Warehouse Buildings with angled walls

[JCitron]

I understand... I'm a half dinosaur myself.

With the warehouses if people are snapping them together, then of course there's no reason to include a mesh library for those larger components as that's not how they work. The different parts, however, might be able to use them if the different components for example use the same window or door, these same windows or doors don't need to be copied and placed into each individual asset folder, but instead can saved once and then to referenced by the walls that use the same windows and doors.

The advantage to this is the asset gets loaded once into memory instead of the program needing to go back and reread the same data over and over. This speeds up the code processing and makes the performance better. Sure we can argue that with the latest processors and PCs we have, this is a mute point, but even on the fastest computers having efficient data means even better performance overall because it saves time and time is a very precious commodity when it comes to real time program performance.

 

[bendorsey]

The only walls I can think of that might be even slightly high poly (for their size) would be those with windows and doors with a curved top and even they wouldn't really be high poly (sez someone who once made an item with over 750,000 polys). I'm sure your idea of high poly is a lot different then mine, lol.

Plus - there are no large components. All walls would be 20 ft wide or less. A blank wall would only be 12 polys and if I delete the bottom faces only 10. I doubt few would be more then 200 to perhaps 300 except for those with windows and doors with curved tops and if no one wants parts with curved tops I won't make them. Modern structures tend not to have them.

Ben

 

[817TAYLOR]

I dig the concept

 

[bendorsey]

Think of it as a Trainz Lego warehouse set, lol.

Ben

 

[pcas1986]

Think of it as a Trainz Lego warehouse set, lol.

Ben

I thought dinosaurs would regard it as more as a Meccano set. :hehe: I regard myself as a short necked brontosaurus - large and slow.

 

[davesnow]

I thought dinosaurs would regard it as more as a Meccano set. :hehe: I regard myself as a short necked brontosaurus - large and slow.

Heck, I'm a dimetrodon then.

 

[bendorsey]

I loved my Erector set by A.C. Gilbert. I collected old sets from kids I the neighborhood. You could do some seriously interesting things with enough parts. Most kids had the 7-1/2 set but I found one almost complete 10-1/2 set. Never did find the ultimate 12-1/2 set tho I saw one in a store once. I was afraid to look at the price tag.

With my belly I'm a Tummyosaurus (which is a holdover from when I was a Beerosaurus).:hehe:

Speaking of beasties and critters: Charles Darwin was wrong - Humans are not descended from apes - rather we are descended from pack rats (cuz I certainly had closets, garage, attic, and so on chock full of junk to prove it when I got ready to move, ha-ha).

As soon as I can get some ideas as to textures I can start making the parts.

Ben

 

[davesnow]

Well------- I can see how it might be easy to do wall splines.... I'm stumped, however, on how to do the roofs to set on top of said walls.

 

[bendorsey]

Each wall would have a roof as wide as the wall and probably the same depth (a 20 by 20 roof behind and part of a 20 by 1 wall). It would not be exactly on top of the wall but perhaps 6 inches lower as a lot of warehouse roofs are that way. As you assemble your building the roofs should (I hope) smoothly fit next to each other with little apparent seam. To help that a smooth texture should be used (no pattern). When angles occur the roofs would overlap to some extent. Ditto with spline walls. For large buildings one part would consist of floor and roof only to fill in the center of the building. A stucco or asphalt texture for the roof or something similar would probably be best. Reducing tiling to a minimum is a must.

Ben

 

[davesnow]

Okay Ben. I'll work toward the roof idea. Here's what I came up with so far. Just walls, no roof yet.

https://youtu.be/7SP1aJXiR7U


~

 

[Dap]

I guess I should jump back in to the discussion since i started this. First, I use Google earth view for my straight down shots. I then tilt to a 3D view to see what is on the walls. And then I go to street view to see if things have changed since the earth view was posted and to get clarification on wall textures and other details. And I do use multiple copies of the same building to create non rectilinear shaped buildings, but there are many constraints.

I am delighted with Ben's suggestion . . . more than I could have hoped for. And Dave's sample of a spline is awesome. And using a mesh library makes sense. Especially for a large industrial park like I'm attempting.

I think there should be at least two building styles represented. Tilt-wall concrete construction and metal sheath walls are the two most used construction methods in industrial parks. I see very little brick & mortar, so let's keep it limited to tilt-wall and metal sheath. I would be nice to have new, lightly weathered and heavy weathered versions for both styles. The metal sheath components could also be in several different colors.

I would also like to see at least two heights. These could be mixed and matched to get some very prototypical structures.

And then we also need some "office" modules that can be added to the street side of the buildings. I have found some stand-alone buildings on the DLS that work, but it would be nice to have a few more.

After more closely examining the "curved" walls, they are actually a series of flat wall panels, which makes sense for a tilt-wall building, so actual curved wall panels are not needed.

Here is a 3D view of on of the "curved" wall buildings. Each flat wall panel is 60ft wide with a freight door centered.

Thus far I've been using the add-on freight doors as suggested, but it would be nice to have the doors already in the wall panels.

Would splines work for the roofs? Have them various widths some with sky lights, some with AC equipment, but most just plain in several colors; off white, light grey and dark grey.

Here is the google link to the industrial park I'm working on.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/45.5435565,-122.7212944/45.5455053,-122.7186491/@45.5505352,-122.7146548,895a,20y,180h,44.74t/data=!3m1!1e3

Ben,

Do you want me to send you some street views of some of these buildings or would you prefer to Google them yourself. Here are two looking opposite directions.

Thanks for the interest guys. Love the creative talents that hang out here.

David

PS: believe it or not, there is actually a model railroad in this industrial park. I did not know it when I started, but discovered it as I explored the various industries. Can you find it?

 

[bendorsey]

Whoa - lotsa good info this morning.

Dave:

Neat video. Spline walls can work and would make a good addition to the overall set. Once we finalize size and textures - have at them, lol. I do see one problem I hadn't thought of and that's a corner with an angle over 90 degrees. The way I was going to do roofs wouldn't work correctly there. Parts of them would stick out past the front of the walls. Have to think about that a bit. Splines do have the advantage of making long walls easier as long as they use the same design end to end.

Dap (or are you a Ben also)?

These kinds of photos work just fine.

1. I hadn't planned on making two different style walls but its not that big a deal. Just a matter of changing the texture and possibly the UVW values on already made parts. Need an example (photo) of both types please.
2. As for multiple texture versions - I'll leave that to the re-skinning crowd.
3. Interesting - curved walls are not pure curves. That maybe due to these being prefabbed walls. That means folks can build them from multiple uses of the same or different sections changing the design and angular difference (radius) as they please. Lots of versatility there.
4. Two different heights means we will need "transition" parts. These are most necessary on the roof and could include a roof as part of them. What 2 different height we decide on will; determine the transition wall height.
5. Also - these transition walls might be best made as splines. Could have a few different designs (plain, small window, bigger window, etc.). Just a thought (since I ain't gonna be the dude that makes them, lol).
6. Heights - people doors are usually 6 ft 8 in tall. Using that I get a 25 ft tall wall in the photo with the 3-way switch. 25 ft is a good choice for one but what do we want for the other? The difference has to be great enough to look good but not overpowering. I'd suggest 35 or 40 ft.
7. Roof spline? That's an excellent idea. I'd suggest making several in different sizes from say 20 X 20 to 1 X 1. The latter could be used to "solve" the problem with super sharp (acute angle) wall corners. The 1 X 1 one might poke into the wall a bit but not far enough to poke through the front.
8. Look at the photo with the 3-way switch. Notice the light grey columns on the side and top of the building on the left. These are often used with prefab concrete structures to join the wall sections and add support. I'd suggest these be made as splines. Folks can add or not add as desired. They also help hide an imperfections where walls abut each other (look nice too, lol).

Ben

 

[Dap]

Ben, I'm Dap, (David). You have made several buildings for me in the past - E.W.Bliss buildings and Arbuckle Coffee warehouse were two projects. They are on my Jay Street Connecting route (Brooklyn, NY).

I'm not sure why we would need "transition" parts for two different height buildings. Here are several that show different heights. They can just be butted up against one another.

There are several office fronts that have rounded corners. Here is a prime example.

Earth View

Street View

Street View

 

[bendorsey]

But they are often butted up against each other. We need the transition parts because at some point the roof height is going to change and a wall between the two different heights is needed (internally). By that I mean in the middle of the building where there would be two different roof heights.

More good photos - Will print them out.

Ben

 

[Dap]

Seems to me that could just be an outside wall acting as an interior wall. I really don't see a need for it. Just trying to make less work.

David

 

[bendorsey]

Yes it could but it might look a little odd from inside the building (these will have see-thru windows, lol). A full height wall in the middle for no apparent reason.

However - I have no problem using full height walls instead of those transition walls if that's what folks want. Perhaps there should be 2 or 3 styles: One solid, one with a few small windows, and one with one large window (all at the top of course). These could be used as exterior walls as well.

Ben

 

[NormP]

Would you mind if I suggest having a deep base (below ground level) on some buildings, too suit placement on sloping ground where needed ?
I have already used the available Concrete Blocks of different sizes underneath the end of buildings that are above ground !


NormP.

 

[Dap]

Sound like the creative juices are beginning to flow. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

David

 

[bendorsey]

NormP:
True underground would require a dig hole and dig holes have limitations. Personally I think they should be avoided.
On the other hand a some sort of wall spline that could be placed under walls to "fill in" where the wall is floating above ground when the structure is on a slope might work.

David:
Perhaps flowing a little to much - this could easily get out of hand. I figured in 50 or 60 components - not 500 or 600, lol.

We need photos of those 2 different wall styles you mentioned.

Ben

 

[NormP]

Ben.

I was thinking along the lines of a small extension of the wall below the floor level.
The spline wall/walls as you suggest would address the problem .

Norm.