Cali's First Projects

Cali · March 29, 2007, 01:41:23 PM

ok, this ain't great, i am just relearning BAT so i am just tinkering around. all i know how to post is in-game shots for now.

obviously the lot needs to be worked on, and if anyone knows how to nighlight this bad boy, it would be appreciated

Fred_Ginger · March 29, 2007, 05:10:55 PM

UUmmmmmmmmm, no offense Cali, but, uuummmmm, what is it?

Cali · March 29, 2007, 07:43:12 PM

its a glass octogon plaza. i know, kind of elementary, but hey.

FromTheAshes · March 30, 2007, 02:12:08 AM

Hmmm lets see... I've seen better things, but for your first project its ok.
-Why didn't you create a round base?
-Why don't you place it in the very middle of the lot?
-Why is there water under the base?

-Please use another base texture
-Some benches betwen the trees (your sims will be thankful

)
-Bigger trees
-Not so many lights, but continuous arranged
-Maybe some "sim-props" (some guys hanging out on your plaza)

Just try these things. I think, it will look better afterwards.

Cali · March 30, 2007, 03:06:39 AM

thanks, i i just threw tis plaza together to see if it would look ok in the game, since i figures ot bat im on to a bigger project. pics tomorrow...thanks

jeronij · March 30, 2007, 02:18:26 PM

Great to see you starting to create some custom stuff

. Dont rush and be patient

Cali · March 30, 2007, 03:53:34 PM

Quote from: jeronij on March 30, 2007, 02:18:26 PM
Great to see you starting to create some custom stuff . Dont rush and be patient

thanks, right now im working on a stake center for the LDS church. the reason is they are very easy to create, and the fact SC4 lacks churches for other religions. (p.s if anyone knows how to capture screenshots of gmax i could post some pics.

callagrafx · March 30, 2007, 04:33:43 PM

press the Print Screen button on your keyboard and paste into a photo editor.

Cali · March 30, 2007, 05:01:00 PM

cool, thanks

Fledder200 · March 30, 2007, 05:24:28 PM

jeeej Cali!!!

well for a first timer you did very well!!
better than me i have to say!
i just looked at the BAT screen for a hour and still didn't do anything

But like FromTheAshes said:
Some benches betwen the trees (your sims will be thankful )
-Bigger trees
-Not so many lights, but continuous arranged
-Maybe some "sim-props" (some guys hanging out on your plaza)

Make it a warm and fussy place for your sims to hang out, think and look from their perspective.
I always think a good BAT comes with a good LOT!
so keep it up...i'll be watching you

sebes · April 01, 2007, 09:51:31 AM

Hey Cali - good first atempt ! (better than mine will ever be

)

Cali · April 03, 2007, 01:58:19 PM

ok, well i redid the textures and i think it came out good. here is a couple of pics for today

Bat and in-game.

kwakelaar · April 03, 2007, 02:06:26 PM

Looks good so far. I think your rooftexture could use some more work, I can't really tell what kind of material it is supposed to be at the moment. See if you can change the UVW mapping or look for a better texture.

Cali · April 03, 2007, 02:08:06 PM

yeah, im not too fond of the roof, it was supposed to be a metal roof. i'll work on it definitly

TheTeaCat · April 03, 2007, 02:35:31 PM

Nice start Cali.
I actually quite like the glass structure just a bett texture and redoing the lot features and Mayor Rob M. Blynde would love to waste the taxpayers money on such a ~~Carbuncle~~ eyecatching piece

Trying to bat just gets me so

So many steps to remember, splines, uvw mappping

, even following all the tutorials on the bat, step by step and it takes me a whole evening just to do a wall

I don't have enough time to play the game let alone bat but
I shall persevere and probably by the time I master it, anything I want for the game will have already been made

Don't give up I'd love to see how the church turns out too

Popping the kettle on just for trying to BAT

TTC

Cali · April 03, 2007, 03:05:37 PM

well I'm hoping it turns out good. on the closest zoom in game it just shows a black smudge. Haven't quite figured it out yet. thanks for you comment T.C(and the Tea)

callagrafx · April 03, 2007, 03:16:08 PM

Some comments on the building...Very good first stab btw.

1) Roof textures...as Kwakelaar said, check that each roof part has the UVW map properly applied and the tiling is not set to something utterly ridiculous. You will also need to change the size of the map for the smaller roofs, otherwise the shingle sizes will be different. If you are going for a metal corrugated look, find a texture that has a load of corrugate otherwise the tiling will be too obvious.

2) BAT Squash...So many people fall for this one and it's not your fault. The game's perspective is not true isometric so the height of LOTs looks squashed. The trick is to group everything together and scale it VERTICALLY on one axis only to around 120% (a 20% increase in the height only). This will correct the optical illusion.

3) Scale. Place some Maxis people on the LOT to make sure the scale is right..as it is it looks way too big compared to the other buildings around it.

4) Last but not least you have some nasty joins on the right side of the building.

Apart from that, it's a great start and you are fast on your way to producing something new for the game.

Cali · April 03, 2007, 03:40:08 PM

thank you(finally some guidance)..

callagrafx · April 04, 2007, 01:22:50 AM

plenty more where that came from

JBSimio · April 04, 2007, 04:27:05 PM

Quote from: callagrafx on April 04, 2007, 01:22:50 AM
plenty more where that came from

In fact... I'll throw a bit more in.

First off... it's definitely a good start. My first couple months of BAT might be one of the most frustrating things I ever did to myself! But once I started to understand the darn thing... it was worth it!

1. Check the different roof overhangs. The front looks good (especially the roof over the entry), but the side dormers don't appear to overhang nearly as much. Once you've found a good measurement, make sure it is consistent on all your roof areas.

2. Consider adding some trim to the roof... gutters, facia boards, etc.

3. The windows look a little plain at this point. Maybe some extra divisions inside the frames? Then again, if it's a newer building, then mullions or smaller glass panes may not be appropriate. I guess that really depends on the style you're aiming for.

4. The foundation around the front is a great touch, but the side seems to be sticking out much further than the front. Maybe also a cap of some kind would also help the transition from one building material to the other.

You're well on your way. The suggestions by Callagrafx are very good starting points. I recommend addressing his first... especially 2, 3, and 4. Also my #1. These steps are the major modeling issues. After that, Cal's #1 and my 2-4 become the details that just make things better. Good luck!