TRS19 - work in progress

TRS19 - work progresses

I thought I'd go the "Full Monty" with this little layout to see how it looked with almost all the ground covered with TurfFX and to see if full ground cover reduced frame rates. I can report minimal impact with the latter. For the former I'll let you be the judge.

One comment though. I began this work in SP1. I soon abandoned this and reverted back to my pre-SP1 install. Reason -- the missing undo/redo buttons at the top centre of the screen in Surveyor. I know there is a keyboard shortcut, but I find using the keyboard just too frustrating. Particularly when using the mouse left handed. Come on N3V, gives us back the buttons!~!

Anyway, this is a trial run to see how the work done to date looks:


Phil

hi,
hi Phil, as a layoutbuilder i got a tipp for u:

We got many keys for Trainz Driver and Sureyor modus...Why u donnt a easy help for faster build a map or drive Trainz?

im use Dragon Prof 15 Speech office software....
its expensive but its worth...
works for Command PC, gaming and also Trainz...
Surveyor its easy instead use Shortcut or mousemoving speech...
most keys got a letter...
f.ex. surveyor -buildings ----i create makro to open objekts/splines, if im want pick up a set building i say "Golf" ---in surveyor means "G" ,im use A-z military code, but u can use what u want...u can train ur Word and save..u can do easy makros or scripted makros...
Notice :
only Dragon 15 Professionell can do makros...
u can set for global(everything) or for a App only...

its absolutly cool u can work in Surveyor or drive train in DCC or CAB mode...

one u use this Software u never want missed

regards,

Ern
@spalterbockerl

Buttons please. Only costs you a few hundred $$ in coding costs. Point and click is the mainstay of modern PC operation. You (N3V) seem to believe that the keyboard is superior. WHY???

boleyd said:

Buttons please. <snip> Point and click is the mainstay of modern PC operation. You (N3V) seem to believe that the keyboard is superior. WHY???

Click to expand...

Icons (buttons) take up screen real estate, keystrokes do not. We could end up like MS Office with its many ribbon bars to accommodate all the possible commands and operations as clickable icons. A cleaner and simpler interface is a better interface.

My opinions.

I am with Phil on this.
This is not MS office, this is Trainz.
Build 100240 has 11 icon/buttons on the bar.
Build 105096 has 7 icon/buttons on the bar.
Hardly a crowded estate is it?

@pware. Don't you see that you will hardly be affected?
You can still use your beloved keystrokes and the iconists can use their beloved icon/buttons.

One aside provokes heated discussion.

Meanwhile "Work in Progress" continues:

philskene said:

Meanwhile "Work in Progress" continues:

Click to expand...

It looks great Phil.

euromodeller said:

@pware. Don't you see that you will hardly be affected?
You can still use your beloved keystrokes and the iconists can use their beloved icon/buttons.

Click to expand...

I certainly can see that and really have no objection (up to the point where the icons take over the screen). I just do not like debates that are all one sided.

Another test run. Unfortunately every time I watch one of these test run videos I see something that I need to modify or change. It's never ending. As a senior Trainz route constructor once said "Layouts aint ever finished. It's just that the author eventually gives up."


Phil

pware said:

It looks great Phil.
I certainly can see that and really have no objection (up to the point where the icons take over the screen). I just do not like debates that are all one sided.

Click to expand...

Well to be honest I'd agree this debate has only one side - N3V's.

philskene said:

Another test run. Unfortunately every time I watch one of these test run videos I see something that I need to modify or change. It's never ending. As a senior Trainz route constructor once said "Layouts aint ever finished. It's just that the author eventually gives up."
Phil

Click to expand...

Thanks Phil, I should post that one on my monitor. It could apply to a lot of other things beside layouts.

Bob Pearson

I like that!

Can I ask what trees you are using? (the golden ones).

I notice that you are not a fan of digholes for tunnels, specially for narrow gauge in mountain terrain.
I use these assets to create a blind for the tunnel portal.

<kuid:351022:22011> WS Tunnelblende by bigtrain1 (object)
<kuid:204652:100745> Portal Tunnel Shadow by frogpipe (track object)
Give them a try.

Cheers,

Visually stunning work. I have all your freeware layouts downloaded, all great, but this one certainly takes a step beyond with the added ground cover. Did you start the layout by simply covering everything with TurfFX, then removing it where needed later? IE, does the placement of other assets remove the TurfFX from that location?

I've done nothing with Surveyor so far, but want to get started.

euromodeller said:

I am with Phil on this.
This is not MS office, this is Trainz.
Build 100240 has 11 icon/buttons on the bar.
Build 105096 has 7 icon/buttons on the bar.
Hardly a crowded estate is it?

@pware. Don't you see that you will hardly be affected?
You can still use your beloved keystrokes and the iconists can use their beloved icon/buttons.

Click to expand...

boleyd said:

Buttons please. Only costs you a few hundred $$ in coding costs. Point and click is the mainstay of modern PC operation. You (N3V) seem to believe that the keyboard is superior. WHY???

Click to expand...

See my thread: One step forward? Not the Trainz interface.

As I type this in Adelaide it's 40 degrees C outside.

Meanwhile Chuck & Joe are struggling to keep warm in sub zero temperate and biting winds. They have finished adding water to the tender of their 2-6-0 "Mogul". Behind the locomotive is a heavy consist of loaded iron ore hoppers. They accelerate away, gaining momentum for the approaching 6% grade up to the plateau. They both know that stalling on the climb up and over the trestles is the last thing they want this evening. But, hey, they are The Dispatcher's top crew. The locomotive is steaming well. They can do it.

_____

euro --

The golden trees:
Narrow gauge layouts = Tree Elm 05
Standard gauge layout = Tree Elm 04

Dig holes:
I experimented with them in the past and found it difficult to hid the hole between the tunnel portal, the track and the ground. But I'll try your suggestion. Thanks.
_____

Gary --

TurfFX:
My approach when constructing a layout such as this one:
A rough sketch.
Lay the track on a flat baseboard.
Use the Gradient Tool to get the required vertical profile of the track.
Terra-form the terrain to the track.
Add structures and buildings.
Texture. Generally darker textures for re-entrants, lighter for spurs (or sometimes the reverse). I try use a limited number of textures. The standard gauge layout, for example, uses just seven (excluding the floor texture).
Add tress. Plant trees on the greener textures and where water might accumulate.
Finally add TurfFX. On the layouts I have used three colours (yellow, green, brown) in two lengths, giving six types. Again placement depends on the ground textures. Yellow contrasts well with darker textures; brown with lighter ones. Some mixing of colours and lengths gives more variety.
Then it's a continuous, time-consuming and never-ending process of fiddling, changing and adjusting until you finally give up.

Phil

philskene said:

As I type this in Adelaide it's 40 degrees C outside.

Phil

Click to expand...

snap , I know how you feel, and its going to be even hotter tomorrow , being on the coast its generally a bit cooler , but we moved to a rental house that has no rear veranda and it faces east, with big windows that face east, total mess as regarding design to mimimise heat or cold. by 9am its a hot house, add the heat from the mac pro and I have to crank up air by 9.30.. I'm building a house with high insulation and double glazing, but thats 9 months down the track. goodness knows what my cooling bill will be living in this place.

Stay cool fella's we usually cop Adelaide's weather a day or so later over here in Mexico and lately we just can not find a cool comfy place, Great work so far Phil.
Cheers Mick.

RE: tunnels & dig holes - I'm a rookie at this stuff but couldn't you use a dark spline object (like a wall) set back inside the tunnel entrance. Something to act as a black "curtain." I've only played around with routes but I have a portal that uses this idea and it would seem to work well if there was an appropriate asset (solid black, height of typical portal). Maybe it's just me but seeing the mountain/rock in the tunnel says "under construction, don't come in here" while a black curtain says "not perfect, but best we can do.. come on in."

One wonders why N3V didn't give the option of showing or hiding a toolbar. Its hardly a new idea. That way everyone wins - one can use the toolbar and the other hides it and uses hotkeys.

pcas1986 said:

One wonders why N3V didn't give the option of showing or hiding a toolbar. Its hardly a new idea. That way everyone wins - one can use the toolbar and the other hides it and uses hotkeys.

Click to expand...

See: Auto-Hide the menubar on Interface settings.

But it not a question of having a menubar or not. It's what's ON the menubar that matters.

1611mac said:

See: Auto-Hide the menubar on Interface settings.

But it not a question of having a menubar or not. It's what's ON the menubar that matters.

Click to expand...

If you are going to the trouble of using Ctrl Space to hide the menubar what's the big deal about using Ctrl Z or Ctrl Y? I use those hotkeys in many programs daily. It's an industry standard.

1611mac said:

RE: tunnels & dig holes - I'm a rookie at this stuff but couldn't you use a dark spline object (like a wall) set back inside the tunnel entrance. Something to act as a black "curtain." I've only played around with routes but I have a portal that uses this idea and it would seem to work well if there was an appropriate asset (solid black, height of typical portal). Maybe it's just me but seeing the mountain/rock in the tunnel says "under construction, don't come in here" while a black curtain says "not perfect, but best we can do.. come on in."

Click to expand...

See post #10