3d modeling

[NWHY6]

What is a good 3d modeling program to use? and what computer language is used in writing scripts?

NWHY6

 

[mjolnir]

There are several good 3d modeling programs you can use. Two with the best cost / benefit ratio are GMAX, and Blender, both of which are free downloads, the latter from <www.blender.org>.. While both have similar cost benefit ratios, GMAX, while still available, is no longer supported, and while a number of content creators use the program, the consensus of the Trainz community seems to be approaching the suggestion of Blender. If you've got access to several thousands of dollars for the purpose of purchasing a license, the 3D platform used in house at N3V is 3DS Max, version 12.

Blender is a powerful software package, and has a steep learning curve. I recommend downloading the package, and following one of two online courses, one through Tufts University, offered by Neil Hirsig, the other through Central Dauphin High School, in Harrisburg Pennsylvania, offered by James Chronister. In addition, you would be well served by purchasing a copy of John Blain's book on Blender, The Complete Guide to Blender Graphics. Blender is open source, which for me is a very strong plus.

Blender, like many of the plug ins written for it, is largely written in Python, another open source, free download,

If you're asking what computer language is used to write scripts for Trains, the game engine used has its own scripting language, called, appropriately enough, Trainzscript. The Language Reference can be found in the online documentation at <http://online.ts2009.com/mediaWiki/index.php5/TrainzScript_Language_Reference>

 

[johnwhelan]

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Trainz/Tutorial_for_Blender#Newcomers_start_here is a useful place to start. Currently Blender 2.65 would seem to be the version of choice. Be aware there is a learning curve.

Cheerio John

 

[angelah]

Hi John,
And thanks for an informative post.

I have looked at Blender and bought a rather expensive book on it but nothing in the book seemed to tie up to what was going on on the computer screen, so not a good way to start trying to learn something. It may have been that the book was for an earlier version than the program I downloaded? I struggled for quite a while before finally giving up.

My other choice which I have really got to grips with is Gmax and while you are quite correct in stating it is no longer supported my version still keeps flogging along nicely thanks you very much, which must mean it isn't all that bad in the first place.

Recently I tried out Blender again (I still have it on my PC) but doing even the simplest thing was almost impossible due to there not being any appropriate command buttons nor information about resizing a simple Box on screen. If one cannot do a simple task in it then whatever is one to do with more complex ones?

And at my age I am none too keen on relearning another involved 3D package, although the thought does keep returning like one of those colds that never go away. I did order a free copy of Daz some time back but never heard any more about it so have given up on their 'free' offers. The snag with that program is you will need to buy quite a few add-ons to do any good with it, at least that is how I read it.

Another program I did try and had success with was Sketchup, but I decided that it was not an ideal tool for creating models for Trainz due to even the simplest action seemingly creating a whole mass of new polygons and I have enough trouble keeping those as low as possible in my warship series without a program adding a whole host more without my knowing about it. So that has not stayed on my PC....

So while Gmax may not be the 'bee's knees' to some folk it still does what it says on the box quite well as my models prove on the Download Station and the TPR Download Depot. getting a model to appear and work in Trainz is a configuration file thing more than a 3D program thing to my rather old mind and perhaps cluttered, an area I admit that I am not as good at as I ought to be. LOD is a complete mystery to me and I haven't a hope in hell of getting my head round it because all my time is taken up making models.

Each person will stand by and stick with the program they use or began their modelling lives with and power to their collective elbows I say if that is how they do what they do best. Trainz needs new and hopefully younger content creators to fill the shoes of those that leave or pass on to that great 3D place in the sky, sdly none of us are Immortals......

Blessings,

Angela

 

[johnwhelan]

Recently I tried out Blender again (I still have it on my PC) but doing even the simplest thing was almost impossible due to there not being any appropriate command buttons nor information about resizing a simple Box on screen. If one cannot do a simple task in it then whatever is one to do with more complex ones?

The problem with Blender is you only need about 5% of it and its finding the 5% that is the problem. If you press the N key that will give you the properties of the box or whatever and you just enter the value of size you want in the fields for X, Y, and Z. The tutorial in the wikibook just shows you enough to make a house then builds on it to make a moving house but it does cover the properties box. Life was frustrating until I found it. The different user interface after version 2.5 means some documentation and tutorials are out of date.

If you know GMAX and are content then stay with GMAX. If you are starting from scratch then I'd go Blender, if you are thinking of more complex models then Blender is easier. I think lods are a little easier in Blender but even in GMAX you can just save your model under a different name then chops bits of detail off. Once you have two meshes then its just playing in the config.txt file. Its only worth while for a drop of more than 500 polys and I don't think you have many large poly heavy models anyway except perhaps the destroyer. Build the two meshes then bug me off line and I'll sort out the lod for you.

Cheerio John

 

[angelah]

Hi John,
I will think about it, a nice offer and very kind of you. Most of my time is spent making these ships at the moment, very little spare to do a repeat of the same and fiddle with it. Not quite sure what to take off either....

The Ark is over 80k so the biggest yet but it is a very large item of content. I do try to reduce polys by taking out unseen Faces but the amount is relatively small for the time taken to do it. But ships are by their very nature, poly intensive I am afraid, so many bits and pieces.

There was recently a blog by a German contributor about how a modern PC deals with polygons and it quite surprised me so maybe we worry too much about how our machines handle them, although obviously large amounts on small assets is not a very good idea.

Blessings,

Angela

 

[mjolnir]

Reducing polygons is not a bad thing. It's just that, since the original Trainz came out about ten years ago, the general processing power of computers has doubled 5 times (as predicted by Moore's Law). Note that this does not mean that the computers are 10 times, but 32 times more powerful, so removing a polygon or two is has much less relative value today than it did years ago. And this will probably continue for the hardware by the time we get to trainz 2019, by which point the processing power will be 256 times the processing power of the machines running the original Trainz.

ns

 

[johnwhelan]

Reducing polygons is not a bad thing. It's just that, since the original Trainz came out about ten years ago, the general processing power of computers has doubled 5 times (as predicted by Moore's Law). Note that this does not mean that the computers are 10 times, but 32 times more powerful, so removing a polygon or two is has much less relative value today than it did years ago. And this will probably continue for the hardware by the time we get to trainz 2019, by which point the processing power will be 256 times the processing power of the machines running the original Trainz.

ns

But ten years ago Trainz used a single thread on a single core CPU, these days we use at least two cores and much of the processing is done on the GPU and they are much more powerful. Thing is that the content now is much more detailed as well so its not a simple comparison. Even so 80,000 polys without lod is fairly high.

Cheerio John