Any Tips for making smooth curves
- Thread starter Duckman44
- Start date
cascaderailroad
New member
I will tutor you, if you would like, via PM.
I have devoted much effort, and time into trying to understand Trainz curving geometry, and turnouts (and I learn something new each and every day) ... it is really quite easy.
I will look up some of my older threads and try to give you some pointrs, and locate the YouTube videos.
The way I understand it is that once a curve goes beyond a certain angle, and is becoming a 90 degree change in dirrection, the more the distortion of a curve (example a 180 degree Horseshoe curve).
I oftentimes resort to using FT Track in problematic curves, and lay my single track, and slide it over top of the FT Track template.
http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?26919-curves&p=287372#post287372
I almost have the "Get Curve Radius" button figured out (or at least have some success in using it).
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps3c869161.jpg
I have devoted much effort, and time into trying to understand Trainz curving geometry, and turnouts (and I learn something new each and every day) ... it is really quite easy.
I will look up some of my older threads and try to give you some pointrs, and locate the YouTube videos.
The way I understand it is that once a curve goes beyond a certain angle, and is becoming a 90 degree change in dirrection, the more the distortion of a curve (example a 180 degree Horseshoe curve).
I oftentimes resort to using FT Track in problematic curves, and lay my single track, and slide it over top of the FT Track template.
http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?26919-curves&p=287372#post287372
I almost have the "Get Curve Radius" button figured out (or at least have some success in using it).
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps3c869161.jpg
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Richarde57
Active member
Forgive me if I've misunderstood the OP's request but as I understand it, you are looking to create a curve in the track with a constant radius? If so, then the easiest way to do this is by using one of the many templates on the DLS (I use the ones by James73 but there are plenty to choose from).
Prior to starting your curve, place a few metres of straight track, being sure to use the track straighten tool. Also end your curve in the same way and this will give you a consistent curve every time.
Prior to starting your curve, place a few metres of straight track, being sure to use the track straighten tool. Also end your curve in the same way and this will give you a consistent curve every time.
The best way I've found is to use a short section (1-grid square or so will do) of track on each end of the curve. Attach the two short segments with track, and "straighten track" on the two short segments. The section between the two straight segments will be a smooth curve.
I'm convinced that the final answer to realistic curves in Trainz is the contribution of Mr.Den and his curve templates that run from 1 degree to 100 meter radius. They are easy to use and run from 1 degree down to 4 degrees, and below that in radii from 4 meter radius in 25 meter radius. There are about 100 of them on the DLS that you can find by doing a search of "Mr.Den" with every box checked. These are classified as scenery items and are very useful, especially since you can adjust the height of the templates as well as controlling their alignments by their degrees in attitude. If you are modeling crowded industrial areas with sharper curves or need curves gentler than 1 degree there are many methods for measuring and constructing them available on the Internet, and tools for measuring available on the DLS.
Trainz will not create a usable curve under any curcumstances. It will always be sharpest at the inception of the curve and broadest at the middle, which is the exact opposite of prototype curves. Use Mr.Dem's templates with a realistic allowance for easements and your curves will be quite pleasing.
Bernie
Trainz will not create a usable curve under any curcumstances. It will always be sharpest at the inception of the curve and broadest at the middle, which is the exact opposite of prototype curves. Use Mr.Dem's templates with a realistic allowance for easements and your curves will be quite pleasing.
Bernie
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You can convert a 'standard' Trainz geometry curve to a reasonable representation of a railway curve if:
As Scott says you MUST have a straightened length of spline at each end.
Lay the curve with one continuous length of spline.
Insert one spline point as near as possible to 1/2 way along the curve.
Drag the inserted spline point outwards till the curve looks right, or at least till it looks better! Zoom a long way out and look down!
Is that an exact railway curve? No it isn't. But it's a darn sight better than anything based on fixed track with a constant radius or the standard track geometry. Either of those are more wronger by far.....
Andy
As Scott says you MUST have a straightened length of spline at each end.
Lay the curve with one continuous length of spline.
Insert one spline point as near as possible to 1/2 way along the curve.
Drag the inserted spline point outwards till the curve looks right, or at least till it looks better! Zoom a long way out and look down!
Is that an exact railway curve? No it isn't. But it's a darn sight better than anything based on fixed track with a constant radius or the standard track geometry. Either of those are more wronger by far.....
Andy
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You can convert a 'standard' Trainz geometry curve to a reasonable representation of a railway curve if:
As Scott says you MUST have a straightened length of spline at each end.
Lay the curve with one continuous length of spline.
Insert one spline point as near as possible to 1/2 way along the curve.
Drag the inserted spline point outwards till the curve looks right, or at least till it looks better! Zoom a long way out and look down!
Is that an exact railway curve? No it isn't. But it's a darn sight better than anything based on fixed track with a constant radius or the standard track geometry. Either of those are more wronger by far.....
Andy
I've used the above referenced method on all of my routes. It works, it looks good, and it's less involved.
Joe
I see you're getting a lot of replys to this but I'll throw my 2 cents in also... I lay a short piece of track on each end of the curve, and click the button that straightens them out and connect them with another piece or track. That usually gives a nice curve. And if you have to, do what Andy (Dermmy) says. He is actually the expert on laying track lol
LOL - thanks Wyonate! To be honest for most curves I just live with Trainz geometry. Unless you are looking down it works and at least it's a smooth curve and looks acceptable in most instances unless you are a drive-from-the-cab aficionado. Dragging a central vertex outwards can easily introduce an unwanted kink. From a trackside camera (my preferred view) the geometry of the curve is almost impossible to see. From the cab though the standard curve is much more noticeably wrong. The problem with the 'standard' geometry is that it is the exact opposite of a true railway curve, it is sharpest radius closest to the adjoining tangent track and largest radius farthest from the tangents. The odd thing is that the easements for a very good approximation of a railway curve do not even need to be calculated, the Cartesian coordinates can be read off readily available Fresnel tables. I'm sure there would be some way to integrate the tables into the software making this a change I am surprised hasn't been implemented. The resultant curve would be a Euler Spiral, much much closer than the current Bezier curve (or at least that's what I think it is). Another bonus would be that if we ever introduce super-elevation then the vertical co-ordinates can be read off the same tables giving a true three-dimensional Euler. Wouldn't that be lovely!
We live in a Trainz era where there are currently threads about exact engine specs, wrong hornsounds, paranoia about non-custom cabs and I even read in a 3rd party forum recently a post from someone who refused to run rolling stock with the wrong-shaped shadow! The Trainz 1.0 curve thing is something that truly needs sorted.....
We live in a Trainz era where there are currently threads about exact engine specs, wrong hornsounds, paranoia about non-custom cabs and I even read in a 3rd party forum recently a post from someone who refused to run rolling stock with the wrong-shaped shadow! The Trainz 1.0 curve thing is something that truly needs sorted.....
cascaderailroad
New member
FT 10 Deg 200m Rad (which is @ the radius of the Horseshoe Curve) was Built into TRS2006 created by prjindigo.
Possibly this isn't built in to 09/10/12 ? ? ?
I tried MrDens, and others, templates and they was a rediculously huge radius curves.
Your best bet is using the Trainz ruler, with spokes radiating out from a central point, like a wagon wheel, @ 3, 6, or more intermediate spline points per curve.
Possibly this isn't built in to 09/10/12 ? ? ?
I tried MrDens, and others, templates and they was a rediculously huge radius curves.
Your best bet is using the Trainz ruler, with spokes radiating out from a central point, like a wagon wheel, @ 3, 6, or more intermediate spline points per curve.
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I dont see why you can't they are bullt-in T12. Type in "FT straight 10m" in the search menu in surveyor building fly-out menu. It should lead to over 100 pcs FT.
John