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SimCity 4 Devotion Custom Content Showcase => Independent Development Projects => Independent BAT (Building Architect Tool) Projects => Topic started by: Vario80 on April 28, 2007, 02:42:29 PM

Title: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: Vario80 on April 28, 2007, 02:42:29 PM
Hi all,

this will be the place where i will introduce my BAT projects.

Tromsø Domkirke
This is a wooden church, typical for a lot of norwegian churches.

I started batting with the tower from top to down. That's how it looks now.
Right now the walls and the upper roof has been textured (i don't like the current green colour though)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi14.tinypic.com%2F47nlliu.jpg&hash=876533461e0dcc4ca3a290df0b168cca824d40ed)
For comparison here's a picture of the real church.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi16.tinypic.com%2F29mpzdt.jpg&hash=1c57699718d00766651ed7fae2f67ccad2b94369)


Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: FromTheAshes on April 28, 2007, 02:51:37 PM
Very nice start, but I would make the texture much more detailed. Tiling about 2,5 or something
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: DebussyMan on April 28, 2007, 02:54:07 PM
Very nice church!

Indeed, the textures need some work, but looks good so far.

There are some things of the model that need to be polilshed as well, like the needle, that seems to be polygonal, but looks round in your model. Also, some ornamental elements like the vertical beams   and some of the crosses look a bit out of proportion. But, in any case, this is a great start.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: jacqulina on April 28, 2007, 02:59:26 PM
very nice work great detail
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Glenni on April 28, 2007, 03:15:06 PM
oooo another Norwegian building, now THAT will take place in my cj! :P
great work vario!
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: jeronij on April 29, 2007, 02:02:03 AM
I like the idea  ;D . However I am not sure about the scale. In the model, the tower structure looks almost twice wider that the tower in the picture. The height seems ok.

I'll keep an eye on this intersting project  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: bat on May 05, 2007, 02:06:17 AM
wonderful church! great work! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on May 10, 2007, 03:50:08 AM
Hi again, first of all thank you very much for useful comments.
@fromtheashes: Thanks for that useful advice, i will reset the tiling to this value (right now it's set to 1.0) and see
if this looks better.
@Debussyman: Thank you, i'm going to fix these things later on.
@jacqulina: Thanks!
@Glenni: Thank you and would be glad if you do. :D
@jeronij: I set the width to 12 units, which seemed to be accurate to me, however i have not been to Tromsø in real life
and i couldn't find any info about the scales in the web either, so i don't know if this would come close to real scale.
@bat: Danke! :)

I'm going to post an update later on this evening, when i'm back from uni so stay tuned.  ;)
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Q-Tips on May 11, 2007, 03:55:36 AM
Hi, Vario. I am so excited to see what you started. Nice work!!!
I actually live in Tromsø, so if you feel the needs for any more detailed pictures, then i would be happy to help you with this.
And i guess you know about this site :
http://www.ub.uit.no/baser/arkinord/categories.php?cat_id=155

Its possible to choose English language, and the site also include architect guides to other buildings from around the regions.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on May 11, 2007, 08:03:47 AM
Hi all, i'm sorry for the delay but here's now the already scheduled update of the church.  ;)
I started working on the nave and added the windows and other stuff. I also set the tiling of the wood texture now to values of 2.0 to 2.5 so it should now have a more "wooden look" (i hope).

Front:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FTromso_Domkirke2.jpg&hash=03c3ed98cbeaa798e010d9b3e6d7ea6a62b845bd)

Southern Side
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FTromso_Domkirke1.jpg&hash=8d251aee2fbd68997e855bdef48bfbd9130f2e7c)

Northern Side
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FTromso_Domkirke3.jpg&hash=b05efce3aee18052f51b5617ea76924f73423a0f)

@Q-Tips: Hi, i'm glad you are following my project.  :) :thumbsup:
It would be very helpful for me, if you could take pictures from the church, especially from the backside (since i couldn't find any useful images in the web from that side). Also some closer pics from the windows would be very useful too.
Anyway i am glad for any help.

Best Regards

Vario


Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: kwakelaar on May 11, 2007, 11:50:00 AM
Nice progress, watch out for those proportions it is looking very wide at the moment, or it is squashed.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Zaphod on May 11, 2007, 12:26:11 PM
awesome

maybe the grey part could look more weathered
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Badsim on May 11, 2007, 01:06:55 PM
Hi Vario ,

I've downloaded your first church and tried it , as you were a enthusiast and regular supporter of my CJ at simphoni ... unfortunately this style doesn't fit enough with my city .... &mmm
I want just let you know there that , anyway ,  I keep an interested eye on your BAT thread and enjoy your progress as BATer .... :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: metasmurf on May 11, 2007, 03:28:38 PM
The roof texture could do with some work. Otherwise, great work!

Odd from sweden has released some great rooftextures over at st

you can get them here: http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?id=16386
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: bat on May 12, 2007, 04:57:05 AM
wonderful progress! looking forward to more...
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Yoder7652 on May 12, 2007, 06:01:32 AM
I agree with everyone else that the roof texture on the bell tower needs some work, but the overall modeling looks pretty good. keep up the good work.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: jayo on May 13, 2007, 07:18:05 AM
The roof on the church tower needs to overhang a bit,but great work!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on May 14, 2007, 01:30:01 PM
Replies:
Thanks to everyone for your continous support.
First of all many thanks to Q-Tips for sending me some pics of the church, they are really helpful and make the modding much easier. Tusen takk :thumbsup:  ;)
@jayo: Thanks for mentioning that. Yes the roof on the steeple needs to be overworked, will do that later on.
@yoder: Thank you
@bat: Great to see you following my project, you won't be disappointed.  ;)
@metasmurf: Thanks for pointing me to that link again, some can be useful for the model.
@Badsim: I'm sorry to hear that... well maybe this church will fit better to your cities.
@zaphod: Good idea, right now the grey parts are not textured.
@kwakelaar: I will keep that in mind, right now the size seems to be accurate.

The status right now:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FTromso_Domkirke4.jpg&hash=ca6e801dc4672bc4fd5f1307b1edbe3c8d065d10)

The past days, i was working on the side portal (don't know what is the accurate name in english). Next step as you can already
see the holes in the wall, will be the last part of the knave (looks like i might have to draw the nave windows again, now that i have more detailed pics of the windows)  ;)

Best Regards

Vario
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Q-Tips on May 15, 2007, 04:39:30 AM
Good work.  :thumbsup:
I think the circled window above the door became beautiful.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: bat on May 17, 2007, 03:14:32 AM
next wonderful progress! It looks always better!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on May 18, 2007, 01:12:18 PM
Replying to your comments:

Q-Tips: Thanks a lot it took me a few attempts, until i was satisfied with the result. :)
bat: Thank you!

Update
I have finished now finished most of the nave and the main roof.
For the roof i use a greyish texture, since i think it fits good with the real one.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FTromso_Domkirke10.jpg&hash=4a881243983259e2f1fb77ddbcce9b69261d4187)
For comparison here's a picture with the roof
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FIMG_1567.jpg&hash=58746e277e62e1ba7bb26a2a06a4fcd727bbfdab)

As for my next step, i'm going to finish the texturing for the remaining walls and the roofs of the sideportal
After that i will start (re)doing the missing details and look for a more suitable for the steeple.

Looking forward for your comments,

Best regards

Vario




Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on May 21, 2007, 03:32:51 PM
No replies?  ()what()
Okay maybe i'm updating a little too fast.. &Thk/(

During the weekend i have drawn and textured the remaining parts of the church, so about 90% of the work should be done. Here is a preview of how the church looks right now.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FTromso_Domkirke19.jpg&hash=eae4d6f42753f72c47281d293ec895d0c9d1b8c8)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FTromso_Domkirke22.jpg&hash=aa399fee5bc47b19a2c36bedbac746011a6b63a1)

The next planned steps will be:
- fixing some minor errors and texture glitches
- adding the still missing details (like the crosses on the portal and bottom fillets)
- adding the missing window glasses
- looking for a better texture of the steeple.
- adding nightlighting

As for the roof texture i woul like to use an original photo of the steeple roof, so it would be very nice, if
Q-Tips or someone else could help me out with a frontal picture of the steeple. ;)

I'm going to take a short break now from Batting and will continue with my work by the end of this week.

Best regards

Vario aka Georg.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Q-Tips on May 25, 2007, 11:33:20 AM
Hi, Vario.

This is starting to look great.
At the moment i am in Finland, and will not be back before next weekend. But willbe happy to help you out with picture when i'm back, if you havent found any picture on your own.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: cammo2003 on May 26, 2007, 12:35:23 AM
First off, I'm assuming that this isn't intended to be an exact recreation. If it is, you haven't modeled the panelling detail down the bottom of the building.

I do have a few criticisms, though:

The wood looks far too large for the scale of the structure. It makes the church look a lot smaller than I'm sure it actually is. I'm not 100% sure if it looks painted... It does when I sit back from the monitor a little, so I suspect that following the suggestion of making the wood look narrower will fix that issue also.

Also, I'd strongly suggest desaturating and adding lines to the copper roof section (at least it looks like copper in the photos). The only criticism I have of the main roof (the grey roof section) is that it doesn't look aged enough. If you're going for a "freshly reconstructed roof" look, though, it's fine.

I know I'm being a little harsh, but I see a lot of potential in this BAT if the textures are done right.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: bat on May 26, 2007, 01:29:03 AM
another fantastic picture of that church!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on May 26, 2007, 05:50:15 AM
Quote from: cammo2003 on May 26, 2007, 12:35:23 AM
First off, I'm assuming that this isn't intended to be an exact recreation. If it is, you haven't modeled the panelling detail down the bottom of the building.

I do have a few criticisms, though:

The wood looks far too large for the scale of the structure. It makes the church look a lot smaller than I'm sure it actually is. I'm not 100% sure if it looks painted... It does when I sit back from the monitor a little, so I suspect that following the suggestion of making the wood look narrower will fix that issue also.

Also, I'd strongly suggest desaturating and adding lines to the copper roof section (at least it looks like copper in the photos). The only criticism I have of the main roof (the grey roof section) is that it doesn't look aged enough. If you're going for a "freshly reconstructed roof" look, though, it's fine.

I know I'm being a little harsh, but I see a lot of potential in this BAT if the textures are done right.

First of all thanks a lot for these helpfull constructive advices, i don't this comment is harsh btw, every constructive criticism is welcome as it helps me a lot to get better in batting.

No, actually i didn't intend to create an exact replica of the church, however if there isn't a lot too change, i could still try to work in the panelling into the walls.

As for the wood, beforehand i had set the tiling to a minor value (1.0) but this resulted in having a rather blurry look, so something in the middle should be the key.

Copper roof: Yes, will do.

Main roof: The church was build in the 1860's so an aged weathered look of the roof, would make it more realisitic i think. But i don't have an idea how to do this.

@Q-Tipps: Thanks again mate, would be glad if you can help me out again, with some pics of the steeple roof.

@bat: Thanks for that nice comment.

Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: vester on May 26, 2007, 07:38:13 AM
Great work, but the textures need a little more work.

The wall texture (if there is any) is way to clean.
The roof texture is to saturated.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: mattb325 on May 26, 2007, 02:27:23 PM
Quote from: Vario80 on May 26, 2007, 05:50:15 AM
Main roof: The church was build in the 1860's so an aged weathered look of the roof, would make it more realisitic i think. But i don't have an idea how to do this.


Vario, what image editing program are you using?

If you have photoshop or it's free cousin, the Gimp, you can use a dodge and burn technique that Gascooker outlined over at ST (http://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=140&threadid=76233&enterthread=y) for getting the dirt on the roof.

While you are at it, de-saturate the colours (as Vester suggested) and possibly add a bit more of a gradient. The render will also brighten and wash out the grey of these tiles in game, so you will need to take that into consideration.

Now, if you don't have either of these programs (windows comes with basic personal photo editing programs these days which do the trick) you can find a picture of dirt or moss or lichen or similar and overlay it on your roof texture and then fade this overlay texture considerably - this will in effect 'dirty-up' the roof, but you may have to darken the texture somewhat after using this method.

Also, the tiles on the smaller roof parts are tiny compared to the main roof; set the UV map to 0.X (rather than 1.0 or 2.0) - just experiment until the two match up.

Hope this makes some sense, as when you have a large expanse of plain roof as this church does, it is important to get it right...
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: kwakelaar on May 26, 2007, 02:49:03 PM
I like how this is starting to look, some nice details on those large windows and the tower.

I notice quite a few places where you could consider spending some more time on the modelling.
The roof of the tower would probably look better if you make it overhang the walls. The roof of the small extension on the back looks not quite right with the soft edges. Some of the details on the walls seem to be extended to far from the wall, and the main roof looks like it needs to be extended futher out to cover the cornerpieces. Also the roof of the apsis looks a bit small.

And I see Matt gave you a reference to the Gascooker tutorial.


Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on May 28, 2007, 03:38:49 PM
Thank you very much for your advices kwakelaar and mattb for pointing me to these very useful tutorial.
I have the Gimp installed on my machine btw, so i should get it that done by using this tuto.
There are indeed lot of things that need to be done first, before i can further progress so i'm going to fix all these things now and will then post an update preview later on.
Once again, thanks for your continous support.  :thumbsup:

Vario
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on June 04, 2007, 05:33:12 AM
Update
I went through Gascookers tutorial and make the main roof like suggested, i'm not very satisfied how it looks right now, actually i think the transition seems to be a bit too strong, but i suppose it looks better now than before.
Also extended it a bit over the walls.

I have also darkened the wood texture and set the tiling narrower so that it could come closer to the real measurements. Then i found a better steeple roof texture and have also dirtied a bit so that it should have now a old and weathered look.

As for the roof of the extension, i removed it for now and also make the walls shorter, since it doesn't seemed to be that long as thought before. The roof is also flatter and stretches only at the level of the smaller window.

Preview:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FTromso_Domkirke_Nord.jpg&hash=73f7b531932e93b83e1038797399cbebb44607b4)

Furthermore i also added more details, like the golden crosses on the roof. As i'm writing a math exam on the 7th i'm doing a short break from Batting again until Thursday.

Vario
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Q-Tips on June 04, 2007, 07:01:23 AM
Hi, Vario.
I'm going to centre tomorrow, and can take some pictures of the steeple roof for you. I'm not shure how good the pictures will be since it is so high up. But i will do my best. Do you need anything else?
I can take some photos of the roof tiles, so you have more to choose from.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on June 04, 2007, 07:38:57 AM
Hi Q-Tips, yes pictures of the rooftiles would be quite useful too.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: mattb325 on June 05, 2007, 04:58:43 PM
Hi Vario. The new copper texture is looking good and should allow the little ladder to stand out in game.

The gradient that you added to the roof is too broken. The net effect of a gradient in game is to fool the eye into believing that your model is more 3D than what it really is.
A gradient, whether severe or subtle, should be a gentle transition from shade to light.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.outbackphoto.com%2Fworkflow%2Fwf_74%2Fgradient.jpg&hash=f8a0c120ebc1982c465b9277396c39c2489145a3) (I grabbed this image from the web to illustrate)

Also, the size of the tiles on the main roof were better in the first image. It is the smaller roof sections that should be brought in line with this.

The changes that you've made to the wall texture are a great improvement and I see that there are many more details that you're adding which are making this model come to life. If you fix the roof, you'll be more than half-way there!
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: cammo2003 on June 07, 2007, 03:43:45 AM
First off, the new copper roof texture looks much better.

Second, I basically second what MattB said.  :D
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: nova vesfalo on June 07, 2007, 03:55:53 PM
that's a really great church ! Amazing bat-ing :)
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on June 08, 2007, 07:59:32 AM
Thanks everyone. I tried a second attempt to make the gradient more subtle, does it look better now?
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FSc4Pics%2Fgradient_roof4.jpg&hash=2a412260a7350ab8c4c9caec26a7321c0361f547)

It's not easy to make with the GIMP and the trial version of PhotoShop doesn't run on my PC, since i'm using Windows 2000.  &mmm
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Andreas on June 08, 2007, 08:24:05 AM
Quote from: Vario80 on June 08, 2007, 07:59:32 AM
It's not easy to make with the GIMP and the trial version of PhotoShop doesn't run on my PC, since i'm using Windows 2000.  &mmm

I haven't tried it personally so far, but I heard that Paint.NET has quite a lot of features. It's free, like GIMP, and it should run on every PC where Microsoft's .NET Framework is installed.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on June 08, 2007, 08:30:41 AM
Thanks Andreas, have downloaded the latest version but unfortunality it skips installation under Windows 2000, so it looks like i have to stick with the GIMP or i have to look for other graphic programs that run under Windows 2K.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: mattb325 on June 08, 2007, 03:07:24 PM
Hi Vario, you look like you are using the wrong gradient type to end up with these results.

You are using one of Odds roof textures correct?

1) Open your roof texture.

2) On your main control panel, halfway down to the left you have three icons, your active brush (default is a circle), your active pattern (default is wood grain) and your active gradient (default is FG to BG and solid black to grey).

3) Double click on the active gradient. It brings up a list of many gradient options.

4) Select FG to transparent and close the dialogue box.

5) Select the gradient tool on the main panel (the green square in between the bucket and the pencil)

6) Check the settings in the control panel - opacity should be less than 50.0 (you'll see slider bars and check boxes) - leave everything else as it is (I'm assuming they are default on your version).

7) On your texture, place the cursor at the base of the texture in the middle and draw a straight line up to the top of the texture.

8 ) The gimp then fills your texture with a nice gradient.

Save this texture and then use the dodge and burn feature - to the right of the hand symbol - to lightly add some areas of dirt. Experiment here with the brush type and colour - you can simulate moss, dirt or smudges.

Hope this helps, let me know if it doesn't.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: callagrafx on June 08, 2007, 03:19:49 PM
If it doesn't, post the texture here and I or one of the other texture specialists will be able to sort it for you,
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on June 12, 2007, 05:23:28 PM
Thanks mattb, your little instruction helped me a lot, i would never have found that gradient function without your help.  :thumbsup:

And also many thanks Cal and Andreas for the help offer, but i think i got it done now. :)
Update:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FTD_North.jpg&hash=6292a2cbc1264aa9f366ab38ba1d444c722ec572)

Also started partly with night lighting, the apsis has a yellow spot on the diagonal walls, however the light cone seems to be way to big. It actually only touches the upper part of the windows. Does anyone know which settings do i have to enter to make the light cone much shorter?
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FTD_Night.jpg&hash=aed371cebeac078b17d1204cf0f770267223fc20)

Vario
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: HabLeUrG on June 12, 2007, 10:57:38 PM
really nice church! very detailed  &apls
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: bat on June 13, 2007, 06:02:33 AM
Great progress, Vario80! And a wonderful detailed church! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: rooker1 on June 13, 2007, 10:24:15 AM
Great work, your church is coming along very well.

&apls

Robin   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on June 19, 2007, 02:53:53 AM
@Thanks a lot guys for the feedback.  ;D

Here's some more nightlighting, for the windows i used the nightlighting windows setting.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FTDK52n.jpg&hash=3a32900851d75231e660e407ab56c9b5336b4b45)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FTDK53n.jpg&hash=19034bd378e51e318eb36750f8b519350e5ce772)

I plan to leave the windows of the apsis to remain dark since this part is usually not lighted anyway.
(The yellow cone is from the spot above the windows)

Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: rooker1 on June 19, 2007, 07:26:15 AM
This is fantastic.  I can't wait to DL this.  I think it looks very realistic.  How big is it?

&apls

Robin   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: vester on June 19, 2007, 08:32:01 AM
The nightlight is a bit to bright for my taste.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: kwakelaar on June 20, 2007, 02:47:45 AM
The rooftexture is a big improvment, looking very nice and the same goes for the spire copper roof.

You can reduce the intensity of the nightlights texture under the BAT roll-out menu (look at the parameters), also you could try to reduce the yellow of your spotlight to get a bit more neutral colour. If you want a shorter beam you can adjust the target distance by picking the spotlight target in your drawing window and then move it around.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on June 23, 2007, 08:51:17 AM
@Kwakelaar: Thanks again for the helpfull advice, it took me quite a lot of hours of tweaking and trying to finally get the desired result.
@vester: You are right i had the "nightlighting window" option turned on, one thing i noticed when i set the lighting lo a value of less than 1.0 the window becomes unlit. Does anyone knows why this happens?
@rooker: Thanks for the nice comment, as for the size well it looks like that the lot could take up about 5*6 or 5*7 tiles in space. So it won't become as large as i have assumed first.

Anyway i completely skipped the idea with the nightlighting windows and tried a different approach with a free target spotslight. I make the light appear orangeish, since it usually appears that way in the interior of a church.

Here's a new preview of the (hopefully) improved nightlights:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FTDK62.jpg&hash=04f9e8ca4c3a896194d09667483e6a0c37e2965c)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FTDK63.jpg&hash=e4746f50b91f2e3daf421013edea393076e5cea2)
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: DebussyMan on June 23, 2007, 12:28:56 PM
It's looking good. I like what you've done with the nitelights
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: jeronij on June 23, 2007, 12:37:13 PM
You have made a great work so far  :thumbsup:

Keep it this way  ;) ¡¡¡
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: kwakelaar on June 29, 2007, 03:14:06 PM
Well I think your nightlights have improved a lot, and I can only agree with Jeronij's comment above.
And by the way thanks :D
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on July 01, 2007, 11:46:53 AM
Thank you very much!  :thumbsup:

Q-Tips send me some additional pics (mange takk for det! :) ), especially of the entrance of the church, so i reworked it, i did the same with two crosses. It should now look even better.
Unfortunality it is hardly recognizable with this preview (Gmax is acting very weird at the moment when i click to preview :()
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FTDK81.jpg&hash=62eb6fee341a84d48b649347ef926bc51d1b8011)

I'm going to render it now (shouldn't take all too long), and see how it looks ingame.
If i like it, then i'm going to start with making the lot.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: FromTheAshes on July 01, 2007, 11:58:25 AM
Very good work!  :thumbsup: But in my opinion the wood texture on the tower is to much scaled. Maybe you let it render in "draft" quality. Select "High" to get a better look. But I guess you know that  :-\
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Q-Tips on July 02, 2007, 10:12:08 AM
Nice to see you are about to end an long lasting project. The church looks good.
I can see you used my picture of the front door for texturing. But i am a bit affraid those who dont know how it looks in real, will find the front door on this BAT weird. You did get the front cross good. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on July 02, 2007, 01:19:31 PM
@Q-tips: Thanks a lot for that nice comment. Yes the door looks a bit strange (also to me) ;), however i think i'm going to leave it for now.

@FTA: Thanks. Yes, i do always select "High" when i render a BAT.

Well and here is the result how the church looks ingame: :)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FChurch_Game1.jpg&hash=1e168eb61e8fcbfb3291325692597053bd9299bd)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FGame_Church2.jpg&hash=f4eecad42b183b250bcd4f7c5b03490ecc3a3435)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FGame_Church_NL.jpg&hash=35b270343aee0092346e41661b85f77e3de97437)

For the props i used Porkissimos seasonal trees, i think they looked good together with the BAT.
I also put some gravestones on the church yard. Textures and props are default Maxis stuff so besides the trees no additional dependencies are needed.

The file is already available for download on the STEX (Tromsoe Domkirke). Hope you enjoy it and i hope would be happy to see some feedback.

Vario
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: kwakelaar on July 03, 2007, 12:27:44 AM
It is a nice looking church, and you have come a long way from where you started.

I have two commments however, first about the green lines and small turret on the choir roof, seems there is no texture?
Second the roof of the tower, the copper looks nice but the next level, is a texture that does not fit very well. Maybe you could use the same copper or the texture from the main roof.

But anyhow good work on this one.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on July 04, 2007, 01:08:48 AM
Thanks for the feedback and the suggestions Kwakelaar.
The green lines have been fixed now, i've applied a green painted wooden texture to the bracings. I also discovered a wall of the extension building was left untextured this has also been fixed with the current update. (1.1)

Not sure about the turret (i didn't found a suitable texture so far yet, first i wanted to texture it with that green wooden texture like the bracings but that didn't looked right to me.
So i left it untextured for now, but i could still try to find a solution.

For the (lower) steeple roof texture, well that was the texture which looks best to me.
That roof does neither look like the main roof texture nor the copper texture of the upper steeple. I will see if i can find something better than this.


Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: autoVino on July 10, 2007, 06:53:21 PM
Wow, looks really good!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Wooden Homes
Post by: Vario80 on July 11, 2007, 04:49:47 PM
Your welcome AutoVino!  :)

Well after this big project, i decide to go back to something smaller.
I started drawing some wood houses they are mainly meant for my scandinavian based region, but you can also enjoy them as well.

This is the first one, it's based on a fishing lodge on the norwegian archipilago of the Lofoten.
Note: This is only the model, it's still untextured but i'm going to add a nice wooden texture tomorrow.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FWooden_House.jpg&hash=9f0a4e19813fab2113ea10b724cbd863349cc492)
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Q-Tips on July 11, 2007, 05:16:32 PM
Great. More to look forward to. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on July 13, 2007, 11:15:52 AM
Thanks Q!

Here's an update, the house is almost finished, notice the varying nightlights in the interior of the building.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FHouses%2FRed_House1.jpg&hash=20586c42579b15d1b6d2f65d73276850b5e3e664)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FHouses%2FRed_House1a.jpg&hash=2201a7158ac4edd9c65f1ccf2a2c195e492603d8)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FHouses%2FRed_House2.jpg&hash=eed207719d3efa070e062db1b1569e28f054d104)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FHouses%2FRed_House2a.jpg&hash=8495a9ce5b3884f5807f9e868c7a4d63a872ca8a)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FHouses%2FRed_House3.jpg&hash=3aaed8b3d4e9c826ba2e8c7005ab794d29a35ead)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FHouses%2FRed_House3a.jpg&hash=0f70e37e67b1d05ddcdaa64931560b578eb5b4c2)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FHouses%2FRed_House4.jpg&hash=027a2176465a0bc79f3e501a4e00309665ae9f1e)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FHouses%2FRed_House4a.jpg&hash=2f19a432d1c4dce44c139aa40a31a7cdae1bed65)

I'm not very satisfied with the nightlighting on the fifth and seventh pic, it's a bit too bright, but the rest should be okay i think. :)
Sorry for the different picture sizes btw...
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: HabLeUrG on July 13, 2007, 11:21:39 AM
maybe active cast shadows or reduce the intesity of the nighlight, excellent work in that home  :thumbsup: &apls &apls

ahh something else to the model, the windows edge looks too wide, you could reduce it a bit more  ;)
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: kwakelaar on July 15, 2007, 01:12:57 PM
First thing that strikes me is the size of the door compared to the windows, one or the other must have the wrong size. I think the windows look like they sit too low on the wall, mostly for wooden buildings like this the windows are rather small. It is cold in Lofoten ;)
I like the texture for the wall, also the colour looks right, think maybe you could try some traditional red rooftiles instead of the grey diagonal tiles.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Mulefisk on July 17, 2007, 01:37:51 PM
As we say in Norwegian: Nydelig! (Beautiful)
It's nice to see someone filling in the strange lack of Norwegian buildings in SC4.  ::)
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on July 19, 2007, 04:18:31 PM
@Mulefisk: Takk for din hyggelige tilbakemelding!  :D
(Transl. Thanks for your nice feedback), yes there is certainly a lack of scandinavian buildings in Sc4, actually i created these buildings for myself to get a more scandinavian feel of my current region "Storland" it's not meant to be a cheap rip off to "Urland" or "Osturland" btw but rather means just "Big Land"

@Kwakelaar: Thanks for the suggestion, i have made the windows smaller now and also set them a little higher, unfortunality because of that i had to remove the grid on the windows, otherwise it would have looked quite weird...

@HableUrg: Thank you for that nice comment, i reduced the Mesh settings of the frame so it should look much better now.

Update:

Well here's a new preview in a different wall colour... BTW i have already planned to release them as a set, so there won't be just one home but four or five all with different wall colours available...

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FWH_House1.jpg&hash=f96e95555ea65dfebe647ca50f7b80ea179a61f4)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FWH_House1_NL.jpg&hash=dd230c53543f865887943fefaf36283a61cfd9f1)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FWH_House2.jpg&hash=3c8419502522471d5a80f42919e5dead066cf239)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FWH_House2_NL.jpg&hash=0705959a09fa24f4007fd12af21da214cda497ac)

Hope you like this version even more,

Vario.  ;)
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Glenni on July 19, 2007, 04:51:08 PM
House is little oversize vario, i that door is 4 metres, the house is just huge. :o

How about a rescale? :D
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Andreas on July 19, 2007, 06:21:31 PM
Looks more like the door for the dog. ;) The building looks really nice, though, great work so far - you're also getting a lot better with the textures lately!
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on July 20, 2007, 01:38:37 AM
@Andreas, Glenni: Thanks for the feedback, well right now the door is just about 2 meters high, i think i'm going to make it a little higher and larger. But the scale of the house should be okay i think, it has currently a height of about 11 metres (including the chimney) that should be okay for a small single family house (i think ;))
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: FromTheAshes on July 20, 2007, 02:17:54 AM
One Sim in SimCity is about 2,5m tall. You should think of that size when you make a door. (BTW: The door is mostly the thing I start with making a BAT, because I can align everything to that scale.)
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on July 25, 2007, 11:35:33 AM
@FTA: Thank you for that useful advice, i'm going to post an update of the houses later on.

Meanwhile i started (and have almost finished) another building, this time it is a lighthouse it's standing on the beautiful east frisian island of Norderney the place which i call my second home, since a lot of my relatives live there and here i have also spend several of my summer holidays.

Now to the building. It is 54 metres high, and therewith the highest building of the island. It's standing in the centre of the island, about 6 kilometres east of the town of Norderney, and besides a few houses in the vicinity of the lighthouse there is nothing so it can been seen from all over the island. The building is built completely of bricks and the beacon can be seen as far as 20 nautical miles (38 kilometres).

Here's a preview.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FNorderney_Lighthouse%2FDay_Lighthouse.jpg&hash=52f557a95a85a152ce5f0380d59c6fcb4145b403)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FNorderney_Lighthouse%2FNL_lighthouse.jpg&hash=ff9586197cf9bf455475db12dd6d5541b2739dfe)

Hope you like it. I'm going to release it as a landmark, but if i can get it done i would also like it to function as a reward (like the game light house)  :)
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- My BAT showcase
Post by: Vario80 on August 02, 2007, 10:58:04 AM
Okay now that the lighthouse has been released let's go back to my previous work, the fishing lodges.

The models have now been rendered and put into the game.
They will be available in five colours, pink, mint, green, yellow and red. They are growable (R$ stage 2) and will host up to 11 occupants which is a reasonable number (at least in terms of the game) i think.

I also added some stuff to the lots like fences, flowers, trees and a norwegian flag.  ;D
(Note: The flag prop is from the Maxis "International Day of Peace Prop Download" so if you want to have a flag from another country on your lot, just change the flag prop.

Here's an ingame screenshot, it took quite long to get these desired row.
Daylight
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FHouses%2FDaylight.jpg&hash=7034ee6e5a29146d726a96a440fc61e808b3665b)

Nightlight
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FHouses%2FNightlight.jpg&hash=3469acdeba3227577fb6d793ee897eb0f4af9197)

Hope you like the results  :)

Vario
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Wooden Homes
Post by: kwakelaar on August 15, 2007, 03:25:30 PM
I think they look very close to the real thing, only thing is the scale. Have you tried to place a sim in front of your door?
The red on the boards covering up the roof would most likely be white.

I like your lighthouse by the way, off to a nice start.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Wooden Homes
Post by: Vario80 on August 16, 2007, 06:15:17 AM
Thanks a lot for the feedback Kwakelaar, about the scale well i think i should have tested it before uploading with the sim people props perhaps. Great you also like the lighthouse, i also tried it to make it a reward, but i messed something up while doing this, the lighthouse indeed showed up in the rewards menu but i couldn't choose it even though that the set in requirements were all met. Also the game sometimes started to freeze.

Here's a new building i started working on, it's an apartment block, typical for lots of cities in Germany and many other european countries.
It's based on an apartment block not far away from where i live, actually the real block consists of three houses (number 20, 22 and 24) my version will have two houses.

Here's a preview of one of the houses, not very much to see right now, the building is untextured and i started with cutting out holes for the windows and the door, the hallway windows got the window frames already.
Also the real building is not painted in green, but in light grey.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FAppartment.jpg&hash=8f3a305409843bce2df8093270af24adc63d8c95)

Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: Vario80 on August 17, 2007, 03:41:11 PM
I hope double posting is allowed. I've finished now the whole foreside of one house of the block.
I also added the balconies like they appear on the real apartment. Before i continue with the rest of the building, i'm also going to add some details like curtains on the windows or maybe the staircase in the hallway.

Here are some additional previews:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FHouse_Facade.jpg&hash=cf14a70d7ca3230a074623cb2400fae37a8ebac5)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FHouse_Facade2.jpg&hash=df10b511fc989d18b7a98cc4b732cf6f5f5bee08)

And here's a picture of the real building, in case you have no idea what kind of buildings i'm talking about. ;)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FIMG_1248.jpg&hash=bc530020b8a6939307069aa537f5feea8425abe7)

Not very spectacular building maybe (in fact these are mostly social flats) but fits perfect to every residential area.

Feedback is always welcome!  :)

Vario



Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: Krio on August 17, 2007, 05:36:42 PM
Looking excellent  :thumbsup:

In here Helsinki, those kind of buildings are very common in residental districts, like in Oulunkylä or Töölö.  :) I'm really looking forward to see this released.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: Pat on August 17, 2007, 09:52:51 PM

Vario i could have sworn i commented on your great skill... But it looks as i was wrong and for that im sorry... Wow those houses are real nice and cute so to say i was wondering since they look like cabins is to make a wood color version no fancey colors.... the apartment block is looking real great soo far cant wait to see more of it - pat
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: kwakelaar on August 18, 2007, 12:55:54 AM
Looking very close to the real thing, nice work.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: Andreas on August 18, 2007, 04:45:39 AM
The 50's residential building looks excellent so far. They will be a great companion to stephenhh's buildings. :) Be sure to make a few versions with different colors and textures, and maybe orthogonal and diagonal versions, so we can get more variety.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: SimFox on August 18, 2007, 06:01:52 AM
you're doing really nice job recreating that block.  &apls

The only think I would suggest is to re-work you balcony doors/windows. Don't do them by simply tripling the regular window. It is obvious and doesn't look good. It wouldn't be too difficult to make separate set!

Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: bat on August 18, 2007, 08:36:47 AM
Great buildings! Also the newest is looking wonderful so far! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: Vario80 on August 22, 2007, 05:08:14 PM
First off all thanks a lot for the feedback and the suggestions everyone.  :)

@bat: Dankeschön, i'm glad you like it.  :thumbsup:
@SimFox: Thanks for the suggestion, i'm going to see what i can do.
@Andreas: Thanks, yes i am thinking about releasing them in various colours and maybe diagonal ones as well.
@kwakelaar: Thank you
@pat: Never mind. ;) I'm glad you like my stuff. :)
@Bengt: Thanks a lot, these kind of buzildings really seems to be common throughout Europe.  :)

And now Update time
I did a change to the balconies, right now i applied an orange tiled texture, but i'm not sure if this looks better than the previous untextured yellow version. For the walls i found a useful grey texture, so that now it really has an old and "ugly" look, typical for buildings like this.
Furthermore i tried also to put some details inside the building, as you can see i added stairs in the staircases in the hallway, they will be visible during the night hours.

However right now it looks like the lighting is too far overdone... actually only the hallway should be lit.
Does anyone have an idea how to dim it?

Previews:
Daylight
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FAppartment_Day.jpg&hash=ff8866b23a3e2b6bb68f93e821ae4eb11c09199d)

Nightlight
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FAppartment_Night.jpg&hash=1197b188d1f547274da0d8a9b7d08dd0280e78ff)

Architectoral view (the stairs can be seen even better in this view) too bad you can't see it that way ingame. &mmm
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FLight_Circles.jpg&hash=31f24681d703e1b9f6dd10dbf82a10c542b1b40c)

Awaiting your feedback.  :)

Vario
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: Krio on August 22, 2007, 05:19:22 PM
Looking good and I'm sure that the Lightmaster SimFox can answer to your problem better than me :P It seems that you're using only one Omni light which is placed in the center of right part. I use multiple omnis, usually near attention as 4-5 and far 8-10 and brightness (i have no max open, so i can't remember the word) in 5 and remember cast shadows. Also make floors ready before you do lighting :P

Stairs look good, though you can see only small part of them in game but beauty is in the details and it looks better with stairs than as an empty area. Also, will you make other colours than gray :P because I would like to have yellow-white because it's most common colour in Helsinki :D
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: mightygoose on August 22, 2007, 05:23:33 PM
in the modify tab there should be a box marked intensity with a value of 1.0 in it, reduce this as needed
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: Vario80 on August 23, 2007, 07:15:51 AM
@Bengt: Thanks a lot for the detailed advice, that did the trick!
And yes i had four omni lights aplied a bit right from the centre in every floor. :thumbsup: &apls

For comparison:
Before
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FAppartment_Night.jpg&hash=1197b188d1f547274da0d8a9b7d08dd0280e78ff)

After
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FAppartment_Nachts.jpg&hash=11f9a58f4ee8233176dc352c2716ed69c5535d07)

Now i only need to play with the far/near attenuation numbers, but for the desired effect i'm already on the right track.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: Vario80 on September 08, 2007, 03:01:19 PM
First of all sorry for the lack of updates, right now a lot is changing in my private life (in a positive way)  :) but that also means i have less time for batting. &mmm

Nevertheless i have started adding the roof with a hopefully fitting and decent texture. I'm not really sure about the texturing of the chimney, in real life it is a brick texture but the current one appears too bright imo. I also have to enlarge the roof, as you can see it doesn't overhang the side wall, while it should do this.

Here are again two previews:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FHouse01.jpg&hash=f73368fbcb1e619b62b9209fa8d4c68f4e5e3abf)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FHouse_night.jpg&hash=2021ce767a0b607bd1d0bbde3a2f107b015bef4e)

Hope you like it so far. I am awaiting your comments. ;)



Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: Krio on September 08, 2007, 04:14:30 PM
Looking good, but you should made rooftiles smaller and less repeative. Also use different texture for floors.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: RippleJet on September 10, 2007, 03:30:08 AM
Your apartment block is coming about very nicely. :thumbsup:


Quote from: Vario80 on August 16, 2007, 06:15:17 AM
Great you also like the lighthouse, i also tried it to make it a reward, but i messed something up while doing this, the lighthouse indeed showed up in the rewards menu but i couldn't choose it even though that the set in requirements were all met. Also the game sometimes started to freeze.

If you want me to take a look at the reward script, just send me a PM. ;)
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: mattb325 on September 10, 2007, 01:44:48 PM
Hello Vario, I very much like the look that you are aiming to achive for this apartment building.

The roof tiles are too large as they stand at the moment. The width is OK, but the height of each tile needs to be shortened by at least one half. (You could achieve this by duplicating the top rows of tiles in the GIMP and then re-applying the texture. This will also reduce the obvious gradient line which is a touch too severe at present)

Also, with your comment about the stair well not showing in game - you could try erasing the wall space between floors and making the window panes longer - that way there is a greater chance of seeing inside. Grouping and dragging the stair-cases towards the window by approx 0.8 will also assist in showing them off.

Of course the model won't be as accurate, but you'll see some of the work that you've done...
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: Pat on September 14, 2007, 06:22:36 PM
Vario sorry i have slacked here a bitt and havent kepted up with your progress as it is stunning works.... keep up the hard work and i cant wait to see this go ingame - pat
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: kwakelaar on September 15, 2007, 02:04:27 AM
This is looking quite authentic, I can only agree with Matt's comment about your roof and the texture. The texture for the chimneys does not look that bad to me, maybe try to make the bricks a little more visible.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: Vario80 on September 17, 2007, 02:22:05 PM
Update

Here's a long overdue update of my house. I started adding some nightlighting on the front- and sidewalls of the building. What has still to be done are the lights on the backwalls of the building. I also made the tiling of the roof smaller so that it should look now much better.
Here's another preview
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiskman80.t35.com%2FImages%2FMyBATProjects%2FNightlighted_House.jpg&hash=edfab88fb6d601d6cb2d90ff337d3c12a5954324)

Replying to your comments:

@kwakelaar: Thanks a lot, i'm right now satisfied with the tiling for the chimney. :satisfied:
@pat: Thanks a lot and i'm pleased to see you are following my progress.  :thumbsup:
@matt: Thanks a lot for these suggestions matt. I have already shortened the tile by half, but i will also come back to your methods on my next update.  :)
@Ripple Jet: Thank you, hmm i think i already deleted this file, but i can still take a look if it still somewhere on my hd.  ;)
@Bengt: Thanks a lot for the comment, i will see what i can do.  :)
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: metasmurf on September 17, 2007, 02:43:27 PM
Looks good to me  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: bother_me on September 29, 2007, 08:47:19 AM
Nice european looking. Perfect for my cities  :thumbsup:

I mostly build german looking cities.

They look more like the kind of apartments you see around northern europe than the maxis ones do ;D Nice work!
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: vester on September 29, 2007, 08:50:23 AM
Very good.

The gradient on the roof texture is a bit too strong.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed
Post by: Vario80 on February 23, 2008, 06:03:28 PM
Hi everyone! *blows dust of the thread*

Because of a suddenly changing Real Life Issue, i had to step off batting for a longer time.  ;)  :wings:
But since a few weeks i started to bat again, here's a preview of my newest building i'm working on.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi28.tinypic.com%2F1128sd1.jpg&hash=07e7a7d5c2321e02592112b8aa6e469fbfbe6237)

Yes it is a church, well it is even a quite special church for me, i was christened and confirmed in this house of worship.
The building is quite modern (built in 1962) and like some of the modern churches, the belltower and the house of worship are seperated from each other. Also the community center is attached to the building complex, which is also quite special about the church.

So far i have only drawn the two buildings, without adding any textures.
Since i wanted the church to look like the original, the walls will get a yellow texture, while the bellfry will get a brick texture.

Well, i hope you like it sofar.  :)

Edit: The appartment block can already be downloaded from the STEX, it will take a while though, until it appears (grows in stage 6)

Regards

Vario (George)
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: Pat on February 23, 2008, 09:32:10 PM
George wow I will have to hunt down the apartment block and try and grow that bad boy lol..... The church is looking real nice but the cross is a tad bit on the large size... Is it that hugh in RL by a chance?  I hope to see some more stunning devolpment soon  ;)
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: RebaLynnTS on February 24, 2008, 04:58:13 AM
Love the church.
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed
Post by: Vario80 on April 04, 2009, 05:35:20 AM
Hi folks,

Just wanted give you a sign that i'm still alive and kicking.  ;)
I've kind a lost interested in playing computer games altogether in the past year, in return i became more and more addicted to my new and now predominant hobby- digital photography.

Nevertheless i started a new church already back in August 2008 and after a break of more than half a year i started to work again on that project. The church is based on a catholic church which is only about 300 metres away from my apartment, in fact i'm looking straight on the frontside of the building from my study room.

Here's a preview
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi41.tinypic.com%2Fvyab2g.jpg&hash=201ac568f3b746af2e547ba337f7eae3dc452805)

I won't and i can't tell an estimated release date, since i do work on the model only every now and then, though i'm definately going to finish it.

As for the other church, apart from some issues with the roof which i have do redo and nightlighting, it is almost finished and will appear on the next couple of weeks on the STEX.

I'm going to post an update in this thread, when the texturing is finished.

Greetings

Georg
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: Sciurus on April 10, 2009, 02:48:56 AM
It looks very good, but I wait the results :thumbsup:

Guillaume ;)
Title: Re: Vario's Bat Shed- Current Project: Apartment block
Post by: aNdi on April 25, 2009, 05:52:46 AM
that church looke really cool that far :)
can't wait to see some textures on it

aber auf dem letzten bild beim dach vom hauptschiff ganz unten ( also beim dem altarraum, oda was auch immer das is ^^) da steht das dach so komisch vor, was nicht schlimm wäre, wenn es etwas dünner wäre von der stärke her ;)


if you need some textures just ask :) I'd be glad to help you