Fun with NoLimits Supports

Maybe I am already known as the support addict that is urged to do weird things with supports that are (maybe) much easier with 3DS but I want to hold that name steady. At the moment I am working on a new project that i have planned to use as a contest template later on. But Well, let's get started . . .

The contest is based on Cirque du Soleil (CDS).

Maybe this circus is known by you maybe not. CDS was among the first circusses that gave a show totally without animals. I was quite interested and visited the show Varekai lateley. Really, it is amazing what those people can do. Well. Totally enhausiastic I decided to recreate the Big Top in NoLimit's. Here's how it stated:


First, to start of the 4 pilons and the top section


The I begun wrapping the tent around that


Till it was totally finished, but that wasn't all!


The artists had to practise too, so their tent was build too

The roof section is made of 2 sheets of catwalk, the inner sheet is blue, the outer sheet is white. Despite my choice of color the inside is still too bright but hey, I am not going to change is. Especially because it is made of 19 sheets of catwalk, times 2 (2 layer) times 80 (80 pieces in total over all the roof) is in total about 3000 sheets of catwalk. I have managed to put it all in place in about 6 hours.


The interior until now, not yet finished


The exterior, totally finished for the big top


Top view from the complex


Overview from one of the sides

Some statistics:

- 12.000 free nodes
- 2.300 steel beams
- 4.800 catwalk supports

The total catwalk lenght is about 25 km when I have to believe the Tia toolbox, quite insane. Still, I love this kind of projects, it is really creative thinking and certainly with the new 1.7 update there is a lot more possible in NoLimits.

I would be pleased if you told me what you think about this madness!

That's amazing, but looks like it'll KILL frame rates.

At my mac it doesn't drop below the 90 FPS . . .

Specs
- Core 2 duo 1.83
- 1,5 Gb internal memory
- 128 Mb Ati Radeon X1600 graphics card

hah man amazing

wow. Really incredible, nice job!

wow, holy s**t thats amazingly complicated... do you happen to have a job???

Unbelievable amount of clicking required to built this, damn..

Anyway, it looks amazing.

Originally posted by coasterking1993

wow, holy s**t thats amazingly complicated... do you happen to have a job???

LAWL, my thoughts exactly.

But seriously, Modelmaker, HUGE props entirely. That looks wicked sick.

Originally posted by Gav-

Unbelievable amount of clicking required to built this, damn..

Anyway, it looks amazing.

It is insane indeed, that is why it takes so long. I started with eastern with this project and now I am about 80% done. Work runs smoothly. I know what I want so because of that I know what I have to do and the sequential steps are known. This gives me big advantages. This was not my first project with NL supports . . .


One of my first projects - Adventure Atlantis


Oil Disaster, one of my later projects


Genesis, the ride, the stage structure


The Amsterdam Arena construction


The stage in the Arena, not yet finished

[worship]

Only for me it's the wrong stadium..[:p]

You can't have it all ;)

R those 3ds or all supports

[gouldy]

Ajax are rubbish

Originally posted by Emerican7

R those 3ds or all supports

supports.. hence the topic name.. [sillyme]

''Ajax are rubbish''


They suck.

wow, that is truly amazing.
i dont even know what to say.
lol

Modelmaker...i was wondering if you are up for a task?
would you be able to make this...
http://www.coasterimage.com/pictures/si ... brtc15.jpg

out of supports? (no need for the giant hands =P)...if you could i will donate points to you because im having a hard time doing it right now and im preparing for my SAT and semester exams at school =( so if you could just PM me back =) thanks

PS: your hand building is phenomenal.

(speechless)






finally finds his speech (wow that is simply amazing that mustve taken a whole lot of work.

*drools**

That's incredible. Makes me wonder why I haven't seen these projects before.

And now some supports for download . . . Varekai - The Ride

http://coastercrazy.com/track_exchange/ ... ?tid=14127

[youtube]uFPa057WuT4[/youtube]

Ive also picked up the work again on the Amsterdam Arena, with some help of 3DS I am able to work on again. It will still be 90% supports, 10% (or less) 3DS. The reason for making them in 3DS was because of the problem of turning support structures. With about 100 nodes in each of the stands for the tribunes it would be a mission impossible to create them all without 3DS. There was no fun in it at all!

Are these made by hand or is there a program that can make these structures automaticly. So like a NL auto generator or something...?

[Dirk_Ermen]

Originally posted by BlastCoaster

Are these made by hand or is there a program that can make these structures automaticly. So like a NL auto generator or something...?

nope, It's all handwork. Node by node...

Originally posted by BlastCoaster

Are these made by hand or is there a program that can make these structures automaticly. So like a NL auto generator or something...?

I still wish for one in the next NoLimits coaster . . . but at the moment there isn't a tool that creates supports. None for this structures. All of it is handwork, node by node. Offcourse you can create some of the structures all together by putting some of the objects behind the other (like the stages) but most of it is just point and click . . . open simulator, check, alter, open simulator, check, alter . . .

A lot of work but for me it is very relaxing and satifactory.

Patience is key.

Do you ever get frustrated?

Please upload Adventure Atlantis, I really want to download it.