Quick start

Suicidator City Engine (SCG) is not a standalone program: you cannot execute it simply by double-clicking it. It is a script that another program, Blender, will execute. You'll be able to use SCG to its full extent only if you're familiar with Blender.

Before creating anything, let's make sure you're ready to launch the script.

1. Installing required components and launching the script

The following 2 components are quality softwares made by non-profit organizations.

1. Install Blender 2.49 on your machine, it's quick and easy.
2. Launch Blender, and note which version of Python is requested in the console.
3. Install the correct version of Python, it's also quick and easy.
   (Only the first 2 version numbers matter. For example, if Blender asks for Python 2.6.2, then installing Python 2.6.4 is still ok, but installing Python 2.5.4 is not.)
4. Close Blender, start it again, and check that Python is recognized. You should read Checking for installed Python... got it!. If not, you did something wrong, please repeat the steps above, or explain your problem on the forum at BlenderArtists.
5. Download the .blend file from this website, then double-click it, Blender should open it automatically.
6. Launch the script by pressing alt-p with your mouse in the text editor.

Then, for the very impatient, click on "Create city" and you're done, but your city will look very random. For the others, follow the 3 steps below to setup basic parameters.

2. Generate a building texture

Without one, your buildings will appear as boring cubes.

In the textures tab, leave all the settings to their defaults, simply press "Create texture" to create a building texture.

Look in the UV panel, you should have a new texture like this

Your buildings will show a random part of this texture on their walls.

3. Prepare the population map

Control buildings height and density with a texture called population map.

The .blend file you've downloaded should contain the texture below as an example of population map, otherwise you can use it by right-clicking on the picture, save as ... and import it into Blender. Then name it populationMap.

With this picture, you're giving the generator a clue about buildings heights: the whiter, the taller the building at that position. Read more in the general concepts and building (coming soon) sections.

4. Create the city

If you want to have streets with buildings along them, set the city size, then press Create city.

If you do not want streets, but grid-aligned buildings instead, set the city size, then press Create buildings only in the buildings tab.

Bravo, your first city is now ready for a beautiful render!

This is not the end

You've just created your first city with all the generation settings left to their default values. There are many options you can set to get closer to the kind of city you're willing to create. Continue reading this tutorial to find detailed explanations about the effects of each parameter.