A dark night on the Lickey Bank

[pcas1986]

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Sorry, its not really a bank but more of a "Flat" but, since I have the headlight/spotlight partially working, I thought I'd post a picture of Big Bertha approaching a train that needs assistance up the hill!

I've been messing around with coronas and headlights most of the day and came to the conclusion that if I wanted the spotlight to illuminate the rear of a train then the spotlight would have to be treated as a headlamp.

The amount of illumination seems to vary each time I start the test session so I think there may be a bug in TS12. Sometimes the low and high beams are quite dull and sometimes very bright. This shot is when it was dull. Maybe I'll try it in TS10 later.

In this shot the headlight corona is just visible which is wrong. Again, I think this is TS12 at fault.

I think I'm about done with materials and textures for both the loco and the tender. For some reason the tender "finish" on the sides seems newer than the loco despite using the same materials, textures, etc. Perhaps there is a subtle difference somewhere. I've also created better shadow meshes since the auto generated shadow meshes from PEV's shadowmaker tool were giving odd shadows at times and this affects the texture.

Here is a current view of Big Bertha and its tender.

I've played a bit with the texture for the handles to try and get a "used" finish when the driver/fireman might have used the handles.

The spotlight corona is turned off by the script in this picture. I have to write more code to turn it back on when the headlights are on. But I will leave that until after the cab interior is done. This is my next task.

 

[Edweird]

Wow! Cor, that looks brilliant. Don't she look a beast! And in colour too. The little bits of brass and the red buffer beams really bring the old girl to life. I do like the way the paint isn't shiny. Being a banker, I can't see her being cleaned often, and the soot would hide the sheen of the paint. The steam around the piston housings and from the safety valves? adds life to her too.

 

[captainkman]

That looks better than the previous version, and I prefer the non-shiny finish.The top of the tender (roof) looks matched with Bertha, but the rest isn't. Hmm. And I see you haven't gotten the Lickey Incline route off the DLS? It's by tlblade and has horrible spelling in the description.

A question: are the safety valve and whistle attachments pointing up? You can use the script from the 9F and the mode lowpressurevalve and it will blow out steam when the hissing noise comes on.

And try to use the TS2010 ACS instead of the current coupling system, as it's TS12-only, remember?

 

[pcas1986]

Thanks guys. Texturing and materials is not my strong point but I was reasonably happy with the result. I think I changed the material for the wheel rims 4 or 5 times before deciding on the current. The problem being the amount of reflection shown at night.

I don't particularly like the colour of the safetys and may return to that. Actually, by the time it got to LMS days it probably changed to the Ross Pop style so that may be a change.

For Edweird.

The bits of brass etc, are probably just a bit of vanity on my part as it would look rather dull otherwise. Personally, I never like the way engines got so grimy and sooty. I can recall as a kid going to school in a steam driven train, remembering not to rub my uniform against any external part of the carriage because they would be dirty as well. And I didn't live in the Midlands but down south (IOW and Hampshire).

For Kieran.

Didn't know there was a Lickey Bank route on the DLS but will go and look. I was thinking of making my own.

Ref the tender. Yes, it's the side that looks odd and I'm wondering if it is the shadow mesh causing the problem.

Both safety attachments have the Y axis pointing directly up and the Z axis pointing forward. I'll make a note to follow up on the 9F idea. The current engine sound makes a rather loud hissing noise a few minutes after startup and continues for some time. I find it rather irritating but haven't done anything about it. Remember a few weeks back I could hardly hear anything and don't know why it changed.

And, I'll look at the TS10 ACS thing again though I thought I'd done that.

When it is mostly complete, including cab, script and the LOD you can go through and remind me again of the stuff you suggested and I forgot to do!


When this all over I might just make a shiny red version (MR/LMS colours) and add it to my Island Railways route and sessions. It would have lots of brass, copper and other shiny bits!

 

[Edweird]

Ee-heck, imagine that! Bertha in Duchess red with gold lining and a brass dome.

 

[pcas1986]

Ee-heck, imagine that! Bertha in Duchess red with gold lining and a brass dome.

Well it will have to be in your imagination as I wasn't going to put it up on the DLS. :hehe:

 

[pcas1986]

Kieran,
I looked at the ACSLIB I am using again and, in both my TS10 and TS12 installations, the current version is <kuid2:60850:89100:9>. Internally it says version 2.11 and the trainz build is 2.7 (TC1/2).

So, I'm a bit confused. Are we talking about the same thing?

Puzzled Paul

 

[Edweird]

Well it will have to be in your imagination as I wasn't going to put it up on the DLS. :hehe:

Hehehe! Oh well, nevermind. Could you at least let us see the livery when you make it? I'd like to see a picture of it regardless.

I tell you what, if I get myself a new graphics card for my PC like I'm planning, I could capture some footage using fraps and make a music video to go with that song about her.

 

[captainkman]

I tell you what, if I get myself a new graphics card for my PC like I'm planning, I could capture some footage using fraps and make a music video to go with that song about her.

I was going to do the same thing, and upload it to my YouTube account as a tribute to the loco and to say that the loco is available.

Well, when it is available, anyway.

 

[Edweird]

Oh, okay. Nevermind. Do you want the MP3? I went and bought the album.

 

[captainkman]

Nah, I recorded it myself off the video.

 

[pcas1986]

The video and the soundtrack would be fantastic but I'll let you guys sort out who does it. Those sorts of skills are not in my repertoire anyway. One of these days I will have to find out what fraps is. My Snap5 tool does video capture but I've never used it. I also have Nero 11 so perhaps I have all the tools but maybe not the inclination.

My current plan is to put out the LMS version first, then the BR version and then, maybe, my MR Crimson Lake version. But there is still a way to go.

 

[Edweird]

Well, I was talking a long way down the line. I suspect you will have finished the model long before I get my graphics card, so if Kieran has the ability to make the video already, it makes sense for him to do it.

 

[Edweird]

Just found an interesting snippet. I knew Bertha was trialled on a coal run. This website has an interesting bit of info: http://www.robinbarnes.net/gallery10.html

Apparently Bertha's a repeat offender when it comes to tender snatching: Using a 4F tender for the longer distance run. The picture also shows that she pretty much always was black all over. Shame, she looks so much better with those little bits of brass.

 

[pcas1986]

It's strange I didn't come across that web page as I've done a lot of web searching for anything on BB. According to the Backtrack article, it was suggested that some parts, including the funnel but not the tender, came from a Paget 2-6-2 that was being dismantled while BB was being built. I guess that's reasonable given that BB is a "one off".

Backtrack also says that the "works grey" livery was only for the official photograph and it was repainted in gloss black.

 

[Edweird]

Hahaha! She was a brilliant locomotive wasn't she: A real patchwork wonder. Do you know what her 'proper' tender was from?

 

[chrisaw]

It looks to me like the shadow mesh is showing on the tender side. I've found that a satisfactory shadow in TC3 or 2010, doesn't always work well in TS12.
I've contributed my findings to a TS12 shadow forum discussion.

Chris.

 

[pcas1986]

It looks to me like the shadow mesh is showing on the tender side. I've found that a satisfactory shadow in TC3 or 2010, doesn't always work well in TS12.
I've contributed my findings to a TS12 shadow forum discussion.

Chris.

Thanks. That was my guess and I will trying dragging it back in the X axis. The side of the tender has a sort of bevelled finish which, in real life, was probably reinforcement plating. I think the shadow is extending beyond the normal mesh.

There was a comment elsewhere, by Zec I think, that shadow meshes must be fully contained within the original mesh.

Another problem I have is that the shadows extend below ground level to infinity. I've seen this before but cannot remember how I fixed it. I suspect this is why I am getting some odd shadow results when very close to the asset.

 

[pcas1986]

Hahaha! She was a brilliant locomotive wasn't she: A real patchwork wonder. Do you know what her 'proper' tender was from?

Sorry, no. I remember reading somewhere that it had to be adapted with the cab extension to protect the driver and fireman when reversing back down the incline. That makes sense considering it worked much like a tank engine.

I remember as a kid that the tank engines on the IOW Railway frequently pulled trains in the reversed position. The driver and fireman probably preferred it that way.

 

[chrisaw]

Another problem I have is that the shadows extend below ground level to infinity. I've seen this before but cannot remember how I fixed it. I suspect this is why I am getting some odd shadow results when very close to the asset.

Not sure what you mean here, but does it look like your shadow is being projected out of the mesh? If so trace it back to its origin and you'll find a hole in the shadow mesh.

Chris.