RadicalOne's LotEditor Help Thread - Current Topic: Tile boundaries

[RadicalOne]

I recently designed a turbo-size nuclear power plant - the full thread can be found here - and am nearly ready to release it.

But I am having minor problems with the lot. At least two of the props are not appearing in the game. Specifically, two of SimPeg's mods, the security fences and the green recycling truck. They are there in the lot editor, but why not the game? I am trying relotting the plant to see if that helps.

[Lowkee33]

Could be your "City Detail" is set to low.  If you were to change it to High then you would see the props.

The fences don't appear to be timed, but one idea is to run your game in cheetah for a year and see if the fences show up.  The truck would more likely be timed though.

Are the fences in your plugin folder? 

[RadicalOne]

Could be your "City Detail" is set to low.  If you were to change it to High then you would see the props.

No, it is set to high and always has been. And why would only select items disappear, while things like bushes remain?

The fences don't appear to be timed, but one idea is to run your game in cheetah for a year and see if the fences show up.  The truck would more likely be timed though.

I ran it for over a century - I was playing the city - and nothing.

Are the fences in your plugin folder? 

Yes...if they were not, Lot Editor would never have been able to see them.

[cogeo]

Also make sure that you don't have an older version of the lot in your installation, maybe some backup or .sav file?

[RadicalOne]

Also make sure that you don't have an older version of the lot in your installation, maybe some backup or .sav file?

There are no older versions. This was the first and only (at the time) file. Now I have relotted it and can check prop status tonight.

[RadicalOne]

NEW TOPIC:

I have been having a problem with the BAT and Lot Editor not working together on the issue of tile boundaries.
One BAT 16x16 (m?) grid square is one SC4 and Lot Editor tile - but when I make something that is the full 16x16 in gmax, and export it, Lot Editor acts as if it is slightly larger, always giving me the "You cannot save a lot that has objects beyond it's [sic] bounds" error. Which is odd, considering I can clearly see it fits in one tile exactly.
I cannot simply reduce the size of the BAT - I am making a tileset, and these need to fill the entirety of their square to look right.

[sim-al2]

I recall that one can change the size of the bounding area of the prop with the Reader.

[jmyers2043]

I've had that happen. I usually use the scale tool and resize the bat so the LOD is 15.9 x 15.9 ... that's what I'd do if it's a 'building'. You can cheat if the model is a prop. Temporarily changing the size of the lot ... place the prop ... then make the lot 1X1 again. Props can overhang up to a point. Buildings can't. 

Question I have is ... Do a refit LOD ... then click on LOD3 and see what the dimensions are. I'm not sure how others do those european wall to wall buildings.

[mrbisonm]

Like jmyers2043 said, if it is a building you need to make it a tiny bit smaller. I do it in gmax simply by eye, meaning I just reduce the model so it is a little "loose" on the 16x16 scale.
If you make a prop with the file (with PIM) then you can leave it as is and no resizing is necessary. Like jmyers2043 said again, props "can hang-over" the lot. Open the LE with a 2x2 tile, search for your prop (if the prop is bigger than a 1x1 you won't be able to find it when you open the LE with a 1x1 lot) and plop it, reduce the tiles to a 1x1, center the prop and give it a ground tile texture and voila...It fits!

Fred

[RadicalOne]

I am going to try the prop idea. I cannot use the small LOD idea - it leaves seams between tiles.

[Lowkee33]

If it is a building or a prop you can reduce the Occupant Size to have widths of 15.9.  There are three values there, one is the Height, and I am not sure which.

[RadicalOne]

If it is a building or a prop you can reduce the Occupant Size to have widths of 15.9.  There are three values there, one is the Height, and I am not sure which.

I tried that. It does not work; the model still does not fit the square.
(I discovered that if you zoom way, WAY in in LE, a 16x16 model is actually a about 1.05 by 1.01 tiles.)
I will try the prop idea tonight...it should work.

[RadicalOne]

IT WORKS!
Making it a prop works!!!

[mrbisonm]

Of course it does

[RadicalOne]

Of course it does

So now my canal set has only two more obstacles to overcome, both minor:
One, the issue of texture seamlessness and alignment in rotated tiles;
Two, the issue of making a "canal bridge", that is, a road tile over the canal akin to the road over pedmall that the NAM includes.

How to do the latter?