thanks, Gwail.  Unsharp mask was always one of those "I wonder what the heck this does? menu choices for me.  I'll play around with it and post the results in a bit. -DE

[mightygoose]

BUGREPORT

ERROR:STRINGFAILURE2034

DETAILS:UNABLE TO INSERT VALID COMMENT. REMAINING SYNONYMS OF AWESOME=0

RECOMMENDED ACTION:DICTIONARY DEBUG AND THESAURUS UPDATE

END BUGREPORT

[sithlrd98]

Thank you! I have been waiting for you to show your "secrets" on how you are doing these curves. Very ingenious!

Jayson

[BarbyW]

One of the French BATters - Orange_o_, has started to make some narrow ditches: http://www.toutsimcity.com/forums.php?viewthread=402040&page=90
He is still making his farming prop pack so I have no idea when they will be available. He has lots of different farming props made so far if you go through that thread you can see his developments even if you can't read the French.

[metarvo]

Just off the heels of a new NAM, there's another project going.  I'm not surprised, though, since work in 3RR is never done.    I always wondered how you did that, David. 

[dragonshardz]

RE:Gwail's post.

I really don't think David needs to use any sharpening tools on the curve, I think that it looks just fine as it is.

EDIT:  Oh, but hey, my friend- suggestions are always welcome.  Since my graphics skills are self-taught, I can always use a tip as to how to improve them. -DE

[Battlecat]

That's actually quite brilliant there David, this explains how you are creating such impressive curves in a relatively short amount of time!

[bat]

Nice work on that tutorial and it is really useful! 
Looking forward to more...

[dedgren]

...just a jump to the left



on collaboration.

[tabular type=2]
[row][head]3RR Team Member Name[/head][head]Present[/head][head]Not Present[/head][/row]
[row][data]Albus of Garaway[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]allan_kuan1992[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]BarbyW[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]barnatom[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]bighead99[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]BigSlark[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]burgsabre87[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]Darmok[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]dedgren[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]dragonshardz[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]flame1396[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Gaston[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]girlfromverona[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]Heblem[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Heinz[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Jmouse[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]M4346[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]meldolion[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]mightygoose[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]paroch[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Pat[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]pickled_pig[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Rayden[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]rhizome21[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]Shadow Assassin[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Tarkus[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]threestooges[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]thundercrack83[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]tkirch[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Travis[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Unkles27[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Yoman[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Zaphod[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[/tabular]

As I said, I've kept things pretty low key this time around, and figured that anyone who remained interested in the project was stopping by here at least every couple of days.  There's a few folks on there who I'm fairly certain are gone- Tom (barnatom) and Heinz haven't been on SC4D in over a year and and Kevin (Unkles27) for close to that.  A few others I know are out there, but I also know that there are issues that might impact their ability to participate^* at the current time.  So, here's what I'm going to do- last call for current collaborators to check in on the private thread [linkie] ends at midnight (AST GMT-9) today.  Tomorrow, I'll add in and assign quads to everyone who has expressed an interest in the past couple of weeks, open the private thread to them and publish an updated map.  I'll consider the sign-up time open through noon (AST again) tomorrow, by the way- if you haven't stuck your hand up, well... now's the time.

If one of the original collaborators is on a really, really extended vacation and reads this message two weeks from now with increasing horror- no worries.  I will just reassign you a new (and hopefully similar to the one you had before) quad.  Collaboration is basically open to anyone who really enjoys the game, and can put up with me.  I just do lists in order to keep things manageable.

Thursday is 3RR's third birthday- and collaboration stuff, along with an overdue honor or two, will be a big part of the day.

Later.


David

^*  If you are an original collaborator and think you might be one of those folks with "issues that might impact their ability to participate," PM me or otherwise be be in touch- we'll talk about what might be able to be done.

257890

[Korot]

Thursday already? Time goes by so fast when you're having fun, doesn't it? Anyway, congratulations David for running the 3RR for three years!

Edit: Typo

[deathtopumpkins]

Oh, I guess I'll give it a try...

By the way, some great stuff you've been churning out here lately, David!

[pvarcoe]

Count me in David.
I'll take whatever quad ya give me.
Thanks

Phil

[jplumbley]

David, thanks for promoting my return and my return to the SAM project for version 4.  Im excited to be back into things.

That tutorial was great.  I thought maybe you had a better secret LOL, one where you take a 10 pixel segment of a texture and array it around a radius or a given line, apparently it was as simple and time consuming as I thought it was and really, really did not want to do.   

I will definitely use your method to continue the curved sections in the SAM project, begrudingly though... there has got to be an easier way... Hmmm, I wonder. Gotta go find something that I cant say I am going to find without incriminating myself.

[Pat]

LoL Jason I love that last bit there about not wanting to incriminate yourself  Anyways I do hope all that have signed up are able to get in soon as its been pretty quite for me on updating the list siiiiiigh....

[Unkles27]

well, it certainly looks like I've got a lot of catching up to do, you've done some incredible work on here

EDIT:  Kevin, you are the man!  Great to see you back at 3RR. -DE

[Pat]

[tabular type=2]
[row][head]3RR Team Member Name[/head][head]Present[/head][head]Not Present[/head][/row]
[row][data]Albus of Garaway[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]allan_kuan1992[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]BarbyW[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]barnatom[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]bighead99[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]BigSlark[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]burgsabre87[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]Darmok[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]dedgren[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]dragonshardz[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]flame1396[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Gaston[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]girlfromverona[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]Heblem[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Heinz[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]Jmouse[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]M4346[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]meldolion[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]mightygoose[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]paroch[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Pat[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]pickled_pig[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Rayden[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]rhizome21[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]Shadow Assassin[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Tarkus[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]threestooges[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]thundercrack83[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]tkirch[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Travis[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Unkles27[/data][data]X[/data][data][/data][/row]
[row][data]Yoman[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[row][data]Zaphod[/data][data][/data][data]X[/data][/row]
[/tabular]

OK there was a real jump today of folks checking and that is the new list..

edit to remove a mistake... Sorry about that one Joe

[dragonshardz]

Thursday is 3RR's third birthday- and collaboration stuff, along with an overdue honor or two, will be a big part of the day.

I should say that there's quite a lot more than one or two overdue honors! You've got a lot of work on that front, just look at the list! And it's not even current!

[girlfromverona]

Nice tutorial, David! I had assumed that was how you were doing it... it seems the most logical way but still looks pretty time-consuming!

And I can't wait to get my hands on that new road curve! Another thing I hate about the game is about to bite the dust.