pc bathroom
polycounter lvl 18
the pc bathroom is a collaborative 3d modeling activity inspired by the pc stall thread.
there is no end in sight with this activity, the aim is to have some fun and create something collaboratively using dropbox. together we'll model the bathroom of polycount. dropbox is a free and easy way to share and store your files online.
the bathroom begins as a very quick and simple blockout that has been broken into 4 main parts. participants will check out an area of the bathroom and have 4 hours to edit and update the files to our shared folder. rinse and repeat.
to participate,
- install dropbox onto your computer, it's a very painless process.
using this referral link will hook me up with an additional 250 MB of bonus space:
https://www.getdropbox.com/referrals/NTE5MjE5ODk
- pm me the email address you've used so i can invite you to the folder
after accepting the invite to the polycount folder, you will be given access to the files:
- post on the forum to check out an area
- import the most recent obj for the area into your package
- model any changes under 4 hours
- export the changes without changing its scale
- post your update
---
CHECKING OUT AN AREA:
post in this thread if you'd like to check out bathroom areas. check out one area at a time and keep the changes you make within the frames. don't check out areas that are already checked out. you'll have 4 hours to post an updated obj after your post. if you go over 4 hours, it will offically be null and void and others can check it out, and you risk losing any work you had done to the area.
UPLOADING YOUR UPDATE:
export your file to an obj file format and move it into the polycount exports folder found in your "my documents" folder. don't change the scale of the obj. follow along with the numerical naming convension. just add to the previous, *_000, then *_001, *_002, and so on.
here is the unit information i've used in the scene:
then, post a screenshot of your update to show us. you can place the image inside of your "public" dropbox folder. right-click the image > dropbox > copy public link.
note: we have equal access to the polycount folders. this means all members can add, edit, and delete any of the files and folders within. once a change is made, the members are instantly notified from the taskbar and the files will be synced to their computer. be sure to wear a condom.
we're trusting you not to be an asshole. any deletion or overwriting of other people's bathroom files will get you removed from the folder, sorry, no love for that kind of heckling. older file revisions will be deleted to conserve as much space as we can, we'll keep upto the last 3-4 updates for each area. dropbox does protect the files with rollback features and i'll be backing them up locally when i think of it.
---
here's an example scenario of what we'd see happen with the area 3 folder:
- area_3_000.obj - the blockout i've made
- area_3_001.obj - (by someone) added toilets
- area_3_002.obj - (by whomever) added turds floating in the toilets
- area_3_003.obj - (by me) edited in broken toilet seats
- area_3_004.obj - (by some dude) added a plunger
and so on...
---
i don't have any smart ways of organizing texture work, so i just want to avoid that and just stick to modeling stuff. keep the polycounts mid-poly and logical, just use enough to define the forms.
if we do get as far as wanting to texture stuff, we will most likely only use diffuse/color maps.
---
this isn't an offical polycount thing, i'm not an admin or mod or anything, so don't expect anything from me or them with this. this is not a mod or serious project, it's just for fun. i actually expect it to crash and burn in a glorious display, but i think it will be fun to watch and be apart of.
feel free to share any problems or ideas you may have.
i'm interested to see what happens.
there is no end in sight with this activity, the aim is to have some fun and create something collaboratively using dropbox. together we'll model the bathroom of polycount. dropbox is a free and easy way to share and store your files online.
the bathroom begins as a very quick and simple blockout that has been broken into 4 main parts. participants will check out an area of the bathroom and have 4 hours to edit and update the files to our shared folder. rinse and repeat.
to participate,
- install dropbox onto your computer, it's a very painless process.
using this referral link will hook me up with an additional 250 MB of bonus space:
https://www.getdropbox.com/referrals/NTE5MjE5ODk
- pm me the email address you've used so i can invite you to the folder
after accepting the invite to the polycount folder, you will be given access to the files:
- post on the forum to check out an area
- import the most recent obj for the area into your package
- model any changes under 4 hours
- export the changes without changing its scale
- post your update
---
CHECKING OUT AN AREA:
post in this thread if you'd like to check out bathroom areas. check out one area at a time and keep the changes you make within the frames. don't check out areas that are already checked out. you'll have 4 hours to post an updated obj after your post. if you go over 4 hours, it will offically be null and void and others can check it out, and you risk losing any work you had done to the area.
UPLOADING YOUR UPDATE:
export your file to an obj file format and move it into the polycount exports folder found in your "my documents" folder. don't change the scale of the obj. follow along with the numerical naming convension. just add to the previous, *_000, then *_001, *_002, and so on.
here is the unit information i've used in the scene:
then, post a screenshot of your update to show us. you can place the image inside of your "public" dropbox folder. right-click the image > dropbox > copy public link.
note: we have equal access to the polycount folders. this means all members can add, edit, and delete any of the files and folders within. once a change is made, the members are instantly notified from the taskbar and the files will be synced to their computer. be sure to wear a condom.
we're trusting you not to be an asshole. any deletion or overwriting of other people's bathroom files will get you removed from the folder, sorry, no love for that kind of heckling. older file revisions will be deleted to conserve as much space as we can, we'll keep upto the last 3-4 updates for each area. dropbox does protect the files with rollback features and i'll be backing them up locally when i think of it.
---
here's an example scenario of what we'd see happen with the area 3 folder:
- area_3_000.obj - the blockout i've made
- area_3_001.obj - (by someone) added toilets
- area_3_002.obj - (by whomever) added turds floating in the toilets
- area_3_003.obj - (by me) edited in broken toilet seats
- area_3_004.obj - (by some dude) added a plunger
and so on...
---
i don't have any smart ways of organizing texture work, so i just want to avoid that and just stick to modeling stuff. keep the polycounts mid-poly and logical, just use enough to define the forms.
if we do get as far as wanting to texture stuff, we will most likely only use diffuse/color maps.
---
this isn't an offical polycount thing, i'm not an admin or mod or anything, so don't expect anything from me or them with this. this is not a mod or serious project, it's just for fun. i actually expect it to crash and burn in a glorious display, but i think it will be fun to watch and be apart of.
feel free to share any problems or ideas you may have.
i'm interested to see what happens.
Replies
im totally up for contributing, but i might stick to props to make it simple
Can't wait to see what comes out of this.
ya, the idea is that checking out a bathroom section will prevent two people from editing one thing at the same time. props are a great idea for not having to rush, it still may help to grab the files so you can make sure your prop is to scale and nobody has to adjust it for you.
when someone wants to work on a section, they'll post in here, "i'm checking out area 3" or whichever one, everyone will know you're working on it and you'll have 4 hours from the time of your post, to post an update on that section. if you go over the 4 hour time limit, then that section will become available for others to check out again and they can post to check it out. essentially we can have 5 people working on the bathroom at one time; areas 1-4 and the ceiling. i don't expect to have more than that working on it at one time.
so far only two people have been invited access to the polycount dropbox folder. once you accept the invite, you should be able to see the members via the dropbox web interface. i'll be heading out for a birthday soon, so i won't be online for a few hours and won't be able to send out invites until a little later, but i'll try and set that up asap.
-kp
i hope this thingy s still there when im done recovering everything
edit: this may take a while because the anger killed my immune system and i caught a virus myself and im sick too
what spec's are you/we aiming for?
also - area 4 is the entrance right? but what's area 2 used for? loitering? it might make sense to have some stuff there too - like urinals for the mostly male crowd here or a trashcan etc
i think it'd be best if we shot for something mid-poly, for right now, which is to say, just use enough polies to describe the forms.
others could always clean up your geo on their turn anyway, so don't be surprised if that happens. if there was an outcry about the change and people didn't like it, mob rules, and we'd just go back a revision. i'll leave the morality arguments of such actions to the parties involved, they'll find some kind of resolve, hopefully without disabling the activity.
i foresee a lot of collaboration problems resulting from texturing, so for right not, i'm going to just discourage it until we can all see where it goes. if the activity proves a success, i imagine we'd be left with a better idea of a solution. so for now, i don't want to encourage any uv or texture work. i'd just like to see people have fun with modeling a few small quick and clever objects that'd you expect to see in polycount's bathroom.
area 4 is the entrance, right. if things begin to take off like they did with the pc stall thread, the doorway leaves options for expanding beyond the bathroom and growing more into the polycount complex, as i'm calling it.
i tried to create some variety in each area, 4 and 2 were left open for more possibility, they're essentially empty corners. the examples you're giving is exactly what i'd expect to see. urinals is what i was expecting when blocking it out. thinking on it more, maybe we'd see a coke machine or really weird shit, like a dead space work bench to upgrade your plasma cutter? it's up to you, the community, to decide.
i'm interested to see how well dropbox facilitates this activity, i think it's going to be pretty neat. having to register an account with dropbox and accept an invite and everything, i can see is a bit of a turn off, and i'm expecting it to be a little slow at first. i think once we get a few entries it will begin to entice others to get in on the fun.
that's actually a very good point. so what dropbox does, is updates the folder in realtime. a taskbar popup will notify you a new file had been added and synchronized locally, to your dropbox documents folder.
dropbox doesn't have a server side virus scan, they leave it to their users to decided which anti-software to use and trust. this is kind of what i ment by typing "make sure you use a condom". AV software would normally scan the files as they are synced/copied onto your computer. i'm pretty sure, in most cases, your AV software would be able to remove any malware and you'd still be able to use the file normally. i'm not an expert in any of that. but it's a very good concern to have.
What about a modular grid setup where we could simply work in squares
We could provide OBJs (even tho it might cause smoothing issues), the files could be called nameoftheartist.obj and an XML file would composite everything together (handwritten, to make sure things match well)!
Then someone write a combiner that takes that file and creates the UBER .obj on the client side!
what i'm describing, i don't think is very complicated, you gotta try it man, i think this can work easily. i'm all about keeping it simple, but wanted to play with dropbox and end up with an entire bathroom, to bring the 2d stall action into a 3d space.
after setting up dropbox and accepting an invite to our folder, all you're doing is this:
- post on the forum to check out an area
- import the current obj for the area into your package
- model any changes under 4 hours
- export the changes without changing its scale
- post your update
here's an example scenario of what we'd see happen with the area 3 folder:
- area_3_000.obj - the blockout i've made
- area_3_001.obj - (by someone) added toilets
- area_3_002.obj - (by whomever) added turds floating in the toilets
- area_3_003.obj - (by me) edited in broken toilet seats
- area_3_004.obj - (by some dude) added a plunger
and so on...
because we'd be using dropbox, once someone drops their file in the folder, everyone would have access to the new file instantly. hell, if you were working from that directory we could see an update every time you saved.
using this method:
- it'd grow continuously just like the 2d stall wall did, but potentially in four parts at the same time
- detail will creatively overlap with one another, like with the pc stall wall
- we get to play with dropbox and get bonus storage space from recommendations (up to 3GB)
- process lends to a more interesting end result, something that will look more like a cohesive bathroom
- it's never been tried before
i don't mind if it ends up a pile of burning polys, that's what happened with the stall and it was still fun.
what do you think so far, after some clarification, does it still sound like a bad idea?
what you've described, is still cool and collaborative, i'm sure that could work out as well. it does sound to me a lot like the mini pc challenge we had a while back, where people made a "plot", all using the same dimensions and after the deadline, all of them were later patched together to make a neighborhood street, right? is that similar to what you're suggesting? if i'm understanding what you're saying, texturing with your approach, would be a lot easier to manage. i don't think it'd blend as cool though.
i'm interested in seeing a quick doodle or 3d mock up of what you're talking about. i don't know any of the combiner black magic you're talking about, but if we decided to go that way, someone else would have to do that, i'd be of no help there.
-kp
I like this, kp. What Jesse said.
four day weekend coming up. will def add something.
*grumbles about having to get dropbox*
Awesome idea KP. WOuld be in if it wasn´t for me being lazy and doing shitloads of other things at the moment. Hardly even have time to write on PC.
Going to add a toilet to make it a bathroom.
THANKS
Obj and scene files should be updated in dropbox.
AREA 3 CHECKED IN
DO EEET.
I look forward to see what's happening next.
Proper stalls added!
thanks for the pipes imb3nt
Thought I'd toss a wrench in with a posh hotel sink setup. ^_^
Complete with Dyson hand dryers! :P
Nice pissers, KP!
I want in on the next one. O_o
JFletcher - what's got you boggled? it's as easy as Gogurt, download and go...
Ivalice - jump in on this one! it has only just began.
FO SHOOOOW.
KP is having some internet issues. if you want in, PM me with your email linked to your dropbox and I'll add you to the group.
I don't know how to work, in the 3dmax scene importing the OBJs or in a new scene importing all the OBJs? I will anyway use the scene, as i'm a new area.
Btw, I'm not sure about this, I imported the area 2 latest OBJ and one of the urinals appears corrupted... I'm the only one? I imported a few times, maybe its a dropbox sync issue?
Edit: sorry, confused. I'm checking out area 4, not 3
added the bin, made some trims and added some goods to the door. (Used the stall's hanging for the door if that is ok) also the emergency light. I was a bit shy and didn't want to go for anything big.. hopefully its good and I'm in the level!
its a 150 year old toilet with fossilized craps!
I like where this is goin...