FrankU's Lottery - Space Center update

[Mandarin(a)]

Ah, I see now, thank you. It looks like a residence ... but now I can recall a picture of such buildings being used for social housing.

[FrankU]

I decided to upload the set.
I checked all files again and nothing proved wrong, so I guess all is all right.

Here it is:

LEX
STEX

Have fun with it!
Frank

[gn_leugim]

Hi Frank! and nice work again!

I wounder, have you a city tile with them in use? like  one city you made up only with these lots, I would like to see them grown side by side, specially houses, because of the fences. I think they might be a bit inwards the lot, and it may cause some very odd and thick boundaries on house lots grown side by side. just my two cents.

regards,

GnL

[Kergelen]

Really nice and complete set

I think I'll select some of the lots that fit on my mediterranean cities. Thanks

[FrankU]

Hi Kergelen,

Thank you. And yes: sure go ahead. That is the reason why I do not datpack all my files into one large file. Now you can choose what you use and what you throw away.

Hi gn_leugim,
I am not working on a real city development, but I have test images from neighbourhoods. I''l show you.
The fence issue is not really solvable: either you have double fences all over the place (when you add fences to all sides of the lots) or you have many locations without any fence (when you leave out fences on one or two sides). As teh Dutch have a preference of fencing everything off, due to our small gardens, I filled my lots with fences.
If you don't like my results you just open the lots in LE and delete the fences you don't want.

When I started the test city I first filled it with Pioneer lots. There was one obvious favourite


But then others grew


Here you see the Query


And a different angle


Do you see the fences? You like the result?

I will soon start with the fourth set: modern era, beginning around 1970 up to now.

[gn_leugim]

Well Well, after seing the lots put toghether, the effect is way much better. I was afraid the fences would stack side by side and create odd thick boundaries, but they don't. The set looks amazing seen in those pictures let me say. I am looking forward to see that 4th set, as is of modern houses and there I think we might have some similarities on building style  

[FrankU]

Thank you, ehhhm...Carlos, wasn't it? (I should keep a list of real names next to our avatars. I tend to forget),

Yes, I am quite proud of the results...

But the modern set is kind of a problem. I don't have very many models, so the set will be rather small. I have only one R$$$ model. Like, in fact with the previous set, becasue the large villa isn't very Dutch actually.
Maybe there are more models I could use. So if you know some, please give me a hint. I'll do another search myself.

Frank

[FrankU]

Dear friends,

As you probalby have seen I uploaded the third set of my Dutch Housing Project recently.

Now that I am working on the fourth set, containing architecture from around 1970 up to today, I find myself in a dead end street and I ask for your help.

As I am relying completely on other's BATs I have had a hard time finding recent Dutch(like) architecture.
I scrutinized the STEX and the LEX, I even searched SimCity Plaza and Tout Simcities, but I can find only a hand full of useful BATs.

Now everyone knows that two people see more than one person. So certainly a community full of eyes can find more than I can on my own. So my question is: if you find a BAT, a MEGA pack with useful BATs (even if it's only one), or any other useful material, could you please send me a link?

Frank

[gn_leugim]

Yes Frank, you got it right, Carlos 

Regarding the modern set, well, I could tell some of the previous sets bats as Dutch architecture then was rather unique. but I have not a big clue about modern architecture in the Netherlands is these days. is is close to that of France? Germany? something else?

I think I would need to take a look at goggle streets to get an idea.

[FrankU]

Well, yes.
In certain aspects they look quite like the German and the French buildings.
Important difference: we hardly use plaster, paint or stucco for the walls. Mostly always bricks. I did find some useful French BATs on Tout Simcities.
Point is: they are uploaded one file at a time. So if I will release a set the list of dependencies will grow.... Or don't you care about a long list?

[Mandarin(a)]

Hello, Frank

Are you searching for something like this http://www.simcitypolska.pl/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=345? Seeing your other sets I can see that you are not really dealing with w2w buildings, but for me it is also hard know what are you searching for. Maybe paste some links to files you found to show us your concept?
When I think of the Netherlands, I always remember Amsterdam and those w2w buildings. The set in the link is something in that way, although way more modern ... I am not a huge specialist on custom content, but as you said, two people see more than one person 

[gn_leugim]

Important difference: we hardly use plaster, paint or stucco for the walls. Mostly always bricks.

Well, that rules out all my bats XD and most of the ones I know. Even in polska site most of them have plaster, or are wooden, but I may be forgetting some, I donno. those three sites (simplaza, toutsimcity and polska) would be my best guesses. I doubt that Simcity Capital (south American mostly) also has any of that kind. I would look into polska first.

EDIT:
doing a quick look.

bricks, but I think is hardly modern:
http://www.simcitypolska.pl/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=433

modern(?) but no bricks:
http://www.simcitypolska.pl/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=406
http://www.simcitypolska.pl/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=343
http://www.simcitypolska.pl/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=312

[matias93]

[CAUTION: heavily photographic post, non suitable for dial-up connections]

Sadly, the Cube Houses in Rotterdam hadn't been BATed, and frankly, they do not match the concept of this pack anyway.




Whatever, the kind of buildings Frank seems to be looking after is on this way:






















Considering most of this kind of buildings have never been BATed to the game, it looks pretty difficult to form a lotpack on this style or period soon. What hopefully could be done is to use this thread as the starting point for BATing it (maybe a 'small contemporary buildings challenge' or something like that). Freeing the imagination, we could even envison some of the architects reading this and allowing us to use their renders in the game (one could ever dream about it). Let's see what happens

[Mandarin(a)]

Yea, regarding modern Dutch architecture I was also thinking in that way ... but, as you said, such buildings haven't been batted ... Nice pictures though.

[FrankU]

Hello Mandarin(a), gn_leugim and matias93,

Thanks for the feedback.
Indeed SImcity Polska is a site I had forgotten. I did check the links you sent me. And I did check some other uploads there too. Indeed some might be interesting for me to use, even if they are not exactly Dutch in style. Maybe I'll jsut increase my view a bit... The plasterd modern houses would be quite suitable.

And matias93:
The cube houses were in BAT by Mandelsoft or w_swietwoot (I forgot who). They would be very nice to havem but sadly enough the BATter isn't active anymore.
The other houses you show are nice. The last one is designed and built by one of my former employers. It would be nice to have it.
Do you think it is possible to take an autocad, google sketch up or revit model and turn it into a BAT without too much trouble? If yes, I could ask architects I know to provide a model.

The search continues....

[Mandarin(a)]

I once imported AutoCAD file to B.A.T. - it was a 2D drawing, and I was not able to transform it to 3D model. Probably goes better if you have a 3D model in AutoCAD.
There is a tutorial on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlHj7JMcJuI) for importing 3D model from Google SketchUp to B.A.T., but you need SketchUp Pro. And a quality of textures doesn't look very good.

[matias93]

Gmax and 3DSmax are both compatible with Autocad, and so with Revit and Archicad, they even include import/export functions do to that.

With SketchUp is a little bit harder, because you need a pro license and textures are incompatible, but I know the wonderfully detailled buildings by Romualdillo are done with that software.

The bottom line is, if someone gets permission to use an architectural model, it could be BATed easily. In fact, I remember now that some of Jasoncw's buildings were, in fact, of his design for architectural projects in RL.

[gn_leugim]

(and the forum, it is back!!! is it?? )

Well, you can pick up cad and pass it to max, but I think you would need some textures works in order to make it look nice(ier). but only with some possible previews one could say.

[FrankU]

Thanks all of you!

While the forum was down I reconsidered the issue. I decided not to take any action concerning BATting. If someone feels like doing it: please be my guest. I'll do the lotting. But I'll stay out of anything that looks like doing something with BAT or architectural models. It is mainly a matter of time: I have a lot to do without getting involved in a new area.

So if someone knows nice BATs that I might have overlooked, or if someone likes to do some new BAtTting... I'll be happy with your input.

Thank you.

[FrankU]

Recently twalsh102 from Simtropolis sent me a message about missing files in his Dutch Space Center.

We found out that this concerned four overlay textures and one prop. The prop is part of the NAM and the four textures are part of the Euro Cosmetic Re-texture mod. To be exact this file: z0_PEG_CDK_Ferry.dat.
Because not everybody will have this file in their setup, and because I think it is good to not have the complet NAM as dependency for only one unimportant prop I decided to do a small relot and update.
The Space Center is now updated on STEX and LEX. You'll hardly notice the difference.

I now wonder why it took so long for anybody to find out. I think all non Euro retexture users of this game should have seen that the textures were missing. Did nobody plop the Space Center yet?

I do have another issue. If you have installed the AC Functional Airports (X-ports) my Space Center won't work.
I did make a workaround. I edited the AC Functional Airports, Version 2.1.dat, so that is works. But because I have no real idea about the Functional Airport mod I am not sure this does work like it should. The only thing I changed in the above file is the lot size of the Space Center. Now my Space Center appears in game when I select and plop it.

Is there maybe someone who can help me to find out if this change in file is correct, so that it can be open to all of you? It just might be that someone likes it....

Meanwhile my Dutch Housing Project has paused..... It was a bit pain in the butt that I had to make so many lots. They all started to look identical and my inspiration was lost. I feel that it is coming back slowly now. But the most annoying thing is: I cannot finish it, because there are contemporary models missing. It would really be great if we could dig up some.
Otherwise I'll finish the set incomplete. Who knows there will be an add-on set later...

Greetings,
Frank