New Graphics - Blender ".blend" thread (Works In Progress)

Field-Mouse · Post by **Field-Mouse** » 18 Nov 2006 11:45

That screen is really good. It helped me realize a few things:
-- The busstop need to have more/bigger structures and A LOT more of thos glassthingies, in order to be able to locate a bustop quicker by recognizing the glass "roofs" and in order to change color of the structures of the busstop to seperate the different companies. for example changing the color of seats and ticket booth wont do enough change, according to me.
What about joining the glassroofs together and widen them slightly? Perhaps add a little wall behind the seats with company color at the bottom and glass from middle and up? Perhaps add a ticket booth with enough room for one employee to sit in it and sell tickets?

-- The truck station needs a small building and a loadingbay!!
Sort of like this:

but with 2 of them.

-- Roads need to be darker and a bit more "worn out", not too much but a little more worn out.

If anyone dissagrees with me, please say so!

brupje · Post by **brupje** » 18 Nov 2006 13:41

beside some buildings that should be rerendered to fit the style, imo it's looking very good.

Field-Mouse · Post by **Field-Mouse** » 18 Nov 2006 14:27

What do you guys think about a road texture like this? Made it this morning

See thumbnail below:

and original by using the link below (its 7mb)
http://mongo.servegame.com/otherwebs/road13.jpg
http://mongo.servegame.com/otherwebs/road14.jpg
EDIT:: added the one with the middle lines

Ben_Robbins_ · Post by **Ben_Robbins_** » 18 Nov 2006 14:42

I agree the roads may look better darker, but having additional white lines along the side makes them customised for certain countries. Minimal lines make them more universally expectable. That texture is probably a better tone of grey, but I think the tileablity currently would make the road ''pulse'' when stuck in a set. (if that makes sense). Too much variation away from the straight flow of the tile makes it less tillable.

I went with the tone of grey that’s currently there after referencing photos of roads. The original tt has the huge variation in tone towards the edges, but this really looks strange more zoomed in, and very unrealistic. Usually the curve in the road is near impossible to make out (in reality). Therefore starting a fresh seemed better than duplicating the original.

In terms of wear and tear, I have made the roads have the clear markings of where the tires usually role, but any more than that (e.g. potholes), would mean when you lay a new road in the game, its instantly falling apart!

Therefore, I would agree with going darker, but am skeptical on the other points.

tormentum: Can you elaborate on your point? I can't make much of it

(p.s. the road texture is in the .rar. Modify it, to the tone, or however, you recon is most suitable)

Field-Mouse · Post by **Field-Mouse** » 18 Nov 2006 14:51

Ben_Robbins_ wrote:I agree the roads may look better darker, but having additional white lines along the side makes them customised for certain countries. Minimal lines make them more universally expectable. That texture is probably a better tone of grey, but I think the tileablity currently would make the road ''pulse'' when stuck in a set. (if that makes sense). Too much variation away from the straight flow of the tile makes it less tillable.

I went with the tone of grey that’s currently there after referencing photos of roads. The original tt has the huge variation in tone towards the edges, but this really looks strange more zoomed in, and very unrealistic. Usually the curve in the road is near impossible to make out (in reality). Therefore starting a fresh seemed better than duplicating the original.

In terms of wear and tear, I have made the roads have the clear markings of where the tires usually role, but any more than that (e.g. potholes), would mean when you lay a new road in the game, its instantly falling apart!

Therefore, I would agree with going darker, but am skeptical on the other points.

tormentum: Can you elaborate on your point? I can't make much of it

(p.s. the road texture is in the .rar. Modify it, to the tone, or however, you recon is most suitable)

Okey, ill do that, and Ill try to fix MY texture up a bit and see if i can get it to not "pulse" that way and add a more universal line. Thx for feedback anyways.

Crazy Vaclav · Post by **Crazy Vaclav** » 18 Nov 2006 16:02

Have a look at the image below. Each step changes the brightness with -10.
If the roads will be made darker, I think -10 is enough.

Born Acorn · Post by **Born Acorn** » 18 Nov 2006 16:15

Will it be possible to have junctions that change graphics when you slect "drive on right" or "drive on left"? That'd be nifty.

Aracirion · Post by **Aracirion** » 19 Nov 2006 00:47

I wouldn't make the road too dark either

mexicoshanty · Post by **mexicoshanty** » 19 Nov 2006 07:25

I like the darkest colour road that Crazy Vaclav posted. It looks like bitumen where as the others look like concrete. Also i feel it keeps in tune with the ottd feel. Part of which is high contrast colours.

Field-Mouse · Post by **Field-Mouse** » 19 Nov 2006 10:28

I fixed my texture up a bit and placed it in on that "screenshot" with photoshop, it hasnt been rendered in blender or anything, just copied it in there with PS.
I have no junctions either, so it looks a bit weird some places but I actually think it looks good, and reminds me about the original tt road.

BTW Ben Robbins road looks best with the darkest (in that tone comparison), if it hadnt been for the weird colors in the "tire tracks" that came with it, but i suppose thats a minor thing to fix.
But your junctions and your curves looks fantastic, how did you do that?
BTW, I agree, no potholes, that would look look stupid.

What do you think about my little road? Still a few things that could be made to make it look less repetitive though...

Aracirion · Post by **Aracirion** » 19 Nov 2006 10:31

hum, I don't care soooo much but aren't roads only that dark when they're all new? Look here and here, and as Ttd is somewhat set in England also here.

Field-Mouse · Post by **Field-Mouse** » 19 Nov 2006 10:39

Aracirion wrote:hum, I don't care soooo much but aren't roads only that dark when they're all new? Look here and here, and as Ttd is set in somewhat set in England also here.

Hmm i dont know, but its more ttd style and well, this is what roads look like where I live.. One thing IS for sure, when a road is built it is not that bright! I took a photo from a bridge that went over one of the busiest roads in town, it was "re-asphalted" several years ago!
Maybe our countries are using different asphalts and thats why I am having a bit of a problem accepting Ben Robbins road the way it is now...

Oh, btw, this is a phot of the same road, before it was "re-asphalted" i believe. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... cehamn.jpg
covered in salt, which makes it look brighter!
But yeah, tt is set in England, guess theres a difference from Sweden..

Ben_Robbins_ · Post by **Ben_Robbins_** » 19 Nov 2006 17:53

Field-Mouse: The tone youve used for your road bit is only about -15. In the comparisons image, the darkest one is -50.
The wierd colours in the track where diliberate as heavily used roads get dust and dirt where the tires dont brush it/wear it away. (Check .rar attached)
For the curves I used bend modifiers and then merged it with the pavement.

The 2 attached images are -15 and -15 with darkened edges. As aracirion says, I don't care sooooo much, so could people please make there opinions clear.

Feild-mouses example isnt a perticually dark road really. Ive attached (.rar) a photo of a bit of road that is actually dark, but this road type is very recent, so wouldnt fit when playing pre 90's, and is only and rarely found in cities.

Brianetta · Post by **Brianetta** » 19 Nov 2006 20:13

Aracirion wrote:hum, I don't care soooo much but aren't roads only that dark when they're all new?

Also after the rain, when the surface is wet.

Field-Mouse · Post by **Field-Mouse** » 19 Nov 2006 20:41

Ben, the one with darkened sides looks very good! I like that one!
However I have noticed one thing i think is weird, my road and yours has one mayor difference:
Your roads "tire tracks" are darker than the rest of the road, and mine are brighter.
Anyways, I like the darker one with darkened sides much better than the first one!

And oh, what bend modifier are you talking about? Inside blender? In GIMP? In PS? Standalone program? sry if i seem n00bish:P hehe

Ben_Robbins_ · Post by **Ben_Robbins_** » 20 Nov 2006 00:37

The reason the tire tracks appear darker than the rest of the road is because there not really tiretracks as such, but the areas where there isnt dirt and dust. If you check the attached image there is an example of a similar road where the road gets dirty where materials are transported along it, and where the wheels go, it brushes/transports the dust away.

Its a 3dsmax modifyer. Although because its just normal 90'degree bend, it would only take 3 miniuts to rotate the elements manually. Hence why the mesh (attached in easlier post) has more polys than nessesery for the straight.

Personally I'm undesided, and not majourly fussed wich of all the roads i prefer, but of the rather few opinions that have been posted, it seems very mixed. for Tone I say we take the middle ground, not to dark, not too light. (about what it is above), but for shaded edges...who knows, opinions are mixed. I would shore be appreiciative if some more people could give an opinion....

brupje · Post by **brupje** » 20 Nov 2006 09:31

I think I like http://www.tt-forums.net/files/eg002_671.png best. But on the other side, they are all nice and I don't think there is much difference. In other words: let's go with the last

Aracirion · Post by **Aracirion** » 20 Nov 2006 09:35

agreed

richk67 · Post by **richk67** » 20 Nov 2006 11:51

Field-Mouse wrote:
Aracirion wrote:hum, I don't care soooo much but aren't roads only that dark when they're all new? Look here and here, and as Ttd is set in somewhat set in England also here.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... cehamn.jpg
covered in salt, which makes it look brighter!
But yeah, tt is set in England, guess theres a difference from Sweden..

Also bear in mind that from a photography point of view, most of those pictures would be marked as over-exposed. To give you an example: point a camera at a black wall, and press the shutter. The camera tries to make the exposure "balanced" at 18% grey, and overexposes the shot.

In the sweden shot, the road and the trees are large dark elements, and I would guess the shot is about 1/3rds to 1/2stop overexposed. The shots of the US highway have a 50/50 balance between bright white and dark, and the exposure has picked something in between; possibly close to correct exposure. The London street scene exhibits a different problem: the large amount of bright sky has reduced the contrast of the shot.

And then you add to the mix: different stones used in asphalt mix, different ages of roads, angle of light, wear patterns, moisture, etc. etc.

To paraphrase Mr Ford; you can have any colour as long as it isnt pure black...

TagDaze · Post by **TagDaze** » 20 Nov 2006 12:09

Allow me to bust into the thread. I bring you from my own thread just a few lines below in the thread listing: My stadium.

With the whole resizing of the busstations and such, I wonder how this will pan out.

Also, look mom! I'm using JPG!

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