Beep! Beep! It's a Geep!

[Xengeance]

I ,[____],
I- -- *-0IIIII0-
()_) ()_)-o-)_)

Ha, ha - no, just kidding.

Yeah, I know there's already about 5 gazillion EMD GP38's on the DLS and otherwise, but I had started it a while back and got too far along on the body to scrap it, so it's been my little pet project over the last couple of days. Thought I'd let you guys take a little peek:

It was built off measurements taken from an HO scale model I have along with some scale drawings from Trainiax (thanks to the handy Photoshop ruler tool! ) So far, it's at about 3.1k polys, but 60% of that is really just the high-detail handrails and grab irons, which I'll very likely end up doing a few LOD levels for. Obviously it's a work in progress (note the lack of roof fans, lights, and other odds & ends) Though most of the major mesh alterations are close to done.

 

[tume]

I ,[____],
I- -- *-0IIIII0-
()_) ()_)-o-)_)

Ha, ha - no, just kidding.

Yeah, I know there's already about 5 gazillion EMD GP38's on the DLS and otherwise, but I had started it a while back and got too far along on the body to scrap it, so it's been my little pet project over the last couple of days. Thought I'd let you guys take a little peek:

It was built off measurements taken from an HO scale model I have along with some scale drawings from Trainiax (thanks to the handy Photoshop ruler tool! ) So far, it's at about 3.1k polys, but 60% of that is really just the high-detail handrails and grab irons, which I'll very likely end up doing a few LOD levels for. Obviously it's a work in progress (note the lack of roof fans, lights, and other odds & ends) Though most of the major mesh alterations are close to done.

Hallo,
keep up your nice work. Is it allowed to ask, which RR your GP38 will serve on?


Your wrote about the dimensions. You got it from a H0 model?. I have found some information – you may use it to double check your mesh dimensions.


“GP38's and GP40's use the same frame. The drawing of a GP40 in Kalmbach's Our GM Scrapbook shows a length of 59'-2" from coupler face to coupler face, 55'-0" between pilot faces and 34'-0" truck centers”


Also there are quite detailed scaled drawings you could use to by sure about the dimensions:


http://paintshop.railfan.net


May this will inspire you for even more creations


Your's TUME


PS: Also the tank looks a bit to angularly. It should be more rounded, especially near the bottom. But may the RR you are creating the loco fore used special tanks for its GP38. Just some helpful word, I hope, as I like helpful critics to my work to. It mostly gives me some information to make it better

 

[simulatortrain]

She looks great!

What roadnames are you thinking of doing?

That would look great with a high nose... and if you could make an easily reskinnable version (maybe with PSDs like the Jointed Rail Fs)

 

[Ronayne]

What road is your model in? I have a HO scale Union Pacific GP38.

Your model looks great! After the GP9, the GP38 is my favourite of the Geeps. :wave:

 

[SuperFudd]

But GP38s are so darn UGLY!
Now GP35s. There is a beauty.

 

[Xengeance]

@simulatortrain:

I was intending from the beginning to make the textures be easily re-skinned. I'll probably also toss in a template texture (solid colors for each area) and some sort of front/top/side/bottom image thing showing which colors match where on the model.

@Roayne:

The model is B&O 4810 in Cheesie System Livery

@tume:

I agree the fuel tank does look a bit off-skew, it's one of those 'unfinished niggling-details' I mentioned. The original measurements I had taken from my HO model, but then I went back using the scale drawings like the ones you suggested (Trainiax has a collection similar to RR Paintshop) and shored up everything, which made it look much better. (an HO scale ruler only has about a 3 inch margin of error at minimum) Although having the actual working drawings from EMD or something would be MUCH easier, lol.

Not quite sure what roadname(s) I'll do for it yet. The Chessie System livery I'll likely end up doing, and probably some UP, and BNSF (The latter two which I see frequently in my area). I was actually toying with the idea of including multiple schemes into the model at once, and be able to swap them in surveyor, similar to AltoDave's 0-6-0 switchers - maybe even do some scripting magic to have a 'maintanence' building on a route to re-color your locos in Driver, hmm?

 

[n8phu]

@simulatortrain:

I was intending from the beginning to make the textures be easily re-skinned. I'll probably also toss in a template texture (solid colors for each area) and some sort of front/top/side/bottom image thing showing which colors match where on the model.

**Head perks up**

My interest is peaked now...........Wouldn't mind giving it a go for reskinning.

Question, would it be too late to suggest making it like a "kit" with attachment points like the u30c on the DLS...... That way horns could be changed out or mounted in different spots, lites moved (I.E Nose or up with the number boards), and perhaps an attachment point for bells hung as per the prototype? Feel free to tell my to get lost......

 

[tume]

The idea to set up the mesh usable for several RR’s sounds good. Just be carefully about the details. During creation of my SD40-2s for the Milwaukee Road, I studied a lot of photographs available in the net. I just had to consider, that even the locos of the same type for the same RR contained several differences in detail. Its mostly about the air horn arrangement or about some special equipment at the roof top like antennas and rotating warning lights as so on. Sometimes they installed snowploughs sometimes not. At GP9s I found a lot of different covers for the roof top ventilators and different exhaust extensions – probably installed by the RR’s itself. Some locos got things at the driver cab roof looking like air conditions and so on. This effects comes along, especially if the locos been used a long time and have been under major maintenance or changing, which could be the case for a lot of the GP38s too

As a result of such investigations, I created several mesh versions, to get things as close as possible to the real world. The way like described in the reply above is another possibility.

Your’s TUME

 

[Kay9]

But GP38s are so darn UGLY!
Now GP35s. There is a beauty.

Not too big of a body difference don't you think. If they both look so much a like, why say one's uglier than the other? I'm not one to start an arguement, so, just saying.

 

[SuperFudd]

======================

 

[StorkNest]

Adding onto tume's comment, if you have favorite railroads, it helps to join a railfan forum, Yahoo group and/or forum for some society related to your railroad or theme. You may not go much but when you do, you can search their messages and ask if needed for information specific to the railroad's locomotives including niggling details you may never find in photos. Even web searching forums helps.
Explains why I gave up asking for Frisco GP35s from anyone.

 

[bill3779]

Hope this is of some use

From the EMD GP38 Operator's Manual 2nd edition, October 1967

These are the general Specs...Hope you can read the scan