This is a test I've been doing with creating realistic looking buildings using nothing but planes, primitives and texture, bump and trans maps. The texture map on the center building needs work, but I think all in all the effect is extremely good. I always wondered what use I could make of a texture map of a building front, and now I know!

That looks great. I can't ever seem to get brick textures to go the way I want or even rock sometimes. If the fronts look good the sides don't. Oh well like you I am always experimenting. Marge

Very nice and no further test needed! Beautiful! :) One thing though...hmmm...may be you should take away or replace with another tree for the one on the left (facing you) behingd the building. It looks like a Lombardy Poplar yet it don't. It sort of makes the roofing on the right almost in line and no DOF...IMHO of course. Bill

Hey Bill, I think the thing with the Lombardy poplar is the lighting. The sunlight is dead-on from the front. I did it this way so that I could see them better....of course I will be experimenting with different lighting (after I fix that center building's map). Oh, and Marge, I am working on what the sides of the buildings look like...either composite texture maps or booleans of some sort (needs more experimentation). Geeezzeee! I sound like a scientist or something! Anyhoo, a row of townhouses effect is what I was striving for in the first place (I love the look of them)...I figured I work on the really tricky parts later. It is very definitely a "work in progress". But any suggestions are always welcome. And some experimentation by others along the same lines wouldn't hurt either. We could compare notes :) Ta ta, Laurie

heyas; it looks very nice, but i can see the 'movie flat' effect, too. have you tried looking down the street at the houses at a slight angle?

Neato! I like the look very much, but I think the poplar is too wide. The buildings look great tho! Gail