AuthorTopic: [WIP] Town (isometric)  (Read 31817 times)

Offline The Mozack

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Re: [WIP] Town (isometric)

Reply #20 on: September 28, 2009, 08:04:30 am
MS Paint for this!? You've got to be kidding me. You need layering for stuff like this. I'd probably rather be eaten by army ants than complete this project in MS Paint. And I've used Paint extensively. I know it well. Have you even bothered looking at Gimp? It's free. You won't finish this in Paint.
Been considering an alternative since a certain thread here commented on the advantages of using more than Paint, for two reasons:

* When I start work on large scale editing, such as on roadways, rivers and vast greenery, I'll have to opt for other programs to streamline the editing process. Paint is still good for small objects (peds and vehicles), but for buildings, it can go both ways.
* If I'm migrating to Windows 7, I'll probably be ditching Paint altogether. That new version of Paint is nothing more than a stripped down Photoshop with nothing to allow me to do pixel-by-pixel work.

Gimp is very a prospective replacement/companion, and I have been meaning to try it out for a long time. Guess it's incentive for me to do it.

BTW, what good will layering do?
« Last Edit: September 28, 2009, 08:08:31 am by The Mozack »

Offline The Mozack

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Re: [WIP] Town (isometric)

Reply #21 on: September 28, 2009, 11:14:50 am


Further detailing on frontage.

Offline ptoing

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Re: [WIP] Town (isometric)

Reply #22 on: September 29, 2009, 04:55:44 pm
I really like where this is going.

About layering: With it you could easily move stuff around without the need to repixel overlapping stuff. Like the open windows in the current one which overlap the housefront a bit.
Foundations and roofs could be on seperate layers which would make it easier to duplicate similar roofs among other things. For something as technical as this layers are VERY helpful.
There are no ugly colours, only ugly combinations of colours.

Offline The Mozack

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Re: [WIP] Town (isometric)

Reply #23 on: September 30, 2009, 02:44:23 pm
About layering: With it you could easily move stuff around without the need to repixel overlapping stuff. Like the open windows in the current one which overlap the housefront a bit.
Foundations and roofs could be on seperate layers which would make it easier to duplicate similar roofs among other things. For something as technical as this layers are VERY helpful.
That's a pretty efficient method. I'll give that a go.

In the meantime, the courtyards will be the next portion to focus on. Started with the buildings to the left.

Offline The Mozack

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Re: [WIP] Town (isometric)

Reply #24 on: September 30, 2009, 07:31:46 pm


Worked out the courtyards to the right. Should be pretty soon before further detailing can begin.

Offline mrToad

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Re: [WIP] Town (isometric)

Reply #25 on: October 01, 2009, 03:41:40 pm
Beautiful work... MS Paint....?? Wow. I'd go insane using that. Yes, layers are like unbelievably helpful. These buildings are really cool though. :)

Offline Mathias

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Re: [WIP] Town (isometric)

Reply #26 on: October 01, 2009, 05:45:47 pm
More on layering.

I think that those who are aware of the benefits of layering and who continue to only give you crit are doing you a huge disservice in not urging you to go layered. Stop what you're doing and take a week or two to get to know a good layered graphics program. Once you do, I promise you'll look back and laugh hysterically at your old workflow because you didn't make the move sooner. Yes, I have a strong opinion about this. And for a reason.

Though, not a stellar example, here's an example of layering benefits in doing a current project of mine. I made a quick layering breakdown animation for you. Notice all the main peices are on their own layer because I'm able to hide and undhide them at will:



--Here, it doesn't matter what software I use, all that matters is layering support--


I plan to revise that glowy pink/blue crap on the bottom of the layer stack eventually. What if it wasn't layered? I'd have to work around the blade/fire? What if I wanted to move it around? - Well, in my setup, it's on it's own layer so it's a no-brainer, a non-issue.
What if I decide the way I rendered the fire sucks and I need to re-do it? - I hide the layer and save it, create a new layer on top of the blade ans start over.
How do I quickly preview the several different hilts I made to see how they match the rest of the sword? - I simply hide and unhide them.
on and on. . .

For your project, I already know how I'd set it up with layers. Each repeated section would be on it's own layer, which I could then copy/drag with ease amd move each "chunk" separately of all other parts, worry-free. If I don't want a certain part I either hide or delete it. I'd create a separate layer set for all the pink, red, blue guide lines you've created and make them unselectable atop everything else. I might even drop the opacity so I could see through them easily if obstructing my view.

And this is just scratching the surface of layers abilities.

Offline The Mozack

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Re: [WIP] Town (isometric)

Reply #27 on: October 02, 2009, 08:10:12 pm
Thanks for the heads up. It'll be interesting to see how well layering can be applied here. But I'll have to familiarise myself with the basics of something as advanced as GIMP, especially after using MS Paint for so long. It's going to take a little getting used to.

For now, Paint is still being used for portions of these roofs.

Offline The Mozack

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Re: [WIP] Town (isometric)

Reply #28 on: November 28, 2009, 02:20:42 pm


Back. Finally started with detailing along the side. The ends of the roof pitches have also being added. It's a shame some of the window trims won't be visible.

Still trying to grow into GIMP.

Offline The Mozack

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Re: [WIP] Town (isometric)

Reply #29 on: December 06, 2009, 06:23:00 pm

Further detailing on the four rightmost shopfronts. It's a shame some of these will be blocked off by sunshades eventually.