choco's attempts at BATing bridges

KoV Liberty · August 17, 2009, 05:43:53 PM

Been waiting for that one!

choco · August 30, 2009, 12:02:27 AM

thanks for the kind words, all! i really never dreamed i'd get this far.....

well, a little bit more to do on this one, so critique as necessary. im thinking the x-truss on the side will be redone with a bit more realism, but otherwise..... $:-\$

threestooges · August 30, 2009, 12:35:32 AM

Only thought I have, and even that's a miniscule one, is that it seems a bit large, If it's designed for a longer stretch I would expect to see a heftier frame like it has, but it's about 2x3 times the height of the rail cars. Most bridges I've seen usually have just enough space for the train to pass to save on materials. Aside from that, looks great.
-Matt

choco · August 30, 2009, 12:49:20 AM

excellent point.....this model is pretty old, before i really knew what i was doing in BAT. shouldn't be too hard to rescale it.

thanks for the input

KoV Liberty · August 30, 2009, 06:45:10 AM

Yeah, but it looks good otherwise!

Leodido · August 30, 2009, 11:18:35 PM

I'm not too fond of the orange wood texture but otherwise it is great keep going

meinhosen · August 31, 2009, 09:41:24 AM

Yeah, threestooges has a good point. A rescale on that would really look good on that bridge.

Critiques/constructive criticism:
Maybe darker structural textures (most truss bridges I've seen are black or a dark, rusty red); the decking is also typically black or a very dark brown. I think that bridge would make a good STR bridge if it were rescaled, too. It does look good, though, don't get me wrong.

vinlabsc3k · September 03, 2009, 02:12:57 AM

Quote from: choco on August 02, 2009, 11:48:57 AM
so, after toiling many extra, needless hours modding on an old laptop.....i finally got an upgarde with a bit of power now. export times have vastly improved....

....which allowed me to get this model re-worked.....

"too awesome"

choco, is this already available on the LEX?

KoV Liberty · September 03, 2009, 05:11:41 PM

No. I think it will be in the next RHW (V4).

allan_kuan1992 · September 03, 2009, 09:20:12 PM

actually... can I suggest a more less rusty version of that golden truss bridge? Maybe a splash of other colours could help a little too.

vinlabsc3k · September 03, 2009, 11:53:04 PM

@ allan. Personally i love it as is

, but more choice is even better.

@ Driftmaster. I don't think so, because choco is "indipendent" from RHW Project and he can release his works when he wants.

threestooges · September 04, 2009, 01:13:58 AM

vinlabsc3k: he is technically independent of RHW and the NAM to some extent, but the nature of bridge design requires some level of integration with the RHW and NAM. At present, I am not sure if the bridges are compatible with the current version of the RHW. If they are, he may release them, if not he will likely have to wait until an updated rellease of the NAM/RHW that incorporates his bridge info. Hope that helps.

choco · September 04, 2009, 05:20:04 AM

got busy in here....

Quote from: Leodido on August 30, 2009, 11:18:35 PM
I'm not too fond of the orange wood texture but otherwise it is great keep going

thanks for the feedback.....nice new wooden planks dont really go with the motif of an old rail bridge, in thinkin about it.

Quote from: meinhosen on August 31, 2009, 09:41:24 AM
Maybe darker structural textures (most truss bridges I've seen are black or a dark, rusty red); the decking is also typically black or a very dark brown. I think that bridge would make a good STR bridge if it were rescaled, too.

i'll see what i can find.....im still not very good with textures, as im still learning how to use GIMP. insofar as STR, i've got lots of other plans for that as well. im trying not to use the same model twice, until i get the entire collection completed (which includes some RAM bridges, GLR, and EL-Rail). at that point, i may go back and remod some that are requested. thanks for the input...

Quote from: Driftmaster07 on September 03, 2009, 05:11:41 PM
No. I think it will be in the next RHW (V4).

that is indeed the intention....need to get my act together tho, RL is hitting and i need to prepare my home for winter yet...

Quote from: allan_kuan1992 on September 03, 2009, 09:20:12 PM
actually... can I suggest a more less rusty version of that golden truss bridge? Maybe a splash of other colours could help a little too.

i think texture mods would be fairly simple with bridges.....so, its a possibility. the rustic nature of this bridge comes from the area in which i live, which has a wide array of old, unkempt rusty bridges since they were all built many decades ago....

Quote from: vinlabsc3k on September 03, 2009, 11:53:04 PM
I don't think so, because choco is "indipendent" from RHW Project and he can release his works when he wants.

i would say i 'work' independently, but threestooges is correct here....i just make the bridges and let the others decide if they want to include them in the NAM. however, im the only dedicated bridge builder at the moment, since others are much more skilled at transit modding than I. the actual uploads are done by the NAM team, as I do not have upload rights to the LEX.

in the case of the RHW bridges, they require some RUL changes to connect the RHW network to the bridges which are based on the Maxis ground highway network, i.e. RHW-8 and RHW-10. so to release them now would be extremely frustrating to everyone since they would effectively be "eye-candy" only....

Quote from: threestooges on September 04, 2009, 01:13:58 AM
the nature of bridge design requires some level of integration with the RHW and NAM.

too true....i think Alex lobbied to add me to the team so i wouldn't keep bothering him every time i needed something....

in all seriousness, i am constantly making changes to the network INI file, which is pivotal to adding new bridges and the final finishing touches, like shadows and complex RULs. doing this work would have been very difficult to maintain at this pace without help from the NAM team.

vinlabsc3k · September 05, 2009, 01:47:53 AM

I mean what threestooges said

, but i'm not good in english

KoV Liberty · September 29, 2009, 01:40:59 PM

Any chance we will see a release of the bridges you made soon?

choco · October 01, 2009, 07:55:21 AM

soon is a relative term....

but yes, everything displayed here will be released.

RL just kicked me to the curb yesterday, so i may have some more "free" time coming up. im working on quite a few files at the moment, so it's gonna take some time to work out the bugs.

rooker1 · October 01, 2009, 08:14:44 AM

choco, I wouldn't take that....kick RL back.
Your bridges are great and I patiently wait for them.

Robin

threestooges · October 01, 2009, 12:35:41 PM

Sorry to hear that choco, but I'm with Robin, kick it back. Hope you're able to get things straightened out soon, but until then, we'll be here if you ever want to chat or if you have a new project in the works.
-Matt

JoeST · October 01, 2009, 12:54:06 PM

Damn that evil RL

hope you atleast get something good out of it...and come back whenever you feel like you can

I cant wait for your bridges though

choco · October 04, 2009, 07:44:33 AM

thanks for the encouragement!

i knew it was coming, it was just a matter of when. i do have the option to relocate, but i'm not so sure I want to go at this point. it was a messy deal, needless to say. i contemplated a change of industries a few years ago when i first moved to back Pennsylvania, which is again what i am faced with now. With 10 good years working as a Mechanical Engineer in the semiconductor industry, I'm fairly confident I can find my niche elsewhere. I was starting to get burned out from all the travel anyway, so this may be better in the long run. everyone is confronted with choices in life.....how we react to those is what defines us as individuals.

im still excited about the future, and may have the free time i need to get thru this collection of models I've amassed.

im sorry for such a long wait on these bridges, but I hope the time will be worth it. I started on another RHW bridge, since I may have the time now to finish it.

basically, a second iteration of the model. you can still see a small issue with the LOD if ya look close.

much of this year has been exploring different methods to prevent glitches. i'm finding that some geometries create LODs that are far too complex, or cause obstructions to the transit texture s3d added later on (as shown above). hopefully, the final effect will be some good looking bridges....both during day and night.