JBSimio Inc.

[ardecila]

Back on pg 32 my pic i showed you about the Riverside PD that is copper roof.. My mom told me, cause i had to ask her lol.... Next time she is in that area she promissed to get me pictures of the PD and the Water Tower that is there as well, it looks like a midevil castle tower...

Oh, Riverside...  how I love you.  In my mind, it's one of, if not THE most beautiful suburb in the US - right up there with Chevy Chase, MD and the Country Club District in Kansas City.  Of course, it comes at a price - Riverside has crazy rules and regulations.  My parents lived there right after getting married, and they had an ordinance forbidding overnight street parking.  On the biggest blizzard of the year, my dad's battery died, forcing him to leave his car in front of his building overnight.  In the morning, he awoke to find a $150 ticket.  They don't mess around - he was eventually able to appeal and overturn the ticket, but apparently it was a real pain.

JB, the hotel is amazing!  It's too bad that it came out 2m wider than expected, but I can easily fix that via the Occupant Size property.  I also love Tiffany's to death - it looks very much like something I would see in Winnetka or Park Ridge or some other Chicago suburb (well, not the purple parts, but it's close).

[JBSimio]

Fledgeling:  Not to worry, my friend.  This lot size is stage 7 and fine with or without CAM.  If the smaller lot ends up higher than stage 8, I'll make a non-CAM version of it also.  Honestly, once the lotting is done, making multiple versions is pretty painless for me to do, so it's no problem.

Vester:  Well, yeah... there's that option too. 

Pat:  I did play a little actually!

Ardecila:  Yes, the size really never changed, I just misread and got the wrong number fixed in my head.  I sat here confused when I couldn't put it on a 5x lot... then I went back and looked and had that, "Aw crap!" moment.  I'm glad you like Tiffany's and I'm not surprised it looks familiar to you.  The picture I was using (we all know I don't reproduce, just borrow inspiration) is a building on Armitage in Lincoln Park.  I forget the cross street, but it's just east of Sheffield and the L.  The color really should have been more of a blue grey... but I couldn't get the mix right and kept ending up with just grey.

OK... I played with the hotel some more.  This is still the larger lot, so anyone holding out for the urban version just bear with me until I get there.  I didn't change a whole lot style wise, but I replaced most of the standard Maxis flora with the custom stuff that looks so much better.  I also cleaned up the parking lot and "hid" the dumpster area a little better.





I'm pretty happy with this version now unless there are some suggestions.  I'll  probably move on to the smaller lot next.

Tiffany's has entered testing.

Jestarr has done some amazing things with the grain elevator and I'm so excited about how it looks now.

I think that covers things for now,
JB

[Vandy]

Hi, JB.

I must say that you never cease to amaze me with the depth and breadth of your talent.  I believe it is time to declare you my new (well, once again as you've always been a) favorite BATter.  Your Smalltown  USA series is one of my most favorite to use and your SHUR project is absolutely stunning.

Thank you for sharing your talents with the SC4 community.

Regards,

Gary

[Pat]

LoL Jon im glad you got to play a little lol.... As far as the lot, I wouldnt change a thing cept for dumping the street lights in the back... Maybe using SG parking lot lamps if you used anything from that prop pack might be an idea?

[threestooges]

You've done it again. Stunning... absolutely stunning. The flowering bushes long the front are very stately, the hidden dumpster area looks realistic too. I'm glad that you didn't try to fix that light leak. It is small, and it took me a while to find it. It almost blends in to the area too... it looks like exterior patio lighting. Speaking of lighting, I have another BAT question for you. I've been trying to get it to work, they show up in the preview renders, but not when I export them, or in the game. Has this ever happened to you?

[EDGE4194]

  its perfect!   

[figui]

wow 
i'm glad you took off the trees in front of the entrance, and also you replaced the maxis flora with this seasonal flora.. this is perfect

mauricio.

[JBSimio]

Gary:  Wow!  Thank you so much!  I truly appreciate that.

Pat:  I'll have a look for those lamps.  Thanks!

Matt:  Thank you!  I'm glad we were able to sort out your lighting issue... let me know if anything else crops up.

Edge:  Thanks!

Figui:  Thank you!  The trees made a huge difference.

I haven't been in much of a lotting mood today, so I started another Smalltown building for a "break."   I plan on using this as the clinic option that Simdad mentioned the other day.  So here's an early peak at Weatherwax Pharmacy:



This will be another corner lot... 1x2 this time.  It should also fit for a w2w on both sides... no alley this time.  That's about it for now really...

JB

[Bluebeard]

Thanx JB for the Hotel update.
    The fence around the dumpster is a great idea but those trees in the middle of the parking lot well....
Did you ever considering using Peg's lighted trees?.
    Thanx for sharing these awesome lots.

[nofunk]

Ha ha! I love that for a "break" you start a new BAT. 

You should take breaks more often... it looks great!

[Pat]

LoL Jon i do agree with Nofunk... WoW to take a break bat some more lol.... SG parking lot lamps are in bsc mega pack sg vol 1 i do belive... Have fun batting Weatherwax Pharmacy and see you soon - pat

[JBSimio]

Bluebeard:  Thanks!  I put the trees in back just to make it a little more "presentable."  While it's not an area the rich folks would see too much of, they might still get lost and wander back there.  I hadn't really considered Peg's lighted trees because I needed pretty large ones to anchor the building, and I think most of the lit trees are pretty small... correct me if I'm wrong on that last part.

Nofunk:     Yeah... what can I say?  To me the BAT is one thing... lotting is another... modding is another.  There are certain parts of all three that I enjoy (some obviously more than others).  So when I get tired or bored of one of them, I just move to a different one.  I'm glad you like it though!

Pat:  Thanks!  I'll take a look at the lamps and see... I can't really picture them at the moment.

Here's an update on Weatherwax.  It's pretty much closed up now.



I'm not quite sure how I feel about the tower roof just yet.  I'll probably brown it up some so it matches better.  I still have to make the brick textures... then it will be on to the extra junk (awnings included) and lighting.  Enjoy your extra hour tonight! (for those in the US anyway... the rest of the world already had theirs I think)

JB

[threestooges]

Excellently done. Even with the flat color on the building it looks like it's ready to go. PEnding the brick texture, I would almost leave the tower as it is. The green is a nice contract to the rest of the colors (more brown might make it blend too much with the rest of the tower/brick). Two questions for you (yes more questions): what are the dimensions of your windows in the pharmacy (the basic ones)? Also, in regard to my BATting follies: I do have the night maps present in the model file, but they still don't show in game... any ideas what I'm missing?

[ardecila]

Oh, wow - another Armitage-style building (one of my favorite places in the city).

My only problem is with the roof texture.  Isn't that just a standard Maxis texture?  Gravel roofs aren't used very often on older buildings because of their weight - an asphalt/sealcoat texture would be more appropriate.  A silver-colored coating is common over asphalt roofs so that the roof does not absorb the heat from sunlight and raise cooling costs.

Armitage/Bissell

[baconrocky]

Wow, Nice JB. The Small Town projects on the side are looking pretty. ahaha, I like the bay//bow windows, are they supposed to be wood or like metal? (just curious) - and do you see yourself making some non-corners of that style?

[JBSimio]

Matt:  Thanks!  I tried a different texture for the tower roof that I think I like (I've looked at it so many times, I really don't know anymore!).  The standard single windows on this have an opening of 1.2 x 2.6.  I'm really not sure about your lighting issue at this point.  It almost sounds like you're missing the Maxis update, but I seriously doubt that coming from you.  There is a bug with props and lighting if the prop is touching the edge of a lot... but that wouldn't apply if you're using it as a regular building.  Whatever it is, it sounds more game or modding related as opposed to an export problem.

Ardecila:  Good point about the roof (it's not a Maxis texture, by the way... but that's not the point).  I'll have a look and see what else I  have that might fit.  You may see some more Lincoln Park inspired stuff down the road.  If I'm in Chicago, that's usually where I stay.  I agree... it's a great part of the city and the architecture there has some of my favorite styles.  And it's just such a vibrant area... I could easily live there if I ever do the city thing again.

Baconrocky:  Thanks!  The bay windows on both of the last two are wood work.  I'll definitely make some non corners again.  I find the corner buildings a little tougher to fit well, so I wanted to experiment with those first.  Now I can easily borrow pieces to make the regular ones.

I think this one is finished other than the roof textures mentioned above.  Here are the day and night shots:





Any suggestions before I wrap this one up?

JB

[nofunk]

Ardecila: Why, that looks like the Carbide & Carbon Building in your avatar!

You can get some of the best shots of the city from the penthouse of that building... if it's open.



Also... 

JBSimio: That building is great!! I've wanted to model some Chicago buildings too, and this makes me want to even more.

[threestooges]

Well, you're right, the brown does seem to fit in better with the building... but I still kind of liked the green, but then again, even bronze/copper buildings start as brown before weathering so it does work with the building. Now then, in regards to your second point... which maxis update are you referring to? I've downloaded so many things I can't remember what I have (or perhaps still need). I know it's not the edge of a lot thing either (both building and prop versions (doing some troubleshooting) were smack dab in the middle to the lots). Thanks for your help on this.

[Pat]

Jon thats looking real good imho... Keep on going on that my friend - pat

[JBSimio]

Nofunk:  Thanks!  Looks like you got some nice pictures yourself.

Matt:  I'm glad you like it, thanks!  The update(s) are the standard ones mentioned in nearly every download.  Here are the links:  <a href="http://simcity.ea.com/update/index_update.php" target="_blank">EP1-Update 1</a>  and <a href="http://simcity.ea.com/coolstuff/bat/index.php" target="_blank">SC4-Update</a>  If you've been seeing lights on other BATs, then this probably isn't your problem either... but who knows?

Pat:   Thanks!  I kept going...

I rendered and lotted this today.  There are five versions in all... CS$$ and CO$$ grow or plop for each, and then the clinic.







The clinic has all the same costs and stats as the Maxis version, but with double the coverage radius.  Basically, the same as the other Smalltown civic buildings.  I double the coverage just so it can serve the farms better... the capacity is still  just as small.  It's not meant for dense populations.

I'm still toying with the smaller version of the Swan Majestic... but so far I'm not happy with what I'm getting.  Maybe I'll get something worth showing soon.

JB