[FrankU]

Dear SC4D members,

It has been silent quite some time since I started my Shipyard attempt thread. Well, to confess: the shipyard attempt died a silent death.

Now I start a new thread, because I have some new plans that I will actually try to finish.

Since Cogeo released his Logistics Centres MegaPack (http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/details.cfm?id=16119) I was thinking about doing some warehouse stuff myself, because warehouses are the main buildings in industrial areas nowadays.
But I had so much to do....
Until Driftmaster07 released his Airport Warehouse Pack (http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/details.cfm?id=22439). Then I thought: that is exactly what I want and I downloaded it to use the set in my seaports and industrial areas.

But then... After some days I wanted to do it my own way. And there I started lotting again.

I wanted more versatility than Driftmasters lots gave me. Of course I could have lotted another 20 warehouses with props and trucks. But I did not want my lots to fill the menus too much. So I decided to try a modular approach.
A modular approach together with a very extensive use of prop families.

So I started to collect lots that contain warehouses form several origins. First the propfamilies of Cogeo's warehouses.
I made lots that contain only a warehouse (family). Simple and straightforward. These lots will be surrounded by smaller lots that contain trucks, forklifts, props, stuff, rubbish and other items that can be found in industrial areas.
No images yet.

For making really versatile lots I wanted to have as much variation as I could have. So this means: Prop Families.
And I did miss Prop Families with JeStarr's trucks, but also some props. I did a request in this thread (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9052.0), but I got no useful answer.

So I started top make them myself with the help of this tutorial: http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=211.0.
Barby gave me a row of 256 iid's and I started working. It is really simple.

So far I have produced the following prop families.

8 straight trucks from JeStarr Megapack vol 6


The same trucks, but now diagonal 22.5 degrees left


Another set of trucks, but now diagonal 22.5 degrees right


And 45 degrees


Then some other prop families.
First a set that contains delivery trucks and props, so that not every lot with this familiy shows a deliverytruck on the same spot.


A set of larger props


and a set of smaller props


The last set I made is one with several non-standard trucks that can be found in industrial areas, but that are not part of a series.  I call it Truckmix1, because I plan to release more sets.


For all sets you need JeStarrs Megapacks vol 1, 2 and 6.

I have one riddle though.
After having made the set with "trucks 22.5 left" I made some other families. I did several other things and don't know what happened, but as I opened the set some day in LE I saw that all exemplars show up twice in LE.

This is even the case if I have only this propfamily and JeStarr Megapck vol 6 in my plugins (the picture is form another moment. My folder was full of plugins then.
Who knows how this can be and what I can do about it?
The set works fine, but it is weird....

What is next to come:

1. First I'll show the lots I made and what you can accomplish with them.
2. Maybe I will make several other PropFamilies of trucks, props etc.
3. If the propfamilies function well I will release them, so that everyone can use them for their own fun.
4. Maybe I will even release the Lots I make with them.

But let's not promise too much.

Please, every comment, advice or reaction is welcome.

[BarbyW]

Frank, if you let me have a copy of your prop families dats with the doubled exemplars I can have a look and see what might be wrong.

[FrankU]

So now that Barby has helped me out with some troubles I can show my newest products.
Hopefully someone will take notice and give a reaction? 

I proudly present the Modular Warehouse Pack.

With the finished Prop Families I made the following small lots:


I made also the following Warehouse lots.
Most of them are based on prop families by Cogeo; from his Logistics Centre Pack.


If you combine these into areas you could get things like:


Or


Or


Or


Unfortunately I have one slight problem: they are pure and only Eyecandy. I would really like to give these some functional purpose, but as the warehouses should not depend on road access, I cannot think of a way to give them jobs. Of course I could give an income or pollution reduction or so, but that does not feel right. If someone has a clue, I'd gladly hear from you.

Maybe I also should add some kind of fence lots?

[WC_EEND]

you could use them as an airport cargo area

[FrankU]

Yup! Indeed!
I should have thought about that...

[djvandrake]

Very nice FrankU.  Your warehouses look quite nice and the possibilities are many indeed. 

[hooha47]

FrankU, these look great.  I hope you plan to release them eventually.  I don't think there is anyway you can have jobs without road access.  I know you're going for the modular approach (which, as you know, I'm quite fond of), but you could extend the warehouse lots on one side and give them road access, and still keep them modular.  Fence lots would be nice too.

I'm curious, did you shift those truck props to the diagonal?  And if so, how?  I don't need an in depth tutorial, but I have no idea how you would even begin to do that without going into the BAT, which I'm not about to do.

[FrankU]

Of course I could give the lots road access. And maybe I reconsider my project a little and actually do that. A kind of backyard to the lots with fences and storage stuff, that makes access possible. Let me think.....

And I did not shift the trucks in any way. JeStarr did BAT them himself. I did no more than put them in a prop family, which is in fact a very simple job.

[vester]

Looks good.

The ground textures looks a bit to clean. Maybe try to dirty them up with some overlay, tracks under the truck ect.

[clearlypowa]

First it's a nice work u have done 

I agree with vester about the ground textures, need to be dirty in some of your lots.

with my humble modesty, i will add security fences, 1 or more lots for the entrance of the warehouses, and more animation (people). I haven't see any light in your lots too.

Good luck 

[FrankU]

Vester and Kakimalaki,

You are right.
- Fences are neccessary. I can make some lots (three or four should do the trick).
- Lights: they are a problem I wanted to ignore, but you caught me there. I don't really know how to add lights. Usually they stand in equal distances and rows. How should I implement them on my modular lots without restricting the use of the lots too much? I'lll think about that aspect. Or can we work with one lot that contains a high lightpole like in Tag_One's container port?
- Dirt. Same problem as lights: how to implement dirt or tracks without breaking the versatility of the lots? Maybe there is some base texture I could use: dirty concrete or so. I'll scrutinize the texture packs.

Thanks for comments and please have some patience with me....

[FrankU]

I didn't really have time to work on the warehouses, but I finally decided to upload my prop families. You can find them on the STEX.
I feel really proud: for the first time in five years I uploaded something that some of you really might find useful.

The warehouse pack is not forgotten and with Wouanagaine's new tool, an my new computer on the way, it will definitely be continued.

[BarbyW]

Frank, I can upload your prop families to the LEX for you if you wish. I will collect them from the STEX as the ones you sent to me had to be revised, if you remember.

[Tomas Neto]

Fantastic work, Franku!!!   

[FrankU]

Barby,

Yes I did revise the props. That's why I dared to upload them. If you put them on the LEX I will feel honoured. Do you need some work for me like a readme?

Tomas Neto: thanks!

[BarbyW]

No Readme is needed for a set of prop exemplars, Frank. I'll get them posted for you.

[FrankU]

So, it's time for an update. Today I finally found time to edit my Warehouse Pack.

I edited the base texture. It is now the same as Tag_One's Container Terminal. It's concrete, it's dirty, it's industrial. I also added Tag_One's floodlight. And I did some fences by Pegasus.

So here it goes:








And some night shots.







Do you like it?

[Toichus Maximus]

It looks great! Can't wait for a release.

As far as adding jobs, you could make an eye candy version and a job version, and get the best of both worlds. It could retain modularity that way too, especially if you had the job one lotted so it would be on the edge.

[FrankU]

I think I am not going to make a job version.

What I am thinking of now is a Landmark version that gives some industrial cap relief in change for a monthly sum of §§. I do not know how to do this, but I surely can find out. But that is for another moment.

I want to release the eyecandy version soon. All I need to do is drag the lots through the dependencies finder (and maybe try to reduce the list a bit), maybe edit some values (garbage, water usage etc...), and put them into a Zip-file.

[FrankU]

I released the set on the STEX just two minutes ago. 

Please comment....