|
|
Post by berneart76 on Dec 11, 2015 2:21:06 GMT -9
6 stone textures worked out, now to work on the remaining walls, shading, and additional texturing ( exterior wall cracks, ivy, vines, staining) The Brick, Wood, and Tudor style Wood/Plaster will be developed when I do the work on the Customs House.  |
|
|
|
Post by wyvern on Dec 13, 2015 3:50:55 GMT -9
Just a thought - and appreciating it would mean more work for you - but it may be worthwhile considering varying the doors and the windows as well. Some of the fancier stonework would suggest the window frames should also be of carved stone, for example, and maybe with fancier decorated doors (could be painted, not necessarily with carved woodwork, though that could be interesting too). The wood frames work fine for the more rustic wall styles, though again maybe some less perfect doors would fit better with those.
|
|
|
|
Post by berneart76 on Dec 13, 2015 7:23:37 GMT -9
wyvern-- you must be seeing my laptop! I've been working on door and window varieties, even going back to the original release and updating using the wood textures from my Harbor Piers set. been working out rectangular door and window styles as well. And even with a carved stone window opening, there is still a wooden frame to hold the glass inside. I am thinking about making a sheet with just different doors and windows that would have to be glued on over the printed ones to make it a little easier to assemble the PDF. I know that would make things more difficult to assemble the final model, but I'd also include additional arched stonework openings to add some surface depth to the model as well. 
|
|
|
|
Post by berneart76 on Dec 15, 2015 9:39:29 GMT -9
Further window development with 3 wood tones ( grey, brown, and untreated) and 3 painted colors ( red, green and white). Also development of window colors (bright sky, dark sky/outside unlit and outside candlelit) and 2 styles of leading (diamond and bullseye) Now onto doors!   |
|
|
|
Post by Vermin King on Dec 15, 2015 11:57:27 GMT -9
You are certainly putting my amateurish efforts in their place.
But my buildings are meant to be 'filler', not a showpiece.
Looking good
|
|
|
|
Post by berneart76 on Dec 15, 2015 12:46:15 GMT -9
Well Vermin King, I figure if nobody else wants me to do something professionally, other than an occasional sewing/re-upholstery project, and my approach to job searches/applications, I may as well approach my papercraft design work that way. Besides, I sort of set a standard with the Wooden Piers release and the Hiring Hall Papercuts entry, now I sort of have to keep up to that level..  |
|
|
|
Post by berneart76 on Dec 18, 2015 15:47:56 GMT -9
Sample of the Hiring Hall Multiple texture ( Brown Stone Version) is ready for review and criticisms! I decided to separate the Multi-Texture version into a Brown toned Stone and a Grey toned stone PDF. They will both be a part of the final release. The South Wall ,psd file is all complete, the sample South wall PDF includes the 3 Brown stone wall textures (field stone, split ashlar (block) and the original cut block), 6 different arched and rectangular doors, 6 different arched and rectangular wood window frames, 6 different window glass styles, rectangular and curved stone archways/ door and window frames. 145 different layers including registration marks, title block and tabs.... Also staining ( water streaking and mud splatters) and Ivy additions....  Download Link Here: Sample Multi-texture Hiring Hall (Brown Stone Version) South Wall
|
|
|
|
Post by cowboyleland on Dec 18, 2015 16:29:58 GMT -9
That looks really good.
|
|
|
|
Post by Vermin King on Dec 18, 2015 16:38:12 GMT -9
That is amazing. I wonder if you've given folks too many options, though. I did a quick once through, and I was amazed, but it would take weeks to settle on which options. Sometimes less is more.
|
|
|
|
Post by berneart76 on Dec 18, 2015 16:51:06 GMT -9
Vermin King I've been thinking the same, Doing just a few options as layers for the doors and windows, and then having a sheet of doors and windows that can be cut out and glued on the surface Thanks for the comments/insight
|
|
|
|
Post by Vermin King on Dec 18, 2015 17:04:44 GMT -9
I'm not sure that is the answer. I hope some others will express opinions. I just know that I am more likely to build the original rather than choose all the options. Dave Graffam would be able to give more insight on this. He does models with options and then throws a printer-ready version in there for folks like me.
|
|
|
|
Post by mproteau (Paper Realms) on Dec 18, 2015 17:06:37 GMT -9
Quick comment (besides the fact that it looks wonderful). The PDF CRAWLS on my machine, and I wonder if it's because the layers you've got cover the full page? For example, the "lamp soot stains" layer causes a redraw of the WHOLE page. Adobe acrobat reader doesn't do all that great optimizing redrawing transparent regions. Of course, maybe the final product will be smoother.
I agree with the sentiment that there are too many options. It's hard to find anything in the layers panel...
Lovely work, though! Kudos!
|
|
|
|
Post by berneart76 on Dec 18, 2015 17:10:39 GMT -9
Thanks mproteau (Paper Realms), I'll take a look at the layers, see if there are non-visible things hanging out at the page edges..! I'm thinking of doing one or 2 ready to print versions as well and a version without the interior |
|
|
|
Post by wyvern on Dec 19, 2015 3:23:01 GMT -9
Like mproteau (Paper Realms), I'm finding the PDF runs extremely slowly. I'm all in favour of options, but maybe this file needs splitting up more - so each stone texture option could be set up as a separate file/page, with the appropriate texture, staining, ivy, etc., options per page. For doors (and also windows), as a modeller, I'd be inclined to prefer versions that can be set into walls, not glued on top. So maybe it would help to set these up as their own separate files/pages, with just doors or just windows, and the various texturing options as layers, plus enough blank page, maybe as a deliberate white frame, around each one, so they can be glued to the back of the wall pieces. The spaces on the walls can be fairly easily cut out from the extant basic doors/windows to fit these optional variants, though converting the "wall" doors to white spaces would a) save a little ink and b) maybe reduce the wall file sizes somewhat. Also thinking here that a windows only sheet could of course be printed onto transparency film as well! Overall, a single PDF file per page might run faster, if you're intending to retain the same number of layers. |
|
|
|
Post by bravesirkevin on Dec 19, 2015 4:56:55 GMT -9
Overall, a single PDF file per page might run faster, if you're intending to retain the same number of layers. This is why my newer sets are no longer multipage. It's just too demanding on the system. The other benefit to having a single page per PDF is that the layers menu only displays the layers on that page so it's easier to see what you're doing |
|
|
|
Post by mproteau (Paper Realms) on Dec 19, 2015 5:24:09 GMT -9
I think there's a place for both a system with a single page per PDF and multiple pages per PDF, even with a bunch of layers. When I started, I only was doing single-layer PDFs for WWG kitbashes. I was used to making my image be 8.5"x11" so it lined up perfectly with the page boundary. Just less work for me. When I started making layered PDFs, I was doing that for every layer. It made layout a snap, but the PDFs were huge and SLOW. By making sure each layer was cropped as small as possible, I've found that lots of layers work just fine. For example, when I did the build-o-bot 2d figures for Okumarts' Metal Legion set, that thing has 36 layers per robot - four robots. 144 layers is a lot! The PDF is only 2M and it loads FAST and you can change the layers QUICKLY.
|
|
|
|
Post by berneart76 on Dec 19, 2015 6:37:48 GMT -9
Thanks for all the comments, insights and suggestions everyone! I'm going to do some work on the .psd's to incorporate some of these ( or a lot of these). I think I need to work out a way of making guides on some of my walls for placements of windows/lanterns, etc, and reducing some of the effects to less than full page size ( lantern glows, ivy, etc..) I'll experiment a bit and see if single PDF's per wall texture will work better, or if each wall texture should have its own PDF page.
|
|
|
|
Post by bravesirkevin on Dec 19, 2015 8:02:34 GMT -9
I usually break it up by element, so that my imported images are only as big as the element they include. Were I doing this set, I'd handle it by creating a set of TIFFs for the exterior wall and a set of tiffs for the interior wall and combining them in my layout program. That way each image is only as tall and wide as it needs to be to do its job and the overall PDF is much smaller as a result.
|
|
|
|
Post by berneart76 on Dec 19, 2015 8:26:18 GMT -9
I'll see about working with TIFF's... my InDesign software and Photoshop software is 9 years old, so there are some limits to what i can do...
|
|
|
|
Post by bravesirkevin on Dec 19, 2015 9:06:44 GMT -9
I've been working with Tiffs since 1993 so I'm sure it'll be fine.  You'd be surprised at how little that software has evolved in the last 2 decades. Most of the changes have been in improving the way the tools operate, but the methods and workflow have been virtually constant from the start. Anyway, it's not the format that's important, it's the pixel dimensions of the images. It's about using only as many pixels as you need to get the effect that you want. Even that has some issues however. I don't know if you're familiar with my meadow tiles set, but that one was insanely customisable with well over 100 layers on each page. The files landed up being relatively small for what they were, but they were still quite slow especially when there were several layers active.... I mitigated the problem by incorporating a sort of progress bar into the design that let the user know that something was happening. After I did that, complaints about the slowness disappeared completely. |
|
|
|
Post by berneart76 on Dec 19, 2015 9:28:50 GMT -9
So now i need to work on another part of my development as a designer, workflow practices. I think for this if i make a base image to align the different layers ( doors, lanterns, etc) to use ( that won't be incorporated in the final pdf), and also combine some features ( doors and window frame types) it will make things simpler, and also speed up the PDF refresh rate...
My production time from design to PDF will increase, but it should be a major benefit in the PDF file size and PDF refresh rates.
|
|
|
|
Post by berneart76 on Dec 22, 2015 9:40:11 GMT -9
So taking some suggestions, comments, and updating my production practices a bit, Here is what i think the format for the Multi-Layer PDF's will be. Building will be re-sized slightly to fit the base on a single sheet of paper, and combined/reduced some of the options. This is for the Grey Stone version, basically for each version ( Grey Stone/Brown Stone) each wall will be a two page PDF, one with the Curved arches/doors/windows, one with Rectangular Arches/doors/windows. South Wall-Reworked-Grey Stone Sample
|
|
|
|
Post by Vermin King on Dec 22, 2015 10:33:31 GMT -9
This should make it a lot easier to decide on what options one would want to use
|
|
|
|
Post by berneart76 on Dec 31, 2015 11:09:14 GMT -9
So Wall layouts are done, layer separations completed, working now on PDF layouts. here is an idea of the Grey Fieldstone texture with some Window and other texture varieties applied on the Sketchup Model.  |
|
|
|
Post by berneart76 on Dec 31, 2015 19:20:50 GMT -9
Got the new floor texture choices and the new roof geometry figured out necessitated by the slightly smaller re-size. I decided to do a re-size to be able to fit the floor tiles on a single sheet of A4 or Letter sized paper. Here are some pictures showing the size comparison, long with the new roof geometry and one of the 2 wooden floor textures:   New roof geometry, using just the 2nd floor levels as a comparison.  |
|
|
|
Post by berneart76 on Jan 1, 2016 13:34:51 GMT -9
Think I might have everything I need to start putting the PDF's together, 1st and second story floor plan tiles, 1st story walls, 2nd story walls, roofs, and the veranda parts all work out an layered! 571 layer files in total to assemble into the Final product! Now to get to work in InDesign!
|
|
|
|
Post by berneart76 on Jan 2, 2016 17:33:46 GMT -9
So I took a break from compiling PDF pages for the Multi-texture version, and put together a Ready To Print version as a reward for everyone's suggestions on putting together PDF's. Download Link: Brown Fieldstone ready to Print  |
|
|
|
Post by mproteau (Paper Realms) on Jan 2, 2016 17:42:10 GMT -9
Nice! Looks like a charming building.
There's an issue with most pages SD marks layers - they have the "safe cut area" graphics added, which renders that layer not so great for printing.
|
|
|
|
Post by berneart76 on Jan 2, 2016 17:49:51 GMT -9
|
|
|
|
Post by Vermin King on Jan 2, 2016 17:56:33 GMT -9
That is absolutely beautiful. I am generally not a fan of 'busy' texturing, but on this building, it really works.
|
|
You'd be surprised at how little that software has evolved in the last 2 decades. Most of the changes have been in improving the way the tools operate, but the methods and workflow have been virtually constant from the start.