This is frustrating!! Everyone wants me to be more realistic in my routes. This is really making me mad!! i'm having fits and I'm trying hard to do better but no matter what changes I make it still looks far from that. I don't know what to do. It's irritating and now I'm stuck with junk and crap by the experts standards!! Someone just please.... I'm getting worn out. Never had gotten my energy depleted over trains or worked up. But I guess all of this finally getting to me. I need to just release!! I hate having to hold my tongue and not express my frustration because people will think I'm attacking them. I just need some time off but I've taken three days off of this to clear up and I'm still pouting over this. Don't know where to turn just being suffocated and desperate for a way out.
I don't know
- Thread starter Kris94
- Start date
BLACKWATCH
Mechanical Engineer
The answer is simple, if making routes for others is causing you problems ..................
Don't make routes for release, just make them for your own use, the saying goes "Practice makes perfect", so
spend a month or two building for yourself & maybe your routes will improve, then release one & see what others think.
Don't make routes for release, just make them for your own use, the saying goes "Practice makes perfect", so
spend a month or two building for yourself & maybe your routes will improve, then release one & see what others think.
Erm, no. I think it is slightly more complicated then that.
You wanted reactions to your screenie's, you got reactions.
You then posted more and wanted more reactions, yet only seemed to want "o nice" reactions but you got a few "well, you didnt seem to do what we suggested" reactions and as we all know by now you cant really handle criticism and/or the fact that things dont go as fast as you want, so you yet made another emo topic.
If you are indeed really desperate: Suggestions.
Learn to take your time. We all started at 0 at some point. Hell, I can safely say that if it comes to landscaping I aint far ahead of you.
Practice.
Live with the fact that you (and the rest of the world) aint perfect.
And please o please, stop making a new topic every time you go emo. If you feel the need to make another emo topic, dont do it and just go outside right away without posting that. And then actually do it. Or go spent some time on your school work. Or (this one works for me) go vacuuming; you might end up even making the other people in your house happy at the same time (unless you try that in the middle of the night ofcourse, but feel free to test that).
cascaderailroad
New member
My advice is just use Gray Blank baseboards an concentrate on trackwork, switchs, crossings, signals ... texturing can come dead last ... and different textures are best mottled, smeared, by gently tapping the mouse ... not a slathring, MAB paint job "Cover The World" with one or two colors.
It's supposed to be fun ... not a job or a chore.
It's supposed to be fun ... not a job or a chore.
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cascaderailroad
New member
What you really need is to check out some routes on the DLS like GFishers - Down East Fishing Village, or The Loops as his texturing is fantastic.
You also could send your TRS2006 route to me as a CDP on Hostthenpost ... and I could tweak its textures & track, and send it completed back to you.
I still haven't tried out TS10, as it seems more complicated, has layers, and is too much for my GF Toshiba Satellite laptop ... So I continue to create routes in TRS2006.
You also could send your TRS2006 route to me as a CDP on Hostthenpost ... and I could tweak its textures & track, and send it completed back to you.
I still haven't tried out TS10, as it seems more complicated, has layers, and is too much for my GF Toshiba Satellite laptop ... So I continue to create routes in TRS2006.
Kris
Quit beating yourself up. If we didn't care, we wouldn't bother trying to help you and that's all that we're trying to do....help. Just take that advice that many have offered and practice. I would suggest that instead of trying such large expanses, concentrate on practicing your textures on a small area and grow from there. The mixing and rotation of textures textures is key to your success. So, just hang in there and keep practicing. This is an artistic pursuit and it takes time and patience. Patience is primary.
Mike
Edit: I'll add one other thought. I've noticed that you have buildings randomly spotted on your route in the 'fields'. Take a look at the real world. Most buildings are not randomly spotted. They are usually where they are for a reason and in the case of the barns that you have spotted, you'll generally see a much different texture around it than you would in the fields. The ground around a barn may have some sort of gravel or macadem pavement around it. There will also be dirt patches where the ground cover has been worn down and you'll generally see some sort of road or trails leading from the barn into the fields or the house or to a public road. Farmers tend to develop patterns and often times take the same routes to and from their house or to the fields. Just sit back and think about what you're creating. Why is it there, what's its purpose, how is it used, and how does that affect the landscape. Also, what is the barn used for? If livestock is the primary use of the landscape, there will generally be some sort of water source for the livestock, whether it be ponds or streams along with fences to control their wanderings. If you have fences, don't forget about the gates and the fact that trails will generally lead to and from the gates with the ground being worn at these passages. If your farm is for some sort of produce, then you'll probably need some sort of building or series of buildings to store the harvest until it gets to market. Take a look at real life landscapes and really pay attention to the details of the landscape. Most things there have developed over time and have a purpose.
Quit beating yourself up. If we didn't care, we wouldn't bother trying to help you and that's all that we're trying to do....help. Just take that advice that many have offered and practice. I would suggest that instead of trying such large expanses, concentrate on practicing your textures on a small area and grow from there. The mixing and rotation of textures textures is key to your success. So, just hang in there and keep practicing. This is an artistic pursuit and it takes time and patience. Patience is primary.
Mike
Edit: I'll add one other thought. I've noticed that you have buildings randomly spotted on your route in the 'fields'. Take a look at the real world. Most buildings are not randomly spotted. They are usually where they are for a reason and in the case of the barns that you have spotted, you'll generally see a much different texture around it than you would in the fields. The ground around a barn may have some sort of gravel or macadem pavement around it. There will also be dirt patches where the ground cover has been worn down and you'll generally see some sort of road or trails leading from the barn into the fields or the house or to a public road. Farmers tend to develop patterns and often times take the same routes to and from their house or to the fields. Just sit back and think about what you're creating. Why is it there, what's its purpose, how is it used, and how does that affect the landscape. Also, what is the barn used for? If livestock is the primary use of the landscape, there will generally be some sort of water source for the livestock, whether it be ponds or streams along with fences to control their wanderings. If you have fences, don't forget about the gates and the fact that trails will generally lead to and from the gates with the ground being worn at these passages. If your farm is for some sort of produce, then you'll probably need some sort of building or series of buildings to store the harvest until it gets to market. Take a look at real life landscapes and really pay attention to the details of the landscape. Most things there have developed over time and have a purpose.
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Kris
I'm by no means an expert and am not in the same class as some of our great route creators, but I've put together a few shots of my Caney Fork RR route to help illustrate some of my points. These scenes need a lot of work now that I've gone back and looked at them, but they may help you in your quest.
This first scene shows that in cultivated areas that are surrounded by fences, the cultivated area rarely extends to the fence line. It's just a product of how the cultivating equipment is rarely able to get right up next to the fence.
This scene shows that there's usually small undulations in the landscape that requires cuts through the landscape
This is elementary, but the ground in front of the barn is usually muddled and a mixture of textures to show worn ground areas.
Most farms are a series of fields in different stages of cultivation with some fields not being cultivated for various reasons. It adds variety to your landscape. Mix your textures and rotate using the [ or ] keys. Hold down the keys while applying the texture
This scene shows a dry creek bed. There are various degress of erosion in the creek bed.
xxxx
This final scene shows how dirt will erode around rock and often settle in below the rock out-croppings
I'm by no means an expert and am not in the same class as some of our great route creators, but I've put together a few shots of my Caney Fork RR route to help illustrate some of my points. These scenes need a lot of work now that I've gone back and looked at them, but they may help you in your quest.
This first scene shows that in cultivated areas that are surrounded by fences, the cultivated area rarely extends to the fence line. It's just a product of how the cultivating equipment is rarely able to get right up next to the fence.
This scene shows that there's usually small undulations in the landscape that requires cuts through the landscape
This is elementary, but the ground in front of the barn is usually muddled and a mixture of textures to show worn ground areas.
Most farms are a series of fields in different stages of cultivation with some fields not being cultivated for various reasons. It adds variety to your landscape. Mix your textures and rotate using the [ or ] keys. Hold down the keys while applying the texture
This scene shows a dry creek bed. There are various degress of erosion in the creek bed.
This final scene shows how dirt will erode around rock and often settle in below the rock out-croppings
They're either built-in or on the DLS. I usually apply a base texture while holding down either the [ or ] key. I also vary the tool radius as I go. After applying the base texture. I pick other textures and dab the textures on the base texture. Dabbing in my terms is just a very quick mouse click in order to apply just a small dab of the texture. It takes practice and as I keep saying, a lot of patience. The process won't come easy at first.
Try varying tool scale and rotation to get different effects. Mix in different textures and you'll finally get the texture that you're looking for. Just using one texture will not give you a realistic look. Just go out and look at your yard. It is not one homogeneous texture. There are variations in it. Even a putting green on a golf course, which we like to think of as being one texture, is not just one texture. There are areas were the grass is thin and the underlying sand and dirt is showing through along with divits, ball marks, scars and dead grass or bare areas. Go out and just take a careful look at the textures around you. None are just one color or texture. They're varied.
Mike
Edit: I would also suggest downloading a route that you like the looks of and open it in surveyor. You can then use the landscaping tool to go around the landscape, use the 'get texture' icon and click on different areas of the landscape to see what textures the the creator is using. If you'll click, using the tool, in different spots in the same general location, you'll probably pick up several different textures that have been judiciously mixed together to get the 'look'.
Try varying tool scale and rotation to get different effects. Mix in different textures and you'll finally get the texture that you're looking for. Just using one texture will not give you a realistic look. Just go out and look at your yard. It is not one homogeneous texture. There are variations in it. Even a putting green on a golf course, which we like to think of as being one texture, is not just one texture. There are areas were the grass is thin and the underlying sand and dirt is showing through along with divits, ball marks, scars and dead grass or bare areas. Go out and just take a careful look at the textures around you. None are just one color or texture. They're varied.
Mike
Edit: I would also suggest downloading a route that you like the looks of and open it in surveyor. You can then use the landscaping tool to go around the landscape, use the 'get texture' icon and click on different areas of the landscape to see what textures the the creator is using. If you'll click, using the tool, in different spots in the same general location, you'll probably pick up several different textures that have been judiciously mixed together to get the 'look'.
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That's okay Kris. We're all just trying to help you find your potential and possibly release the route builder in you. Don't take things so personal that have been said to you. Take it all in stride and learn from the advice being given. If we didn't want you to succeed, we wouldn't even be trying.
Mike
Mike
Hey Kris
I, too, am pretty much a novice at routebuilding; and I am sure I'm not ready to upload a decent route yet! But it is a labor of love...I can't begin to count all the times I have went back and changed things as I have picked up tips and suggestions along the way. Pay close attention to these people, they are here to make your routebuilding experience much more enjoyable. My first route was horrible, but with the help of the people here on the forum I have made it much more enjoyable to continue updating my route. Your route doesn't need to be exact scale....just look like something you might have passed while riding on a country road. Here's my view of how to take a few assets and make up a country scene...
I, too, am pretty much a novice at routebuilding; and I am sure I'm not ready to upload a decent route yet! But it is a labor of love...I can't begin to count all the times I have went back and changed things as I have picked up tips and suggestions along the way. Pay close attention to these people, they are here to make your routebuilding experience much more enjoyable. My first route was horrible, but with the help of the people here on the forum I have made it much more enjoyable to continue updating my route. Your route doesn't need to be exact scale....just look like something you might have passed while riding on a country road. Here's my view of how to take a few assets and make up a country scene...
Kris
You're starting to mix your textures, but I still can't understand why you're not using the [ and ] keys like so many of us have suggested. They will help get rid of that checkerboard pattern that you're getting. It looks like you're trying to mix in different textures too broadly. Just reduce the tool size and quickly click the mouse to add the textures, varying the textures that you use. You're starting to experiment, which is good, but you need to do a some more experimenting. You'll be glad that you did. You're trying to rush this too much. Remember, practice and patience.
Mike
You're starting to mix your textures, but I still can't understand why you're not using the [ and ] keys like so many of us have suggested. They will help get rid of that checkerboard pattern that you're getting. It looks like you're trying to mix in different textures too broadly. Just reduce the tool size and quickly click the mouse to add the textures, varying the textures that you use. You're starting to experiment, which is good, but you need to do a some more experimenting. You'll be glad that you did. You're trying to rush this too much. Remember, practice and patience.
Mike
I did use those keys.