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Maxis Building Architect Tool (BAT) and Addons

Maxis Building Architect Tool

 

The Building Architect Tool (BAT) is actually a suite of tools. It includes the Building Architect gamepack for gmax™, the Plug-in Manager, and an updated version of the Lot Editor.

The roles of the three separate tools can be summed up as follows: The Building Architect enables you to create models in a 3D environment and export SimCity 4 Deluxe game ready content. The Plug-in Manager enables you to create plug-ins for the game and modify the simulation properties for those plug-ins. It is with this tool that you can define a model as a house, a prop or even (but not limited to) a landmark. The Lot Editor enables you to place your new plug-ins on lots and get them into the game.

This suite of tools acts as a complete pipeline that is based on the same tools Maxis used to create the SimCity 4 games. Each tool is a stand alone application and each can be enjoyed on it's own merits. If you find that 3D modeling is not your forte perhaps modifying simulation properties and tuning data in the Plug-in Manager better suits you. If creating and arranging lots is your passion, B.A.T. just made that even more fun by enabling an entire community to create custom content for all or your lot creation needs.

And, if you just enjoy playing the game, the amount of custom content that's out there for you to enjoy is about to explode.
THE FILES

Download the Lot Editor

By clicking this link:

Building Architect tool ( BAT ) 10.2 MB

I agree with Maxis /EA End User License Agreement (EULA)

The Building Architect Too (BAT)l is actually a suite of tools. It includes the Building Architect gamepack for gmax™, the Plug-in Manager, and an updated version of the Lot Editor.

This suite of tools acts as a complete pipeline that is based on the same tools Maxis used to create the SimCity 4 games. Each tool is a stand alone application and each can be enjoyed on it's own merits. If you find that 3D modeling is not your forte perhaps modifying simulation properties and tuning data in the Plug-in Manager better suits you. If creating and arranging lots is your passion, B.A.T. just made that even more fun by enabling an entire community to create custom content for all or your lot creation needs.

 

What is gmax™?

gmax is a free 3D modeling tool based on Discreet's award winning 3ds max(tm). This powerful tool enables you to create models at the same level of quality and better as the models created by artists at Maxis.

You can download this Discreet's tool for free from Turbosquid at:
Turbosquid- Gmax

How to install the Building Architect Tool

To install the Building Architect Tools, download the installer (10.2 MB). From your local machine double-click on the SC4 B.A.T. installer.

Note: The Building Architect Tool is a gamepack for gmax. You must have gmax installed prior to installing B.A.T.

The B.A.T. installer will install to your gmax gamepacks directory all the files you need to run B.A.T.. A Plug-in Manager is also installed as part of the B.A.T. suite. The Plug-in Manager will be placed into your \program files\maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps directory.

Maxis Plugin Manager

To launch the B.A.T. gamepack for gmax you will need to double-click the program found in \gmax\gamepacks\BAT\SC4BATLauncher.exe

Note:You must run gmax through the SC4BATLauncher in order to access the Building Architect Tools.

To launch the Plug-in Manager you will need to double-click the program found in \program files\maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SC4PluginMan.exe

Note: B.A.T. is supported by SimCity 4 Deluxe (or SimCity + Rush Hour) only. You will need to have a copy of SimCity 4 Deluxe to install the B.A.T. tools and use B.A.T. buildings in game.

New Lot Editor

To fully appreciate all that B.A.T. has to offer you will need to update your Lot Editor program. The update version enables you to replace buildings on lots. This is an important feature to have if you want to fully enjoy working with custom buildings. You can get the latest copy of the Lot Editor by following the "Lot Editor" link here.
Recommended Downloads
NOTE: In order to ensure full functionality, download of the SimCity 4 Update and the Lot Editor are recommended.

Download the Sim City 4 Buildings as Props

By clicking this link:

Sim City 4 Buildings Update 14.4 MB

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How to get the most out of your B.A.T. experience

Update 1.1.640.0

B.A.T. has opened up possibilities with custom buildings in SimCity 4 Deluxe like no other tool before it. To get the most out of your B.A.T. when you play SimCity 4 Deluxe you will want to apply this new update to your game. The update will enable those custom buildings that have night time effects to display properly in the game.

To get this update click on the "SimCity 4 Update" link found to the left..

Note: This update is only needed if you want to see the night effects of custom buildings that were exported from the Building Architect gamepack. If this is a feature that does not interest you than it is not necessary to apply this update.

Your game must be updated to EP1Update1 (1.1.638.0) before installing this file
Additional Downloads
NOTE: These files should only be downloaded if you encounter the problems detailed in the two page updates dated 02/05 and 02/24. .

Download the Rush Hour Buildings as Props

By clicking this link:

Texture Problem Fix 31 KB

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Updated 02/24/04: Texture Fix

A few users have noticed problems with building textures in the game after utilizing the B.A.T. or downloading new lots with B.A.T.-created content. This problem is especially apparent on larger buildings. If you have noticed something like this, please download this very small (31KB) script file. Place the file into your GMAX scripts directory (typically located in C:\\gmax\gamepack\bat\scripts\ where C: is the drive letter containing software applications), overwriting the old version of the file already in that directory.

Download the Rush Hour Buildings as Props

By clicking this link:

Plug-In Manager With Unicode Fix (1.1MB)

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Updated 02/05/04: Plug-In Manager Unicode Run-Time Error Fixed

Some people have been reporting an error when running the Plug-in Manager that came with B.A.T. The "RunTime" error problem has been fixed with the following file.

Note: The problem was a result of us building the Plug-in Manager with Unicode. People with Windows 98 and some people with XP were not able to run the application for this reason. The unicode enabled the application to accept double-byte languages and other non-standard English characters. With the fix above that capability is lost. However, if you can not run the Plug-in Manager now try the file above and things should be better for you.

Official Tips and Tutorials

BAT Official Tips

BAT Official Tutorials

Official Tips and Tutorials


Tricks and Tips
The Building Architect Tool and gmax™ both have hefty learning curves that may cause a certain degree of confusion for some users. In an effort to make it easier for our community to release high-quality buildings created with the BAT, we have a couple of useful tips to help you out.

Tutorials
The Building Architect Tool, in combination with gmax, is a powerful one-two punch for custom content creation in SimCity 4, but let's face it - this stuff ain't easy. The gmax download comes bundled with a very helpful set of tutorials, which we encourage everyone to read in order to get their head around the basic interface and some of the fundamentals of 3D modeling. Still, in order to take your building creations to the next level, you might want to check out these fine tutorials available on other websites.

Back to Maxis Tools and Updates Main Page

 

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