SC4 Devotion Forum Archives

Hi everyone, welcome to my Melbourne BAT thread here at SC4D.

In anticipation of the amazing tram network being made by Noahchlem over at the Noro Cooperative, I'm going to be working on some detailed recreations of Melbourne CBD, starting with Collins Street.

This project will include -
1) Revamps of some of my existing BATs, attempting to fix issues with scale, textures, modding and getting more consistency with the night lighting.
2) Making new BATs, of course. There's still a lot of buildings I haven't made before.
3) A prop set, for recreating Melbourne's sidewalks.

I'm toying with HD versions as well. I want to be able to zoom into the street scene, but we'll have to wait and see if that's viable.

So, to kick it off, I'm starting back where I started with my very first BAT, cnr. Collins and King Street, Rialto Towers (yep, I'm having another crack at it! I was never happy with the 2nd version I made.)

Some nightclubs and strip clubs down the side of King Street (HD - and eventually to be rendered separately for release with the prop pack, including diagonal versions) :

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg673%2F2623%2FB22OuJ.jpg&hash=e2a159ac7c832dde49b289cac5dd7f721012eb41)

Rialto Towers:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg673%2F245%2FRY1LX5.jpg&hash=eed4c6d1cf715d3a1128587578a88eb8a05c8022)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg673%2F9242%2FuJtKsK.jpg&hash=49d4afd18824ffa82a9a569902d31374eb420e84)

Please let me know what you think so far :)

Nice work!  :thumbsup:  Of course, the inclusion of HVAC and the like on the roofs is a must, and you have included it.  The reflections on the Rialto windows are a nice little touch, too.

Wow, that looks absolutely incredible  &apls   The full lot with the tower turned out great with the much larger and much smaller buildings meshing together very nicely and somehow that cleverly-placed tree adds a lot to the overall feel. Having both HD and diagonal versions of beautifully detailed buildings like these would be really, really useful. It would fill a niche that essentially hasn't been serviced yet and I think would contribute a lot. I'll be curious to see if your experiment with HD works out ;)

A very warm welcome to SC4D for you! I'm really looking forward to what's to come in this thread :)

Welcome to SC4D, Reddon. Great seeing you there.
Rialto Towers were already looking excellent, i'm sure the new version will be even better. :)

Though, you know it's kind of a curse for custom content creators. Once you've done something you like, you realize you could have done it even better.

First thing I thought was 'please make those small buildings diagonal!', then I actually read and was relieved.  :D  :thumbsup:

However with 'rendered separately' do you mean separate from the highrise, or seperate from each other as well? I'd love to see the York Butter Factory stand alone, to be used as actual ID Factory.

The Rialto towers are impressive and the tree is very nice indeed. Ever thought about making seasonal tree props?   :)

I'm glad to see you over here Reddonquixote! Excellent work, keep it up.  :thumbsup:

Welcome reddonquixote!!! That's a great presentation card, I'm overwhelmed with all the details... The only thing I can have in mind is... it shiiiines!! &blush

Welcome reddonquixote !


....and of to a great start.

The red roof is a bit.... hope its a temporary texture.
Maybe add a gradient to the wall textures.
What graphic programs are you using ?

Hope you export each house seperate.

Thankyou for that very warm welcome everyone.

Vortext - Correct, each building will be rendered separately from one another. Yeah, I'd like to make more trees eventually :)
Vester - Hmmm... not sure about gradients. I think that's a trick used in Gmax to fake ray tracing, shouldn't be necessary with 3DS Max, but I have added some procedural grime to the wall textures, think that helps? I use Photoshop, but more commonly these days I use 3DS Max instead of Photoshop.
Art - yes, curse indeed! haha...
Bipin - Ah, is this where you've been hiding? I hope you're still making amazing BATs :)

Thanks everyone else  ;D

Here's a couple more updates...

The Terraces with procedural grime added:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg540%2F3698%2F1FAzhS.jpg&hash=f0eaa01e299d3420484ea7c9029fe3952680c80f)

And some nightlights:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg907%2F1797%2FpYqWGq.jpg&hash=4fe296c8c84538175940658360895a457daba43f)

I'm still working on the Tower and base night lights, pretty close though :)

I love these  :thumbsup:

The York Butter Factory will definitely find a home in New SorGun  ;D

Even Lee / Callafrafx did the gradient in Max. He works with Max everyday.

There are two ways of doing this.

Photoshop:
Add a New Adjustment Layers / Hue/Saturation (Layer menu)
Then add a alpha channels a fill it with a gradient.

Max:
Make a composite material (http://docs.autodesk.com/3DSMAX/15/ENU/3ds-Max-Help/index.html?url=files/GUID-7BFA7CF2-2E9D-495B-BFB5-A7D513C6D667.htm,topicNumber=d30e601113) (instead of a standard)
Then add a layer so there is two.
In one you have the normal version of the texture.
In the other you have a darker version of it, adding a gradient to the alpha channel.
The darker version can be made in PhotoShop (which can be seen in max) or darken in max (which only can be seen in the renders).

You can darken in max using the roll out Output, check Enable Color Map and drag down one or both point on the curve.

The composite materials is a good way to remove repetition in the materials, adding grunge and dirt with a few new layers.

EDIT: Here is an old example picture of a compisite material:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi40.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fe242%2Fvester_DK%2FDiv%2FComposite3.jpg&hash=c25ba89e3dedc854d65c7dfe7f0fb9384b07d1a2)
By see the tiling to 4x6 and have the others textures set to 1x1, a lot of repetitions if not all is removed.
At the top right you can see the output settings. If I remember right the alpha on Layer 4 is a bit higher than 1x1, but can't remember what (not important as such).

Here is another example of a material:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi40.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fe242%2Fvester_DK%2FDiv%2FComposite2.jpg&hash=5236b94264296877c5d4cf3c160ebdb7291f44d2)

Aha, finally you're here. Welcome, reddon!

I wonder why you leave Simtropolis as Bipin did. Is it just because you're a serious player? (just kidding, for this place is "the home for the serious player")  ;D
 
No doubt you're a master of BATting. But seriously, I hope you could concentrate a little bit more on mid-rise buildings. Buildings of this kind are still in great need(if you post a poll or anything you'll get proof).

Also if you could consider making diagonal versions for some BATs, we'll be benefited a lot. Though you know I'm shamed to have you work an extra time to render those diagonal versions.  $%Grinno$%

You've done an excellent work with the textures. Grime makes everything look realistic.  :D

Yes!! Nice changes to Rialto Towers so far, the textures of the roof parapets in version 3 I noticed were a bright white. It gave it kind of an untextured, par-baked appearance.

Terraces are looking beautiful! Outstanding work  &apls

Beautiful night lights. :)

Thanks everyone!

Vester - Thanks! Great tips. I've never used composite maps before, this will definitely come in handy  :thumbsup:
Neo - Yeah, I agree. Hopefully this time I'll get the textures looking much better.
Weixc - Nice to see you thanks for saying hi :)

Here's some more nightlights. There's a bit of glare and streaking happening, but these tend to dissipate in the game render. I'll see how they come out before I tweak some more if necessary. I still need to work on the day glass. Diagonal facing glass is the hardest to do, but its very far from where it needs to be at the moment. After that should be pretty close to ready :)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg538%2F2697%2FYp9Jir.jpg&hash=5ab7b30bf27ea9f1e3bbb1f28075b7f4c412f986)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg661%2F5162%2FKuzGaH.jpg&hash=86d2195c007d562dea74d1c72d7fa9ca142b8b65)

Love the light. Great bat.  :thumbsup:


May I suggest a Copenhagen high rise, one that is still being constructed.
Copenhagen Towers (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1614659):

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mikaellykmadsen.dk%2Fskyscrapercity%2Fdenmark%2Fcopenhagentowers3.jpg&hash=806964f908f36a9377ae1843be8f51dabe06da1c)

Would love to see the curved line on the facade lighten up.
(Not that they are going to be in RL)

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7643/16821784600_ae29e4294a_h.jpg)

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7589/16389174233_b856a91980_h.jpg)

OMG!!!!!!!  :o

Good God! Lighting is just amazing!

That lighting is quite spectacular indeed!  &apls By the way, I have made this place my new home, Reddonquixote. I'd encourage you to join us over here more often, for it's occupied by a wonderful group of people, many of which I am sure you already know.

Amazing as usual great work Red  &apls

Thanks everyone  ;D

Bipin - Yep, you'll be seeing a bit more of me :)

Vester - I'll do you a deal... If you make a Melbourne Trains and Tram for me I'll make the Copenhagen building for you  :P

Here's some street props I've made -

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg903%2F3056%2FveMBC1.jpg&hash=d5a924042d85c991c5e323361ef2b87632994459)

Takes a bit longer than I thought!

Beautiful looking props  &apls   I suggest that for the trees the base of the tree is in the center of the model so regardless of which way the tree is rotated the base is in the same place, allowing it to line up with the tree plot for example. Trees themselves are very pretty! Are you planning seasonal versions?

Great collection of props! And I'd also like to know if the trees will come in seasonal liveries, that'd be really great!  :thumbsup:

Quote from: vester on April 09, 2015, 03:16:26 PM
May I suggest a Copenhagen high rise, one that is still being constructed.

Quote from: reddonquixote on April 13, 2015, 02:44:52 AM
Vester - I'll do you a deal... If you make a Melbourne Trains and Tram for me I'll make the Copenhagen building for you  :P

Ok, if you just cooperate and we'll get two wonderful BATs(Mod) in one step  :thumbsup:

Noah - Thanks for the tip!

Noah & Vortext - No, I hadn't considered seasonal variations for the trees, but.. why not! I've had a go, let me know what you think?

Here's a couple more props. I've also brightened up the trees, and made seasonal variations:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg661%2F7206%2FmI4DPz.jpg&hash=885ce7a1abd2faebcfd9736be68f625974d62ac7)

Love it!!  :bnn:  &apls

The summer green might be a tad too bright and/or saturated, though it's always tricky to tell without seeing it ingame.

Looking good   :thumbsup:

Quote from: vortext on April 14, 2015, 06:40:20 AM
The summer green might be a tad too bright and/or saturated, though it's always tricky to tell without seeing it ingame.

I agree.  It would probably be a good idea to get these in game and set them next to girafe's tree to do some trial and error tweaking to get their saturation close.

Wowowow , haven't been in sc4devotion for a while but god, it was worth it! This is the best street prop pack I have seen in a while. As an HD fan, I'd even say these are the best streetlights I have seen in SC4 period.

You should also put this one on Simtropolis  ;) Awesome job mate! &apls &apls &apls :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Great props!!! Awesome level of detail!  &apls

Looking awesome  &apls  I think the seasonals turned out great--though I hope you'll do one of the little tree as well. If it's not too much trouble some snow-covered versions would be really nice. There's not much available in that area though admittedly there's not a lot of us making snowy scenes ;)  I don't feel like I have a good idea for color/saturation etc so it's hard for me to say which I prefer but I remember Xannepan changing the color of his trees more to match existing content than because he preferred the color.

I know there's limitation with game palette but I'm really wanting to try and get that bright green look of Collins Street trees (Below).

Absolutely, I'll check them out in-game to make sure they don't look like candy-trees, but for my recreation these will be as bright as I can realistically get away with.

However, for the prop pack, I will release a more 'game-friendly' version as well for those that would prefer to have that.

Oh, I'm thinking the seasonal trees should have less leaves on them as well. I'll see what it looks like.

Snow trees... yeah, could give it a go but I'm not sure how I would go about making them TBH. I'll give it some thought...

Collins Street trees (not sure the name of them, does anyone know?)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg909%2F5338%2FIjGTT9.jpg&hash=a30fa8c148f181fbb23fe4ec7be7bc2190f0e5f3)

Thanks for commenting.. more props to come :)

Quote from: reddonquixote on April 15, 2015, 12:51:18 AM
I know there's limitation with game palette but I'm really wanting to try and get that bright green look of Collins Street trees (Below).[...]
Collins Street trees (not sure the name of them, does anyone know?)

Looking at the bark in google street view (https://www.google.com/maps/@-37.817921,144.957923,3a,75y,359.34h,94.13t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sQc1SUOUwd3TaDqeFFiA8dw!2e0!6m1!1e1?hl=en) I'd say it's a Platanus and specifically the London Plane tree which is used a lot in cities, and Australian cities are no exception.  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus_%C3%97_acerifolia#In_Australia)

If you wish to recreate that particular species you need to alter the bark as it's too brown currently, plantanus have greyish, spotted bark. (https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=platanus+bark&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=jTAuVcinOYnYarOhgLAJ&ved=0CBwQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=965#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=London+planetree+bark)

Also keep in mind the picture you posted was taken on a sunny day, though it's true these trees have a pretty bright green color indeed (https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=london+plane+tree&hl=en&biw=1920&bih=965&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=mTEuVbmaDs7hauqDgagI&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ). Furthermore they take on rather bright yellow and orange colors during autumn (https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=london+plane+tree&hl=en&biw=1920&bih=965&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=mTEuVbmaDs7hauqDgagI&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=london+plane+tree+autumn), so you may want to steer away from the brownish color the model has atm.

Those street props look fabulous, really lovely work.

With such a lovely street-scape it's not hard to imagine why you'd want to make a recreation of the city.  Looking forward to helping out with the transportation end of the recreation ;)

Regarding the trees, as others have mentioned it's really hard to say whether or not your colors are "game-friendly" without actually seeing them in game, though it is nice to hear that if they do seem not to match you'll release a different variant. For a snowy version I'd imagine something very similar to the leafless version but snow-colored. I tried looking for the snowy version of Girafe's birches for an example but couldn't find them  &mmm  Don't worry about it if it's too much trouble.

Quote from: reddonquixote on April 15, 2015, 12:51:18 AM
Absolutely, I'll check them out in-game to make sure they don't look like candy-trees, but for my recreation these will be as bright as I can realistically get away with.

You can probably get away with making them really bright.  There's some surprisingly bright stuff out there that looks good.  Here's a quick palatte check of some of the brighter good looking stuff in the game: (click for full res)
(https://jpmudw.bn1302.livefilestore.com/y2pV_chpB44-J8Xk5yh5nG03TcPhmI3S-CZ1MPTT_xP51Mpw_xY84AqSZRfhxt3HQVoFvhM2t02z-Wb3FvE1kEjmDNdXDbfmdVPuswDGTSzqCIu94NXDDGoFMTA_rSzIkxP4DP4_ZutXLtjRbmPhTaQbQ/rdqtrees%2815042015_094301%29.jpg?psid=1)

Clockwise from top left: girafe's lindens, VIP poplars, VIP aesculus and fagus for contrast, c.p.'s spring models for larch, aspen, poplar (and summer for the smaller larch).  Some of girafe's small stuff in the center.

Some of my favorite tree models in the game are c.p.'s spring larch and aspen.  The bright light green makes a nice contrasting pop to the surrounding standard greens.

I really look forward to seeing how your street trees turn out in-game.      ;)

I think key is really in keeping the colour slightly desaturated. The trees that look out of place are, in my experience, all oversaturated.

Wow, thanks so much for everyone's input on these trees. Some of you are real tree connoisseurs! I'm very flattered you would take any interest in my poor-cousin trees when there's already such an amazing assortment of trees available.  :D

After several days of fiddling around, I think I've got something I'm happy with. Mine are the ones in the middle, an assortment of Girafe trees across the top, and CPs Ponderosa Pines at the bottom. I was trying to get a pretty close match to the Ponderosa pines, I think these had a pretty good saturation and brightness compared to what I wanted to make.

I finally got a brighter seasonal tree as well that I'm happier with. There was a weird thing with the material I could only get different shades of brown, but I've fixed that now.

I really look forward to hearing your feedback  :thumbsup:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg912%2F1004%2Fc8tovH.jpg&hash=69e9cd7ce46d2b3424cf23626174c73d2ab1fd92)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg540%2F9986%2FpNuP1t.jpg&hash=61ec5f6d59893a853d78ec68259250650bd14612)

No luck with making a snow version yet, but I did find one by CP though.

looking really good. fallen leaves for the autumn trees would be quite nice  ::)

These are coming along excellently  &apls  Loving the autumn foliage and also the silver/gray bark on the trees. The shade of green on the summer foliage appears well within the norms of the nicest SC4 trees and from the look of it you could make it even a little brighter still if you think that'd be more in line with the look you're seeking. The scale of leaves within SC4 varies considerably but imho a little smaller on the leaves might be nice.

No need to be modest about your trees btw  $%Grinno$%

Looking very nice indeed, they are a good fit both in terms of modelling and colors!  &apls

Quote from: reddonquixote on April 16, 2015, 08:03:30 PM
I'm very flattered you would take any interest in my poor-cousin trees when there's already such an amazing assortment of trees available.  :D

Well thing is, there're simply never enough trees! Never I tell you!  ;D  :thumbsup:

Fantastic work as always.. good to have you here too! although, my question is... no more simtropolis for you?

Thanks everyone :)

Figui - Not a bad idea actually  :thumbsup:
Noah - Yeah, I was wondering about the scale as well. These trees do have large leaves, but these might be just a bit too large. Seeing as the colour is pretty good now I'll work on the model some more. I don't love that branch that hangs down, its too distinguishable, any repetitive use of this tree would be too noticeable I think.
Vortext -  :D Noted!
cmdp - Hi! Yeah, I'm only boycotting the exchange  :P

So I leave props and trees for a bit and revamp another old BAT. 530 Collins Street was the 8th BAT I made, and two things I hated after the release were the over saturated colour of the base, and the nightlights. The nightlights looked pretty good in the Max render, but didn't translate well into the game.

So, this is pretty much the same model but with new textures, however I did do some substantial changes to the base, and fixed up some modeling on the tower roof. I also imported the Rialto Towers model into the scene and its seen reflecting in the glass on the front of the building.

530 Collins Street:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg673%2F434%2Fo19rti.jpg&hash=9fa6ee2a690c05693c9d3b283c82e3cabd5fba2c)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg913%2F7366%2FHDUPQh.jpg&hash=2bfff2af73d21af14f2c3caa78d729cccfe2296b)

Let me know what you think. Time to fix up the nightlights  ;)

I'd only suggest dirtying up the concrete part of the roof (darn's way which I think you already use -- procedural dirt) and for the metal part of the roof bump up the reflectivity but check FG to make it look a bit more metallic as in RL. I think that the granite on the base looks a bit pale compared to the RL tho.

I am really glad you're revisiting old models. One more thing I'd like to point out is that your earlier models seem to lack Ambien Occlusion so don't forget to check it this time and set the parameter to 4m.  :thumbsup:

It's really nice to see you on SC4Devotion !! Now is time for me, to write a nice comment for you, why? It's simple.
I think we have to give you a BIG THANKS for all your work, in the last years your work is one of the best. Your dedication and time doing a lot of amazing things for the game...I just can say that I really appreciate that and I want to say THANKS one more time.

PD: I never wanted to do an Australian region...with your work in my hands the things are changing... :bnn: :bnn:
If those tram textures are some day available, I will put all my effort for a good recreation of your city, I think your bats deserve a recreation of Melbourne.

Greetings  ;)

Those reflections are hypnotic!! I agree with making the textures a bit dirtier, I think it will improve the general view (imho).

Looking great  &apls  I love the way the reflections turned out and the new textures and it's a beautiful model. Excited to see how it turns out  :thumbsup:

Quote from: figui on April 17, 2015, 08:11:13 AM
looking really good. fallen leaves for the autumn trees would be quite nice  ::)

I'm not overly keen on that for urban use. I think it looks a bit messy and most cities clean up fallen leaves from pavements and roads IMO. In parks and gardens its fine

Hi everyone, sorry for the long hiatus. Some very exciting but nevertheless time consuming developments on the RL side have kept me away from BATing. These BATs are taking too long to get back to, so thought I'd show you what I've done so far at least.

Firstly, replies-
Vlasky: Thankyou so much for your advice. All excellent suggestions. When you say the granite on the base, do you mean the black polished granite blocks at the entrance, or the whole pink-coloured base? Yes, absolutely Ambient Occlusion I want to fix. It wasn't something I used in my earlier models and now have an opportunity to fix it  :thumbsup:

Kelis: Thankyou, that was a very nice thing to post. Just so you know I'm building these BATs to go into my own Melbourne recreation, but I've seen some of your work and I'm sure you'd amazing things with it.

Romualdillo & Noah: Thankyou as always  ;D

Belfastsocrates - Good point! Thanks.

Anyway, here's where I got up to with most recent BATs.

- 530 Collins with dirtier roof and more metallic roof.
- 520 Collins - Completed (thoughts?)
- 500 Collins - Still have the roof and base to complete. (thoughts so far?)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg673%2F3069%2FHvhCf5.jpg&hash=8973cf6fb2efee28b63b0cc3f566f0f131a2ea15)

I'm seeing lots of amazing stuff happening in everyone's threads I hope to be back contributing more very soon  ;D

OMG! That looks fantastic  &apls

To be honest, the content you produce is so high in the quality scale that I cant see how is it possible that you go back and make it better, yet you do.. I have no idea how you do it.. but you are nailing it buddy!

Fantastic!!! &apls What else to say?

Great work, reddon  :thumbsup:
Are you planning to place these 3 buildings on one lot?

Excellent progress  &apls  I really like the two newer buildings (newer to me anyway). Best of luck with what's keeping you busy :)

There is something about whole blocks being rendered together ... THAT I LOVE!!! lol Looks awesome!

However, I don't see that you've used that procedural dirt technique for the roofs. They're too clean. ALso check if you've checked AO for those materials.

By granite on the base I did mean pink colored one. ALso for it, I'm not sure if the granite is covering the top or if there is concrete on the roof of the entrance, so double check that. On the left part of the base the concrete seems too polished and reflective, so try lowering the reflectivity and glossiness.

Also metal parts of the two lower buildings is too reflective imho. Did you try checking the FG option?

St. Paul. Wow!  &hlp  Thanks and Hugs.  I will give detailed feedback after I have fired up my SC4.

Great to see that beauty up on the LEX and can't wait to see what you'll be up to next!!!

OMG.. I think I love you right now.. thats the one Ive been waiting the most..  :o

Thanks everyone. I'm glad you liked St Paul's. It was a long time in the making but got there eventually  ;D

Long time between replies and updates... what a busy year its been!

Weixc - I haven't really worked out a release yet. Definitely not all three buildings. 530 Collins will be separate, the other two buildings will most definitely be released as prop buildings, but their dimensions aren't really SC4 lot size compatible on their own, not really sure how they will go on a lot together... Dunno!!  ()what() Any suggestions?

Vlasky - Thanks! I really like your FG trick, I never knew of that before, I'm using it on a lot of my materials now  :thumbsup:

Thanks everyone else, appreciate the nice comments  ;)

Here's an update on 500 Collins Street. There's some things a bit lacking I think, any ideas happy to hear them. I can see some obvious things to fix up, but after the detailed renders thought I'd post something and fix them later. Let me know what you think  ;D

(The back looks a bit weird, there's a rear courtyard/ beer garden in the back I still need to make and add on)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg538%2F2048%2FdBV9Fc.jpg&hash=3f0b046b19d8f5714211406be3944c3323d3a1d3)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg673%2F3274%2FEUBowd.jpg&hash=e19dbff59df5639faa8a3fe6463ec4ab371affd2)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg540%2F3479%2FeXetQ7.jpg&hash=5e83c632b4469d8234252c9eb03ef472b269b9af)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg912%2F4586%2FQbhIpz.jpg&hash=2a0df6353eeb17a4748dba2c9f23ec5590bc80f3)

...and here's some finished renders of 520 Collins Street:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg540%2F9273%2FLLcaFx.jpg&hash=dcf0392fd8d2425fc06178c352bd08a599140ba0)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg633%2F5956%2FUOO2dV.jpg&hash=e6bd3f9a61ca40d33edf92dd46e0f1eb443a116d)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg540%2F7246%2FEBhm7x.jpg&hash=7047af0bf5d57fdc86a84a05d77273697fcd66fa)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg661%2F8860%2FrCIXWU.jpg&hash=4373662cdcfdccec4cac1739bdf62b28af722550)

(It still needs scaling up 133%)

Your Skills modeling are from another world !! I love it my friend  &apls &apls

Wow, these are just beautiful! Those details on both are just breathtaking--and somehow different from your previous work, in a good way, which I'm a bit surprised was even possible :D  I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up for the beer garden. Now that I think of it, there isn't much for beer gardens in SC4. I'm also excited for 520 Collins street as those middle-sized buildings aren't as common as I wish they were, especially ones that look like this. I'll let you know if I can think of anything to add with 500 Collins street (besides aforementioned beer garden) but it already seems about perfect to me.  +1 for all this outstanding work and amazing level of detail  :thumbsup:

As for how to implement the models, it's hard to say without knowing the actual dimensions a little better. Ideally the primary lot would contain all the models arranged as you've shown them or individual lots would be aligned and overhanging in a way that would make the real layout possible. Depending on the dimensions individual lots meant for purposes other than making the RL layout could have one wall on the edge of the lot and overhang the other side. You're certainly right that these don't have an easy solution.

Finally, glad to hear you're getting a bit more time to yourself again. Tomorrow is the last day of the continuous work streak I mentioned earlier and I hope I'll be able to return to SC4 soon. Have a couple models I look forward to trying ;)

Nice job on these.  The texturing and modelling are both great. &apls

Great job!! I don't know if it's true, but I think I see the office furniture through the windows!! I'm astonished!!  :o

Your work never fails to impress. The level of detail and the care you take with the buildings is a true credit and the resulting product is some of the finest BATs to grace the game.

Superb work.

Beautiful work on those buildings, they look great  &apls

Romualdillo - At first I was thinking you're imagining things, then I remembered I did indeed put office furniture inside 520 Collins.  :D Well spotted!

Noah - Good point about building sizes, I'll post all the sizes in my next update. There's still 3 more buildings to finish the block off, then I'll try and figure out a viable lot configuration. Thanks very much for my very first rep point  :thumbsup: (hope to see you back on deck soon!)

Kelis, CP, Belfastsocrates, Seraf - Thankyou!

Now for the next building on the block, this time a residential. Its the Oaks on Collins at 480 Collins Street. Oaks on Collins is a 4.5 star hotel, but I also think it has some permanent residences as well.

I'm still working on the textures for the sides of the buildings. My favourite part is the little dumpster station in the back alley, I think it came out really well  ;D

Don't worry about the little man standing in front, he's the manikin I use to help with scale, I forgot to hide him when I did the render  :D

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg661%2F8279%2FuBNrkF.jpg&hash=312da2651bf7466f42eef2e7db5115cf9899e5b2)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg673%2F3576%2FrHkCNO.jpg&hash=17ef026732b71afe4b5363e30fe04bb0c6add2bd)

Let me know what you think  ()stsfd()

Love the balcony details at the rear of the building.

Thanks Belfastsocrates  ;D

Here's a few small updates to the front of the Oaks, and I think it's finished. Time to move onto the next one.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg901%2F2417%2FGgX15i.jpg&hash=1324182f795beac30c6e728c5e79d0d8547f0ac6)

The level of detail is stunning!! Fantastic work!!  &apls
(I thought I was getting mad, but I think you're madder)  $%Grinno$%

I think that might actually be my all-time favorite bat. I kept looking back at the previous update, in part as a pleasant break from correcting non-native English in research papers, and just liked it more and more. And now I feel bad for not saying anything about it before the next post  :facepalm:  The back in particular is just special.

As for the K-point: Glad to fix such an apparent anomaly as 0 reps next to your name ;)  There are many deserving of reputation and we'll never be able to give credit every time it's due but it's nice to fix the most egregious disparities between rep and contributions made :D

Romualdillo - :laugh: !

Noah - Thanks! :thumbsup:

Here's the next one... 470 Collins Street. Pretty bland really, the back looks more interesting.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg901%2F8944%2FeUwaJX.jpg&hash=91a9290b1ad548d4cd4f604066fdc12ffae8efac)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg661%2F8827%2Fl63Nly.jpg&hash=e35af1cc07892983e657ee3a331c77a6f70c2562)

Bland but beautiful  &apls  Once again I think the rear of the building is the more exciting area and that loading dock area is just neat. I hate to ask, as I don't mean to bother, but does the level of detail in these renders mean you're considering an HD release? Would be amazing if so, and would radically alter what's possible to build in HD :)

The detailing of the parking area (and the balconies of the previous building) are really spectacular :o

Thanks guys  ;D

Noah: Yeah, I'm definitely going to be doing HD for my recreation so they will be included in the uploads. I'm not convinced the really tall skyscrapers will work in HD, but we'll wait and see. I really want to be able to zoom in on the streetscapes rather than the more common birds eye views.

Here's the next one, 464 Collins Street. Its a cute little building, the old Makers Mark building. It was previously a jewelery store but sadly it closed down in 2010 and this discount bookstore moved in. The BAT is pretty small though, I couldn't resist rendering a perspective shot  ;D

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg661%2F8292%2FlAzAJY.jpg&hash=d07d18150ac681a5cde8641870ee5e55682d9249)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg540%2F4306%2FTBiBb4.jpg&hash=fd2d31491bcc9a186862e701a96b01b40cd76680)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg538%2F7186%2Fj2YLDg.jpg&hash=1ae951caf062bfcd9b1b70f783a220ad0bf6fc7a)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg537%2F5940%2Fnl9lAG.jpg&hash=848b95747695042df80ff7d907aee1a4b5ba72fc)

I hope you can let me know what you think.

Looks mighty fine! Loving the front.

Nice work.

Maybe add a plane under the building with a Matte/Shadow material on.
It will just catch/show the shadow.


There are some 90 degrees corner, like on the columns at the door and at the back.
They looks a bit too sharp compared with the real world.
Add an Edit Poly modifier to the object a chamfer the corners. I use 0.025 or 0.05 meters.

The front looks great!! Simply wonderful!!  :thumbsup:

Looks stunning  &apls  Excellent details on the store front and I love the complexity of the roofline and walls going to the back of the building. Is this planned for a 4x1 tile lot? I'm familiar with the name but I know it better as my favorite bourbon whisky (http://www.makersmark.com) :D  Outstanding news on your HD plans  :bnn:  I'm not sure on the practicality of HD treatment for the higher towers but just can't wait to try it with these smaller and mid-rise buildings!

A really wonderfull old building. I like your eye for details. And uou are a master with the textures. Makes the building come live.

I am not worried about 90 corners. Some detail will be lost in SC4 render anyway, so don't think that matters in the game.

Nice that your are doing 70's office buidlings. Those are ugly as hell, but very common eyesore in most cities. The tallest glass skycrapers tends to be very city specific and more of landmarks, but plan (plainish) office buildings can be used in most modern cities.

I haven't opened your St.paul in SC4, but still again a huge thank for it.

HD is a good news for me too. It may not be for the biggest skycrapers, but I use it in my small buildings.

Quote from: bombardiere on July 06, 2015, 01:25:51 AM
I am not worried about 90 corners. Some detail will be lost in SC4 render anyway, so don't think that matters in the game.

Not worried about it, but I think it will just add the dot over the i.
If he are polymodeling in max it will take 3-5 minutes to chamfer these corners.
The extra poly edit modifier, just gives the option of go back on the chamfer or even change the values of the chamfer on a later stages (checking the animate under Edit Poly Mode).

I think I just missed a series of updates...... My mistake.
But it's great work that I see! Gorgeous projects.   &apls

Only the HD.... I don't know. My Pluginsfolder is already quite large. Should I really use HD skyscrapers?  ()what()

Nice work on the window displays.  I can almost read the book titles! :thumbsup:

Quote from: c.p. on July 08, 2015, 11:29:09 AM
Nice work on the window displays.  I can almost read the book titles! :thumbsup:

Ha, you almost can, huh? :D  I just noticed the "The Hobbit" poster!

Wrt the HD thing, I'm not 100% but I think SD version availability was implied in the post. My rendering experience is zero, but if SD is 0.5^3 the amount of work as HD, SD versions would be a relatively quick 12.5% of the rendering time as HD--so SD fans hoping to get their favorite batters to accommodate their wishes may end up a bit luckier than HD fans trying to arm twist their favorite authors into the same ;)

outstanding work  &apls

Awesome details and I love the old facade  :thumbsup:

Great work, the textures seem flawless. Just out of curiosity, where did you learn your texturing techniques?

OMG!!!! you going a great job, and I can tell you work is getting better. I can see the AO is applied in the render.

Beautiful work as always  &apls Love all the little details :)

Sorry, no new updates. I feel bad I haven't replied to any of the comments. I've been working on something *secretly* but its taking a lot lot lot longer than I thought it was going to.

Art, Romualdillo, Noah, Bombardiere, FrankU, CP, Unconstantean, Simcoug, Aaron & Seraf - Thankyou very much  ;D

Vester - Thankyou, could you please explain what is a plane with a Matte/Shadow material, and why do I need it? Is there a link to some information on it, I'm intrigued... Yeah, good point about the corners, I don't usually worry about it due to BAT scale, I might try using rounded materials instead of chamfering though.

Flyhigh - Thankyou! I guess I learnt texturing the same way everyone does, a bit of reading, tips from people on the forums, and a lot of practice  ;D

Hope to have something new to show you soon  :thumbsup:

Quote from: reddonquixote on August 15, 2015, 04:33:28 PM
Thankyou, could you please explain what is a plane with a Matte/Shadow material, and why do I need it? 

The Matte/Shadow material collect shadows, but only that. No surface or material to the surface.
Its just give you a good presentation of your model. 
I use it at the rendering in this post: link (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16045.msg497279#msg497279)

Rounded materials ? Care to explain ?

Yeah, sure. Round Corners is a setting on Arch & Design materials that simulates round edges when rendered.

There's a description and image on this article (scroll down to the second section) - http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/3ds-max/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2015/ENU/3DSMax/files/GUID-6F8332A7-CD75-4DA6-9E91-3A167B847A44-htm.html (http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/3ds-max/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2015/ENU/3DSMax/files/GUID-6F8332A7-CD75-4DA6-9E91-3A167B847A44-htm.html)

There's an article on Matte/Shadow materials on this link as well. Thanks for the tip  :thumbsup: http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/3ds-max/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2015/ENU/3DSMax/files/GUID-690591A8-67A6-4FE1-8F3D-15E31596F281-htm.html (http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/3ds-max/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2015/ENU/3DSMax/files/GUID-690591A8-67A6-4FE1-8F3D-15E31596F281-htm.html)

The buildings and detail I love here Red, great job!!

WOW, I just found this thread amazing work!, good to see more buildings from Australia, will you be releasing these?.

Not much movement in this thread for a while. So that October wasn't a complete write-off I've quickly whipped up some night versions of the Collins Street BATs. I'd say they are mostly there, just a couple of them need maybe a few tweaks, then they should be ready for release.  ;D

Thankyou Pat & Simangel! - Yes, they are pretty close to getting a release I think.

First up, 530 Collins Street

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg908%2F3032%2FO6Yw9G.jpg&hash=7992f16ebf2e9a275071f4842956ab2763189637) (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg910%2F6998%2FNRrzq4.jpg&hash=8b6c7be3dae95054bf21cb0084c35b54dde304ab)

520 Collins Street

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg903%2F625%2FlpnYc6.jpg&hash=41013b32679ebe7774abe39549d255e95914e0c5) (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg903%2F762%2FGDo60j.jpg&hash=19d0ed1616817a4b9d4782d407f02de6bfdc2492)

500 Collins Street

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg633%2F5456%2F6dD1SC.jpg&hash=212357d3781cdf4ee47b0b2bb4053f9f44469601) (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg633%2F6297%2F4sr1qo.jpg&hash=f32c2abd8e7955ee77b0dd47eec2ea3369354dcf)

480 Collins Street

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg911%2F5549%2FX1wfBc.jpg&hash=35f999da3e5b3367f2beaf8de397e0bb549cdb53) (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg911%2F752%2FGkyqfE.jpg&hash=ec06c569d6889beec5a7cdbfa696eaa517e39282)

470 Collins Street

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg910%2F9233%2FTziN1s.jpg&hash=6ede15dc06909bd1082bbc8369230757687aca4a) (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg907%2F9757%2FdEDhwD.jpg&hash=02c9d07bb226c8ee8e2dc129b8821ca2e24ffc28)

Fabulous work Red! I'm pleased to see there are people still working on SC4 BATs!  &apls

Red ... maybe Etihad Stadium ;) Australian FIM Speedway Grand Prix '15 :)

Great work!!  &apls  They look fantastic!!

Really one of the best sets of bats of all time. Quite eager to feature these prominently in my cities though it will be quite difficult to do them justice :)

Wow 5 new wonderful bat. Thanks you so much !  :thumbsup:

Indeed, wonderful set of buildings. As usual with you the level of details is incredible.

Amazing as always! I love skyscrapers in my cities so those will fit really well anywhere \o/

Here's one I started a long time ago, Nauru House. I finally finished the sunken plaza and completed the night lights as well.

Let me know what you think  :)

(Click to enlarge)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg633%2F691%2FbLq29t.jpg&hash=a85a2cffaf0a564cc03b907429ddb8b9e2731f3f)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg633%2F8067%2F2lJbJY.jpg&hash=c365a62a857d5a70b5370c3c31ca22cd03d81306)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg633%2F4066%2FP5FY2l.jpg&hash=4ba020826c2ac179d1489dfd9d456d9e21ce74e8)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg905%2F9502%2FkMin8k.jpg&hash=3b86190b377946f3eaa08fd51d55ff4480d3055d)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg905%2F9569%2F0b5aF7.jpg&hash=2f4cb024ff52a9ca7fd0e551e630c69f532ae0f2)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg903%2F8495%2FcABm1N.jpg&hash=00dd572b44623c02c999e3060428c8b93976eb0b)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg907%2F4742%2FYaqTxD.jpg&hash=046843dafb3bbfc1badde5fc64e931d76c06665d)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg903%2F6780%2Fr802Ji.jpg&hash=1835fde812f27c79e15aa53df8e1d61ddee81c17)

Looks really nice! I'm not a fan of tall towers like that, but it's well made. :)

Awesome work!

The sunken plaza adds a nice touch and I love the nightlighting as usual.  :thumbsup:

Great set of BATs here! That tree discussion made me take a google street view at Melbourne, and I think I never realized before what an interesting city this was. Those Victorian buildings on Collins St are quite something.


Cheers
Willy

Looks great  &apls  The sunken plaza turned out really nice  :thumbsup:

It looks wonderful. I especially like the sunken plaza & the angled stairs  :thumbsup:

Thanks everyone  :)

Tutorial: Easy Sunken Plazas

Not sure if this already exists somewhere but I spent a bit of time working this out yesterday so just posting here for my own future reference; and if it helps anyone else out even better  ;D

Step 1: Create the model with parts visible 'below ground', texture the model and set up the BAT4Max camera lighting rig as normal.

Step 2: Using simple Plane geometry, create a 'mask' that fully covers any geometry you don't want to be seen in the final render.

Step 3:
a) With Mental Ray selected as the renderer, create a Matte/Shadow/Reflection material in an empty material slot.
b) In the material parameters, switch off Shadows, Ambient Occlusion and Indirect Illumination. (All are defaulted on)
c) Open the Environment & Effects menu (Shortcut '8') and drag the environment map 'mr_Physical_Sky' into the 'Camera Mapped Background' swatch in the Matte/Shadow/Reflection material parameters roll out. Paste as an 'Instance'.
d) Apply the Matte/Shadow/Reflection material to the mask and render the model. The mask, and anything behind it, will now be invisible.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg911%2F8003%2FcAOvVt.jpg&hash=596ce22867d9e445110403f563ab9a5ceb9cf43c)

This is so much simpler than the way I used to do it, I hope this helps someone else too  :)

love it :D

Looks great!! &apls &apls
This building carries a lot of history :)

Looks great! Very beautiful building.

The sunken plaza, nightlighting and roof junk are great! :thumbsup:

Thanks everyone.

Arthur - Yes, I agree! Ugly towers make a realistic skyline  :D
kbieniu7, SimCoug, Noah, Matt, Unconstantean, JP & CP - Thankyou all very much  :thumbsup:
Swordmaster - Yes, the Collins Street architecture is quite amazing, they have preserved the original streetscape really quite beautifully. It's weird when you look up and see all the skyscrapers sticking out the top of them though  :D
Bastet - Does it really? I just thought it was a generic 70's monstrosity :D I'll have to look into it some more, I'm intrigued now.

Well, here a couple more (say, 9?) older style buildings that have been sitting on my hard drive, untextured and unlit for about 3 years. Thought it was about time to finish them off!

This is 162-186 Collins

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg908%2F2738%2Ft0Fxpr.jpg&hash=0958ce83c2b1ca27b1d716833b1cedb99b9d7167)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg911%2F93%2FAswdjw.jpg&hash=479e0cee9d411a5f70cdd2a626439faa9bf84cbe)

..and
321-333 Flinders Lane

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg910%2F5177%2FwYjGcU.jpg&hash=f4aa1ea18ff5d0c8bda58c15d3146242de948ba8)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg903%2F5708%2FJufDuM.jpg&hash=97f95cd58851107edf647767664e941837c4d141)

I promise, I will start releasing some of these soon, I just need to spend some time working out how to use Pim-X. I tried once and it was a bit beyond me ()what()

WOW I remember you posted this buildings looong time ago! I really like this 'packs' all in one you know, like St Paul's Cathedral you did with buildings around it and other models I don't remember now.
Anyway, I'm really happy you're going to release these, both looking wonderful!

Beautiful! I've sent you a pm about your pim  $%Grinno$%

Great Tutorial.


Great looking bats.  :thumbsup:

Looks really good  :thumbsup:

I am not keen about pack of buildings but it s a personal point of view  &Thk/(. I would prefer releasing every single buildings for more variety in game.

Oh, well... I was going to write that I found the Nauru House simply fantastic, but now I'm totally overwhelmed by those new (old) buildings. So many details and so much life! I don't know what I like better, the facades or the roofjunk... My head will explode if I continue looking at them!!

Those look wonderful! I also would like to see them released separately so I could switch them around in game but I will be happy with any option, pack or not :D

You know I am already a huge fan of these types of buildings!   ;D
One more vote to render them as separate buildings... you could even just release them as props and let some crazy lotter turn them into growable or plopable lots  :)

Just wow  :o  I couldn't not give a KP for those beauties :D

Somehow I share your trouble with PIM-X. I know it should be relatively easy but I use it too rarely to ever really get comfortable with it. Doing Arthur's buildings last month was actually kind of nice once I got started though. There were five of them and the practice from repeating the work helped reinforce things but what really helped was actually sitting down and reading most of the PIM-X manual which is a really nice resource. I also finally got around to trying out the PIM-X lot editor which seems a bit less intuitive than Maxis LE but I quickly decided I liked it more. I'm happy to try to help if you get stuck but there's a lot of people much more knowledgeable with it than I am, like Matt, who sent you the PM.

Quote from: seraf on January 13, 2016, 05:43:59 AM
Those look wonderful! I also would like to see them released separately so I could switch them around in game but I will be happy with any option, pack or not :D

Ditto that  ;)

Are all these buildings individually W2W? Regardless they still look amazing! Top notch (mid-rise) / (high street) filler. You should do more of these smaller buildings.

I second the comments in here.. more mid-rise/high street style, and of course, separate buildings. The thing with blocks is that you get too much repetition if you wanna use them, instead, with separate ones, you can go crazy and have them anywhere you want making sure that they are well spread around the city.

But regardless of the decision you make, amazing work! You have always been an awesome batter and always have provided us with top notch work!

Thanks everyone - just a quick reply to mention these are 9 separately BATed buildings, but unfortunately they aren't all wall to wall except when they are lotted together.

I haven't really thought though all the modding for the release, definitely they will be individually exported as props at minimum.

Lot sizes in order of posting, left to right:
1. 162 Collins Street 16x48 (W2W)
2. 170 Collins Street 8x48
3. 178 Collins Street 16x48 (W2W)
4. 182 Collins Street 20x48
5. Georges 20x48
Total 80x48 = 5x3

6. The Sebel 21x48
7. Customs House 21x48
8. 333 Flinders Lane 11x48
9. 335 Flinders Lane 11x48
Total 64x48 = 4x3

Unless anyone has a good suggestion, I'd say they would be exported as props but modded as W2W blocks. Let me know?

I certainly like the idea of more midrise buildings, as people said earlier.
As for the odd footprints of most of these buildings, rendering them as props makes sense to me. I was thinking maybe it would be possible to remedy the issue with the ones that don't work as W2W by themselves by BATing (later on down the line) other Melbourne buildings whose footprints would make them work as a W2W? Like for the 8x48m one, another 8x48m building could be found and modeled so they would work together as a 1x3 tile W2W lot. With that in mind more could be made over time with that dimension for variety. Keeping that going, the 20x48m ones could have a 12x48m BAT paired with them, and the 11x48m ones could possibly have one or two buildings paired with them to get a 32x48m lot. I'm really speaking in the long term here, since just making one of these from start to finish is likely not a quick and easy task.
For now I'm sure just exporting them separately as props and lotting them as they are currently would work. I know I'd be happy to get my hands on 9 more of your BATs regardless of the lot setup!  :thumbsup:

Yep, exporting as props would be wonderful.  There are actually a good number of odd shaped (as in frontage width) W2W buildings floating around the SC4 universe that could be used to fill in the gaps, but I certainly won't complain if Reddon decides to create a few additional ones  ;)

Wow that's a very nice set of buildings!  &apls &apls
Never thought you would go back to work on them :)

As for the Nauru house, that's an ugly piece of concrete, but it stands for something bigger. You should check the history that's behind the construction of this tower ;)

I think your plan to export as props and mod into wall to wall blocks sounds great  :thumbsup:  There's a bunch of options for other lotting with those props and it could quickly turn in to a lot of work. Better to keep things simple and leave the door open to future possibilities.

On the subject of keeping things simple I have an idea of how not to do it: 16- or 32-m-wide buildings don't work overly well as diagonals but several combinations of these bats are very close to the 22.63m of a typical diagonal W2W   ;D

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the comments very much  :thumbsup:

Noah - Yeah, I know diagonal would be much desired but due to the number of exports required, diagonal is pretty much out of the question. I think its something like 144 individual exports.  $%Grinno$%

Maybe sometime in the future I can go back and do a specific 'diagonal series'.

Now, continuing the theme of finishing abandoned BATs, here's the Crown Metropol resurrected from my hard drive:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg905%2F9196%2F3U7Tub.jpg&hash=30f3951c63ee7cf186bc81f542b3875588b716e2)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg911%2F8505%2FvjK4xl.jpg&hash=d8aac76f7d652fc83dfd7174ebea3e5cae5b6de1)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg908%2F35%2FJBp90T.jpg&hash=a6c0e2230f311e7b778475492a92ba31444c2da0)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg911%2F8403%2FGDG4nK.jpg&hash=cfbea6bc04f7eb5b49a43c0c87ea745e96c60747)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg908%2F1869%2FJNgYf9.jpg&hash=791dc3b922bccd4dc813c5dd5bcdf88c64796cb3)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg911%2F9846%2FQ5l64I.jpg&hash=5a6c3c062097ccbab26e3290cebe980116337809)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg910%2F9544%2FsrUvq0.jpg&hash=00a242be36b3a42418a150f1a808fb18442d48cf)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg908%2F3493%2FuvDvmi.jpg&hash=1f9e8003ba2473a7305b77294b0f1525a2da82eb)

Looks fabulous!!

You've resuscitated a big, shiny glass monster from your hard drive! ...and I love it!  ;D

Caw...it's well shiny, innit?  ;D

I love the style  &apls

Top class! &apls

Glossy loveliness!  ;D

You're hard drive apparently falls into the category 'treasure troves' &apls

There's some intense reflection going on there.  It's a beauty :thumbsup:

How old is this? Astonishing you could leave such a beauty gathering dust! (But then I'm guilty of similar practices :D)


Cheers
Willy

I remember this one--looks even better now than I remember it  &apls

Sounds like forgetting those diagonals, at least for now, is the way to go  :thumbsup:

Nice to know you will continue this building, it's very beautiful!

You of course know that it looks marvelous, right? ;)

Oh dear, I just got the 'more than 90 days' warning.. has it really been that long??  :o

Well I finally got some time to work out the SC4PIM editor, not that it was that difficult in the end, shame on me for taking so long!

...and the result is a new upload from me, of a very old BAT.

Please check it out, and let me know if any issues especially seeing as my first time on the PIM  ;D

The other good news (hopefully :thumbsup: ) is that while I've been very busy with RL, I haven't been totally idle. I've been busy beavering away exporting many, many BATs that have been languishing on my hard drive for a very long time, so hopefully some more uploads on the way soon!

Thanks for all the previous nice comments, apologies for taking so long to acknowledge them  ()stsfd()

Welcome to the future, now we have likes!


The building is looking amazing, at night I'll have enough time to check if the PIM-X modding worked, but I'm sure that's ok too.

Great to see you back reddonquixote  :thumbsup:

Hope everything has been going well!

I am currently apart from NAM stuff working on some Grade Separation Models for the various grade separations that are happening around Melbourne.

I wonder if I could learn some Night Lighting in Gmax from you!  ::)

-eggman121

Wow, I'm a Melburnian ex-pat living in New York, and these make me legitimately homesick. They're remarkably true to life. Beautiful work, reddonquixote!

reddonquixote (may I use your name here?),

Nice to see you around. Hopefully RL is going OK, even if you are busy. Don't be a stranger!

And what a nice surprise, too. My thoughts when I saw the upload was first ()what() and then :bnn: so I was pleasantly surprised.

Look forward to seeing what other surprises you have cooked up for us. Thanks for sharing your wonderful work.

-Absalom

Thanks for the new building my friend !! I hope you can finish the building from Osaka too  :thumbsup:

You are crazy! Your buildings are fabulous! &apls :o

You may have seen, I've just uploaded another BAT, this time my updated version of Rialto Towers. Using SC4PIM again, so please let me know if any issues with the modding.

You may recall I did promise to release the smaller shops as separate buildings - I have already done all the exporting I just need to do the prop modding, so please be patient they are coming soon  :thumbsup:

Matias - thankyou. Likes are a great addition to the site!
Thankyou Stephen - yes, been a very busy year so far but all is well. I don't know whether I can really help with GMAX.. I tried it a very long time ago when I was first starting out, ironically I gave up because I didn't like the nightlights! (Hence changed to 3ds MAX.) There used to be some good tutorials on Simtrop, assume they are still there
Tomvsotis - NYC, living the dream!  &apls Thanks for stopping by and your nice comments
APSMS - Yes, you may use my name  :D I didn't mean to be a stranger.. I was still lurking around occasionally even if not actively participating! Hope to stay around for a little while longer. Thanks  ;D
Thankyou Kelis - I had to pause the Osaka building it was too new and I couldn't get many references for it.. maybe there's been some more now, I'll check it out. Thanks for the reminder  :thumbsup:
Thanks Akallan, I appreciate it very much! and yes... definitely crazy!!  $%Grinno$%

I've been on a roll this morning but that's probably enough for one day  ;D

I've uploaded:
530 Collins Street
The Capita Building (459 Collins Street) (new!)
PWC Tower (new!)

Hope you like them  :thumbsup:

Great to see the Legend back in action, we have missed your Amazing creations!.

New stuff yay! Though i won't be using them as they won't fit my project, it's still incredible modeling work. Nice!

Very nice, but sadly, all your new Buildings dont work with the DAMN, only getting empty Lot Preview and then CDT when plopping.

Quote from: Mikey Knox on October 09, 2016, 03:44:14 AM
Very nice, but sadly, all your new Buildings dont work with the DAMN, only getting empty Lot Preview and then CDT when plopping.

Is that fixable? - does anyone know what I need to do?  ()sad()

I dont know that sry, i use hundreds of Files with DAMN, all working fine, but from Time to Time i get this "Bug". There are very few of those though (i encountered only 20-30 lots who dont work).

Mikey, are you using Yild's DAMN Manager, or the SSPTool?

IIRC there is a bug in the DAMN Manager that causes some lots to experience CTD when selecting, particularly when the lots are hidden from the menus.

Not sure why, or if this is the case here. FWIW I can't get the DM to open on my computer, so I am unable to check this out properly.

So 3 more uploads from me this weekend  ;D

1) Crown Metropol
2) 500 Collins Street
3) Oaks on Collins

Now, as it turns out, Oaks on Collins was my 39th BAT, which means I'm obligated to do something special for my 40th BAT  ::)

Hope you enjoy these new uploads.

So, 8 absolutely fantastic buildings in less than 16 days. 

Are these new BATs or older unpublished ones that have found the light of day?

If the former, you must have cloned yourself to accomplish all this.  And since managing all those clones can't be cheap, let us know where we can contribute to your pizza and caffeine fund. 

If the latter, give your hard drive a few more shakes, so some more great buildings will rise to the surface!

Whichever it is, can't wait to see what your 40th BAT turns out to be!  Please keep these beautiful buildings coming!

Oaks on Collins just won a place in my downtown. :)

Awesome stuff as always :thumbsup:

Wow, great to see all these new BATs! After reappearing a few days ago I've been quite pleasantly surprised to see no less than eight new uploads from you--if that's not a good reason to open up SC4 again I don't know what would be :D  Thanks and it's great to see you around again!

Oh my, looks like you've released some of my favorites of the bunch, though I'm not sure I have any real favorites because all of your work is jaw-dropping!  &apls

Hi Jay,

All of the BATs look awesome. One niggle: The lot for Oaks on Collins is... sparse. The BAT is wonderful, but I suppose now is as good a time as any for me to learn the LE (I know you're not one for lotting).

Thanks for the uploads, glad to see more of your work around, and that you can spare the time to work on these. I am particularly glad that you've included growables this time around. That bit right there is pretty great, since I almost never remember to go sifting through my giant landmarks menu to find stuff.

-Absalom

Wooooooow I've just notice all those awesome uploads now! Thank you very much for all your hard work doing such amazing models!

Thanks for the new released BATs, they look awesome  :thumbsup:

Will try to download some of them in the next few days and try them IG

&apls &apls &apls

Quote from: APSMS on October 09, 2016, 04:04:41 PM
Mikey, are you using Yild's DAMN Manager, or the SSPTool?

IIRC there is a bug in the DAMN Manager that causes some lots to experience CTD when selecting, particularly when the lots are hidden from the menus.

Not sure why, or if this is the case here. FWIW I can't get the DM to open on my computer, so I am unable to check this out properly.

Yes i use Yild DAMN Mangager. Like i said, it doesnt happen very often so its not a big Deal, i just dont put them in the Manager, but then these Great Buildings getting overlooked easily by me  :)

RED !!!! RED!!!! RED!!!!!

&apls &apls &apls &apls  :bnn: :bnn: :bnn: :bnn: :bnn:
what a bat spree we have here. Thank you Red for those amazing bats !!! Thank you for keeping SC4 alive

Thank you very much.  :thumbsup: As people have been saying, You keep Sc4 live!  Truly great work and please know that there are people who appreciate your effort.

By the way, if you don't care about lotting, I think that you could release your building with SC4 model only. That would be quite enought and the player can create SC4 desc and lots of their own choosing. This could be handy especially for those smaller building models you did mention. I would be quite happy with the building models only and I could create the rest as I see the best.

Anyway, I have been thinking that I could upload only the SC4 models in the future. I am not into lotting myself, and it seems that the people have their own ideas on what is a perfect lot. So I have been thinking that perhaps the lotting is unnessary hassle.

When it comes to beautiful buildings with details, textures, and lights batted to perfection this thread is a must-read. I don't think anyone would deny that reddonquixote is among the best batters of all time and I'm very happy to congratulate him on joining SC4D's 10th birthday Of Special Interest This Month!

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi901.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fac213%2FBSCLEX%2Freddonquixote_201611_DATED_zpsymiazcih.jpg&hash=532169ffbecef23de5c21100f97d1eaa83cd416f)

Actually I haven't been writing there, but I have to congratulate on this achievement!   &apls

Congratulations!

Looking forward to what you have for us. Maybe even some forgotten gems uploaded!

Well deserved! You are a batting genius!

Wow, thankyou.

Per my previous post, this honour also happens to coincide with my 40th BAT upload, for which I'm going to do something special  ()stsfd()

I have been slowly but surely working on it since March (believe it or not!  :o ) in the little spare time I've had, and while I'm not confident I will actually get it onto the LEX this weekend, I will definitely reveal all.

I have a couple of other things up my sleeve as well, including a couple of new BATs in progress and maybe a few more hiding away on the hard drive that need a bit of dusting off...

Responding to an earlier post re the lotting of Oaks on Collins... eek sorry about that, I didn't pay enough attention I thought it was a W2W, it was only after I saw the note below I realised its quite a bit smaller than W2W. The fact is I probably wouldn't have released it if I thought I had to do lotting on it, so I really appreciate everyone's tolerance, and forgiveness. If you saw my lotting skills in action you would be most disappointed anyway  $%Grinno$%

Twalsh - yes, these were old BATs, gathering virtual-dust while waiting patiently for me to learn the PIM-X. I think I do have a few more...  ;)

Thankyou everyone else for nice comments  :thumbsup:

Can't wait to see what you've got planned for the #40 special! There's definitely some gems from the thread here I'd love to get my hands on soon :D If you ever need a hand with PIM-X stuff I'm happy to help. It's tricky at first because it's so different than other ways of doing things and has so many features but it's actually pretty intuitive once you get the hang of it. Arthur picked it up pretty quick over a bit of skyping. Lotting for the Oaks is a bit of a conundrum. I have plans for lotting it into my city (the size, style, and quality are just perfect for what I'm doing) but it would be something custom for a space, not fitting into an even number of tiles and with several other dependencies, and not good for general release. Turning it diagonal wouldn't be a very good fit either (roughly 1 1/2 diagonal tile in my head) and would require more rendering so I suppose the best way to go would be combining it with a ~10m w2w or having it fit flush w2w on one side and overhang the other.

Congrats on receiving OSITM! A very well deserved award for one of the BAT masters.

Looking forward to seeing what you "have up your sleeve" with this new group of BATs as well :)

Hey, the CML looks even better when it's properly applied! Congrats!

As promised, here's a preview of my 40th BAT upload. Its been a long time in the making, I hope you like it. I just have a couple of things to tidy up and it will be up on the LEX soon  ;D

RDQ HD Prop Pack

Urban Street Props:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg924%2F9025%2FIx2zMR.jpg&hash=2596f56cd443a796365846f00c06a4340e7f24be)

Building Props:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg923%2F5961%2Fd1dqxu.jpg&hash=26baeb310f7bc13e900a777931422cdc5f6e0625)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg923%2F9387%2FFrzquj.jpg&hash=4828056f318e2ad6612f61afd9e132efcef62cf8)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg922%2F4641%2Fn7z1tt.jpg&hash=26f31da5736c723c534db72ce6e89f59449dc63e)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg924%2F3748%2FQt8syx.jpg&hash=411c4f0eb0dc63506fed4035f710a2de82cde518)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg924%2F677%2F6p6hFU.jpg&hash=4184776e2b42b31193a3fc988313d568d0652a35)

* Just a quick note on the buildings. They are presented 'as-is', meaning most of them were never intended to be released separately and therefore may be featureless at the sides and back. I'm making them available for use, but you may need to get creative with how you use them  ()stsfd()

Trees:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg922%2F5347%2FPQbY40.jpg&hash=9d1ec0a4973c2454f53a74a79a17c61d946e27f0)

Art Sculptures and Statues:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg924%2F8728%2F3KC0TK.jpg&hash=cad94200fedbca83908a5079aa627d19d5d11581)

Obviously, click the images to make them larger.  :)

I barely dared to hope...and I had no idea there were so many!!! I'll say without exaggerating that this is a watershed moment for me in SC4 and will change my cities forever. Thank you  &apls &apls &apls

Is there like, only Collins Street in Melbourne? :D (Aren't the cars a bit overscaled?)

I will probably use 470 and 520 Collins Street.

Amazing!

Some of those buildings could fit into almost any style city, and the smaller props look amazing as well. I do agree that the cars a tad overscaled though.

Also, congrats on the CML!

Quote from: art128 on November 05, 2016, 09:00:45 AM
Is there like, only Collins Street in Melbourne? :D

I should probably name one of my streets that in my city :D Seems to be at least 1/4 RDQ though the size and monumental nature of the bats probably make it look like there's a lot more than there really is....

Quote from: noahclem on November 05, 2016, 09:13:00 AM

Quote from: art128 on November 05, 2016, 09:00:45 AM
Is there like, only Collins Street in Melbourne? :D

I should probably name one of my streets that in my city :D Seems to be at least 1/4 RDQ though the size and monumental nature of the bats probably make it look like there's a lot more than there really is....

:D That reminds me, it must be about time to post an update of my city.. haven't done that in a while.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg921%2F2434%2FO16bEn.jpg&hash=6c8ba7f47f31542fb563ef664d86439c66f2ecf7)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg921%2F3484%2FXk2thG.jpg&hash=df23d8234b16493b51b960bcebeb8e9cc0ac79d0)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg922%2F3667%2FUwYKD9.jpg&hash=a304588d99a540419944d9ae785edb8ac6875252)

I guess that it is all scaled nicely for teh game... it all looks so good and promising... U deserve this recognition on sc4d    &apls


back to lurking about the place

:popcorn:

Wow great update, the river pieces look amazing...will they be released?
thank you for helping to keep this game alive!

Crikey! You are not ambitious then? :D

Great to see an update on your Melbourne, it's been quite a while! While I've browsed through the city a lot it's mainly been to analyze the transport network (especially trams) so it's fun to see where all these great bats actually belong in RL. Definitely an inspiring project  &apls &apls

What a collection!  :thumbsup:

Awesome. This 40th BAT upload is gonna be epic. Between the trees, urban props, and buildings.. it should be vital for my recreations going forward.

And that Melbourne recreation is coming together quite nicely :thumbsup:

Thanks everyone  :)

Simangel - yes, it was always intended to release the river pieces, I just need to find the energy to complete them!

Here's the start of my next BAT, something I've been wanting to do for a long time... sorry its not a very exciting update, its still very early beginnings.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg924%2F6763%2FnExUtv.jpg&hash=b4a8a15d844e007a3c9d91053609df3957fa67ca)

Oh! The Crown Melbourne!

That's an ambitious project, very exciting indeed!! Are you including the elevated road section or omitting that?

Unfortunately, I had a bit of a disappointing set-back with releasing the prop pack. I somehow managed to mix up my Darknites and Maxisnights... and delete or overwrite the original exports in the process  :thumbsdown:

I've now re-exported the missing models and so here's the nightlight versions... all going well should be on the LEX (sans overscaled cars  $%Grinno$% )sometime later today  ;D

Also, Belfastsocrates... how on earth did you pick that was Crown? I thought I was going to get a bit of mileage out of it before someone guessed  :D

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg923%2F1230%2F8EqXj0.jpg&hash=e8a4f32abfdb22c915fa94ece52b105b7152c9c2)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg924%2F8196%2FQSAsHN.jpg&hash=4a4c5bb58be4c879f96cb78880c8b7f7d29437ee)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg923%2F6048%2F54Zxyt.jpg&hash=40c5f2a337c588a5404802b349e04cdc67cd77db)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg924%2F6194%2FD484jo.jpg&hash=34adfd01fc7384486716333aac446a1eb54eead4)

Oh my God this pack is going to be wonderful *_*

Quote from: Schriefer on November 12, 2016, 07:37:38 PM
Oh my God this pack is going to be wonderful *_*

Indescribably awesome....

Ok... after much trial and error I have successfully managed to get the prop pack up onto the LEX, however I have had to do it in two separate uploads, a Darknite and a Maxis Night version.

On the bright side, at least it saves on wasted downloads  :thumbsup:

Hope all is ok, let me know if any issues experienced.

A big thank you for this pack.  &apls My period cities are really happy now. :D And I see a few buildings for my current modern Asia style city. :)  And in HD, I am in extacy. I am going to spend many days lottings these beauties. Of course I can see that you have made many models for your BAT buildings so these Props do not match SC4 16x16 grid. Well I need to be creative then. :)

P.S. I can see that you shared the Goathland railway station models. I have to see if I can make any use of it. :)

P.P.S Thank you for keeping the model files open.  :thumbsup: This way I can choose which models I will use and I can delete extra models from the plugin folder. I can DAT pack these later the way I prefer to organise the models and files. :)

Great upload again!
There is only one thing strange that the aquarium doesn't have nightlight? It should look awesome at night  :(

Well, I did not know what is the Crown, I had to google it, but it looked to me as some tennis court, so what came to my mind as first was Australian Open  :D

Those buildings will be a great addition in game! Thank you very much!!

I will have to get busy lotting these. Fun nights ahead...

Nice again... Thanks for these buildings. I will be using 520 Collins, 470 Collins and Custom's House.

2x2 RDQ Victorian Train Station lot.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fyc55YHh.png&hash=97b9295c3ae79e76e13f25599664b58b475e7140)

I'm really digging the ivy and other touches including all 4 sides detailed.

Same goes for the RDQ Heritage Cottages on a 3x2 R$ growable - not being limited to W2W placement.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FKd0tmwd.jpg&hash=81ebc7e110f0919d7d0e31b4248ada993a535b84)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FolymvxU.jpg&hash=47a4e7ec0e01a16699d14208dc7f76c0429af4e3)

Awesome, thanks so much for sharing this. Just had a chance to look through it and I can't wait to put it to good use :)

However, I did notice a couple of rendering glitches in a couple of the props, both in the MN and DN versions. Tree_01, tree_03, tree_11, traffic_light_02, traffic_light_04, and pavement_grate all display odd behavior at Z4 - like getting squashed into the ground, showing a red bar across them, or disappearing completely.

Thank you Korver for letting me know  :)

I tried my best to catch all the issues but some still slipped through.

I have updated the files on the LEX so anyone downloading from now on should get the fixed versions. For those that have already downloaded I've added just the fixed versions to my dropbox which you can access on this link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/04vtz9rol1pi1ds/RDQ_Props_Fixed.zip?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/04vtz9rol1pi1ds/RDQ_Props_Fixed.zip?dl=0) (You should delete and replace with these versions instead)

Please note, only the buildings have different DN/MN versions, all the other files are identical. If you have downloaded both versions and intend on keeping both, then you should only keep the Buildings DN and MN folders from both downloads, and delete the other files from one of the downloads.. if that makes sense  %confuso.

CT14 - those look amazing, thanks for sharing  :thumbsup: &apls &apls

Weixc - yes, I was discussing with Noah separately, I will shortly fix some of the textures on the aquarium, add nightlights and a more suitable LOD shape, and release separately. This was just an 'as-is' version. (I probably should have removed it tbh :) )

Everyone else, thank you for your comments, these props were a mammoth task to produce, I really appreciate you taking the time to comment  :thumbsup:

As mentioned, here's an updated version of the Aquarium, with night lights.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg922%2F4484%2Fc1IX4I.jpg&hash=a06c923bf5a7e82641a3840c5c3ea9f8706a2fd1)

This is very exciting! I'm really looking forward to playing with these, they'll fit in beautifully.

I have a very quick query though, the Victorian station posted earlier, is there a platform extension prop?

Gorgeous building. &apls It deserves a custom made lot texture. Can't wait till you release it!

Nick

Belfastsocrates - Thanks! Unfortunately no, there's no additional platform prop to go with the Goathland Train Station. Those releases were just a couple of the completed buildings created for the Harry Potter Hogsmeade Train Station (aka. Goathland) which I still intend to finish. Here's the proto-map of the complete station out of interest...

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg924%2F3834%2FROSO9M.jpg&hash=0db5e90c8b27705bd9ca6c8a5face25b1d53e340)

Nick - Thankyou :) You have raised a good point, I really have no idea how to lot this building, I only usually do W2W, so I hadn't given it any thought. It sounds like I need an expert lotter to give me a hand... now where can I find an expert lotter???  ::)  ;)

In the pic below, I've added back in the additional ramp piece that accompanied the original model, I'd be interested to know thoughts on whether to include this or leave without? It's shaped to match the curve of river bank, but I think adding water would be too restrictive in it's use so have left that out and just kept the shape.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg922%2F7595%2F0CFreK.jpg&hash=64d239c1d1b80c16633cf5f9c0fe1d3b6f30cecc)

Ps. The resuscitation of these old models makes me think its time to publish another WiP list. I'll pull some pics together and we can see what else I've forgotten about.  $%Grinno$%

Oh I'd include include the ramp. Looks amazing!

@reddonquixote Attach the ramp and please don't render any water with it. I have been told I can make a good reflective water texture on lots...... ;)

Nick

I'd leave the ramp on there (without water) because it looks nice. I can see several possibilities already. It's certainly very unique, and the night lighting looks cool.  :thumbsup:

Well that makes sense! I'll look forward to the station

I'd keep the ramp as well, adds depth to the building which is good given its role. Be interesting to see what Simmer could do with a water texture. That combined with some of your fountain jets could look fantastic.

Love the updated version of the Aquarium and had forgotten all about the Harry Potter Project--seems like potentially a lovely and unique station! And I'm even more curious about the WIP list  &hlp &hlp

While I love the sea wall, particularly for its graceful curve, I plan to use the aquarium adjacent to maxis water and thus would need the wall to extend downward for my purposes. I don't want to impose but I hope you'll release a version with walls able to work as maxis seawalls or one without the walls :)

I wonder if it's possible to render the ramp as a foundation, then you might be able to use it more flexible, i. e. on slopes and/or river banks. Have a look at Mattb325's Griffith Observatory, which has an irregular footprint as well.

I'd second Andreas though. Since adding it will make the building even bigger, it is better if you could render the ramp as a seperated foundation or an adjacent component. Besides, all of us are not supposed to set the aquarium beside water.

Quote from: art128 on November 05, 2016, 09:00:45 AM
Is there like, only Collins Street in Melbourne? :D

lol it's a street in Melbourne's CBD where a lot of office buildings are located. there's a really beautiful church, too, that maybe Reddonquixote will get to one day :)

 :bnn: :bnn: :bnn: :bnn: :bnn:

I thought you were done!  I cannot tell you how excited I am to see all these new buildings from you.  There is no other BATer that comes even close to the quality of your skyscrapers....my city slowly turns more and more into Melbourne with every release.

I see the form of Federation Square...any plans to finish that one?  I've literally been saving a space for that one for years.  There's nothing like it available, a city-center type of feature to anchor a downtown.

Keep up the A++++++++ work.

The Aquarium looks amazing!!
Nice to know you intend to do the complete station, it's going to be great :)

It's been quite a while since I last posted in this thread. Taking a small break from NYC, I'm picking up a BAT I started back in 2013. I keep getting gently ($%Grinno$%) reminded, when am I going to finish it? With all the crazy angles and elevations, not to mention its size, its pretty tedious to do. I think I'm going to start texturing and hopefully that will give me some more motivation to keep going with it. I think I will also keep posting updates, which I don't normally do during a BAT anymore, but I feel like I will need some encouragement  :thumbsup:

Federation Square:

(https://imageshack.com/a/img922/745/DdoyeC.jpg)

(https://imageshack.com/a/img924/530/XzBJF9.jpg)

Looking at the real thing on Google, it's very complex indeed, good luck with this one :D

The Aquarium was looking pretty good, I hope it's still in your plans :P

Hi!

Woow... It's lookig amazing. I love these Melbourne recreations, a few weeks ago when I binge downloaded your stuffs here and there and organized them, I opened up the google maps and checked the building on those street views... :) Beautiful work! :) I eager to see this beauty! :)

@JP Schriefer: I think the Aquarium is available as model and building prop in RDQ HD Prop Pack Darknite Version (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3433). and korver made a lot from it and shared it somewhere in his CJs.

- Tyberius

Federation Square is a fantastic choice. The unique architecture and details such as the pinwheel tiling and glass is just lovely!

It'd be an incredible addition to the game and add much needed variety to an overlooked style. I do hope you progress with it despite the complexity of the site.

Quote from: reddonquixote on November 16, 2016, 12:04:42 PM

In the pic below, I've added back in the additional ramp piece that accompanied the original model, I'd be interested to know thoughts on whether to include this or leave without? It's shaped to match the curve of river bank, but I think adding water would be too restrictive in it's use so have left that out and just kept the shape.

Yes. I agree to your thoughts. Imho it looks much bdtter with the platform included. Maybe you could render it (not too much) offset an leave the "water question" to the lotters - so you can place it overhanging to the water on the lot or not. So it would have a use of perfect flexibility - imho.

BTW - thank you very much. Those are amazing bats.

Hi there, I'm just getting back into SC4 after the dark years. It's lovely to see such a vibrant and flourishing modding community.
The Melbourne buildings are fantastic. I've worked in the city for most of my adult life, and seeing our iconic buildings in the game is meaningful. I've worked in Rialto, Collins place and now Telstra's HQ again, and it's brilliant to see these in game!
With simtroplis down, is there any other way to download these creations? I've noticed several of them are on the file exchange, but not some of your best ones for example St Paul's Cathedral Melbourne, the Freshwater tower etc.