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SimCity 4 General Discussion and Tutorials => Tips, Tricks and Tutorials => Tutorials on Custom Content Creation => Topic started by: jeronij on January 06, 2007, 03:39:27 PM

Title: How you get rid of the glitches between pieces
Post by: jeronij on January 06, 2007, 03:39:27 PM
This is a short ( and hopefully useful) tutorial for the people interested in creating not only bridges, but also any sort of BATted connecting pieces, like walls sets, canal sets, and so on.

I used some pictures of my Tsing Ma bridge to illustrate the idea, but I say again, this technique works for any connecting piece you may want to render for the game.

Here we go:

How you get rid of the glitches between bridge pieces

4 things to keep in mind

1) The LOD must be like a skin, specially over the transit areas ( where the automata will send traffic over/across) and the pylons ( to avoid odd effects when they go into water).

2) The LODs is what goes into game, so they have to be EXACTLY 16 (or 32 or 48....) meter long. The width is not so important except for the pylons.

3) You must extend the bridge / construction to the left and to the right from the LODs. You can extend it complete 16m bridge sections. That wil make the pieces fit perfectly in the game.

4) Sometimes, you will need to make different LOD´s for the different zoom levels. Specially LOD3 can give you problems if it is too complex. So you will have to remake the LOD, making it simpler, and keeping in mind that some details are not seen at zoom level 3.

So here come the pics. You can see here exactly what I did render.

LODs for a starting piece

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg65.imageshack.us%2Fimg65%2F3889%2Flodding019pd.jpg&hash=f18f0768ea1f2e4183778ddcda4bbd7d6e6d42ed)

LODs for the Center piece (LOD 5 and 4)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg99.imageshack.us%2Fimg99%2F9339%2Flodding029cf.jpg&hash=feb3fd755a230ea231ba65605b307437227a52fc)


LODs for the center piece LOD3 ( see point 4 above)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg78.imageshack.us%2Fimg78%2F9061%2Flodding049rp.jpg&hash=fe0a73c0ccae188151a99922a878fbb647bd04ce)

LODs for the repeat piece

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg97.imageshack.us%2Fimg97%2F1313%2Flodding035iu.jpg&hash=ba311b973ee697db520b5f418e7559549f29524c)

And some pictures from my last walls set, which do show the same idea.

Diagonal T
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg146.imageshack.us%2Fimg146%2F3308%2Fcustomlod1uv6.jpg&hash=2e3aa6067ae6cfb90e33f5058aa60cdfdcf25d12)

Diagonal X
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg146.imageshack.us%2Fimg146%2F7673%2Fcustomlod2rp3.jpg&hash=85b6a253cdfafb9334365cdd9cdbea887570ab70)

Straight Section
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg295.imageshack.us%2Fimg295%2F6074%2Fcustomlod3jw3.jpg&hash=d57b46e34298fdf20e8bd26737ad981454e46876)

Straight End Section
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg295.imageshack.us%2Fimg295%2F4177%2Fcustomlod4ua5.jpg&hash=9e96621d862bee58371d874b076768c92bf5ef95)

I hope you find the tutorial useful and understable  ;D

A basic version of this tutorial was posted in Simtropolis some months ago too.
Title: Re: How you get rid of the glitches between pieces
Post by: FromTheAshes on January 06, 2007, 04:41:19 PM
Quote from: FromTheAshes on January 06, 2007, 04:04:25 PM
Ah, I understand now.. Thank god we have a german tutorial for how to make custom LODs on insims.de ;)
Thanks jeronij  &apls
Stop... I made a mistake... Can't find it..
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bilder-hosting.de%2Fimg%2FQA561.jpg&hash=f1d7ea488cb02621ba11e95ecaf1a36531d6394e) (http://www.bilder-hosting.de/show/QA561.html)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bilder-hosting.de%2Fimg%2FQA7NC.jpg&hash=663555a9c3273785e17d9bd133553e86b2996f58) (http://www.bilder-hosting.de/show/QA7NC.html)
Title: Re: How you get rid of the glitches between pieces
Post by: dedgren on January 06, 2007, 05:30:42 PM
Those are CG modelling skills to die for, jeroni!  I look at the stuff you create and wish there had been 3 or 4 of you working on the most recent NAM.
Title: Re: How you get rid of the glitches between pieces
Post by: jeronij on January 07, 2007, 02:51:23 AM
Quote from: FromTheAshes on January 06, 2007, 04:04:25 PM
Ah, I understand now.. Thank god we have a german tutorial for how to make custom LODs on insims.de ;)
Thanks jeronij  &apls
Stop... I made a mistake... Can't find it..
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bilder-hosting.de%2Fimg%2FQA561.jpg&hash=f1d7ea488cb02621ba11e95ecaf1a36531d6394e) (http://www.bilder-hosting.de/show/QA561.html)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bilder-hosting.de%2Fimg%2FQA7NC.jpg&hash=663555a9c3273785e17d9bd133553e86b2996f58) (http://www.bilder-hosting.de/show/QA7NC.html)

If you mean that there is something wrong with the model in the Lot Editor, I dont think so  $%Grinno$% . just place the lots in the game in a row  ;) .

If you want to allow slight slope tolerance, you can also make the LOD 18 meters instead 16.
I would suggest you to add a copy of the "building" to each side of the original one. Instead 18 meters, make it 48, and keep the LODs in the center.


Remember that these pieces are intended to be placed with other pieces and not stand alone.
Title: Re: How you get rid of the glitches between pieces
Post by: FromTheAshes on January 07, 2007, 04:23:19 AM
Ah, thought the LET would show the overhanging part as well...
So, theres one thing left: In game there is just the LOT without building on it appearing. I remember, a special plugin was needed to show custom buildings... I had it once, but can't remember where to download it.
Title: Re: How you get rid of the glitches between pieces
Post by: jeronij on January 07, 2007, 09:02:11 AM
Simply use one of the existing canal pieces as the basis to create your piece  ;)  You wont have to worry about this  ;D  .

I suggest you to make your piece a prop and not a building in the Plugin Manager. This makes things much easier. Also, you will have to make the lot temporary bigger that it will finally be, so you can load the prop (which is "longer" than 16m).  I mean, if the lot is 1x1, an d you cant see the prop in the props list, make it temporary 1x2 so you are able to see your prop in the props list and place it on the lot. Then change the lot to 1x1 again. Props exceeding the lot should not be a problem. building exceeding the lot are a problem, and the LE wont let you place them on a lot, even if the difference it minimal

I hope this helps
Title: Re: How you get rid of the glitches between pieces
Post by: callagrafx on January 09, 2007, 02:59:41 AM
Do they have to be much wider than the LOD?  I ask because I'm working on something and the model only extends 1m past the LOD and I can't see any glitches.
Title: Re: How you get rid of the glitches between pieces
Post by: jeronij on January 09, 2007, 07:43:51 AM
Hi Cal,

1 meter could probably work, but make a test render and check it from all zoom levels, specially zoom 2 and 1. If you cant see the joins from these zoom levels, then is enough indeed  ;)

I copy the entire piece to each side of itself, instead making the original a bit wider, just to simplify everything.

In fact, when designing these connecting pieces, I usually start making the complete model, with all the variants I need, and then I "cut" it several times, one for each piece. ( I simply open the basis and use the "Save as..." option as many times as necessary). I think it is much easy that making the pieces separately, and then trying to join them in game. I hope you understand what I mean. If is not the case, I can post some pictures trying to explain it better.
Title: Re: How you get rid of the glitches between pieces
Post by: moganite on March 18, 2007, 07:48:39 PM
With organic corners like an earth bank the principle is the same.
would it be better to use a simplified version of your object to keep down the polys SC4 deals with? The reason i am asking is that it I put in a bent box there would be lots and lots of polys to count several tens for each LOD peice.
Title: Re: How you get rid of the glitches between pieces
Post by: jeronij on March 19, 2007, 07:10:32 AM
Well, I admit that I make too complex LODs....sometimes.... :-[

Keep the LODs as simple as posible ( a 1,1,1 segments box should be enough for the GC pieces)  ;)