Kapete's B.A.T. Thread

[kapete]

I'm very glad to see all these comments. I want you all to know your opinions and suggestions are sure helping me a lot and are really apreciated

impresionante actualización. But we have to take a look at the facade from your apartment.
It looks a bit empty. Don't you think.
If you want to make it look more realistic I would look to some real life pictures from apartements.
If you look right. You will see that they may have a HVAC unit by their window or they will have
a window sill. And try to make some more dirt on your brick texture and the bricks have to be bigger.
I hope you will use your imagination.

¡Muchas gracias! You are totally right: I started adding some details to the facade a few days ago but I just put that plants by those three windows. I have to say it isn't very common to put HVAC units by the windows here where I live (when talking about R$$$) but I'll problably put them since I think it would be too repetitive to see just plants. For the dirt problem I have taken a look to a tutorial, that talks about the "bump" map and how another texture could make some dirt on the brick texture.

looking much better

a couple of points that may help you:
  - The door is a too narrow
  - Try de-saturating your textures especially the bricks
  - As you said the roof needs some tweaking... (try to "custom make it" with photoshop or gimp)
I thing the garden is a nice touch are you using the foliage of 3ds-max for the flora?

Thank you for commenting first of all.
All doors really needed a texture change, with this update I have put an uniform white texture and I personally like how it looks (see image below)
You mean de-saturating the whole texture or just some areas to make it look not so uniform?
Well I'm currently using a free pack of 20 plant/tree models I found on the net. They are quite good I think but I set up a different green texture for the leaves.

I love apartments, but I'm sure you know that. Looks nice, may be a little more on the roof texture, do you want your roof texture to be concrete or asphalt? And mybe you can do a little more on the glass, like some curtains or something, it just look a little plane. Keep up the great work I will keep an eye on this thread. :thumbsup:javascript:void(0);

I was suspecting you were in love with them!  With this update I have changed for the third time the texture and filled it up with a concrete one, in my opinion it looks better but may it look even better with a custom one (waiting for your OK or  ). I agree some curtains would make windows don't look 'plane'  good advice, but I would really love to know how to make it just as yours! are you using diferent glass textures with different alpha chanel mappings? Thanks for commenting!

Reminds me a lot like those SC3KU days. 

Do you mean this bulding should fit better on Simcity 3000  hahah, just a joke!

Well here's the update image today:

I have placed the ground and the main fence (thelot is 4x3). I also made a pool and really like it also two garage doors and and  the fence doors for it. There are still a lot of details to be placed such as more trees. You may notice the upper garden is gone. I decided to re-make it and it will come with the next update.

More tomorrow! Thank you all and good night 

[DaveN]

Very interesting building.

Personally, I would change a few textures, but different tastes. Your well I like them, but they are in a different style than mine.

Overall a very nice building. It would look like an entire estate with the various buildings of this type (with regard to different versions of the shapes, since they do not know if it is modeled on any existing building or creating their own projects.)

Still, good job.
Regards and good luck and perseverance.
DaveN

[peter007]

buena actualización

otra vez

Windows are already better now. I guess the dirt is coming the next updates?
And are you sure to make a garden around the building in BAT instead of LOT?
I think that its better when you do it in the LOT.

-Ernst

[Aaron Graham]

Sorry it took me a little to long to come back a vist. The roof texture looks a little better, for the windows I just use a city over view texture of New York City streets and fix I up it up in photoshop, I add some contrast and some hue to have a little color, and also lighten up some most of the dark areas on the image, because the highrises cast so many shadows, but to let you know not everything works for everyone. I hope that's not the final color of your bushes, I thingk the lighter gree needs to be darker like the others.

Here's a picture on my windows, I put the texture on my glass not on the ground plane to reflect it, the reason why so I can have better control over them. It would be a great idea to create your own, and to say this may not work on every building type/ style so you will have to try it out and see.

And keep it up, your getting better.

[kapete]

Very interesting building.

Personally, I would change a few textures, but different tastes. Your well I like them, but they are in a different style than mine.

Overall a very nice building. It would look like an entire estate with the various buildings of this type (with regard to different versions of the shapes, since they do not know if it is modeled on any existing building or creating their own projects.)

Still, good job.
Regards and good luck and perseverance.
DaveN

Hey DaveN, first of all thank you very much for commenting. I think we both will be able to learn by helping us each other so we are still learning  , There are some textures that needs to be changed before releasing just like the roof one, others need the UVMapping modifier to be set up correctly just as the brick one. It is indeed an invented building I drawed a few weeks ago I was very excited, because I got Bat4Max installed correctly using 3ds Max 2010 and decided to make this custom R$$$.

buena actualización

otra vez

Windows are already better now. I guess the dirt is coming the next updates?
And are you sure to make a garden around the building in BAT instead of LOT?
I think that its better when you do it in the LOT.

-Ernst

Gracias! I have applied a bump map to the brick texture but don't see it has changed so much. I have also set up the UVmapping modifier to make bricks a bit bigger. I was thinking about making just the ground texture on the lot editor (the grass plane) but I think the fences and the pool would be beter on max, anyway I'm open to suggestions.

Sorry it took me a little to long to come back a vist. The roof texture looks a little better, for the windows I just use a city over view texture of New York City streets and fix I up it up in photoshop, I add some contrast and some hue to have a little color, and also lighten up some most of the dark areas on the image, because the highrises cast so many shadows, but to let you know not everything works for everyone. I hope that's not the final color of your bushes, I thingk the lighter gree needs to be darker like the others.

Here's a picture on my windows, I put the texture on my glass not on the ground plane to reflect it, the reason why so I can have better control over them. It would be a great idea to create your own, and to say this may not work on every building type/ style so you will have to try it out and see.

And keep it up, your getting better.

Wow That really helped me, you were totally right  you can have a better control by adding the texture on the glass! I have taken that image you posted as an example but changing the black and white curve on photoshop so heres the result:

Well I have still to think about how to enlighten just some windows, may that be possible by darking some areas acoording to the shape 

here's the edited image:


Thank you very much 

[Aaron Graham]

Your welcome, Friend. The glass does look nice can't wait to see your verson of your glass.

[peter007]

Glass textures are very nice. as Aaron already said.
But textures of your upper roof aren't very superb. Maybe you should change that.

-Ernst

You're on the good way Kapete

[gutterclub]

Looking good, textures could use some work, well materials rather than textures? Are you using Arch and Design mats? If not I'd recommend using all mats with arch and design as it looks a little cartoony right now..which is great if you are going for an old gmax style BAT but with LTBL and BAT4MAX you should really try to make the texrures as life like as possible.

The pool water should be reflective, I'm not the best person to ask but there are various settings in the material you can use to make the water look like water. Grass is also a little radioactive and bright, I'd recomend using Simfoxs BAT4MAX game textures available on the STEX, you can always take a grass one and edit it a little if you need?

The building itself is very nice and really useful, just a work on the materials to bring it to life and it could be a wonderful addition to any city and a great first BAT. Keep it up

[kapete]

Hi all, thank you all for commenting. I will reply to all you messages as soon as i can solve the problem I have when rendering. 

Are you using Arch and Design mats?

First of all Welcome to the forums! that was your first message isn't it? I'm was just using Arch and Design materials for the glass of the windows and for the water but since i start using Arch & Design mats for every textures the Vray renders just crashes.

heres a pick I took:


I have to say do not have a very powerfull computer and may this be the problem. Could that not be the problem, please tell me.

Thanks

[Aaron Graham]

That's message means you do not have enough of RAM to support the render, how much RAM your computer has??

[peter007]

Maybe you can send the file to someone else for rendering

-Ernst

[harishna]

I often get that message with my rectoria tower, but I don't get it all the time. So I recommend you to make sure your computer is not doing anything else while rendering. For me it first started after decided to add +1000 tiny objects.

I read that clearing the scene from unwanted objects (e.g objects that are there but you can see, try zooming out and selecting areas next to your model) and cleaning your materials (e.g making sure you don't have big bitmaps and complex materials) helps

[kapete]

[/quote]

That's message means you do not have enough of RAM to support the render, how much RAM your computer has??

I have 4GB RAM (only 3 supported by windows Vista home basic), so that shouldn't be a problem

Maybe you can send the file to someone else for rendering

-Ernst

That would be a good idea but I'm still making previews. I have but also a desktop PC with windows 7 and 4 ram with a dual core 2.00GHz. So I'll install 3d max and the other required programs (also my simcity 4 deluxe) and will try to render it there! I have been making some tests and I the problem started to appear when using complex UVMapping modifier selections (the bricks mainly)

I often get that message with my rectoria tower, but I don't get it all the time. So I recommend you to make sure your computer is not doing anything else while rendering. For me it first started after decided to add +1000 tiny objects.

I read that clearing the scene from unwanted objects (e.g objects that are there but you can see, try zooming out and selecting areas next to your model) and cleaning your materials (e.g making sure you don't have big bitmaps and complex materials) helps

I think you're right I have cleaned the scene and also taken a look to the materials and also made some of them standard ones and not Arch & Design ones. It is just my first building on 3d max!

Thank you all for helping me, I really apreciate it   

update is coming soon!

[SimFox]

I have 4GB RAM (only 3 supported by windows Vista home basic), so that shouldn't be a problem

well, that is exactly the problem. You windows version (from what you've said i assume it is 32 bit one) doesn't support more than 3Gb of memory, while you program needs more than that to operate - to store all the maps, Final Gather data etc.
This day and age use of 32 bit OS is really unjustified - all the CPUs on the market are already 64bit ones, memory is cheap and there is sizable library of 64bit software (software that really can take advantage of this extra memory).

That would be a good idea but I'm still making previews. I have but also a desktop PC with windows 7 and 4 ram with a dual core 2.00GHz. So I'll install 3d max and the other required programs (also my simcity 4 deluxe) and will try to render it there!

that's a really good idea. Laptops are typically optimized for running time, and for the rendering you need a lot of raw CPU power, power that would really drain the battery of the laptop fast. So such CPUs aren't really used in Laptops. Of course this is just general "guideline" and some laptops may be more powerful than some desktops...

I have been making some tests and I the problem started to appear when using complex UVMapping modifier selections (the bricks mainly)

I think you're right I have cleaned the scene and also taken a look to the materials and also made some of them standard ones and not Arch & Design ones. It is just my first building on 3d max!

that's highly unlikely. The structure of those is such that it doesn't really take much memory at all, it may take some extra processing power, this is very typical for all procedural tools.
What, on the other hand does take up memory are bitmaps. So, if you use a lot of those in your project check their size (and type).
But imho the most probable culprit here is excessive geometry (particularly number of object rather than number of polygons), excessive settings (but that shouldn't be the case if you use those set by LetThereBeLight), or, especially if this problem comes and goes, perhaps a faulty memory.
You can burn test it with Prime95.