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Metarvo steps up to BAT

Started by metarvo, January 15, 2009, 07:38:53 AM

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metarvo

This thread will be the new SC4D base of operations for my current power pole BAT project.  It will serve as both a support topic for my existing creations, and a showcase for any new BATs that I decide to make.  Let's start with my current set [off-site linkie].  Although it is off-site, one of my eventual goals is LEX candidacy, which I will consider when I'm ready.

Here are some pics:

0-1


0-2


0-3


0-4


Questions, comments, and constructive criticism about any of my creations are welcome.
Find my power line BAT thread here.
Check out the Noro Cooperative.  What are you waiting for?  It even has electricity.
Want more? Try here.  For even more electrical goodies, look here.
Here are some rural power lines.

projectadam

metarvo,

Great to see that you have your own thread now. The poles look great and I am amazed that these are your first upload, they look like you have done this for years. Keep up the good work and I cannot wait for Elizabeth County to catch up in history so that I can start using these in my region :thumbsup:
The Constitutional Monarchy of Ichigamin

Terraforming Update (8/25/09)

callagrafx

Initial thoughts are that the steel pylon is too "thick"...in that the struts that make it up are too thick and there are too many of them.  It also suffers from BAT "squash" where the psuedo isometric view gives the visual impression of being flatter....try scaling the model up by 20% vertically only.

The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it

metarvo



projectadam: I am glad that you like them.  I will keep an eye out for them each time I visit your MD.  :)  I admit, there are some things that I wish I had done better when I made these, and I may make some changes to them at one point or another, but there will be more on that later.

callagrafx: As far as the large number of struts go, I did use a RL picture as a guide when I BATted the poles, and carefully placed struts based on the pic.  I do agree with you about the thickness, though.  I deliberately made the poles somewhat thick so they would be more visible in-game, but it seems like I went a little overboard.  I have also heard of the BAT "squash" effect that you refer to, and I have been told one other time that the poles are short, so I'm sure this is the reason.

Thanks for the replies.  :)
Find my power line BAT thread here.
Check out the Noro Cooperative.  What are you waiting for?  It even has electricity.
Want more? Try here.  For even more electrical goodies, look here.
Here are some rural power lines.

buddybud

Hey man great looking stuff
I posted that tut i promised back in the other thread. And included the basic models. Let me know if you want more. http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=2105.msg215520#msg215520

Cheers
Bud

metarvo

#5
buddybud: Of course, I do still visit and post in the other thread, so I did check out your tutorial.  It looks very helpful, if I do say so myself.  :)

The pole thickness issue has begun to bother me somewhat, and it has been mentioned to me more than once, so I have given some thought into correcting it.  Doing so would require a complete overhaul of every metal pole that I have made so far, but I would make the new poles a separate release, rather than an override, so as to lessen the impact on those that are already using them.  Here's a teaser of what I'm up to now:

5-1


The old model is on the left, and the new, thinner model is on the right. 

UPDATE: I have finished the orthogonal model, including the isolators.  The wired version is rendering as I speak.
Find my power line BAT thread here.
Check out the Noro Cooperative.  What are you waiting for?  It even has electricity.
Want more? Try here.  For even more electrical goodies, look here.
Here are some rural power lines.

threestooges

I like the thinner version much better. Glad to see you've opened your own BAT thread. I expect we'll see some good things from you in the future. Enjoy it.
-Matt

Fresh Prince of SC4D

Returning from Call of Duty . Must rebuilt what I destroyed....

callagrafx

Quote from: metarvo on January 27, 2009, 03:35:20 PM
Doing so would require a complete overhaul of every metal pole that I have made so far, but I would make the new poles a separate release, rather than an override, so

Here's a tip....if you create a circle and then extrude it, then clone it but make it an instance rather than a copy for each strut that has the same length, you will be able to adjust the diameter of the strut for that particular length  :thumbsup:  For different lengths, follow the same procedure but make the extrude longer.  If you keep to only 4 or 5 master objects, then changing them is a snap and takes no time at all.
The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it

ehbk2006

Looking good, but don't forget to add some isolators.  :thumbsup:
My BAT Showcase: ehbk2006's traffic BAT's
My sketchup models on the 3d warehouse.
[RDY]: Veolia - Coal hopper + E189

metarvo

#10


threestooges: I'm glad you like the thinner pole better.  I'll try to not disappoint you.  :)

Fresh Prince: I'm happy that you like the new style.

callagrafx: This sounds like a good idea.  The problem is that I'm so far into the new model that I would still have to redo everything to implement your strategy.  Unfortunately, I used lines.  &mmm

ehbk2006: Thank you for the compliment.  Now, about those isolators...

10-1


Both models are again side by side, this time with the new model on the left.  I have not made the base transparent yet, but the orthogonal wired model is rendered.  My previous power lines had six wires, but these actually have twelve, since I later realized that the RL counterparts typically have twelve.  I finally got shadows to work, but they are jagged and don't cover the entire span of the wires.  Does anyone have any suggestions?
Find my power line BAT thread here.
Check out the Noro Cooperative.  What are you waiting for?  It even has electricity.
Want more? Try here.  For even more electrical goodies, look here.
Here are some rural power lines.

Sciurus

Yeah, very nice, but do you some pics from french pylons? :thumbsup:
L'atelier d'architecture
* * * * * Longwy * * * * *

metarvo

Sciurus: The only ones that I'm really familiar with are American pylons.  The only French power line project I know of at the moment is this one. [linkie]  It's been quiet for over a month, though, so I'm not sure if any recent progress has been made.

I do have a question for the SC4D members.  What can I do to get these into the Power menu?  Previously, I placed my power poles in the Park category in PIM, and I based my power pole on the 1x1 Maxis Open Grass Area lot (pz1x1_grass) in LE.  I really want the poles to be in the Power menu.  First of all, it makes sense, and has been suggested to me before.  Second of all (and perhaps even more seriously  ::)) my park menu is already overcrowded, and I'm sure almost everyone else's is, too.  I don't want these poles to produce power, though.  I know it may be a dumb question, but I want this to be the best project it can be.
Find my power line BAT thread here.
Check out the Noro Cooperative.  What are you waiting for?  It even has electricity.
Want more? Try here.  For even more electrical goodies, look here.
Here are some rural power lines.

Sciurus

Yes, but there's other, and if you want, I can give you photos ;) :thumbsup:
L'atelier d'architecture
* * * * * Longwy * * * * *

metarvo

#14
Sciurus: That's good.  I have always wondered about the power grids in other countries.  :)

I realize it's been awfully quiet in here, but I do have a development pic:

14-1

I have completed the four orientations (orthogonal, diagonal, fractional-NNE, and fractional-NNW), and I already have the basic unwired model for the 24-degree turn BATted.  Once that's completed, the Metal 00 v. 2.0 set will be up to the same stage of development as my already-released version.  For now, the poles are still in the Park menu, but have the Maxis-standard "Pz1x1_" at the beginning of their file names now.  In addition to the default long span, I plan to include a shorter span for each orientation in my next release, so that the connected poles will be close enough together to transmit power.  In addition to facilitating power transmission, this will make the power lines more flexible, so that they can adapt to differently-sized road grids.
Find my power line BAT thread here.
Check out the Noro Cooperative.  What are you waiting for?  It even has electricity.
Want more? Try here.  For even more electrical goodies, look here.
Here are some rural power lines.

Sciurus

#15
Excellent &apls

And many photos I found:





:thumbsup:
L'atelier d'architecture
* * * * * Longwy * * * * *

ehbk2006

#16
A long time ago in a boring mood. I found some sites about power pylons, could be useful:

http://www.gorge.org/pylons/photos001.shtml
http://www.magnificentviews.tk/

There's even one photo with my railway gantry on it  :D :



My BAT Showcase: ehbk2006's traffic BAT's
My sketchup models on the 3d warehouse.
[RDY]: Veolia - Coal hopper + E189

north country dude

Quote from: metarvo on February 01, 2009, 08:05:41 AM
I do have a question for the SC4D members.  What can I do to get these into the Power menu?  Previously, I placed my power poles in the Park category in PIM, and I based my power pole on the 1x1 Maxis Open Grass Area lot (pz1x1_grass) in LE.  I really want the poles to be in the Power menu.  First of all, it makes sense, and has been suggested to me before.  Second of all (and perhaps even more seriously  ::)) my park menu is already overcrowded, and I'm sure almost everyone else's is, too.  I don't want these poles to produce power, though.  I know it may be a dumb question, but I want this to be the best project it can be.

I answered your question in your Simtrop support thread,...hope that helps.
"Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain, and most fools do. But it takes character and self control to be understanding and forgiving." -Dale Carnegie

metarvo

#18


Sciurus: Those are some good looking pylons.  :)  It looks like that top one has eighteen wires connected to it, instead of the six or twelve that I usually see, so it must be a very important line.

ehbk2006: That's a nice photo there!  I already knew about the first site, and have visited it before, and it is very good.  :)  I didn't know about the second one, though, so I will have to check it out sometime.

north country dude: Thanks for the help, ncd.  :thumbsup:  It was just what I needed, and I have added LEProp to my growing list of SC4 utilities.  This project is still alive, despite my recent inactivity in this topic, and I have two pics to prove it.

18-1

Yes, that's right.  My poles are in the Power menu now, where they should have been from the start.  These are the new menu icons I will be using.  I originally thought about using RL pictures, but decided against it, since most of them weren't legible enough when shrank down to the 44x44 standard size for menu icons.  So, the pictures will be taken in-game against a snow backdrop.  The picture itself shows whether or not the pole is wired and the type of pole, which has been named Metal 00 for our purposes here.  The arrow through the pole's picture indicates its direction.  The bar on the bottom of each icon conveys information about the pole.  The number on the left indicates the wire span in meters.  If "0" is displayed, then the pole is unwired.  The number on the right indicates the number of wires carried by the pole (or the number of isolators in the case of the unwired poles), which is 12 for all poles shown.

18-2

Here is a teaser pic of my latest addition to the set.  I'm trying to work carefully this time, as I feel that the first set was rushed through development.
Find my power line BAT thread here.
Check out the Noro Cooperative.  What are you waiting for?  It even has electricity.
Want more? Try here.  For even more electrical goodies, look here.
Here are some rural power lines.

Pat

Hey Metarvo nice Icons there for your powerpoles!!! BTW neat new sig pic  ;)

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