Help please on tunnels!
- Thread starter Tyrennis
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mezzoprezzo
Content appreciator
Here's a YouTube tutorial which might help.
Thanks for the responses. I watched the video and got the understanding. Thx. Had to watch it couple times to be sure. I then had to download a "workable" tunnel (aurans tunnel default doesn't work well). Then I had to lower all mountains in which the tunnel was to run down to 0, lay the tunnel, and then build back up. Tho the tunnel is crooked as hell, it worked, so now to find a decent straight tunnel. I tried the "tugging of tunnel thru mountain" but didn't work. (could be the tunnels I have.)
Thanks again for the help. Still need better tunnels.
Thanks again for the help. Still need better tunnels.
mezzoprezzo
Content appreciator
You should be able to lay any tunnel in a straight line. I’ve yet to find one which will not oblige with a bit of persuasion.
Tunnel entrances can only be placed in 8 positions within the grid where the tunnel starts and finishes.
These positions are each of the two vertical and two horizontal directions, and the four 45deg diagonals.
If you lay your tunnel on (or exactly parallel to) a gridline, or at a perfect 45deg diagonal you will get a straight tunnel. Any variation to these positions will create a twisted effect.
You could experiment by pulling one end of your tunnel to different position on the baseboard to see how this works. The game places the track to provide what it thinks is the best operational curve and will rotate the tunnel entrance to the “best” of the eight possible positions.
If the result is not what want you can alter the positioning of the curve of the track by placing one or more spline points between the entrances. Moving these can correct odd looking curves.
Adding intermediate spline points is also a useful feature for other reasons. Many tunnels are not completely straight and most will have gradients as well. It is common practice in real mountain areas, where the tunnel entrance and exit is at a similar altitude, to have a slightly higher point in the centre of the tunnel to allow for drainage. Lifting the spline height within the tunnel can replicate this.
Altering the spline height within tunnels also provides a more realistic experience when in Driver, as do curves, particularly when approaching and exiting into daylight.
Just one other tip. Once you have your tunnel laid and buried, any corrections you might want to make are best done in wireframe mode where you can see your track position and spline points through the terrain.
Tunnel entrances can only be placed in 8 positions within the grid where the tunnel starts and finishes.
These positions are each of the two vertical and two horizontal directions, and the four 45deg diagonals.
If you lay your tunnel on (or exactly parallel to) a gridline, or at a perfect 45deg diagonal you will get a straight tunnel. Any variation to these positions will create a twisted effect.
You could experiment by pulling one end of your tunnel to different position on the baseboard to see how this works. The game places the track to provide what it thinks is the best operational curve and will rotate the tunnel entrance to the “best” of the eight possible positions.
If the result is not what want you can alter the positioning of the curve of the track by placing one or more spline points between the entrances. Moving these can correct odd looking curves.
Adding intermediate spline points is also a useful feature for other reasons. Many tunnels are not completely straight and most will have gradients as well. It is common practice in real mountain areas, where the tunnel entrance and exit is at a similar altitude, to have a slightly higher point in the centre of the tunnel to allow for drainage. Lifting the spline height within the tunnel can replicate this.
Altering the spline height within tunnels also provides a more realistic experience when in Driver, as do curves, particularly when approaching and exiting into daylight.
Just one other tip. Once you have your tunnel laid and buried, any corrections you might want to make are best done in wireframe mode where you can see your track position and spline points through the terrain.
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Mezzo, that is great information. Thank you. I am just learning how to build layouts and nothing yet has been straight, but I am learning. Think I will tear that line down (again) and rebuild it. I have found there are some tools that help in laying straight tracks. If I can get curves down as well, then I think I will have the basics of it right (plus tunnels + bridges). I didn't think about drainage and such. How do you add splines inside a tunnel? I have tried and not been able to figure that out yet. Or be able to place signals and such inside a tunnel either. Would be great aslo if there was a #trainz buddy chatroom for newbies to get help while in game. I had thought of making a chatroom but...lol. Thanks again. You rock.
I am just learning how to build layouts and nothing yet has been straight, but I am learning. Think I will tear that line down (again) and rebuild it. I have found there are some tools that help in laying straight tracks. If I can get curves down as well, then I think I will have the basics of it right (plus tunnels + bridges). I didn't think about drainage and such. How do you add splines inside a tunnel? I have tried and not been able to figure that out yet. Or be able to place signals and such inside a tunnel either. Would be great aslo if there was a #trainz buddy chatroom for newbies to get help while in game. I had thought of making a chatroom but...lol. Thanks again. You rock.mezzoprezzo
Content appreciator
You’re welcome.
I’m not sure how it works in TS2010, but it’s probably not too different to my older version. I'm sure others will correct me if I'm wrong:
You will have selected your tunnel, I assume, from the Tracks flyout. There you will find a button marked Insert Spline Point. Mine can be found by revealing an extended drop down menu which can be opened by clicking on the Advanced tab at the bottom of the tracks flyout panel. (Don’t ask me why this is Advanced – it has equal importance to all the rest of the buttons IMHO)
.You can float your cursor over each button to expose their function and shortcut character key.
Select the Insert Spline Point button either by clicking on it or hitting keyboard key ’I’, then you can click on any point along your tunnel track add one or more spline points as required. The same method is used for tracks and bridges.
You can raise or lower these spline points, including the tunnel entrance and exit ones, by selecting the Adjust spline height button. Click on it (or hit keyboard key ‘H’). LMB the selected spline point to lift or lower. I guess you have already learned to bend them after selecting the Move track button (keyboard key ‘M’) and using the LMB and dragging them to where you want.
There is another button in the same group which allows you to get the height of a spline point you have placed in position: Get vertex height, and a further button to apply that same height to other spline points: Apply vertex height. With those you can lift and lower your tunnels and bridges as required.
Signals in tunnels can be applied in the same way as on open air tracks. You will find these when you go into the Trackside mode (keyboard key ‘Y’). The button for this can be found at the top centre of the same flyout.
Simply select your required signal and click it into place and move/rotate, if necessary, to get it exactly where you want it on the track.
Some assembly required
I'm using the portal and tunnel splines by jrfolco laid over regular dark textured track, see if this works for you.
http://www.trainsim.com/vbts/showth...s-pickaxes-and-Dugan-s-Dynamite-Tunneling-101
I'm using the portal and tunnel splines by jrfolco laid over regular dark textured track, see if this works for you.
http://www.trainsim.com/vbts/showth...s-pickaxes-and-Dugan-s-Dynamite-Tunneling-101
Did you try the wireframe mode (as pointed out by mezzoprezzo)? You enter it by pressing F9, then you will see the splines and spline vertices inside the mountain and be able to grab them. Press F9 again to exit into normal mode.
My bad. yeah, I just went to it and saw that. Not sure I understand all that but I bookmarked it.
Not yet, but i will give it a try as well. I was using Fraps and it uses the F9 key to record so discovered that earlier.
That's why I use that method, copying the mapfile.gnd to a backup, flattening the mountain where the tunnel goes, then I can just align track and tunnel spline on a flat area without having to reach down through the F9 wire mesh and move all that stuff around underground. After finishing I copy the backup mapfile.gnd to replace the new one created when I flattened the mountain, which gives me back the original mountain with the new tunnel already inside.
Mmm, no, not messing with the config.txt at all, just editing in explorer to copy the file which stores the terrain data to a backup, then flattening the mountain to make it easier to work, then editing in explorer again to replace the file with the backup. Saves either having to work underground or rebuild the mountain after flattening to work above ground.
ray_whiley
Active member
Signals in tunnels need to be chosen with care as some will disappear in the tunnel walls or stick out of the top!
Ray
Ray