Portals and camera views

[devandavis]

I have a very simple layout- a length of track with portals at both ends. Train navigates to portal 1, is spit back out, navigates to portal 2, is spit back out, navigates back to 1, etc...

I'd like the view camera to follow this train, but I can't seem to make it work. I've tried the built in set camera rule and downloaded the focus rule. Both of them do a great job of setting the camera at the beginning of the session, but neither pick the train back up when it's spit out of the first portal.

The portals seem to work fine and I can click on the ? after the train emerges to focus the camera on the train manually. I'd like to not have to intervene in setting the camera, if possible.

Reversing loops worked well and I may go back to them- the portals just seem a little cleaner.

I appreciate any help- dd

 

[shaneturner12]

That is a known problem - unfortunately, I'm not aware of a way of fixing it, but here is what happens:

1.Train goes into portal
2.Train temporarily gets removed from driver list
(It is at this stage where the camera view has problems)
3.Train gets produced with new consist name (usually the asset name of the front loco of the train with a number after it (this is why Trainz has problems picking up the train, as the name after it comes out of the portal is different to the name when it goes in)
4.Train then follows commands given or sits outside portal.

Sorry not to be able to fully solve the problem, but as specified above, due to the way portals work, it would be very difficult for Trainz to work out which train to focus on due to the name change (it would have to stay the same for the camera to auto-focus)

AFAIK this applies to all versions of trainz from 2004/6 onwards (any version of trainz that uses portals)

Shane

 

[4ndylloyd]

Would the Random Camera Rule V2 (on the DLS) help at all?? I have not used it and it doesn't sound like it will focus on a loco leaving a portal but if it cycles through different cameras at randon it may remove the problem caused when your train is swallowed by a portal?

 

[JCitron]

I think this is because of the way the portals work. A train does not exist in a route until it's completely spit out of a portal. As noted above, there is no driver assigned, and if you were to look at the driver commands line, the area will be blank. Once the train is fully loaded from the portal, the assigned driver will appear along with his or her commands. It's at this point that it will be like any other train on the route.

By placing your camera too close to the portal, the cameral doesn't "see" the new train as it emerges. Try placing your camera farther down the track, or move your portal farther out from the rest of the route to give the program a chance to load the whole train into the driver session.

John