Advice on a grades

[titaniclover]

Ok for once I'm doing a grade on a route, yet I've run into a problem.

Take a look at this pic.

As you see, the ground which the track is laying on has been raised using the Smooth Spline Height Tool. The hill nearby will become mountains.

The thing I face is this, I want the mountains to blend in with the track so it looks natural.

Does anyone have an idea what I could do to achive what I this?
Help please?

Cheers,
Adam

 

[kcdowdy]

Go to street in splines, And lay it on each side right next to eachother.

And Smooth Spline tool on the street, Thats as close as you will get.

 

[WileeCoyote]

My advice would be to make the terrain first, then lay track. If you look you will notice that track rarely fits right into something without having to build up a retaining wall or a bridge or some other structure. The part of Germany I live in demonstrates this very well.

If you have gone to the location of a former railway line where its path is still plain, you will notice it literally cuts through the terrain, whereever it goes something will have been reshaped, plowed, leveled, raised or some other means of geological relocation. I think it would be easier to replicate this in Trainz by making your terrain first (as it would look before the railway ever came to town) then start laying track.

WileeCoyote

 

[Michael_Evans]

Yes, always make terrain first. I usually make hills and than add track on the side of the hill. Than smooth the spline. Add bridges where the spline looks to high and tunnels where spline is low. Never make the grades to steep. Build along river valleys where the land is flatter.

 

[spiffy101]

if I add grades, I stretch it out pretty far to make ti gradual, but thats me.

 

[spiffy101]

Dang. Double posted.

 

[sw1500]

Use Spline smooth last.

The way I create routes is to lay the track, then raise the the ground, then use spline smooth.

 

[JCitron]

I build the terrain first then lay the track. For some really interesting terrain, try using displacement maps.

John

 

[0099]

I actually do it like titaniclover does...i lay track and get height than i add hills etc THEN use the smooth spline tool on the track to make it flat...

 

[titaniclover]

Thanks guys looks a lot better now!!

Cheers,
Adam

 

[Padster]

I agree with Mr. Coyote. Put the terrain in first.

Best wishes,
Padster

 

[leeferr]

I don't think that there's any right way to do it except what works best for you. Personally, I do it both ways, even on the same route. If it works for you, then it's your right way.

 

[StorkNest]

How would I figure out what percent of grade I need? Presume a section of the layout of length A (either in grid squares or even baseboards) with heights X and Y at the ends of the area to be graded.
And dou you go from a certain height right into the grade or allow the track to curve into it? If the second, how much room for the easing?
Thanks.

 

[nwhitney]

(Y-X)/A*100. As Trainz doesn't support vertical curves, you could ease into it with gradually increasing gradients. A standard rule of thumb on highways is 1/3 of the total distance between grade changes is a vertical curve, don't know about railroads. I could give you the correction factor for a vertical curve, but that's getting too nitpicky. As long as it rides nice.
Norm