Incorrect Sleeper Spacing Problem

[steamking123]

Currently, while making new track, I encountered this weird bug with sleeper spacing.

As can bee seen here, the sleepers are not lining up with the chairs properly. What makes this confusing is nothing move the sleepers in general in the config!?

Its as if the sleepers are uncontrollable. What makes it worse is the config is entirely set up correctly, and the other track on the left I made also doesnt have this issue.

Ive been trying for the past week to fix this, and I seriously need help with this urgently

 

[Dinorius_Redundicus]

I have made splines before, but not Procedural Track splines, so I am only guessing. Is there a mismatch between the actual length of one of the meshes and what is stated as mesh-length in the config? Or perhaps a mistake in where the sleeper mesh is located relative to Y = 0 in the 3D creation space?

Looks like there are also problems with mesh size and UV mapping scale of the ballast end caps, but they would be separate issues from whatever is going on with the sleepers.

 

[steamking123]

The ballast end cap issue is something I plan to fix later, as its a really easy fix (new model)

As for the sleepers, im very lost on.

I measured the mesh lengths, and they all line up properly, as well as the sleepers are located properly in the 3d space.

But I might go back and double check them just incase

 

[steamking123]

Checking with them, everything is correct, so there is still a problem

 

[Dinorius_Redundicus]

Well, assuming textures have no bearing on this, the problem must lie somewhere in mesh geometry and/or config.

If I understand correctly, you have at least one instance of track that behaves correctly and one that doesn't. What are the geometrical and config differences between one and the other? If the "good" track was made first, what elements did you change to make the "bad" track?

It might be painful, but can you systematically compare the corresponding sub-meshes in the good and bad tracks to make sure they are the same - by this I mean temporarily import the 2 corresponding sub-meshes into your 3D program and see if they overlap correctly or are somehow displaced or scaled differently in a way that might explain the problem. Similarly, compare the configs line for line.

 

[steamking123]

The only thing different is the sleeper spacing to be 3ft apart compared to the other one.


Issues came up porting the model, but the model is directly reused from good track, with the array modifier being shorted a bit to allow for the 3ft spacing.

The config is set up right to, having measured the meshes in meters as required to get the lengths and spacing.

 

[Dinorius_Redundicus]

If I was a gambler, I would be betting that the "array modifier" has been calculated incorrectly.

I say this because I have had similar problems calculating the correct parameters for arrays in spline assets. In cases where I can't seem to work it out theoretically, I admit to resorting to making small empirical changes in either the number of array elements or the distance between elements until everything fits. Only after doing that, can I see where my theoretical assumptions were wrong. It makes me feel quite dumb, but this type of calculation is often harder than it initially appears to be.

 

[steamking123]

Its not the array modifier either, its something to do with the sleeper config it self. Because even the LOD1 & 2 model are having weird issues to, and those are the same models from the good track

 

[steamking123]

This is my current set up for everything

 

[steamking123]

okay i figured it out.

and incase anyone has the issue similar i wanna share my findings.

1. set you X and Y correctly, Y is foward X is up, not -Y

2. The mesh lengths are not directly the length of the mesh in blender

3. use existing configs (ones you made or the template) to get the basic placement down, and then tweak them gently

4. make sure to have everything included in the config, sometimes if your missing something weird things can happen.

 

[Dinorius_Redundicus]

Glad you were able to solve the problem.

I won’t even pretend to understand the solution and your findings (especially point 2) because I’m not a Blender user. It’s interesting that the problem turned out to be in the config after all. Lucky for me, I’m not a gambler. I would have lost my money.