how can i make my city prettier? Thread

I'm working on this small city. when your reading a book and there are distinct objects in a story that author explains, the view and feel of that object. For example, "The Gaudy side of town had the stink of old tea cups because the departed left their homes".
That's simple text, i want to go on another level and actually create... the level. I want that ambient noise and old tin cans on the floor. but whats missing?
I need life in the city, even tho there are no people.

Here is a video on how i was playing around with the city.

You dont want prettier.

You want heavy dramatic shadows and bring down the exposure abit.
A skyBOX that doesnt remind people of teletubbies, go for something more somber like overcast.
Make the fog "dirtier" like a brownish color

Hope that helps

Oh and the last video looks good, I just beg you to add a spinning fan between the vent and the light source, it will look so great

Wow, what the hell, i didn't mean to post the whole playlist... I don't know any good skybox websites. All those videos are just me playing around with the code and changing the feel and view of the game. I'm gonna add transparent lamps to the lighting map and im gonna add some props. Thats gonna give it a nice shadow effect.The Fan is a great idea, But the will it look nice underneath a vent?

The teletubbie Skybox, Im still kinda deciding to go with a realistic level design or a cartoony one, kinda like the maps in TF2 or the maps in most realistic games.

thanks for the help, I hope i get more feedback.

Just go to CG Textures for skyboxes.

A spinning fan just above the vent and your light source above that.
If you do it please post video for me.

Glad I could help.

I was working on the city and i found this nice site that had free skyboxes. I found this nice skybox that kinda added more life to it. Im gonna add more props to the Roofs and im gonna edit the Billboard because for some reason the code is messing around with the prop. Im also gonna add a light source come from behind which is gonna add that shadowy look so that the building don't look like they all have light.

Im gonna work on the video for the Fan but the thing is i need to find the model for the fan. Have any free modeling websites? Im looking for X objects or 3ds or dbo.

here is the link where i found the skybox. Redsorceress.com

Already looking alot better, no one is going to see the fan upclose anyway so use 2 flat boxes to make a like a plus symbol and use that

As for the billboard, You have to freeze all the transforms on it.
If you are using XSI its Freeze all transforms
In 3DS Max its reset Xform.

Also be careful about the scaling of textures. The building on the left has windows that seem a bit large, while the one in the right (background) has tiny windows and floors.

Think about what gives these buildings realism in real life. There is usually the air conditioning on the roof or antennas or helipads; your billboard is a start, but place it so that people would see it. The lower two storeys of a tall building may look differently orthe builing may be build in pyramid style, like in 1930's NY.

Finally, draw them on a grid first. Make a plan of what kind of building you need where. You will find that living areas are usually structured around some infrastructure (supermarket, groceries, cafés...), while financial districts are usually build around law and federal buildings. The city on your image doesn't show enough character yet. If you fix the scaling of the textures that will already help a lot.