non-asian branch of SimFox' pixel torture chamber

[mmorales2]

Hi SimFox,
     I don't comment very much on these treads but I have been watching your work and progress for some quite time and I just wanted to say that you do such a wonderful job on both creating and making these buildings look so real and beautiful. Thank you very much.  I would also to ask you when are you going to realease your other fine BATs and will you be making the building called "The Russian Tower"? That would be such a neat building to see and espesicaly if you Mod it. Thanks again for such wonderful BATs.

[SimFox]

do you mean Russia Tower by Foster? I'm thinking about it... But it is so huge. at base it would need to be 10x10 at least or even bigger. I'm not quite sure if it could be exported at all... I mean the LODS from GMAX.

[Une_ame]

"Russia Tower by Foster" 

[autoVino]

do you mean Russia Tower by Foster? I'm thinking about it... But it is so huge. at base it would need to be 10x10 at least or even bigger. I'm not quite sure if it could be exported at all... I mean the LODS from GMAX.

It could be exported in "blocks", similar to how the image files are cut up into 256x256 pieces, you can cut up the model into 8 models and combine them in LE... but it would be a pain in the  to do...

[Une_ame]

The Burj tower (~1100m) has been done like this some time ago by a japonese BATer. One Lot but 5 downloads to have all the blocks the lot needs to build the tower.

[mmorales2]

Building the "Russian Tower" can be done. Just like ame said, the Burj Dubai is 12x11. I even have found BATs bigger than that. I am pritty sure it can be done.

[mmorales2]

Oh, by the way, it realy should not be that hard of a BAT to make either. It looks like a pritty easy shape to BAT.

[SimFox]

about making it in parts... with all due respect those examples aren't on the level of quality i would strive for... Making something just for the sake of size, at the expense of quality isn't my game.

About simplicity of the structure.. same thin here. It all depends on the quality of approach. yes it is a pyramid, simple... but if to follow the real design and its ingenious NO support columns structure supported by lateral fins - then it is a whole new ball game. Only simple part here is that that building consist of 3 identical parts, so it would be enough to made one and clone it 3 times. Still making the lattice of a 612m tall tower that where no 2 floors are same(!) ain't all that quick. I remember that calculation for making lattice of one side of Federation that is a dwarf next to Russia Tower did take about 10 minutes - just geometry creation...

Anyway I'll put it on my to do list...

Lotting it wouldn't be easy either...

[Une_ame]

SimFox, everything I've seen so far from you is Superhight Quality, nobody will complain if you don't want to BAT with lower standards .

Thank you for putting this one on your list since I think it has one of the best design (with the Gerkin, the Chelsea Tower, BoC, Torre Agbar, SWFC and a few others.. ).

TY mmorales2 for the pic , I love it!

[SimFox]

well... I'm back home and here are shots of Russia Tower "feasibility study"

[Une_ame]

OMG !! That's huge!! SEV and Bashnja na Naberezhnoj C seem to be tiny compare to that amazing BAT! What is the size of the LOT ? (9x9?) I hope you will find a way to push this project until the end !! The grey draft you show on your picture already looks cool because of its nice shape .

[mmorales2]

Amazing. Just Plain Amazing. Fox, you truly know how to BAT. I know the Russia Tower you BAT'd is just in its starting stages but I am telling you now that I am very impressed. I hope you continue with it and finish it. That would be a loverly adition to SimCity and Fans. How long did it take you to BAt? Was it hard to BAT? And what lot size is it? Well, good job and hope to hear from you soon. 

[mmorales2]

Sorry, misspelling: LOVELY Im not very good at spelling :-[LOL

[mightygoose]

looks cracking.... the largest LOD ive ever got to export in one go was 160x160x624m so it should export fine however, a highly detailed model can bring this down eventually. good luck.

[SimFox]

Thank you, guys!

To get it to this stage took about an hour or so, but that is a very preliminary sketch. I made it to test the size for exportability and to see how it would relate to the game. It is  now in it's accurate life size (height of 612m, and width of the ray of 78m). I guess there will be no need to apply 1,3 stretch factor to this one. In this size it is perfectly exportable. Naturally as it will get more detailed it will take longer to render, but I don't think it will come to the point of being a no go problem. LODs now are quite tight. They would allow to stick it on 9x8 lot. But since tower isn't centered it sort of overhangs. I didn't center it because it would be easier to model it in it's current positing (with the axis of the central core at 0.0). As I mentioned earlier the tower consists of 3 identical Rays so it would be sufficient to model just one and instance it. Probably only blinds should be made unique to each one.
But in the final I think I'll make LODS large a bit to avoid that ugly seesaw effect at the edge. It is there because LODs and in effect 3DS files are not anti-aliased in GMAX. Giving them some berth should hide this fact and anyway tower of this size needs some space around it.

But while modeling this test version I've run into first problematic situation. Different renderings of the tower have different (5 or 6) number of those weight barring edges on the sides of each ray. so I'm not entirely sure what to do. Plus precise spacing of them is also a bit foggy. Should I for instance space them so that angles between them be same (nicer effect at the bottom) or go with half rule?

Anyway I'll keep digging. At least now I know that it is doable...

[mightygoose]

latest set of renderings



night shot



detail of the top



interior of the base pyramid,

all the recent renderings point to five internal fingers over four (not including the edges and pyramid boundary)

[RippleJet]

There are currently only four stage 15 CO§§§ CAMeLots available:

• Rubik3's WTC
• DuskTrooper's NDEX PanPacific
• Paulvmontfort's PVM2
• 2ch.net's Velacosma

I believe we are seeing the birth of the fifth one!

[toxicpiano]

Wow that building looks stunning! Looks kind of like something out of nineteen eighty four though.

[Q-Tips]

This BAT should be a : "every reason for getting CAM"
As already said, Amazing (so far).

[rooker1]

This does look fantastic SimFox and it would be great to have a fifth stage 15.
Robin