Post by Tom/CalClassic on Oct 16, 2008 14:57:37 GMT -5
Place the textures you create in the same folder as where you save the GMAX file, in Millions of colors format. PSD or JPG files also work.
Basically, the buildings are produced by:
Make sure that your system units are set to Meters. Customize/Preferences/General. You can set the Display units to anything you like. I use Decimal Feet. This can be changed at any time without problems (unlike the System Unit). There are 3.281 feet in a meter. )
Create a material for your project first. Click on the red ball at the top right. Click the New button, and then choose Standard. Now click on the green Maps bar. You might have to scroll down to see it. Then click on the button for the Diffuse texture, and browse to your day texture. Click the little blue and white checkered box near the top of the box (you won't see your textures on your building if you don't). Use the drop down box to select the Material instead of the map. Now click the little lock to the right of the texture button to unlock the Ambient choice. Click the Ambient texture button and browse to your night texture. Click the red X to close the box.
Now we're ready for the building itself.
1. Create a Box with the number of sections needed for each change of height and width. Make the box the smallest dimension of the building in width and height. To create a box use the panel on the right, and click the Box button. If the Box button is not visible, click the Create tab at the top of the right panel (left tab).
2. Add an Edit Mesh Modifier to the stack. (Click the second tab at the top of the right panel. Then use the drop down box to select Edit Mesh.) Then click the little black plus sign next to it and choose Polygon mode. Select the polygons for a section of the building that should be higher or wider. Do this to the largest areas first, and then the smaller areas last. For example, if half the building is one story and half two story, and it also has a wider part that is only one eighth of the building, make the building taller first, and then make it wider. Saves time and polygons that way.
3. In the Extrude box, type in the length it should be higher/wider. Press Enter. If wrong, press the undo button along the top of the screen.
4. Repeat #2 and #3 until the building is the shape you want.
5. Select all the polygons for the roof
6. Press the Detach Button, and rename the roof.
7. Texture the main building
a. Texture the main face of the building
1. Set the view so the main face is facing you.
2. Apply the Material you created above that uses the desired texture (and LM texture) - click the red ball and then press the Apply button with your building selected.
3. Add a UVW Map Modifier to the stack.
4. Press the View Align button. Press the Bitmap Fit button, select the texture, click OK.
5. Add a UVW Unwrap Modifier to the stack
6. Press the Edit button. Select all the points by dragging across the screen.
7. Use the Move and Uniform Scale modes to move the points into the proper location on the bitmap. These are accessed via buttons along the top of the UVW Edit window.
8. Use the Non-Uniform Scale mode or other technique to get the points to fit perfectly. It's best to leave a little of the texture OUTSIDE the points, to allow for mip mapping wrap around (i.e. FS will use a few pixels OUTSIDE the points when mip mapping). To get the Non-Uniform Scale mode, hold down the Uniform Scale button until the other modes drop down below, then select it.
9. Click the red X to close the UVW Edit box.
b. Add a Select Mesh Modifier and choose Polygon, select the next polygons to texture (i.e. the side of the building, or the back).
c. Repeat the texturing (step a) for these polygons
d. Repeat b and c for all sides of the building. (Note that the front and back or two sides of the building can be textured at the same time, as long as they can be mirror images of each other - saves time).
8. Select the roof part. Create a new material for the roof. Click the red ball and click the New button. Repeat the instructions at the top. We try to use the default textures for the roof to save on frame rate and zip file size. They are called "roofn.bmp" and "tileroofn.bmp", where n is a number. They are located in your main FS2004 TEXTURE folder. There is no night texture. Apply this material to your roof. With your roof selected, click the Apply button. Finally add a UVW Map modifier to the stack to texure the roof (in Top View), and set the two UVW numbers to 3-6 ft.
9. Add any details like fences, overhangs, or railings. Texture these. If you use a DXT1 with alpha texture, portions of the part can be made transparent, saving polygons and frame rate (i.e. a single polygon can make a complex railing). Do this by creating a black/white alpha channel (black = transparent). Otherwise we just use 256 color BMP files.
Note that often (like with the fingers of the terminal) I use a small part of a texture for a long building, and let it "tile" across the building (i.e. it is used many times automatically). That way you can use a small texture for a long building.
Hope this helps,
Basically, the buildings are produced by:
Make sure that your system units are set to Meters. Customize/Preferences/General. You can set the Display units to anything you like. I use Decimal Feet. This can be changed at any time without problems (unlike the System Unit). There are 3.281 feet in a meter. )
Create a material for your project first. Click on the red ball at the top right. Click the New button, and then choose Standard. Now click on the green Maps bar. You might have to scroll down to see it. Then click on the button for the Diffuse texture, and browse to your day texture. Click the little blue and white checkered box near the top of the box (you won't see your textures on your building if you don't). Use the drop down box to select the Material instead of the map. Now click the little lock to the right of the texture button to unlock the Ambient choice. Click the Ambient texture button and browse to your night texture. Click the red X to close the box.
Now we're ready for the building itself.
1. Create a Box with the number of sections needed for each change of height and width. Make the box the smallest dimension of the building in width and height. To create a box use the panel on the right, and click the Box button. If the Box button is not visible, click the Create tab at the top of the right panel (left tab).
2. Add an Edit Mesh Modifier to the stack. (Click the second tab at the top of the right panel. Then use the drop down box to select Edit Mesh.) Then click the little black plus sign next to it and choose Polygon mode. Select the polygons for a section of the building that should be higher or wider. Do this to the largest areas first, and then the smaller areas last. For example, if half the building is one story and half two story, and it also has a wider part that is only one eighth of the building, make the building taller first, and then make it wider. Saves time and polygons that way.
3. In the Extrude box, type in the length it should be higher/wider. Press Enter. If wrong, press the undo button along the top of the screen.
4. Repeat #2 and #3 until the building is the shape you want.
5. Select all the polygons for the roof
6. Press the Detach Button, and rename the roof.
7. Texture the main building
a. Texture the main face of the building
1. Set the view so the main face is facing you.
2. Apply the Material you created above that uses the desired texture (and LM texture) - click the red ball and then press the Apply button with your building selected.
3. Add a UVW Map Modifier to the stack.
4. Press the View Align button. Press the Bitmap Fit button, select the texture, click OK.
5. Add a UVW Unwrap Modifier to the stack
6. Press the Edit button. Select all the points by dragging across the screen.
7. Use the Move and Uniform Scale modes to move the points into the proper location on the bitmap. These are accessed via buttons along the top of the UVW Edit window.
8. Use the Non-Uniform Scale mode or other technique to get the points to fit perfectly. It's best to leave a little of the texture OUTSIDE the points, to allow for mip mapping wrap around (i.e. FS will use a few pixels OUTSIDE the points when mip mapping). To get the Non-Uniform Scale mode, hold down the Uniform Scale button until the other modes drop down below, then select it.
9. Click the red X to close the UVW Edit box.
b. Add a Select Mesh Modifier and choose Polygon, select the next polygons to texture (i.e. the side of the building, or the back).
c. Repeat the texturing (step a) for these polygons
d. Repeat b and c for all sides of the building. (Note that the front and back or two sides of the building can be textured at the same time, as long as they can be mirror images of each other - saves time).
8. Select the roof part. Create a new material for the roof. Click the red ball and click the New button. Repeat the instructions at the top. We try to use the default textures for the roof to save on frame rate and zip file size. They are called "roofn.bmp" and "tileroofn.bmp", where n is a number. They are located in your main FS2004 TEXTURE folder. There is no night texture. Apply this material to your roof. With your roof selected, click the Apply button. Finally add a UVW Map modifier to the stack to texure the roof (in Top View), and set the two UVW numbers to 3-6 ft.
9. Add any details like fences, overhangs, or railings. Texture these. If you use a DXT1 with alpha texture, portions of the part can be made transparent, saving polygons and frame rate (i.e. a single polygon can make a complex railing). Do this by creating a black/white alpha channel (black = transparent). Otherwise we just use 256 color BMP files.
Note that often (like with the fingers of the terminal) I use a small part of a texture for a long building, and let it "tile" across the building (i.e. it is used many times automatically). That way you can use a small texture for a long building.
Hope this helps,