Baseboard add query

[llewelyn]

I'm in the early stages of building a fictitious route. Obviously, that means adding baseboards as I go. However, they always add at 0 height.

Is there any way to either a) add a new baseboard which is all at height n and/or b) add a baseboard at height n with a known gradient - e.g. starts at height n on a given side (say south) an has a uniform gradient of x%?

 

[pware]

These have been the holy grail of Trainz since the first user added the first baseboard. TransDEM will add the new baseboards at their correct heights/gradients but that is a commercial program and has a fairly steep learning curve (not to mention needing access to the relevant geophysical data).

 

[llewelyn]

I figured as much. Since this is a ficitious route, the geo data is in my head, made up as I go along. Ah well, I'll continue to do it the slow way. Of course, the ideal solution is to model a route on a wide open prairie, then it's easy. But that would be boring.

What's the feeling on uploading WIP routes to the DLS? So far I have the yard at one terminus, with some scenery done and I'm adding baseboards along the route which will eventually arrive at another town. No towns as yet, just a few industries. Are people going to be interested in a partly-done route with limited decoration? Obviously, once it's on the DLS I can put out updates.

 

[nfitzsimmons]

My approach is to do a Get Height at the edge of the existing baseboard where I want to attach the new one, add the new one, then do a Use Height on the new one.

 

[mezzoprezzo]

.
Adding baseboards can be messy when the height difference of the added boards don't match up to what has already been created with the topology tools.

One tip is to always leave an untouched margin at the edge of any baseboard which is likely to be added to.

I tend to leave around 30 metres at the original elevation on all open edged baseboards, then any additions will always be a perfect match. A wider margin can often be better when the height differences are more extreme.

You'll still need to blend in the contours to the new board, but it's a lot easier to do when you leave a margin. It avoids the knife like edges that you always get when hills and valleys have been taken right to the edges, which are a real pain to match in, more-so if the relative levels are extreme. Those margins considerably reduce the agony.

 

[RRSignal]

I figured as much. Since this is a ficitious route, the geo data is in my head, made up as I go along. Ah well, I'll continue to do it the slow way. Of course, the ideal solution is to model a route on a wide open prairie, then it's easy. But that would be boring.

What's the feeling on uploading WIP routes to the DLS? So far I have the yard at one terminus, with some scenery done and I'm adding baseboards along the route which will eventually arrive at another town. No towns as yet, just a few industries. Are people going to be interested in a partly-done route with limited decoration? Obviously, once it's on the DLS I can put out updates.

Probably not. If you can get, say, two towns or major points done with scenery in between, then IMO it probably would be worthwhile. Be sure to use the same kuid and just update the kuid version and you're properly prepared for future updates.

 

[llewelyn]

My approach is to do a Get Height at the edge of the existing baseboard where I want to attach the new one, add the new one, then do a Use Height on the new one.

kinda what I've been doing. is there a way to apply the height to the whole area, other then cruising over it with the terrain tool at max size/sensitivity?

Mind, I found a sort-of-OK approach to a smooth gradient on the landscape, build the track first with the appropriate height/grade, then do smooth spline, then pick up the terrain height along the track using the plateau tool and lift the terrain in bands roughly perpendicular to the track. It's tedious, but works, and gets reasonable looking results - once it's painted the shallow steps won't show.

Would still be a whole lot easier if the terrain advanced tool had an option to set a specific gradient, mind. I suppose I could create a greyscale image with a slight tint change, that might work. The images supplied are all far too extreme, and make crazy lumpy scenery.

 

[mjolnir]

What's the feeling on uploading WIP routes to the DLS? So far I have the yard at one terminus, with some scenery done and I'm adding baseboards along the route which will eventually arrive at another town. No towns as yet, just a few industries. Are people going to be interested in a partly-done route with limited decoration? Obviously, once it's on the DLS I can put out updates.

It has been done, but I don't care for the practice (not that what I think about it makes any difference to anyone). My approach to this is to make a series of small "routlets", 3 to a dozen or so boards, where the rail interest and activity is concentrated, which I will eventually upload, and allow others to download several routlets and tie them together as they wish with segments of their own design.

But if you want to have a place to show off and allow downloading of your WIP, think about creating a Blog on one of the sites which allow you to create a free blog (three examples: tumblr, blogspot, and wordpress), and make your WIP available through that mode, either on a "here it is for your downloading pleasure", or "send me an email, and I'll send you a CDP by return email basis."

Or, you could open a free dropbox account (or an account on a similar service), post the occasional screenshot in the screenshot forum including a link to the latest WIP version.

ns

 

[pware]

kinda what I've been doing. is there a way to apply the height to the whole area, other then cruising over it with the terrain tool at max size/sensitivity?

Mind, I found a sort-of-OK approach to a smooth gradient on the landscape, build the track first with the appropriate height/grade, then do smooth spline, then pick up the terrain height along the track using the plateau tool and lift the terrain in bands roughly perpendicular to the track. It's tedious, but works, and gets reasonable looking results - once it's painted the shallow steps won't show.

That is exactly how I have been doing it since I first started using Trainz.