1. If you are going to register on XLNation, please make sure you do not use a proxy server.
    If you use a proxy server your registration will most likely get blocked due to spammers and hackers using proxy servers to hide their real IP address.

    If your using your home or work IP address and have not received your registration email, check your spam folder.
    PLEASE DO NOT ASK TO HAVE YOUR ACCOUNT DELETED IF YOU HAVE POSTED IN THE FORUM! If so we do not delete accounts due to the mess it can make on the forum.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Please see the following thread for more information
    XLN's future is looking bad

Ocram's Cities XXL Projects

Discussion in 'Projects' started by AzemOcram, Apr 9, 2015.

  1. AzemOcram

    AzemOcram Executive

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2014
    Messages:
    117
    Likes Received:
    40
    I think I am almost ready to upload my first mod for Cities XXL on Steam (or CXL Platinum here). One tiny problem is that the only way I know how to make textures results in very large and repetitive picture.

    Here is the first project, a medium-density wall-to-wall row of rowhouses. BTW, this is in the same style as my Banished (never completed) and Cities: Skylines (needs tweaking before release but functions in game) rowhouses. This is just bigger because banished housing is single-family and cities skylines has a limit of 32x32 meters (so I just decided to make mine 16x16 meters). I plan on tinting the bricks a different color for each unit (and I plan on making 3 variations with the different tints and their different patterns as well as different props being the only differences).

    6xeyaif.png

    Oo2NoVE.png

    X0klFun.png

    Thank you for the feedback and help!

    --Ocram

    EDIT: Here is a picture with more colorful variations for the brick facade:
    4Y6UqCY.png
     
  2. Dreian

    Dreian Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2014
    Messages:
    188
    Likes Received:
    87
    Nice! But wouldn t it be maybe more effective for you to produce single units separated from each other (divide your building in 6 pieces)? Then it would really be more modular to use... allowing the player to do the color mix he wants...?
     
  3. pauliaxz

    pauliaxz Mayor

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2014
    Messages:
    394
    Likes Received:
    440
    Nice looking, anyway could you upload your diffuse, to see how it can be optimised?
     
  4. AzemOcram

    AzemOcram Executive

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2014
    Messages:
    117
    Likes Received:
    40
    @Dreian: thank you for the suggestion but I made each rowhouse unit 7 meters wide so I would probably have to make them bigger (10 meters wide) and make them T1 NOZAC (and I don't think NOZAC works for Cities XXL). Ideally, I would want the player to be able to choose the color mix he wants but I have not fully figured out how I would go about doing that. Also, this building most likely results in a lower polygon count.

    @pauliaxz: I will upload the diffuse tonight but I won't have access to my computer until around 8 or 9 pm (and it is 9AM now) because I am busy with several things away from home today. In the mean time, I will just say that every part of the model has a unique part on the diffuse so the diffuse is 2048x2048 pixels with a ton of repetition. It would probably serve me well to have one texture map to multiple different places (with only 2 variations of windows--lit and unlit so I can use the same UVW map for the diffuse and night-lighting textures).

    I was also hoping that Cities XXL would change the population growth to be linear so 1 worker counts for 2-10 population and that the population multiplyer and the worker count would be easy to mod so that my first idea for a mod would result in realistic population counts... oh well... once 5x5 tile zones are figured out (through mods or DLC) I will switch to Cities: Skylines. However, it would be really great if they had more LOD's (for improved performance).

    Thank you for the help!

    --Ocram
     
  5. Trolca

    Trolca Executive

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2014
    Messages:
    75
    Likes Received:
    66
    Instead of NOZAC you could use the CUSTOM tag instead.
     
  6. gbojanic

    gbojanic Governor

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2014
    Messages:
    185
    Likes Received:
    406
    Nice work so far.
    2048x2048 px diffuse is waaaaay too large for such a small model (32x32m). Those resolution are used only for huge and complex buildings (over 100m) and only if 1024x1024 is just not enough.
    512x512 px should be more than enough.
     
  7. Mr.X²

    Mr.X² Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2014
    Messages:
    1,338
    Likes Received:
    1,714
    nice start, and a decent light-map will improve lovelyness ;)
     
  8. AzemOcram

    AzemOcram Executive

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2014
    Messages:
    117
    Likes Received:
    40
    Here is the diffuse for my rowhouses. It is way too big to be used for a mod but I hope that it can be shrunken by mapping repetitive features to the same part of the picture (and make the picture 512x1024). BTW, my rowhouses will fit on a 40x40 lot but are wall-to-wall with a backyard (and possibly a front lawn).

    http://i.imgur.com/xrXAQOb.png

    Thanks for the help!

    --Ocram
     
  9. gbojanic

    gbojanic Governor

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2014
    Messages:
    185
    Likes Received:
    406
    Take a look at this tutorial for UV mapping:

     
  10. nicko2u

    nicko2u Governor

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2014
    Messages:
    742
    Likes Received:
    1,108
    I would probably just create new 1024x1024 map then first grab your larger sections like walls, roof area and place them first on you map- resize to best fit, then place next largest. You seem to have lots of duplicate windows etc. that are probably not needed, though a few different windows are always good to use for different light effects. The side walls you really only need one if you use same uvw map. But yeah it's just learning how to uvwrap the model faces using the same texture areas. Sometimes you need to adjust your diffuse map to suit.
    Once you done that try adding a lightmap and bump map to add extra detail, then create a illumination map for nightlights. All fun and games.

    If you get inspired you can also try adding some sort of dirt map over the diffuse area of the side walls. Just need to find a decent transparent dirt map.
     
  11. AzemOcram

    AzemOcram Executive

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2014
    Messages:
    117
    Likes Received:
    40
    I managed to fix the diffuse so that it is only 1024x1024 while being higher quality at the same time. Thank you Monty for the video on how to move around polygons in UVW maps.

    Here is the model at full-scale in Cities: Skylines (I test it this way because it is easier for me). In the code it is a college.
    http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=424140737

    Thank you everyone for the help! I really appreciate it! However, I want to know whether 1024x1024 is acceptable for Cities XXL medium density?

    --Ocram
     
  12. Nogerivan

    Nogerivan Governor

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2014
    Messages:
    479
    Likes Received:
    1,024
    maybe You can try do the color variation on lightmap instead of diffuse, so that is only need one brick color on diffuse..
    I never try it myself, but it should works :angel:
     
  13. nicko2u

    nicko2u Governor

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2014
    Messages:
    742
    Likes Received:
    1,108
    looking good, though the chimney seems too large maybe? if it was an industrial building yes but it's housing and those should be way smaller I think.
     
  14. Miguel

    Miguel Governor

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2014
    Messages:
    176
    Likes Received:
    1,706
    Hey this model looks very nice. I'm looking forward to this one. (y)
     
  15. AzemOcram

    AzemOcram Executive

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2014
    Messages:
    117
    Likes Received:
    40
    I apologize for not updating this thread as well. I figured out what was wrong with my corrected model and fixed that issue (a hidden box I had to delete). I now have all 4 LOD models acceptable for a T2 residential building in Cities XL. In order to test how the model looks, I put it into Cities: Skylines

    AXJmeZr.jpg

    Cities: Skylines has a very vibrant filter so the building looks over-saturated.
     
  16. Miguel

    Miguel Governor

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2014
    Messages:
    176
    Likes Received:
    1,706
    Is this a model for CSL or CXL?
     
  17. Nick97

    Nick97 Elite

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2014
    Messages:
    140
    Likes Received:
    48
    I Will Create This in 1 Year
     
  18. Nick97

    Nick97 Elite

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2014
    Messages:
    140
    Likes Received:
    48
    I needed the 3D File or Max File Please
     
  19. AzemOcram

    AzemOcram Executive

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2014
    Messages:
    117
    Likes Received:
    40
    I am practicing in Cities: Skylines (L1 or L2 are perfect for the main models of Cities: Skylines and L4 is perfect for the LOD model) but as soon as I learn how to import my models into Cities XL, I will. After that, it should be easy to convert from Cities XL Platinum to Cities XXL. If there is a tool that makes FBX files super easy for Cities XXL, I might do Cities XXL first. However, the Cities: Skylines and Cities XXL mods will be on the Steam workshop and the Cities XL: Platinum mod will be on the XLEX.

    My model will look much better as part of Cities XL's skilled worker medium density condominiums than in Cities: Skylines.

    --Ocram
     
  20. AzemOcram

    AzemOcram Executive

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2014
    Messages:
    117
    Likes Received:
    40
    Update: I have made a couple more models (I haven't finalized the textures yet).
    Now that I think of it, I think I will port my rowhouse mod for Banished to Cities: Skylines, Cities XXL, and Cities XL Platinum. When I finally make an upload to the XLEX, it will have multiple buildings (20 individual rowhouses, 2 groups of 5, 1 group of 3, each model with at least 2 texture variations). I just have to finish what I started first.

    --Ocram
     

Share This Page