I thought I would create an adjunct thread to keep track of this little project.
A long while ago when I was making the residential pack, Cogeo made a reference to adding these into the Maxis building families. Given that the Maxis building families had fairly specific footprints and that my houses were on different angles, sizes etc, I decided not to make those ones compatible.
But it did get me started on another project, which Cogeo reminded me about earlier today, so I thought I would post an update picture.
Maxis' building family footprints are as follow:
R$ = 4 wide x 10 deep
R$ = 6 wide x 8 deep
R$ = 8 wide x 10 deep
R$$ = 10 wide x 14 deep
R$$ = 12 wide x 10 deep
R$$ = 12 wide x 14 deep
R$$$ = 16 wide x 20 deep
R$$$ = 24 wide x 14 deep
R$$$ = 20 wide x 20 deep
All residential BATs in this project will be within those LOD sizes. However, for the R$ I will be using the 4.2-4.5m floor height so that they don't look so out of place amongst other custom content.
I am aiming to make all the houses new, so the R$ ones will simply be 'starter homes' for < $100K
I have rendered two houses so far in the R$ 8x10. The 'Avalon' and the 'Lands End'. Both of these are inspired by a builders site in Phoenix Arizona.
There are two 8x10 R$ Maxis houses on this test lot placed next to mine for comparison. By using a taller floor height, the R$ homes don't look quite so tiny....
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi42.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fe311%2Fmattb325%2FMaxisReplacement.jpg&hash=bcaefbeef8d01a1e1a46cc2a04cb25a9a4f4dfc4)
I will post updates as I go along - I am hoping to get about 10 houses in each wealth category.
They are looking good. I have a lot of your houses in my plugins already. I am looking forward to adding these as well.
Q: Will these be Maxis replacements or just additionals?
We need more Phoenix-style homes. Keep it up!
Looking Great! Can't wait to see some more! :thumbsup:
Looking good. I like it.
One question though, I currently use a blocker mod to prevent maxis R$, R$$, and R$$$ from growing in my cities, will using their footprint prevent these from growing if I download them?
More Mattb325 houses would be a great addition to the game. I already use the Cascade, Melrose, and Texas houses among many others, so these will be quite welcome in my Plugins folder as they will blend in rather nicely with your other beautiful creations.
Looks great, Matt! Keep 'em up!
I absolutely love your work Matt &apls
I have all of your growables both RES & COM & I am absolutely satisfied & if such a disease is indeed possible, I think I've developed Diabetes due to overdose of Eye candy goodness.
Thanks for the kind words guys - I don't want people getting diabetes from my models, so maybe I will have to replace the sugar with something else and add a warning with them - 'excessive consumption may have a laxative effect' $%Grinno$%
In regards to whether they will replace, or sit side by side, I think it will be a bit of both, to be honest. A lot of people block Maxis, so having some extra lots will assist in that regard. It will probably be Cogeo modding these as the PIM-X will give slightly higher stats as these homes have a larger LOD shell and the PIM-X calculates on LOD volumes when generating occupancy numbers.
I have an update on the R$ 'starter home street'. I have added a few more houses. In front of each I have added which Tileset I think they should sit in: I am certainly not precious about whether something is a Houston/Chicago/NY etc, so If anyone really disagrees by all means speak up.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi42.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fe311%2Fmattb325%2FMaxisReplacement1.jpg&hash=188e9a4055e0468c9e666f95eb2d8b1d83783c10)
I don't intend to do too many on the Chicago tileset as CP did a really amzing job with his set of homes. All of these are on the 8x10 footprint; unlike the Maxis homes, these have a second floor.
I am not sure if I will do the 4x10 and 6x8 as they are just so small and I am having difficulty finding any pictures that inspire....
Great work on these. Something I would really find useful. :)
awesome houses. As far as which tileset, it really doesn't matter to me, as I turn off that feature anyways and let the game decide what to grow whenever it wants(minus maxis Residentials of course) so I get a nice hodgepodge of different styles throughout my neighborhoods(when I give em land to develop anyways as mayor I am stringent on zoning)
Thankyou Marsh & Mike3775
I imagine Tileset might be more important with the next set. I managed to find a couple of designs that inspied for the 6x8m R$.
After making something so small, you really have to be quite disciplined and I have a new appreciation for the modellers who worked at Maxis. ::)
The coloured houses are 'concept' designs to be executed in concrete block and are hence very cheap to build, but I imagine you could build fairly cool low-wealth neighbourhoods with them (which is why I made 4 variants as there are very few of this type of building in game). They remind me of the stuff Hdorriker used to make back in the early days... I will likely add these to the Euro set.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi42.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fe311%2Fmattb325%2FMaxisReplacement2.jpg&hash=dec2d0d6046744edff7318305e063a5e5f84581e)
That is the low wealth genre largely done: this has added 14 houses to the low wealth set.
I will start work on the medium wealth next. $%#Ninj2
A beautiful pack again!
I assume as the title says these will actually replace the Maxis lots at the specified sizes?
As an aside, something like those squarish Euro ones would make great urban townhouses.
Quote from: cammo2003 on October 31, 2011, 03:20:43 AM
As an aside, something like those squarish Euro ones would make great urban townhouses.
Thats what I was thinking when I saw them.
I have grabbed alot of your stuff Matt, your right up there with Goober when it comes to houses in my game
Looks very promising, great work so far! :thumbsup:
I want the homes with the solar panels &dance
Very fresh and diverse set of homes. I especially like the window treatments and brick chimneys on some of them. The Houston ("6m"?) almost looks like half of an American townhome. Realistic, useful, relevant, with class.
Can't wait to see the medium-wealth set!
Thanyou guys for the kind words. These are all going to be in the same footprint as the Maxis homes. At this early stage they will be modded into the Maxis building families (so will sit on your standard in game lots) as well as a new building family and a new lot (for those who block Maxis or those who would prefer custom lots).
Very limited progress on the Maxis test street this week: I am doing the smaller width of the R$$ homes first. By no means any where near finished.....the 10mx12m R$$ set include those awful 'Bungalows' on the Houston set (pictured) so it is a pleasure to replace them :P
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi42.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fe311%2Fmattb325%2FMaxisReplacement3.jpg&hash=ad4cff347f4c8a0812cdcae28507587ce9db58b7)
At least at this width I can squeeze in an attached garage ::)
Well, I didn't come there, and I must say that I was wrong to not comment this project.
I find it really good and it's a nice idea, it'll bring some variety in the houses. But I think I can advise you with the european houses; I can see that you use the same textures as the other houses, but instead of it, I should use a red or a blue/violet texture for the roofs. Green and brown are not used in Europe (maybe in some cases, but I don't know which).
Then, I see that you use a futurist look for these too, but we don't live just in houses like that! :D There are also old houses, which are wonderful; you can look in the Parisian suburbs or in big french/europan cities and you'll see that there are many old houses, which are in the same tall as the Maxis' houses.
I hope I helped, even a bit! :)
Guillaume :thumbsup:
Love to see you turn your skills in this direction.. will be eagerly watching.. :)
I'm loving those two stories Euro buildings. Also the Houston ones are great. &apls
Great work. :thumbsup:
These look lovely and they will be very useful, however I think that they look a bit too stretched on the z-axis, especially those euro tileset ones from the last update. The garage doors look like they would fit a truck which they IMO should not. Anyway, keep up thegood work. :)
Hi all, thankyou for the comments.
Just to quickly answer some questions.
Scale: the floors on the R$$ are 4.5m to 4.7m, depending on the style of dwelling.
The scale probably looks out because I used the 10x12 Houston Bungalow - which is grossly underscaled even by Maxis standards - as a comparison. Anything next to it will look large....
I have attached a pic with the Maxis NY and Chicago 10x12 houses squeezed in between the houses. I have also attached a pic with the Maxis R$$ garage sqeezed in between the houses. These are the first two pictures attached to this post.
In both cases they line up (garages and roof lines) so the scale is pretty spot on.
Dwelling style: - the Euro set for single dwelling new houses is always going to be a bit tricky, as new suburban houses tend to be relatively similar the world over.
Most European cities - even in exurban areas have higher densities than the equivalent US cities, so I am going to have to take some liberties. Even Maxis used greens and greys as well as reds for their Euro homes, so I won't just be doing red terracotta roofing and whitewashed walls.
I have had to draw inspiritation from not just 'traditional Europe' but the UK, the Scandinavian, and, the most Eastern parts of Europe which have been going through something of a suburbanisation in recent years to get this set.
As for the modernity of Euro houses - Europe has led the way since the 1970s. I have heaps of pics, but I'll attach two RL examples, one from Paris - quite an old house now (with a brown roof no less $%Grinno$%), but futuristic when built - and one from Rotterdam - still very futuristic!
But if the futuristic homes on the R$ set bother users, I will leave them out.
Quote from: mattb325 on November 06, 2011, 11:14:12 AMBut if the futuristic homes on the R$ set bother users, I will leave them out.
Don't leave them out my friend, I love futuristic buildings and I want those little guys in my cities really bad ;D
futuristic is fine with me as well Matt. Its variety I desire for homes. I don't care how crappy a lot looks, if it can spring to life around the city adding variety, I am all for it :)
Quote from: mike3775 on November 06, 2011, 02:03:22 PM
futuristic is fine with me as well Matt. Its variety I desire for homes. I don't care how crappy a lot looks, if it can spring to life around the city adding variety, I am all for it :)
Quote from: Terring7 on November 06, 2011, 01:26:46 PM
Quote from: mattb325 on November 06, 2011, 11:14:12 AMBut if the futuristic homes on the R$ set bother users, I will leave them out.
Don't leave them out my friend, I love futuristic buildings and I want those little guys in my cities really bad ;D
Perhaps make it as an option during the install process or put them in seperaite folders so you don't
have to have any houses you don't want.
Jayster
Thanks guys
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi42.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fe311%2Fmattb325%2FGrin.jpg&hash=ae2970ec7b75949b0925ec68a52ea2bce8ac00da)
PS....this is not intended to offend anyone, it's just a bit of very, very light-hearted banter :D
Talk about white shoes?
First item on the Home Owner Association agenda is the block party in front of Ms. Sutphin's home. "I think a good time was had by all" said a very pleased Phil Padruski, president of the association. We really got a kick of watching the kids lining up along Sadmaxis street twisting and grinding around and about." The merriment really took off when a band called "the Australian Zoot Suits' went into a swing craze! In fact all the neighbors did the "Lindberg Hop" and the "White-Shoe-Shake. %$payas)(
I like the two story versions. You've changed the roof trim to brown. All of your homes have white and I'm glad you changed.
- Jim
Thanks Jim. Used a cream trim for this next one :D
But it would appear Beverly Sutphin has much to fear about her pleasant neighborhood going to hell in the proverbial handbasket...
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi42.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fe311%2Fmattb325%2FGrin1.jpg&hash=81e67548b93a4a0f89e217c435c07cfd2bd03428)
Looking good Matt. I so cannot wait for these to be released
I'm looking forward to this as well, hating the Maxis buildings with a burning passion $%#Ninj2
Okay...I know the last reply was posted more than 90 days ago, however, I'd just like to ask how much you've progressed within these 90 days and whether or not this wonderful project has been put on hold.
Thanks,
-Ricky :thumbsup:
Some small progress: I have made lot and building families with these and these are the results as grown in game...much more work is needed to complete all of the medium wealth homes and then make a start on the high wealth set
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi42.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fe311%2Fmattb325%2FMaxisReplacement1-1.jpg&hash=056761288e7479f6482a57dc4314ff1afbc784f4)
However, as I create more models, I can add them to the building set. Just with these models and lot families I already have some 120 potential combinations of building lots from just 27 models. The ultimate aim will be (as seen above) to have all wealth sets blend in with each other a little more.
Nice work, Matt. :thumbsup: R§ low density housing replacements are a little hard to come by, even though I've downloaded some doublewides to help a little in that department. I'm thinking your low wealth homes will be a nice non-Maxis bridge between the trailers and the excellent R-§§ content I've acquired (with much of it being yours, by the way :) ). Of course, the R-§§ and R-§§§ replacements will be welcome as well. I lol'd at the snow in Houston thing, by the way. That hardly ever happens (notice I didn't say never, though). They haul in the firewood when it gets below 60° F, or so I've heard. ;)
Looks great!