Custom Scenery Exchange / ODDMENT'S ALCHEMY LAB - CUSTOM SCENERY RESOURCES

Images in next post

 

Please note - Input, feedback, thoughts, and any other response this post inspires is welcome and encouraged. The intent is to create a resource library for the community, that I will happily curate for the time being and for as long as I am needed, that provides a connection to the history and legends of the game, a portal for all the things people are typically looking for (scenarios, custom scenery, rides, etc.), and resources to add to the legacy of RCT without clashing with a standard aesthetic. As you can see below, I have created. collected, and curated the foundation of what I am proposing and will make the alpha version of this resource available this week, unless told by the community to "shove it."

 

Also - care will be taken that no custom scenery will be available within or by link without the expressed permission of the creating artist. Any exceptions will be explained and noted. Any error will be corrected/removed as soon as they are pointed out to the project manager (me, for now).

 

The following is fictional and just for fun - but is the intro to the "Resource Library"

 

A formal introduction from a relatable spokesman:

 

"Hi. I'm Joe Mecho. I am the chief engineer and fabricator here at OAL - or "Oddment's Alchemy Laboratories" as the sign on the building says.

 

"Oddment - or Doctor Odd as we call him cannot be here due to some mis-calibrations in the fire animation studio that will require medical attention. Fortunately, we have one of the finest Emergency teams on the campus for just such disturbingly regular situations.

 

"That said, the best place to introduce you to what we do here is to start right here in the shop. This is where we build for foundation and function. This is where we are creating a base for consistency, exploring the possibility of a foundation of standards, organized into "Libraries" and accessible to anyone for use as tutorials, guides, bases, palettes, etc.

 

"Starting with a simple, basic system of Prototype/Paper Models (Example below) we can establish scaling, perspectives, color standards, etc. that fit on the unique canvas of RCT. Early ideas were to simply adopt other established design standards (See eBoy's Tillex system) but as pixel art is essentially a series of math problems, other systems use base numbers and odd/even breaks that created fit issues for RCT objects. For our uses, we are currently proposing a base4 approach which is different from other available standards.

 

 

 

"Color standards are further challenged by the limited palette of the original RCT (which I suggest sticking to during object creation, even if your intention is to make the object map-able.) Of course, as we can all learn from the NCSO masters - limited selections often lead to creative use. Custom Objects are a luxury - creativity is the goal.

 

"The resource I am suggesting is not just a fuzzy idea, it is something that has been in the works and will be rolled out as an alpha this week - with this serving as the introduction. Resources that are currently available in the libraries include:

 

Historical:

 

~10k Parks/Landscapes/Scenarios collected from the internet dusty corners and un-poked PCs

~30k Custom objects - the majority of which are available at NE - collected by:

       - Creator

       - Texture Match

       - Theme

       - etc

Various tools and trainers, most easily available elsewhere

 

Standards in Alpha:

 

Line Art Library (in DAT, BMP, and XCF/GIMP)

12 Color Painting Standard (as each color in the RCT Palette is available in 12 shades)

Prototype/Paper Models (Concept building, Base model for custom creation, Created to standard for easy reference, Project placeholders Easily replaceable with the awesome Scenery Manager Plug-In)

Texture Library

Tip&Tricks for the object creator

 

Custom Scenery Projects by OAL:

 

Cargo Base models in scale @ 10'/20'/40' with growing collection of trim for vendor/modular use

Scaffolding set with canvas walls

Modular Framing set (Square Tube Pin-Based Structures, inspired by "One-Frame" Modular system (ref to be added for proper credit) and the "PIXEL" Emergency Housing System (ref to be added for proper credit)

I-Beam set based on technical drawings for the "Baltruss" bridge system (ref to be added for proper credit)

L-Beam set based largely on available images of the supports on ARIEFORCE ONE

Sci Fi Themed building materials

Over-Engineered Modular Floor system with unnecessary - yet fully functional and pretty cool, imo utility channeling.

Encased Utility Beams

Block Party Props

 

Ideas - Community Created Theme Groups/Special Occasion Packs. "Hand-painted" Parks - 100% New CSO challenges/creations. Custom Object Requests and Tutorial Illustraion. Community involvement at any level, from ideas and suggestions to original art creation and submission.

 

"I understand this may be a bit of an info dump and as a project may end up the base of bigger ideas or immediately absorbed into current efforts. However, as a personal project it is ridiculously large and potentially useful. My personal history (In Real Life) as a business owner, fire protection designer (working with immersive 3D programs, including AutoSprink) and producing isometric designs, as well as having a weird history of pixel-based hobbies (most noteably making 3D book art) I felt drawn to first research the history of art creation in RCT and then to create a library/resource that does not create conventions, but rather recognizes and standardizes them.

 

"With that, I am off to figure out how to upload images.

This is a sample of various projects and the various versions up to current of my cargo containers:

 

 Oddment Shows his Junk.jpg (103.11KB)
downloads: 62

 

My "PaperModel" basic shape set. Made as practice, useful (to me at least) for concept building. Line Art versions also available in DAT, BMP, and XCF/GIMP format. Useful as templates.

 

 PAPERMODELS IN BACKYARDLAND2.jpg (121.57KB)
downloads: 66

 

A layer-by-layer example of object creation over the PaperModel base template. This is only two views and is a quick hand paint just for illustrative purposes. This is not an example of a texture or theme I am working on.

 

 wall paint and layer example.JPG (41.03KB)
downloads: 49

 

My file attachment skills are remedial. Here are the images intended to accompany the above description. These are examples of the objects/sets I am working on, including the paper models and an example of using them as a base for layering paint/textures.

Not sure I understand everything written above, but i'm happy you're doing cool things

Very intriguing!  Btw if you didn't know most of the day to day discussion on object making and such happens on the discord.  There's a link on the bottom of the page if you haven't joined already!

Not sure I understand everything written above...

 

It's a gift. Looking deeper, I suspect what I am doing will find a place in projects that already exist. Essentially - a place for everything, past, present, and future - but such projects exist and hopefully I can find a way to add to those efforts.

 

GForce - Thank you. I will look into it. I have been Discord resistant for a long time, but I guess it's time to bend. Everything cool is happening over there.

Well thank you for doing all of this, its greatly appreciated!