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Threestooges and the BAT

Started by threestooges, January 14, 2008, 04:46:09 PM

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RebaLynnTS

Becca

Look for me at ... Becca At Bat

Pat

Matt that is really intresting and I wonder what its kind of business its going to be???

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threestooges

#22
Replies:
-RebaLynnTS: It wasn't much to show, but it has started to take shape now.

-Pat: I haven't really decided yet, but the building it's (very) loosely based on is a bank, but I'm thinking real estate/property management commercial stuff (yeah, I know that's detailed but it could probably work for anything like that). Something in the CO$$/CO$$$ area.

Right now, this thing is shaping up to be a pretty hefty little thing (would fit on a 4x4 lot right now) so I'm not sure if I should scale it down or not just yet. It's meant to be a big building, but I suppose that can be changed later if necessary.

One thing I would like to ask to anyone who knows: what is the best way to get a reflective/shiny look to textures? The red/pink rectangles are going to be windows, but their real-life counterparts are highly reflective so transparency isn't an option.



-edit-
I've made some more concrete progress and I think it's finally taking shape:



Any comments/suggestions on the above question, or on the overall project are, as always, greatly appreciated.

MOD EDIT: For those having trouble with the second picture, try going to this link: http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/3476/tsofficebldg22jk3.png Matt, I'd really recommend using jpegs next time, pngs still cause problems for some browsers. - Fred

-Edit- Fixed the pic, thanks Fred.

threestooges

#23
Since a few days have passed, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to make this a new post (show some life in here to the casual passerby). First off, thanks for the tip Fred. I didn't realize I had saved that as a png, but give me a minute or two and I'll have that fixed right up (no reason to send people to another site if I don't have to).

Secondly, after another suggestion by David in Three Rivers Region, I went ahead and cobbled together a little grain silo. The preliminary model :



and the current, textured version:


Pat

Matt wow that is beautiful!!! I love that grain elevator!! and btw Dont scale it down at all, a bigger CO$$ is always good....

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jeronij

Hello Matt,

the shape of the grain silo is very good  :thumbsup: , however I miss some details in the roofs and in the silo itself.... not sure what you should add though... I never made rural buildings  ::) ... and also perhaps an open door/windows somewhere in the model would help to enhance the overall realism ... just some quick suggestions that came to my mind  ;)
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threestooges

Replies:
-Pat: Thanks for the compliment. I don't think I'll scale down the office. It seems to be pretty close to its RL inspiration. To be honest, for most of the BATs I have made (Windmill, cattle grate, office and grain silo) I've just had a picture and kind of freehanded it until it looks good.

-Jeroni: Thank you very much. I haven't really started on the details yet (I wasn't sure what to include either). The roof does need something, perhaps a few vent pipes and the like. Now that you mention it, the silo is a bit bland... I'll figure out something to do with it though. I also plan to add lights and perhaps some billboard type advertisements on the long, vacant wall along the back.

Nothing new to show yet, but I'm working on a few things. Probably an update by the weekend if all goes well.

RebaLynnTS

Becca

Look for me at ... Becca At Bat

JBSimio

Hi Matt,

Great looking silo!  I agree that sliding one of the doors partially open would be a nice touch.  The running track along the top is great there, by the way.  Actually, now that I look closer, I see that they are open.  Perhaps just a better contrast between the door textures and that of the floor inside will show that better.  The roof textures and the shed walls look especially good.  The roof could use a little "junk" as you said, but probably not too much.  A couple exhaust fans or something similar would be enough to break things up nicely.

The commercial building looks like it's off to a good start.  I'm not very good with shiny or reflective glass, so I'm afraid I have no suggestions there.  I generally rely on the interior to add some interest to my windows.  ;)  Looking forward to how this one progresses!

Jon


Never trust a god who grins all the time and wears a top hat, that's my motto.  -Terry Pratchett

It's from JBSimio.  Need we say more?  -BadgerBoy of SC4 Devotion

threestooges

Replies:
-RebaLynnTS: Thanks.

-Jon (JBSimio): I think I found a way to make the doors stand out a bit more (took me a while to realize there was no light inside at first and therefore all textures would be... wait for it... dark) and I just added a few vents for the roof which you'll see below.

Well, I said an update for this weekend, but I couldn't wait. Contracts and Criminal Law reading and I took a bit of a break to add a few things to the silo: roof junk, lights, stuff like that. On the back(?) of the building (the side without the ramp) you might notice something that looks like a faded... thing. It's my first attempt at wall-side advertising (I thought that wall could use something) and it's designed (in theory) to look like an old, faded sign but it's nowhere near what it will look like in its final form. So without further ado:


RebaLynnTS

You can call me Becca, and your stuff is realy good. The textures tend to be repetitive, but I don't think it is all that bad. It is something I had trouble with when I first started BATting. Now I use a base texture to make individual textures for each part of my BATs.
Becca

Look for me at ... Becca At Bat

threestooges

-Becca: Thank you for your continued support here (and suggestions). Texture repetitiveness has been a bit of a problem at times (but I've been finding workarounds) but I'm curious to know what you mean about a base texture for individual textures. Do you mean that you have a basic texture that you put on indiviudal pieces one at a time as opposed to a whole chunk at once or do you mean that you take a base texture, create a new texture from a piece of it and then use it on the model? Always glad to get help where I can.

RebaLynnTS

The second option. I will generally find something I like on the web, or on one of the CDs I have. Then start a new image sized to fit the piece I am texturing. I'll then take the original image (resize it if needed) and copy and paste it through out the new image (this stage, you still have a repeating pattern). Then I start tweeking it in random places until it no longer looks repetitive. From there (as I recently learned to do) over lay layers for rust, dirt, and other defects. Combine the layers into a whole, and save as a BMP. It is a long, envolved proccess, but usually ends up looking very good.
Becca

Look for me at ... Becca At Bat

Pat

Matt that is looking real good and more defined there!!! The pipe vents on the roof is I dunno how to explain it but other then dont seem to fit right, its either the size or the color? But other then that the Nite lites are looking real good and the doorways are sweet!!!

Don't forget the SC4D Podcast is back and live on Saturdays @ 12 noon CST!! -- The Podcast soon to Return Here Linkie

threestooges

Replies:
-Becca: I'll take a look into that layering trick. I'm not too familiar with photo editing (aside from changing simple colors on textures, etc), but there will be time for that. It certainly seems like it will add quite a bit to the basic texture.

-Pat: Are you referring to the the vents along the lower roof or the two little things on the top? The lower ones were put there principally for the purpose of breaking up the roof a bit. I'll fiddle with their size, color, etc but ultimately they are based on a design I've seen on vent pipes on warehouses around here. Thanks for the comment about the lights.

Sorry I haven't been around here recently. Law school has been picking up a bit (including a trial brief for our research/writing class which makes things interesting) but it's certainly manageable. However, this has left me with less time to BAT than I would like, and other projects are on hold for one reason or another.

-Grain Silo: I've made some decent additions to this one, and am just waiting on some feedback on it. I will post this shortly.

-Office Building: Textures are being applied, but nothing really to show. Roof junk and perhaps patio furniture will be the biggest details going forward from here.

-Covered Bridge: The models seem to be together for the most part, but I have yet to figure out the modding part of it to actually put it into the game as a working bridge. Right now I can draw the bridge, but none of the models show up. I will have to check that I put everything together correctly, but for right now it's on hold.

-CPI Stuff: versions of it have been sent to David (dedgren) to use with his crop circles in development over in 3RR. Recent upgrade: the windmill (regular and steel) props are now available at 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75 degree intervals as well as the orignial.

So that's where things are right now. Thanks to everyone for their comments and continued support. Rest assured that I have not given up (I tend to be a bit stubborn that way) and I will have a few things to show in (hopefully) the upcoming days.

RebaLynnTS

All I can say is, keep up the good work. If I learn any more new tricks, I'll be sure to share them.
Becca

Look for me at ... Becca At Bat

Pat

Matt no problem and its always RL first then SC4 second or family I still havent figured it out yet lol.... Anyways cant wait to see what progress you do come up with when you can....

Don't forget the SC4D Podcast is back and live on Saturdays @ 12 noon CST!! -- The Podcast soon to Return Here Linkie

threestooges

Okay, so I found some time to fiddle with the Reader (it's my first time using that thing, it's fun, but it reminds me of a saying I use from time to time: "If it doesn't work, hit it with a hammer. If it still doesn't work, get a bigger hammer.") I really haven't quite figured out what I'm doing (as the pic below will partly show) but I think I'm on the right track. I copied the file used for the CSX Kwanyoni bridge and edited it to fit my models. This appears to have resulted in a functional bridge. Woohoo! I just need to figure out how T21s work and what they apply to (because right now it's all just a bunch of numbers to me) before this thing gets anywhere near being released.



As I was saying, I'm still not quite sure what I'm doing yet (somehow it has street lights, but I haven't figured out which T21 controls this, or which ones control the wave effects at the base of the pillars) but I'm starting to learn. If anyone knows the reader a bit, and they have some suggestions, or if you have any comments/question/etc with the bridge as a whole, please let me know.
-Matt

RebaLynnTS

If you have not read the tutorial on t21's I recomend it.
Becca

Look for me at ... Becca At Bat

Pat

Matt that is just looking beautiful the bridge in as a whole... Other then the street lights showing up lol.... oooh btw T21 TuT

Don't forget the SC4D Podcast is back and live on Saturdays @ 12 noon CST!! -- The Podcast soon to Return Here Linkie