How to model a bridge for SC4

[jeronij]

Thanks for the help PvM 

I'd add that you have to name the lights exactly the same way you do it for normal buildings (nitelite_  prefix)

[choco]

That is untrue. I modelled a bridge with working lights.

thank you as well.  i guess i shouldn't post hearsay....

[Gaston]

Okay I have looked around quite a bit and couldn't find an answer to my questions so I figured it couldn't hurt to ask them here.   
#1   Is it possible to build draggable diagonal bridges?
                  ...It seems like with all the advances we've made in the game, that it is only a matter of time.

#2   Could a "swing span" bridge (like this: http://www.johnweeks.org/upper_mississippi/pagesA/umissAR03.html )that was operational and draggable be made?    Sorry there isn't a pic with the bridge open.


---Gaston
sorry but I can't seem to make the "hyperlink"work right.

[Swamper77]

#1: Draggable diagonal bridges are not possible. Maxis hard-coded the bridges to be orthogonal only.

#2: A "swing span" bridge can be modeled and be made draggable. It will require some bridge RULs to make the sections properly as each tile of a bridge is 16x16 meters. Bridge RULs tell the game how to assemble the bridge models into one bridge and where the supports are to appear.

However, it can't be operational (ie open for boats). What you will have is a bridge that looks like the one you showed, but it will be a static model (forever closed). The game is incapable of detecting boat traffic approaching bridges or stopping traffic when the bridge is open. It simply wasn't coded for such things. Stop points in a pathfile only seem to work where there is two crossing networks and the network is coded to use them. So the game would most likely ignore any stop points that are added the bridge's pathfiles because there isn't a crossing network.

Only Lots can have "opening" and "closing" "bridges", but even then certain modeling procedures have to be done to "hide" the traffic for when the "bridge" is "open". These are usually achieved with timed prop models, and the "open" models have large LODs to hide the traffic that is driving through the Lot when those props are displayed.

-Swamper

[Gaston]

Thanks for the answer Swamper.    I was afraid of that.   But I think I knew that would be the case.


---Gaston

[allan_kuan1992]

If we were to say take an existing model and change it for other networks (Swamper's Elevated RHW models and Maxis Raised Bridges models come to mind) then what do we do?

- Allan Kuan

[choco]

well, theres a couple things that need to happen....

- the bridge exemplar would need a new ID, the model exemplars would need new GID's (if changing network type) and IID's.....(essentially, this means a completely new bridge file)

- the model IID's would need to change as well.  otherwise, any bridge file calling that model ID would have the new texture....

- the transit texture would need to be changed.  there are 3 instances i can think of...
       - the transit texture was added in the BAT, and cannot be changed directly (some bridges are currently like this)
       - it was added via T21 by the model exemplar (can't think of any beside my beta bridges)
       - it was added directly to the model in the reader (most NAM bridges are done this way

there's different methods for each.....i know there's a way to remove sections of a model in the reader, but im just not sure how.

thats it in a nutshell..... 

[RadicalOne]

How does one edit an existing bridge? Say I want to light the cables of the cablestayed bridge - how would I do that?
I know it is possible, as someone else was doing it, but they appeared to have lost interest.

[choco]

not to speak for another, but i wouldnt say he lost interest.....as was stated in the thread, its a large amount of work that will take a few months.   

i could only speculate how the lighted cables work, but it sounds like a mod that uses a state change.....which i would have no idea how to do with a texture.   

[smoncrie]

RadicalOne,  lighting the cables in a cable stayed bridge was one of several ideas I suggested.  It did not seem to have a lot of support so I did not pursue it.  I am still working on fixing the Maxis ground highway bridges and updating Maxis bridge deck textures,   but it is a long slow tedious process.

To make night lighted cables in an existing cable stayed bridge, use the information in the bridge's exemplar to duplicate the cables with a night lighted BAT model.  Using reader, combine all 20 (one for each zoom/rotation) BAT cable models with the original bridge tower models.  Then replace the original bridge tower models with the combined bridge models and modify the bridge's exemplar to eliminate the original cables.

[RadicalOne]

To make night lighted cables in an existing cable stayed bridge, use the information in the bridge's exemplar to duplicate the cables with a night lighted BAT model.  Using reader, combine all 20 (one for each zoom/rotation) BAT cable models with the original bridge tower models.  Then replace the original bridge tower models with the combined bridge models and modify the bridge's exemplar to eliminate the original cables.

I found the exemplar, but only found the coordinates for four cables out of it - the outermost and innermost one on each side of the tower, presumably. How do I fill in the rest? I can just interpolate, as I do know that 10 cables total are on each side...


When my model is complete, how do I:
1) Combine the BAT models with the original models?
2) Eliminate the original cables?

[smoncrie]

RadicalOne,

Yes, they are the coordinates of the outermost and innermost cables.

CableStayedWireCount specifies the number of cables (hex A = decimal 10)

The other cables are equally spaced between the outermost and innermost cables.

To combine two S3Ds in reader, export one using right-click “Save decoded file” and note the saved file name.  Then click on the “Add S3D” button for the other S3D, and specify the saved file name of the other S3D. (I cannot guarantee that this will work for the cables, because reader does not handle Maxis bridge support/tower models very well.)

To eliminate the original cables one could set CableStayedWireCount and CableStayedWireThickness to zero.  I did not do much testing since I was just floating an idea.

[RadicalOne]

RadicalOne,
The other cables are equally spaced between the outermost and innermost cables.

Yes, that's what I meant by "interpolate", and it worked.

To combine two S3Ds in reader, export one using right-click “Save decoded file” and note the saved file name.  Then click on the “Add S3D” button for the other S3D, and specify the saved file name of the other S3D. (I cannot guarantee that this will work for the cables, because reader does not handle Maxis bridge support/tower models very well.) To eliminate the original cables one could set CableStayedWireCount and CableStayedWireThickness to zero.  I did not do much testing since I was just floating an idea.

I'll try that. I'll also try SC4ModelTweaker.