Animation within Interactive Industries

[Driver_Col]

One of my inherent issues with Trainz interactive industries is the "magical" aspect. i.e. a Conflat is pushed/pulled into a loading area, and the load will magically appear/disappear. This is not intended as criticism in any way but, at least from my perspective, is a necessary drawback with the current technology ......... but is it necessary?????

While I have never seen more realistic loading/unloading in Trainz, why couldn't it be done? Why couldn't a train pull into a timber/lumber industry loading dock; a crane moves forward and lowers its jib and hook over the Conflat which connects with the load; the load is then hoisted off the conflat; the crane trundles off to one side and lowers the load to the ground.

Those of you who know me, will know that while I claim some competency level in Route building, I have no idea what is involved in creating the assets that are so valuable for my Routes so, at the risk of being rather naive ........ why couldn't an interactive industry incorporate animation such as my example above? Is the crane hook connecting with a pile of timber much different from two wagons coupling together? In the event of a loading operation, couldn't the crane hook be "uncoupled" from the load once the load is on the wagon?

I am confident that it could be done, but who has the skills and (probably more importantly) the time to do it? What a wonderful opportunity for N3V to exert its expertise.

Looking forward to responses with great interest. Regards. Colin.

 

[stagecoach]

Look at <kuid:323914:101298> AGV Container Station 20ft. It almost has it right.

 

[Driver_Col]

Look at <kuid:323914:101298> AGV Container Station 20ft. It almost has it right.

Thanks for the info. It looks like a good start (although I could not get any action out of it ..... probably should read instructions!). We just need an adaptation to provide an industry loading dock crane (or forklift?) capable of working with conflats or similar.

 

[stagecoach]

See

 

[Driver_Col]

See

Not bad ......... but I am sure that not only could that asset be improved, but something more appropriate to the general steam era would be of interest to many trainzers. Regards. Colin.

 

[pcas1986]

Perhaps stating the obvious but it means that the product being exchanged isn't sufficiently identified. If that wagon is configured for 40ft containers then Trainz must be allocating one at random.

You might be able to get around the issue with dedicated single container commodities used by both the wagon and the industry. Or, perhaps, the ability to inform the wagon of what container is being provided. I think that might be doable in script.

 

[PeteC9008]

Ive had a similar thought while doing some switching this evening... at the moment a wagon has a very quick load time, and I cant decouple before that load operation starts.... is there a way to delay the load starting so I could decouple and leave the wagons at the industry to load...? This would also work better if the load operation took a lot longer...

 

[pcas1986]

Ive had a similar thought while doing some switching this evening... at the moment a wagon has a very quick load time, and I cant decouple before that load operation starts.... is there a way to delay the load starting so I could decouple and leave the wagons at the industry to load...? This would also work better if the load operation took a lot longer...

I won’t say it’s impossible but I think it would be difficult.

Much of of industry code is convoluted and difficult to follow. User scripts in the traincar asset don’t have much flexibility. They can inform the industry whether they support a stopped load or not. They can add to the load time which is designed to allow animation, by the traincar, or to make sounds and smoke effects. Maybe you could cause a decouple but I haven’t tried that and it would be common to all instances of that traincar unless it was something you could tailor in a session. WagonX code might allow that.

My first thoughts are that maybe it could be done by the relevant industry code or maybe a session rule. I’ve never written a rule so know little about that.

 

[PeteC9008]

I won’t say it’s impossible but I think it would be difficult.

Much of of industry code is convoluted and difficult to follow. User scripts in the traincar asset don’t have much flexibility. They can inform the industry whether they support a stopped load or not. They can add to the load time which is designed to allow animation, by the traincar, or to make sounds and smoke effects. Maybe you could cause a decouple but I haven’t tried that and it would be common to all instances of that traincar unless it was something you could tailor in a session. WagonX code might allow that.

My first thoughts are that maybe it could be done by the relevant industry code or maybe a session rule. I’ve never written a rule so know little about that.

I think that's the most preferable option. For a large 4 track container yard (Frankfurt DUSS Terminal for example) you could force the uncouple as the 2x gantry cranes are loading up to 40 wagon long trains you'd never leave a loco attached to all that while it loads! While a smaller local drop off of 2 or 3 inter-modal wagons would be quick enough you'd wait for them to be lifted and take the wagons straight away.

I might take a look into the Industry Scripts and see if i can find anything, although I'm sure you are a lot more skilled than me!

 

[wreeder]

The ProtoLARS industries have the ability that you are asking about. You can drop off cars and the industry can be set to take a certain period of time to load one car at a time or all the cars that are coupled together. Sadly, they were not updated for a long time and the creator encrypted the scripts and has since forgotten the password he used. Msgsapper based some his BI industries on them and added more commodities for them to use but he couldn't change the scripts. Philskene has a demo route showing how the protolars industries can be configured. It is worth a look I think.

Edit: Here is the pdf that Phil created explaining how to configure both LARS and ProtoLARS industries. He used them in his early routes.
https://1drv.ms/b/s!AkMIc8G3YArLgok47zw5qanQMznLtQ?e=5wujtX

 

[PeteC9008]

Well thank you very much @wreeder !!! I've never come across them before!! Seems the best option would be to get someone working on his password then, ill be testing those out this afternoon I think!

 

[pcas1986]

The ProtoLARS industries have the ability that you are asking about. You can drop off cars and the industry can be set to take a certain period of time to load one car at a time or all the cars that are coupled together. Sadly, they were not updated for a long time and the creator encrypted the scripts and has since forgotten the password he used. ….

I didn’t think you could add a password to the stock Trainz script encryption option. Doesn’t really make sense as Traainz would need to know the password.

N3V can provide a decrypted version although it can take some time. The CRG has done this but it’s very rare and we are required to re-encrypt when the asset is repaired.

 

[wreeder]

I'm just repeating what Msgsapper said regarding talking to Lars about updating the items. I would love to see all his industries updated as ProtoLARS is vastly more realistic compared to the way Trainz works now. Maybe for modern operations of unit trains they make sense. But I prefer operations where a train drops off cars for loading and then a train picks up the cars later and takes them back to the yard for classification into a new train for delivery.

 

[PeteC9008]

N3V can provide a decrypted version although it can take some time. The CRG has done this but it’s very rare and we are required to re-encrypt when the asset is repaired.

This is interesting. But why do you have to encrypt again afterwards? In the ProtoLARS config it says its freeware and distribute freely... id certainly love to get hold of the ProtoLARS script....

 

[PeteC9008]

So I've gone and discovered the ProtoLARS script before encryption.... @wreeder MSGSapper linked it out in another thread here.... Ive not done anything with it yet, but certainly had a poke through the script - its a MONSTER!!! Although lots of comments throughout is encouraging...

 

[pcas1986]

This is interesting. But why do you have to encrypt again afterwards? In the ProtoLARS config it says its freeware and distribute freely... id certainly love to get hold of the ProtoLARS script....

It was a condition placed on the CRG by N3V. Basically, the CRG is obliged keep any repairs within the author’s intent.

 

[pcas1986]

The very recent announcement by JR in the JR forum appears to solve some of the issues in this latest discussion. Sorry, I can’t post a link.