How to make a nice looking yard

[bomberswarm2]

I'm tying to make some yards around this map, but they all end up looking like this:

https://i.sli.mg/8XF5C9.png

I've tried straightening different tracks, adding in more spline points and moving them around.
How do I make them look nice?

 

[JCitron]

Yards are a pain as if you haven't noticed!

I use a template and lay the track over the template.

CS Yard Template 1 <Kuid2:70791:35500:1> works well for this.

You simply position the scenery object where you want it then lay the track on top while ensuring the tracks are smooth and even. Once completed, you delete the yard template.

Now we like smooth neat looking yards, but keep in mind the prototype isn't always into maintaining their property to the highest standards we set forth for our track engineers.

Deerfield Yard in Deerfield, MA

 

[bomberswarm2]

CS Yard Template 1 <Kuid2:70791:35500:1> works well for this.

Can't find that, searching the kuid brings up a people monitor, CS Yard Template 1 has no results.

 

[Bill69]

If you want to make the yard nice and smooth try this



The two rulers are parallel and this inside one is where the yard tracks are straightened.

Cheers,
Bill69

 

[cascaderailroad]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3HD6lZC3XA

Use a separate straight edge track to line up yard switchs ... Mastering the Hold "SHIFT" KB Key to stop tracks from connecting is an art

Sliding that spline point circle closer, so that it slightly overlaps the one spline point circle (located just before the red texture), will smooth the kinked curve in front of the blue loco. The curve in front of the green loco has been slid so that the track spline points overlap slightly, thus smoothing out the swervey curve. Looking straight down from directly above, zoomed in, you can slide tracks with extreme precision

A switch is always preceeded by a straight section of track ... sometimes the straight track spline point circles are so close together, that they form a sort of like a squeeshed "Figure 8", with a squeeshed football in the center

In most cases a switch has a straight lead in ... and one leg is also a straight track ... and the other leg is curved

A track always is laid: straight, curved, straight, curved ... etc ... etc ... or versa visa :hehe:

 

[JCitron]

Can't find that, searching the kuid brings up a people monitor, CS Yard Template 1 has no results.

Sorry I looked at one thing and typed another!

The Kuid and name should be:

<kuid:37522:9972> CS Yard Template 1

 

[jrfolco]

If you want to make the yard nice and smooth try this



The two rulers are parallel and this inside one is where the yard tracks are straightened.

Cheers,
Bill69

I've been using Bill69's method for years and it works very well.

Joe

 

[stouthm]

Yards are part of route building and they look neat BUT if they have no rolling stock or locos to fill the yard then it's just a big empty space. Be aware that if you place a lot of rolling stock and locos in a yard it could lower your frames rates by a large margin. Tough call.

 

[cascaderailroad]

It's fun to duplicate a large yard, and place just 2 trains, and some fake static railspline railcars for visual effects ... remember to use non-kinking, low poly, chunky mesh track, like MP Track Wood v2 by philskene, and your framerates will be as low as possible

Most railyards are not full, as standing railcars are not making any revenue ... a roundhouse should not be completely filled

Some signals are ridiculously high poly

 

[davesnow]

The "Straighten Track" tool is your friend.