Attempting Some Route Building

[martinvk]

it takes forever, but worth it. i usually put headphones on and get crankin. makes me forget how long it takes.

like they say, how much time & effort you put into it you get out of it. (even if its straightening the same 200 ft of track for 30 min.).

Straightening track is a simple one click action. How many spline points do you have in only 200ft?

 

[martinvk]

oh word i pass on the making thingz. let the proz do it lolz.

Like most things, practice makes perfect or nearly so. Start small and in no time you too can be making your own objects. There are several 3D modeling programs that can export to Trainz, some free, some not so free. They all have learning curves (cliffs according to some:wave but nothing that diligent effort and good old fashion hard work doesn't reward. Nothing like seeing you own objects in Trainz.

 

[overkill650]

Straightening track is a simple one click action. How many spline points do you have in only 200ft?

haha, i know what u must have thought. im working on a LIRR mini route which goes through brooklyn, and it took me 30 min. to make a junction where one track continues straight and one into a tunnel.

but the problem was that i cant fit a fixed track turnout, so i just tried to make a simple junction, but most times when i do this, the track does this thing where the smoothness of the curve of the rails will go with the rails that branch off the mainline, and then it looks dumb how the mainline has a funky kink in it.

so, if youre still with me after my huge rambling sentence, that was my problem. all good now though.

 

[martinvk]

When placing track, a good technique is to alternate straightened "==" and non-straightened "--"sections of track. Spline point "0"

0==0----------0==0-----------0==0---------0==0

Same thing for junctions

[FONT=Courier New]0[COLOR=Red]====[/COLOR]0-------0===0----
      \
       0
        \\
          0
            \[/FONT]

This way, the diverging track makes a smooth exit and there are no kinks at the junction itself. The red track is the critical piece. If that is not straightened, the junction will not be smooth. Note that two straightened track sections should not be jointed together without a non straightened piece between them. 0===0===0===0 is not a good idea.

 

[overkill650]

thanks martin, that makes alot of sense