FrankU and his Shipyard attempt

[FrankU]

Dear SC4 regulars,

I have been fooling around with SC4 and especially seaport files for some time now. I thought it might be time to show you a lotting project I have been working on for the last three weeks.
It is an attempt to make something like a modular shipyard for really large ships.

I started this when I found APTX's large crane in his Spaceship Andromeda lot. The crane is large enough to hold one of Jeronij's containerships.

The lots are 26 tiles deep.

An overview


The area consists of several lots.

Placing them one by one gives us this sequence.

First the rightmost edge with fence and some small stuff.


Then a filler lot with lots of props, mostly JeStarr's.


Then a dock with the crane. You see the crane reaches over the water.


Now a 10 tiles deep filler lot.


Now a narrow lot with seawall and rails for the crane.


Now another filler lot. It is the same as the first wide lot, but I intend to make two or three different ones with several widths.


Now it is time for the second dock with crane.


And another filler lot, a rail lot, a deep filler lot and the same edgelot as in the first picture, just placed in the other direction.


This way you can make your shipyard as large as you want.

Put a ship in it....


And here are some details.




The lots contain mostly cargo props by JeStarr. Furthermore you need some of NOB's seaports, APTX's Andromeda Spaceship lots (but only crane A from it), BriPizza's large Industry sheds and of course Gascookers Megaprops 1 and Simgoober's Megaprops 1, but I am sure you have the latter two, because you would not survive even one download from SC4D without these in your plugins folder .
And for the barge on the first crane lot you need PEG's seaport super pack.
Anyway, this information can be dealt with later.

As you can see the terrain looks more like a cargo dock than a shipyard. In fact I really could use props like machinery that look like part of demolished ships. I could also use a half finished ship... That kind of stuff.
Is there anybody with tips?

Also, of course, additional criticism on any part or subject is appreciated very much.
But remember: the lots are really in a stage of development. If you take a closer look, you will see that road track suddenly come to an end and that kind of things. I am not yet sure that I made the decision for the narrow and the wide lots in a good way.
Also I do not know how to edit the number of jobs etc. Als I strted the lots on BriPizza's lot, but these are as far as I understood of the unfamous Empty Building type that appear to grow in wild places....

[RippleJet]

That's a nice modular approach, Frank!

Also I do not know how to edit the number of jobs etc. Als I strted the lots on BriPizza's lot, but these are as far as I understood of the unfamous Empty Building type that appear to grow in wild places....

If you send me one of those lots, I'll take a look at it and see if I can give you some advice.

[TheTeaCat]

Looks good

As you say yourself it needs a bit of filling up ( like my teacup )
How about these wrecked ships by Fukudahttp://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?id=16287 or
this Ship Wreck Museum by ragsdj  http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?id=11399

Do a search for ships - lots of stuff on the STEX

May be of some help


TTC

[callagrafx]

You really need a graving dock and slipways too....hmmmmmmm

[wouanagaine]

Very nice lotting !
I like the modular approach
It also look like your not using family prop ( at least in the lot with trucks ) which if you use them will give more variety for the same number of lots

[Pat]

FrankU very good here with the Modular approach to the Ship Yard!!! I like it alot and I cant wait to see more!!!

[FrankU]

If you send me one of those lots, I'll take a look at it and see if I can give you some advice.

I will do that. Thanks.
I also really have no clue about realistic numbers of workers (§ or §§?), pollution amounts, water and garbage etc...
I guess it is better that I wait with asking your help untill I am happy with the looks of the lots?

How about these wrecked ships by Fukudahttp://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?id=16287 or
this Ship Wreck Museum by ragsdj  http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?id=11399

Yes, last night, after having posted I remembered Fukuda's wrecked ship. I think I will use it indeed.
And I did scrutinize Simtropoils, the LEX and most of the Japanese sites that I could find (by the thread Japan so far, so near). But still: I might have overlooked something interesting. So if someone knows something special I will gladly hear from it.

You really need a graving dock and slipways too....hmmmmmmm

Yse indeed I do!
I have some ideas already about the slipway. But a graving dock? You mean a dock without water and with lock-doors? I fear that I have no intention of batting something like that. But if you have a prop somewhere? The only ones I know of are NOB's. Maybe I could use them too....

It also look like your not using family prop ( at least in the lot with trucks ) which if you use them will give more variety for the same number of lots

Well, I did use some families here and there, but because most of the props will not be used more that one time per port, I thought there was not much need for families. But that is of course depending on how the modules develop. But I surely will use families when I think that it is appropriate.
In fact I thought I used truck-prop families... After the first lot I started to copy props instead of placing them anew, so maybe I have copied not familyprops... I'll take a closer look.

FrankU very good here with the Modular approach to the Ship Yard!!! I like it alot and I cant wait to see more!!!

Thanks Pat.

Another thing:
In my first post I used PEG's name. As I now read this post I see that his name is changed into a hyperlink to the thread about the Prop Pox. That was not my intention! Could this be corrected?

[RippleJet]

I guess it is better that I wait with asking your help untill I am happy with the looks of the lots?

Certainly!   I'll be waiting.

Another thing:
In my first post I used peg's name. As I now read this post I see that his name is changed into a hyperlink to the thread about the Prop Pox. That was not my intention! Could this be corrected?

No, that cannot be corrected. That's a censorship added by our webmaster.

[allan_kuan1992]

Interesting concept. I'd love to see it develop further.

- Allan Kuan

[Ennedi]

I like your concept very much! APTX cranes are really good done and they give you a chance to create something new.
Here are my comments:

1. Your dock is very good, you can place various ships into it. But it would be also nice to create a drydock. Would it be possible to use an APTX drydock by simply removing the spaceship and putting a ship in its place?

2. I think you should place another props along the waterfront. You are right, it looks now more like a cargo dock than a shipyard. There is another reason too: these props used by you are very good, but they are also used in every seaport set released lately  . It would be good to have more diversity.
If you will look at real shipyard photos (see below), you will see:
- many smaller cranes; you have them in APTX set too, but if you don't like them, you should think about another ones. The huge gantry crane is used for mounting heavy elements of the ship structure and its equipment, and smaller cranes are used when the ship structure is ready and it needs to be filled by various installations, smaller machinery and everything which is needed to finish the ship. Many workers teams work in the same time in different areas and they use these snmaller cranes.
- If you create a shipyard, you need some scaffoldings. Look for them at various construction lot sets. Not all dock length must be covered by scaffoldings, it is up to you.
- Look at RL photos. As I said many working teams work in the same time, and every team has its own place at the waterfront. These places should look various. Of course you can use Jestarr's props, various bags, pipes, cables etc., but I would add also some containers (not cargo containers, but those you can see at construction sites, to store various goods and for workers). You can find them at construction lots, you can also look for mobile homes.
The second thing are tents. They are used widely at building sites and shipyards too to protect some areas against rain, cold etc. You can look at farming stuff, maybe you can find something apropriate?
Generally there is a lot of such stuff along the dock. Your waterfonts look empty.
The third thing are warehouses. They are located away from the dock, but they are necessary. Look rather for more modern lots. SNM military warehouses are very good but very large. Go to ST, type "Warehouse" in the search box and you will find some. If you will not be satisfied, you can type "Industry". Cogeo's warehouses are very apropriate.

Now some photos:

1. This plane carrier looks really impressive, but look rather at the waterfront. Tents are used on the ship deck too.



2. Polish shipyard in Szczecin, the same situation as yours (water filled dock). As you see there is a little space between the ship and the waterfront, your dock is maybe a bit too wide?



3. Another dock



4. Very modern Keppel shipyard (a large international Asian company); Look at it carefully - where are warehouses, containers etc.  . Look also how ships are placed.





5. I found very interesting link with an explanation of the shipyard content: http://images.google.pl/imgres?imgurl=http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/shipyard/images/cover14.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/shipyard/index.html&usg=__gkFGbmzXbL12pcmOzYGVlWKGQQ0=&h=331&w=500&sz=65&hl=pl&start=70&tbnid=M3tqJWOuLJsXaM:&tbnh=86&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dshipyard%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Dpl%26sa%3DN%26start%3D63

6. Last but not least: Most people make their own lots large. Such lots are not universal. If you want to make really good custom seaport set, think about smaller pieces - not more than 2-tile wide and 1-4 tile long (all of them can be two tile long plus inner and outer corners). Then you will be able to make a pier 10-12 tiles wide, 4 tiles will be covered by waterfront pieces and you will be able to use another stuff in the middle of the pier (for example waterfronts).

I will be more than happy if you will make your set successfully, I will build the second seaport in summer and it would be fantastic to use your lots! 

Adam

[FrankU]

Adam,
Thanks a lot. Your comments are very useful.
I will reconsider my lots.

Two reactions:
1. APTX's small cranes are that big that the large crane will hit them when it rides over them. I think that is not realistic, but of course there are lots of useful cranes by NOB, Gascooker etc.
2. APTX's spaceship with dock is, pityfully, one large model. So I am not able to use them separately. The only dry dock I know about is by NOB. Maybe I use it anyway, even if I am trying to build a large dock. But it might be nice to combine small and large docks. And there is the SNM dry dock, but that has the same "problem".

[Ennedi]

(...)
Two reactions:
1. APTX's small cranes are that big that the large crane will hit them when it rides over them. I think that is not realistic, but of course there are lots of useful cranes by NOB, Gascooker etc.
2. APTX's spaceship with dock is, pityfully, one large model. So I am not able to use them separately. The only dry dock I know about is by NOB. Maybe I use it anyway, even if I am trying to build a large dock. But it might be nice to combine small and large docks. And there is the SNM dry dock, but that has the same "problem".

1. There is also a Chrisim's tutorial showing how to rescale rendered models in Reader. Maybe you could try it? Of course it is not necessary, as you say there are a lot of other cranes.
2. That's a pity. Maybe an overhanging lot could solve a problem? You could place the ship as usual ie. in the water, and then cover the dock area by an overhanging lot.

Adam

[FrankU]

Adam,
That sounds interesting: rescaling models in reader. Where do I find this tutorial? I might be able to enlarge NOB's dry dock too!
Your link sends me to a "page not found" message.

[Ennedi]

The link: Chrisim's tutorial

I'm very sorry, it should work now.

[FrankU]

Yes, found it. Thanks!

[BarbyW]

The SNM Dry Dock has three prop exemplars - with a ship, without a ship and timed. You need the prop labelled empty if you don't want the ship there.

[FrankU]

Dear all of you who have read and reacted on this thread.

I guess you could call it a dead thread by now.
I still like to dig deeper into the shipyard theme, but as so often I got distracted and am working on something completely different now. I am determined to develop a not too large urban area until the point that I will have skyscrapers. Mever had them until now.
Besides that, tomorrow I think I am going to be the father of my second child... So time will be even more limited than the last five years.

[Korot]

You getting a second child? Congratulations!

[FrankU]

Yes,

Jurriaan was born on the 18th! 

[RippleJet]

Congratulations, Frank!