JBSimio Inc.

[oldrogue]

Lookin good Jon.... your attention to detail is mind boggeling....or maybe my mind was just naturaly boggled.

[Pat Riot]

Yay!

It looks great jon, can't wait to see it on the lex.

[dragonshardz]

@star.torturer: LOVE that comic.

Jon, your BATs are great. I haven't commented in a while...

...shame on me...

...but I have been lurking and the only thing preventing me from downloading all of what you've released are the stupid Parental Controls on my computer.

[Snarky OT]And to anyone who says, "I know how to remove them", can you remove them through not being an admin on the computer and not having the admin password? No? I didn't think so.[/Snarky OT]

Cheers, Jon!

~~Dragonshardz~~

[RebaLynnTS]

Ask the admin to download them for you

[hydra]

Havn't been here for a few days and the last Models before Buder Building looks excellent.

Reba I don't think admin give in that fast.

[dragonshardz]

Reba, the admin's my mom. and it's not that i can't download, but i can't run installers. and my mom gets annoyed when I ask her to run installers for SC4. She thinks i spend too much time playing it.

[RebaLynnTS]

Reba, the admin's my mom. and it's not that i can't download, but i can't run installers.

I see ... in that case I am going to start including a non-installer zip file in all of my uploads.

[JBSimio]

Matt:  Wow... that was indeed a short break!  I hope you were able to enjoy it.  I may ultimately leave the balcony idea alone... unless I decide to go with a hotel option for this, in which case I would probably still add them.  I'm hoping for a large update on the move this weekend.  There are a couple things happening today and yesterday that should hopefully make some decisions final.  We'll see...

StarTorturer:  The audacity, huh?  How dare "someone?"        I like that cartoon a lot really... thanks for posting it!  And also thanks for the kind words.

Duane:  Thank you!  My mind should be good and boggled by the time this one is finished too...  

Pat Riot:  Thanks!  It's getting closer...

Dragonshardz:  Thank you!  I hope you'll be able to get some use out of the new toys soon.  

RebaLynn:  I know you weren't talking to me... but I try not to ignore people... so Hi!  

Hydra:  Thank you!

Dragonshardz:  My mom thinks I spend too much time on this stuff too.  Luckily, I live 100 some miles away and she doesn't really say much about it...  

Well... my original hope was to finish all the exterior modeling on this tonight.  I didn't quite make it.  I came fairly close, but there are a few more things to do.  Picture first... explainations later...



I added an early version of the brick I'm thinking of for this one.  It may still change depending on how well it matches up with the limestone... but we'll see when I get that far.  I finished off the lower portions of the back... a couple tweaks here and there yet, but nothing major.  I added some fire escapes and started with some of the other texturing in back.  (Adding variety to the glass, some of the stonework, stuff like that)  The floors are in, but no interior walls just yet.  Frankly, most of major changes in this update are first run subject to change type of things... but they're enough to show where things are headed.

JB

[threestooges]

To tell you the truth, I didn't know a week could go by so fast (but I got caught up with most of what I needed to get done) and had the time to fiddle around with another bridge (or two) and I did enjoy the time off. The brick doesn't look too bad, but I almost feel like there should be a second fire escape somewhere. The two sets going down the back are good, but they seem a bit insufficient to handle a building that size (though building codes may have been a bit lax at the time it was built...). Quick question for you: do you use a texture for your glass, and is there a way to have something appear opaque during the day yet translucent/transparent at night? Hope the news on the move is good, and I'll look forward to seeing what else you have in store for this building.
-Matt

[RebaLynnTS]

Sorry JB, I didn't mean to ignore you ... just got caught up in the moment. I really like what you are doing, and I know how tough all those little details can be. I am working on a house, with some very intricate detail work, and man is it boring

Matt, I know one way to it. Make two versions, and make them into timed props, one shows at night one during the day. There may be another way, so best to see if anyone else has any more ideas.

[BigSlark]

Impressive. I'm not really sure what else to say, your latest SHUR works have absolutely amazed me Jon. I think you are the master of the early 20th century BAT.

As always, I'm looking forward to what you come up with next.

Cheers,
Kevin

[Fledgeling]

Great progress. I am not certain about the balcony, but it is really  ... I cant think of the word I want.

Oh! Its really nice  ... *generic positive comment*

I should sleep now...

[JBSimio]

Matt:  My original idea for the fire escape was to acually wrap it around that elevator shaft so it could be accessed by both wings... but it looked far too big that way.  The reference shots I have only show one fire escape (and I figured that I got away with just one on the Buder Building as well) so that's what I went with.  We can just pretend that the stairwells have been fire proofed during rennovations to bring things up to code.    For the glass... yes, I use several textures actuall and just mix them around.  To my knowledge, their isn't really a good way to do what you're asking in Gmax... but Callagrafx is much better at that stuff than I am, so you might want to ask him.  Depending on what it is you're trying to do, there can be some work arounds.  If you're talking about windows in general, you can set the opacity level fairly high (like 85-90%) and it will show rather opaque in the day view.  If you light from the inside, the light will still show through the windows at night as long as they're bright enough.  It's a tough balance though because if the lights get too bright you'll end up with leaks everywhere.

RebaLynn:  No need to be sorry... I wasn't picking on you, just responding anyway.   I actually enjoy doing the details... it's always an interesting challenge to see how intricate things can get and still have them show up in the game.  But after a while, especially on the bigger buildings, it does add up and get a bit tedious.  The timed prop idea would certainly work, but it's probably not the best solution if Matt is talking about windows.  First it requires making two complete model files which instantly doubles the file size... generally not worth it except in very special instances.  Second, turning the whole building into a prop means going with the invisible building trick... and that's been discussed more than enough lately so I won't rehash it here.  However, if it's something like a sign or smaller feature that can be easily "attached" to the side of a building... then the prop idea is a very good route.  It all depends on what you're after.

Kevin:  Thank you very much.  I already know what is coming next and it will be much simpler than the last couple have been.  Almost like break time for me!   

Fledgeling:  Thanks!  By "balcony," are you referring to the fire escapes?  Or just that you don't know if I should turn that ledge into balconies?  Or maybe the three tiny balconies in the corners on the south and west sides?  I'm so confused now... maybe I should sleep too! 

Just thought I'd answer comments for a minute.  That, and I just didn't really feel like working yet!    I probably ought to though...

JB

[RebaLynnTS]

Evryone needs a break once in a while.

[oldrogue]

Hey Jon,  I am really getting to appreciate how your batting skills have grown over the last year.  As you know, I love the early stuff and use it all the time....however the latest creations are just ...hmmm to be understated.. a cut above.... and that doesn't do them justice.

Anyhoo, this new {insert name here} is looking great.

[Pat Riot]

first of all, the roof textures are perfect. I don't think it is possible to do any better than the ones you have. The brick looks good too, it looks like it may be tiling, but it's not bothersome tiling, its good looking tiling. And of course those fire escapes are crazy good.....but you already knew that 

Whole thing kinda reminds me of the Hotel Bethlehem, even though i doubt the are similar in design.

[Pat]

WoW I leave for 5 days for a family emergency and come home to find more wonderful stuff from Jon!!!!!      Bravo Jon just Bravo and I love the detailing on the new building as well, exspicaly the stair case!!!!

[oldrogue]

well Jon, found this old post card and for some reason thought immediatlely of your Shur project.......







Oh...and welcome back Pat...hope all is well.....

[JBSimio]

RebaLynn:  Yeah... I've heard that breaks are good.  I should really look into that sometime... 

Duane:  Thank you!  These last couple have really pushed me into some different areas, which is apparently a good thing!

Pat Roit:  Thanks!  Today's textures aren't as good yet... but they're a start.  I did notice one spot where the tiling shows up along the sides, but that shouldn't be too hard to cover up next time I tweak the bricks.

Pat:  Thank you!  I was actually wondering where you went.  Good to see you're back and I hope everything is alright.

Duane:  I think I can see why that might happen...    That's a great collection lined up there!

As I mentioned, I started tinkering with the street side textures this evening.  I'm not real happy with them yet, but here's a look:



The untextured pieces kind of get in the way, but I'm sure you get the idea.  Right now, I feel it's too bright, too yellow, and the "blocks" are oversized and not as subtle as they should be.  I definitely have some adjusting to do... but I figured I would show them anyway because the details are starting to pop out a little better now.  Actually, the big job was taking everything apart and arranging all the pieces into the right groups again... so the evening wasn't a total loss anyway!    Things should look better tomorrow night (I hope)

JB

[figui]

looking good!

i'd agree it's too bright and about the size of the "blocks", but (again) i really like how it's looking.

mauricio.