Diorama style route creation....but of direction required.

valbridge · Dec 26, 2019

Have seen a few threads on this topic of route creation which sparked my interest.
To date all routes I have made, which are not a lot but are lengthy, have been made by simply placing down baseboards and then filling in as seen fit. Yes, its lengthy and sometimes overwhelming.
SO..on to diorama styled construction.

From what I have read it appears one would simplify route construction in-so-much as completing smaller baseboards/projects for specific purposes and then merging all together to complete the route being made. Is this correct? It kind of makes sense and might also eliminate tedium trying to design/detail the whole route in one go.

As I understand it creating a route, using this method, may go something like.......
1. Make small though station and town using one/two baseboard. Once done [detailed] can be placed multiple times across the route by merging. Then adding, if required, additional detailing to avoid obvious duplication.
2. One/Two baseboards for any industry along route
3. Four baseboards making terminal station and city
etc etc

Naturally some pre-planning of the route would be a requirement

Once these above have been created they can all be merged into one route. Correct?
Also kept as additions for future route creation, modification.

I have never considered this method for route creation previously, but now looking closer at this method seems to be fairly logical.
Would really appreciate thoughts or direction on this method of route building.

Cheers,
Val.

schweitzerdude · Dec 27, 2019

You can do that but the downside is that when you merge routes, you have no way to rotate either route. So if the route Town A containing Town A has track running north/south, merging that route into MyBigRoute means you are stuck with north/south track wherever you merge that route. But there are workarounds.

1. Make small routes as you suggest, merge, then copy/rotate/paste somewhere else, then delete the baseboards that were merged. The advantage to this is you can use Town A route by merging it in more than one route.

2. Do everything in the big route and copy/rotate/paste somewhere else as needed. This is what I do because I am only working on one route.

If you go the copy/paste/rotate process, be sure that the blank baseboards which will be the target of the paste are 5m grid instead of the default 10m before you paste (assuming the baseboards just copied are also 5m). If you don't, the pasted textures will look awful. Also be aware that (in my experience) if you paste a route with the terrain height button off (because you want a different elevation) you will see cases of splines no longer being attached to objects like grade crossings, stations, road intersections.

JCitron · Dec 27, 2019

The alternative is to do detailed scenes with 'tween boards in between to represent the miles between the cities and towns. This is very much how Frank Ellison described a model railroad. He was a big Hollywood set designer and said that the trains are the actors and the scenery is the stage.

valbridge · Dec 27, 2019

schweitzerdude said:
You can do that but the downside is that when you merge routes, you have no way to rotate either route. So if the route Town A containing Town A has track running north/south, merging that route into MyBigRoute means you are stuck with north/south track wherever you merge that route. But there are workarounds.

1. Make small routes as you suggest, merge, then copy/rotate/paste somewhere else, then delete the baseboards that were merged. The advantage to this is you can use Town A route by merging it in more than one route.

2. Do everything in the big route and copy/rotate/paste somewhere else as needed. This is what I do because I am only working on one route.

If you go the copy/paste/rotate process, be sure that the blank baseboards which will be the target of the paste are 5m grid instead of the default 10m before you paste (assuming the baseboards just copied are also 5m). If you don't, the pasted textures will look awful. Also be aware that (in my experience) if you paste a route with the terrain height button off (because you want a different elevation) you will see cases of splines no longer being attached to objects like grade crossings, stations, road intersections.

Having never done a copy/paste/rotate can you explain how this is achieved. Is it in the merge window?

valbridge · Dec 27, 2019

JCitron said:
The alternative is to do detailed scenes with 'tween boards in between to represent the miles between the cities and towns. This is very much how Frank Ellison described a model railroad. He was a big Hollywood set designer and said that the trains are the actors and the scenery is the stage.

Hello John,
I am assuming what is meant here is to create detailed baseboard fully operational then merge them into the greater route which may only be the empty baseboard. Correct?
The empty baseboards being what connects completed/constructed scenes together. Assuming the 'empty' baseboards being simply landscapes.

JCitron · Dec 27, 2019

valbridge said:
Hello John,
I am assuming what is meant here is to create detailed baseboard fully operational then merge them into the greater route which may only be the empty baseboard. Correct?
The empty baseboards being what connects completed/constructed scenes together. Assuming the 'empty' baseboards being simply landscapes.

Yes Val, simple landscapes all in the same style as the route of course. This could be a simple patch of woodlands, a farm, and a pond which is then followed by the actual super-detailed diorama with all kinds of details.

Tokkyu40 · Dec 28, 2019

On long routes I like to divide the route into sections and give each section a different type of landscape. Rolling hills on one stretch, then maybeforests on another and open plains between other destinations. Try to give each section between the detailed areas an individual character so the route doesn't look the same as you go.

valbridge · Dec 28, 2019

Tokkyu40 said:
On long routes I like to divide the route into sections and give each section a different type of landscape. Rolling hills on one stretch, then maybeforests on another and open plains between other destinations. Try to give each section between the detailed areas an individual character so the route doesn't look the same as you go.

Thanks, a useful tip. At present completing Brighton/Southampton/Victoria route which was constructed in the 'conventional' way. I can see the value of your suggestion. My next project will be completed in this manner.
Cheers,
Val.

schweitzerdude · Dec 28, 2019

valbridge said:
Having never done a copy/paste/rotate can you explain how this is achieved. Is it in the merge window?

Copy and paste functions live on the bottom part of the "Tools" menu. Very useful since it allows you to copy anything big or small to another part of the route. The four buttons define what will be pasted (terrain, textures, objects, and track splines (including road splines)

valbridge · Dec 28, 2019

schweitzerdude said:
Copy and paste functions live on the bottom part of the "Tools" menu. Very useful since it allows you to copy anything big or small to another part of the route. The four buttons define what will be pasted (terrain, textures, objects, and track splines (including road splines)

Ah yes, I am aware of this function but have never tried a copy/paste with track. Will give that a go. Originally I thought you meant copy/paste/rotate at the merge route stage.

Diorama style route creation....but of direction required.

valbridge

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JCitron

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valbridge

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