Floating Track Still Around

[dricketts]

I was just wondering if there has been any recent talk about the floating track problem. I was hoping it was something that had been looked at in TS2010.

Every time you use the smooth spline tool with any track it drops the ground about a foot below the track. Of course it looks ridiculous. On my 80 mile long route I only have 3 small yards and it's been a nightmare trying to manually adjust the track and or ground so the track doesn't look like it's magically floating in mid air.

I don't know how guys that are creating really large yards with accurate DEM data do it...

 

[BobCass]

dricketts: I also get this effect and most of the time I ignore it unless it looks utterly rediculus..I have wondered why it is that way and I can't think of a good reason why it is..I hope somebody will give us an answer to the reason..But however, I don't use Dem..:wave:

 

[dean3779]

I noticed it also with the HP track..when i replaced the track on the Marias Pass route. Not as drastic as a foot, but still noticeable. I wonder if it is something in the config file like road splines. I have noticed it with some road spline also and if you use the hight tool to lower them manually you can get them to be level with the ground

Just a thought

Bill

 

[bear2003]

Floating Track

i think its because if you modify any thing around the track like splines, the track will still be smooth. I lower the track "if it can be seen" from switches or cross tracks. Normally the oncoming track is so close, the height can only be viewed when editing.

 

[davesnow]

Yes, the floating track problem is one of the most RIDICULOUS aspects of using Trainz Surveyor!!! ((Yes, I bolded, underlined, italiced, and made the word large so hopefully it'll get Auran's attention and thet someday they'll fix this.)) I don't know of any reason why this hasn't been fixed years ago, since it's been a headache as long as I can remember.

"Cheers,"

Dave

 

[jrfolco]

I recently switched to Jointed Rail’s new Terrain track. There is no space under the track. In fact, if you lower the terrain below the track, the ballast will fill in the space to the lower grade level.

I discovered this aspect after I switched the WM & B&O Mega Route Native Mode to the Jointed Rail track.

Anyone that has downloaded the WM & B&O Mega Route Native Mode can see for themselves, or go into my website to the Videos page and watch the Doublestacks video to see what the track looks like. It does hug the ground.

I haven’t checked out the other new styles of track available to see if they also have that capability.

You’ll find the track under Freeware on their website. Click on Trackside Items.

Joe

 

[bl4882]

I ignore the problem because, preferring the big picture, I don't go in really close enough that it is glaring, but something should be done about it. Hiballer had a utility that worked in earlier versions, Trkadjust if my memory serves, to lower the track route-wide in one operation, but he has not been able to make it work in 2010 and later because, I believe, N3V is not forthcoming with info he needs about the track, if I understood him correctly. What advantage they gain from that is a mystery.

Bernie

PS: I know that some newer versions of track do not have this problem, but almost all of the newer track I have seen either looks bulbous and a bit like 4 inch pipe on ties or kinks severely when used for tight curves, which were common before industrial spurs became a thing of the past.

 

[Thad09]

I figured out a solution to this problem! I use fill track. Works great!

 

[martinvk]

Another solution is to use track that doesn't stop at ground level but has ballast that continues underground a short distance. On a perfectly flat baseboard, you wouldn't see the difference but it fills in the gaps in undulating terrain. All of my own track does this. That way I don't have to add culverts or do any local ground editing.

 

[Retro00064]

@Thad and Martin: I agree. I use the high-ballast mainline track by American_Connections, available on his website (http://ac-monkeywrench-models.yolasite.com/). It uses the same texture as MP Track wood, and is what I use as the high-ballast counterpart of MP Track wood. Just note that Kent did not remove the opacity map for the ballast, so you may want to disable the opacity map, especially if you are going to use it for fill track, etc. I did. I use the regular MP Track wood for flat terrain, etc., where the ballast will not be floating or floating very much.

Regards,

Retro.

 

[Dermmy]

The 'gap' is not a foot, it's only about eight inches - exactly 0.2 meters - and it's not quite as ridiculous as it might seem. Most (all?) track originally used an alpha channel to create a transparent blend from the ballast edge to the terrain. If the alpha channel lay exactly at ground level the flickering was intolerable as the program constantly changed it's mind about whether the ballast or the terrain were on top. The 0.2m gap was the quick and dirty fix for the issue.

Your choice is to either:

use track with deeper ballast which hides the gap

live with the gap

lower every track vertex by .020 after smoothing the terrain. Every single track and road vertex in all of my routes since EK1 are lowered by hand. Not as bad a job as it might seem...

Andy

 

[davesnow]

- and it's not quite as ridiculous as it might seem.

Andy

well, I'm havin' a bad day and I had to take it out on something.

"Cheers," :'(

Dave

 

[llebrez]

This applies to yards. Your yards are level. yes? Otherwise you uncouple a car, and if the brakes are not set. it rolls away. Then, once all tracks are perfectly level, (with the splines in yellow), go to almost groung level view, and rise the ground up until it matches the gravel of the track the way you want. Do this at one point only. Now use the "get ground elevation tool", setting the elevation at the point you just set, set the apply button, and pass the cursor over the entire yard. It works for me, but of course the elegant solution is to use these tracks with larger ballast.

 

[mattm]

lower every track vertex by .020 after smoothing the terrain. Every single track and road vertex in all of my routes since EK1 are lowered by hand. Not as bad a job as it might seem...

Andy

But still extremely tedious, and time spent that could be better used elsewhere.

Matt.

 

[Dermmy]

But still extremely tedious

Agreed!

...time spent that could be better used elsewhere...

Ah - now we disagree! I like a low, railside camera angle and nothing improves the look of Trainz from low-down more than lowering the track. It is tedious, but is definitely time well spent.

I started a suggestion box thread a while back requesting a Surveyor track tab button to give a one-click "Lower Track Vertex by .20". Folks should go bump it

Andy...

 

[mattm]

Ah - now we disagree! I like a low, railside camera angle and nothing improves the look of Trainz from low-down more than lowering the track. It is tedious, but is definitely time well spent.

Andy...

Each to his own, Andy.

I, personally, do not have the patience to ensure that kind of detail with any consistency.

Matt.

 

[dricketts]

If it's just a matter of track having deeper ballast to set into the ground... why doesn't all track have deep ballast?

I wish I thought it wasn't tedious. Consider an area like a yard with several turnouts and terrain that was created from a DEM. Getting the track to hug the ground while all the turnouts look tight is head banging against the wall stuff.

I've been fighting this since 2004 and expected a fix by now.

Thanks for the .2 number Dermmy. That might ease some of my frustration.

I'm using slavedriver's track from USLW. I love the detailed look of it and I get good performance. I also love that he has created a chunky mesh versions. I use these in areas where the high detailed track would normally kink. You can join them together seamlessly.

It's just every time I use the smooth spline tool they float. I'll probably continue to adjust all 80 miles by hand but I'm not happy about it.

 

[sawyer811]

I've found it's best to fix as you go. you know, lay a little bit of track, then fix it. I had this done on one of my routes once, but as the route progressed, it undid itself (track modifications as former arrangements proved unpheasable). thankfully the route isn't big, so it shouldn't take long to fix.

My US-themed route on the other hand has miles upon miles of track, three yards (two medium sized, one large) and numerous industry sidings. looks like i'm gonna have a fun time