Works from an Urban Design/Planner

[art128]

that's awesome !  great work ! 

[surdanis]

Dear starrdarcy,

Great work!

Just to let you know again, there are many of us in the SC4 community who really, really would like to see that double-decker highway, even if it's just eyecandy released!

And as for the rest of the work, it's looking great, and your particular style is definitely one that the community will enjoy, due to its fresh, original look. I'm not sure what style it fits into exactly.

But I've noticed that you keep asking for help here on your thread for lighting, etc. Have you approached anyone in the community specifically? I sense that, perhaps, you haven't--probably because you are unsure who to ask. I'm not a BATter myself, unfortunately, but I do know some excellent BATters that you would find most helpful. It just so happens that they are all in one BAT team: The HKT (Hong Kong Bat Team) found at http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?board=77.0. SimFox is the eminent expert on lighting. His work in that field is truly breathtaking. Cockatoo-210893 and bixel are also quite good. You mentioned that some of your work is inspired by what you've seen in Japan. Well, the HKT focuses on Asian styles in general. If you ask anyone of those BATters (those 3 should be the most active, too), you will find the help you are looking for, and I predict that your work can be up on the LEX in no time!

As for that double-decker highway (or, for that matter, anything transit related), you can certainly benefit from the HKT's help. However, you should also consider joining the NAM Team. Tarkus comes to mind as the most important member, though there are a few others.

Lastly, you should drop into the Simtropolis Live Chat every now and then. I see a number of BATters on there often: fukuda, bixel, glenni, xyloxadoria, etc. Get to know them there, and I'm sure you will find a helping hand if you can catch one of them.

[Fatsuhono]

Starrdarcy, Surdanis-san is definitely right, I second him! I figured out texturing with max from Fukuda in live chat, there are a lot of people who can help you! I will even offer to help you, but if I can't answer I will point your to other, more experienced people. Don't hesitate to drop me a PM my friend!

EDIT: Oh, and yes I work with 3ds max, so I will be happy help you render these models with max and niteliting!

[starrdarcy]

Hey guys, just stopping in. I can't believe i am getting requests for those old double level highways i made a long time ago, well i still have them, and can make some more modifications to them if you would like. I did manage to install simcity 4 today, i had to go buy deluxe again, my 4 copy, i lost the other ones lol. Anyways, i will make a more larger post later, for now though, i managed to bring this screeny, showing some progress of bringing in the road textures into SC4. Lot of work still to be done though.



Update: i managed to get one last one before i go!



Thanks for the support, i will answer questions later on

[Fatsuhono]

WOW! This shall be a fine addition to the SC4, if you release it of course...
I can't wait to see more my friend, any issues, feel free to ask!

[surdanis]

hmm, i'm concerned about the transit pieces. granted, they look cool, but unless you were to add traffic to them (and i'm assuming you haven't), then they are just pure eyecandy. when i was referring to the double-decker highway pieces, i called them eyecandy--but i didn't mean it in the pure sense. i was operating under the assumption (there i go assuming again ) that those ddhwy pieces were also transit-enabled. understand that at the present moment, there is no real way to simulate true double-decker highways (so the NAM Team says). someone correct me if i'm totally wrong on this.

so, anyway, in summation, while it would be nice to see all of those transit pieces (ddhwy, lined avenue, and what appears to be an asian-style one-way of sorts), please try to get them, at the very least, transit-enabled (though it would be nice to actually see moving automata).

but if i erred in this post--and that you do, in actuality, have them already as functioning puzzles pieces or whatnot (where they might, in fact, be draggables (was is tres cool) or complete over-ride mods of the present one-ways and avenues (which is not so good))--then disregard my request.

thank you, and happy BATting!

[Pat]

daaaaaaang Darcy those roads are looking sweet as well as the other building with the corner lots!!! 

[art128]

Wow ! it's simply awesome 

[Simpson]

Wow  this is really amazing 

[starrdarcy]

Hello SC4D members

Sorry for the long delay, I have been dealing with RL as usual; thank goodness I will be going part time soon at my day job, so I will have 4 days a week to devote to me projects, including this one. I realize that right now my works have been rather dodgy, with no real direction set in place – don't worry about this, I am in the works of planning a complete project, with a few members here. I think this will be a great opportunity to release some new & unique material for the SimCity 4 community.

Just to point out, I really like the membership here at SC4D, I see a lot of unique projects being worked on, and despite being not as big as some other sites, I believe that is an advantage for SC4D. As such, I will most likely be releasing a unique package just for SC4D members. The likely hood of releases elsewhere will be decided later, based on some factors that I will later mention.

At any rate, the progress continues with the previous buildings, though I think I have finally found out a particular style which best suits my tastes. First off, I like to work on the very small, and human scale of buildings, second; I have been really enjoying working with "modern" architecture, and been exploring small lot configurations for my buildings. This includes so called "infill" and "new urbanism" as some people like to call it.

I would like to show some pictures tonight, however I am in the process of finalizing a completed block, so I want to show it once it is finished and rendered... which will be Vray via Sketchup. As for any in game renders, I have been reluctant to do so, as it would be time consuming and counterproductive if these models where to be rendered in 3DS Max. I will update later on whether this will be done or not.

Surdanis:
The transit pieces you see in the last two pictures are non functioning, and where placed in the game for visual purposes. Right, now the only way I know how to transit enable them is with the SC4Tool, I know you can do it in iLive reader too, but there isn't enough textures to justify that yet. The highway pieces are too not transit enabled, as I do not know how to build that into the lots. I would like to release a custom road/street texture pack, though it would be slightly different from what you see here. The last two pictures are done on the "mini" grid and scaled to 10x10 meters, not 16x16... so it wouldn't work for many users right now. I'll go into more detail later on as to why I am doing this, but just as a hint, it has to do with a city journal.

-Darcy Cardinal

[starrdarcy]

Hello SC4D members

Well here I am again, with a major update of some sorts, as I am moving one step closer to seriously starting a project that will see material released to the SC4 community to enjoy. While there is still a lot of work to be done and I still have to find some others who I can call on when I need their help, and am confident that a major project can be started and completed by mid 2009, possibly earlier.

The main things that need to be done is find out what kind of building set to build, along with how many to include in the package. For design, I know how to do the modeling, but I wouldn't mind help in finding others who can populate my models with appropriate props. Lighting has been on my mind, and I would like my creations to be rendered in 3DS max with the best lighting that can be done. These models should be as realistic as we can get them. Starting today, I will be looking around these forums and approaching people that I feel could help me out. Of course I want to give something in return of their service, and I am open to suggestions.

Currently I have many ideas for building designs, ranging from the normal to radical. I wanted to strike middle ground for the buildings that are released, at least the ones that will show up more than once in a city. The more radical designs could be used for museums and schools, anything that is plop able. The more normal designs that I will be using are show below, they will be used frequently in the buildings I created. Please note that the textures and overall designs will vary from each model, so that to not create too much repetition.

(sorry mod about the large pics, i will size them down today 11/18)




In my future releases I am going to be focusing on low-rise infill and green fill developments. As mentioned in my previous posts, I like working on the human scale, so you will notice that my buildings compared to others will not be that noticeable from a high zoom level. However, I feel that up close, these small buildings will make a great contribution to create a more "full" city. What I mean is that there is more than just houses and tall buildings, often I have to admit that I see too much of either extreme. In reality, there are buildings of all shapes of sizes, in large and even small cities. I hope to make my mark in this area as a designer for SimCity.

So what has been happening recently for me? Well I no longer do 9-5 and live off my investments online. That means I have much more time to devote to projects like this, and you will see me on the boards here more often. I have really enjoyed the new and refreshing material show here on SC4D, so hats off for the other designers!

I am also taking in suggestions for buildings you would like to see in a future release, and any comments on my designs, critics are also welcome too 

I hope to work with some great people and finally – release a product for the entire community to enjoy! I am sorry it took this long, however as I always say "some things get better with time" believe I; this project will produce an awesome pack for people to use in their cities!

Thanks for reading, and thanks for being so patient with me!



-Darcy Cardinal

[baconrocky]

If there is one thing I DO want to see is Urban In-fill buildings that incorporate the old facades of historical buildings or renovations of old buildings retrofitting them into new modern structures....Such a common occurance in today's ever gentrifying cities yet severely lacking in our Simcities!

[Pat]

Hey Darcy good to see you back and also good to hear your making a killin on investments to where you are the boss!!! I agree its always the best comes to those who wait!!!!

[toxicpiano]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh yeah and I would seriously suggest those road textures for SAM or something

[CarmineHilton]

Would love to have that in my city =p
*hint* *hint*

[Fatsuhono]

Looks almost like a max render, nice work.

[starrdarcy]

Thanks for the reply's, i almost forgot that those where the old pics, i have some more updated material from a few days ago, here you go:





I will be going away for a few weeks, however, i will be working on creating a draft plan for the project, along with what would be included in the release.

-Darcy Cardinal

[Pat]

Darcy have fun on your weeks off and I cant wait to see what you come back with!!!

[Fatsuhono]

Looks really nice. Keep it up.

[art128]

excellent work on this tower Starrdarcy  It's looking very good !!