The Revamped Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (for T:ANE-SP4)

That's quite the monumental task!

I wonder if we couldn't get one of the other Speedtree creators making a few special bits of foliage, like tea plants & bamboo. I don't think Jan does Speedtrees, but would be another person we could try and poach.

peter
 
Luckily there are speedtree libraries, which makes the task easier.

Auran have a selection of bamboo plants which will be OK after a slight colour change.

I have been laying out Auran Speedtrees (like I have done with the roads) on a board, I am about halfway through so far, then I can compare them with the old Drake billboard trees..

I am sure that there is something somewhere to resemble tea trees and bushes, I will find something!.
Jankvis is busy making new trees and bushes so I won't pester him.

I am not afraid of the work, I am stuck at home all day and am glad that working on this project and others keeps my brain active.

If I get stuck with anything, I will give a shout out for sure.

I am still trying to decipher the roads' names though :hehe:

but that does not stop progress.

Cheers,

Graham
 
.....

I am still trying to decipher the roads' names though :hehe:

.....

Peter had a hard time with naming the roads as we had so many variations. Some had square blocks, some had vertical pipes, some were wide, some were narrow, some were transition pieces from wide to narrow and vice-versa. If we'd named them using full names, they would have had huge, long titles. I'm sure the scheme will become easier to read as you continue.

Bill
 
Peter had a hard time with naming the roads as we had so many variations. Some had square blocks, some had vertical pipes, some were wide, some were narrow, some were transition pieces from wide to narrow and vice-versa. If we'd named them using full names, they would have had huge, long titles. I'm sure the scheme will become easier to read as you continue.

Bill

I'll work it out eventually.

What I am concerned about is the people, your non-DLS versions are better than the originals but they are only 2d which are OK for distant views but I'd like to find 'proper' people for close-to-the-track placing.
With it being a tourist attraction we can expect to see plenty of non-native people which are easy to get, it's the locals that we need.
Populating with people is a long way off yet but it's something to plan ahead for.

Cheers,

Graham
 
The only thing I can come up with, Graham, is reskinning already existing 3D people using some of the masks from the 2D native versions. It's a shame, too, as I think it's the people that make the various scenes come alive. Without them, it's pretty bare. Maybe an agreement with a "people" creator might be in order.

Bill
 
Hi guys,
I see we made it into this weeks Newsletter, in the screenshot section :Y:

I've been busy behind the scenes for the DHR recently.
My first set of spedtrees is now on the DLS and I am working on road embankment/walls libraries, I am making an extra library to increase the versatility of them, boy is it complicated, but nearly finished.
I think I've worked out the naming codes too :)

DHR protrack set is nearly completed too, just need to squint at them a few more times before setting them free for the DLS.

Trees
Tree-set-1.jpg


Track

DHR-ProTrack.jpg


Cheers,

Graham
 
Good track shots, Graham. My only observation, and it is trivial, is that the ties are so regular. In real life, the ties are nearly helter-skelter, aimed at odd angles, and some wider gaps than "normal." This is hard to model because of the repeating factor, so I understand. The trees are great and certainly improve the entire route.

Have you considered releasing a WIP version soon (tm) so we can check it out?

Bill
 
I have been working on the mesh libraries and have just about completed them.
This what I have done, I have made these mesh libraries so far for roads and splines.

DHR Mesh Library 1, Roads on Sloping Embankments

DHR Mesh Library 2, Roads on Stone Walls

DHR Mesh Library 3, Roads on Concrete Revetments, other concrete splines

DHR Mesh Library 4, Roads and Walls (plus other splines to be added)

This has enabled me to streamline the libraries and remove the need for "double-double.texture" type text files.
160 meshes have had the file clean-up done so far.
For example, a 'road.texture text' file, whereas previously if the image was shared beteween a wall and a slope asset it in the same library it might have been.. 'road-road.texture'

The road assets are in the testing stage now, each asset had to cloned and each config needed the new mesh kuid adding to it.
This morning I've been adding the new roads to the map, slow work but I think you will be pleased...

Grassy embankment

New-sloped-embankments.jpg



Wall meets embankment

New-wall-and-embankment-joint.jpg


Close-up of wall texture

Wall-close-up.jpg



The walls have 3-d look to them, that effect is not PBR, nor due to adding a normal image, it's due to me experimenting with layers and effects in 'paint.net'.

I've added my reskinned trees too, but need to make a lot more yet, same with ground textures some more will be needed before I am happy.

It's not practical to send a beta out due to so many assets not being on the DLS yet. (plus I need to tidy up the configs.)

Am I still enjoying this project?, .....a big YES is the answer.

It is a privilige to be trusted with this upgrade and as you know, I like a challenge to keep my old brain active.

Back to the task in hand now...

Cheers,

Graham
 
I agree completely with Graeme, Graham. Wonderful work. The effects on the stone wall seems to make the mortar between the stones pop out.

Bill
 
Graham, I've just now looked in on this project and WOW! The work you're doing is amazing and you're transforming this classic Trainz route.
 
Graham

I should have said this before, everything was built with GMax and I think I have most of all the originals tucked away somewhere. If there is anything that the original may help, if so, I will do some digging. Another thing, do you have the Mesh2Max program?

You are doing a marvellous job. On behalf of all the original team members, I thank you

Peter
 
Graham

I should have said this before, everything was built with GMax and I think I have most of all the originals tucked away somewhere. If there is anything that the original may help, if so, I will do some digging. Another thing, do you have the Mesh2Max program?

You are doing a marvellous job. On behalf of all the original team members, I thank you

Peter

Hi Peter,

Nice of you to call in and keep an eye on the progress :)

I have GMax installed but I've not really done anything with it, I don't have Mesh2Max, I've never heard of it but it sounds like a useful tool.

I have been using the group's non DLS assets (from the links in an earlier post in this thread) for the route which are giving me less bother than the DLS items during conversion to TRS19.
I don't need to mask some slopes with a covering one any more which means less splines.

I am well practiced in renovating old Trainz assets and bringing them into TANE and TRS 19 so nothing phases me about doing the conversions.

I am still in awe of you and your team for making this route in the first place, it was a monumental effort, people just have no idea what an achievement it was.

I have been replacing Hill Cart Road starting at Darjeeling and working downwards this week, I have only reached Tung Siding so far. Goodness knows how long it must have taken the team to place the assets there in the first place.

The ropeway is in place as well now.

I'll get some progress images up over the weekend for you all.

Take care,

Graham
 
Graham:

Initially, it took 10 of us three and a half years to do the TRS2004 route. During that time, we added several more content creators and one scribe (John) who kept a journal on what we did and posted it online. I did the original DEM using HOG. Once we had the basic terrain, we matched the map overlay (resizing it until it fit the route) to the hills, twisting it this way and that until it aligned. The first run of track was me as well. I used the 'get height" tool and found all the contour lines, used a single rail spline to mark the heights, then painted under it with a HOG color before removing the rail. This made laying track much easier. For instance, we knew that this station was a x height, and the that station was at y height, we could extrapolate the gradient we needed. Took me around three months to get the entire line done.

Following that effort, we knew we had a problem: how to pass the route around so others could work on it. I think it was Peter who suggested breaking it up into smaller bits and farming them out to members of the group. We called them "SCABS" but I don't remember what the acronym means. Once textured, populated with content, and adjusted, the worker bee passes it back to me and I merged it with the Master DHR. It was truly a group effort.

All the while, Dave kept churning out content and we added it to the mix.

Bill
 
I was going to show you some screenshots, but I thought you might like a video instead ;)

This trip downwards starts at the Chunbhati Loop and goes around the 180 turn at Selim Hill, then via the first Z switchback and ends near the Rangtong Water tank, the track and road there need to be fixed..

Train control is all done by the game AI!

As you will see there's still a lot of work to do, but at least there is progress being made.


cheers,

Graham
 
Last edited:
Just great, Graham. The transitions from track to in-road track only and back are the most difficult to get right. In some places I added a lot of low bushes and stuff to disguise the junction.

Bill
 
Hi Bill,

I will find a solution for the transition across the road, it's important to get it right, I just haven't focussed on it yet.
I am still replacing the track and aligning it up to the road, it's a slow process but I want it to look right.

In the video there is a lot of open space near the tracks, that's because I removed it get a clearer view of the road and track whlist working on it.
It'll all come together one day 'soon' TM :D

The track is now just about ready for downloading.
I changed it to 2ft gauge from 600mm, changed the ballast to match one of my ground textures and then I started playing with the sleeper settings and got this result.....

My-Trainz-Screenshot-Image.jpg


I have noticed though that because the sleepers are not in perfect alignment as before, the track pins are not perfectly placed in the sleeper. Maybe that adds to the charm of it?
I am happy to leave it as it is, what do you all think?

cheers,

Graham
 
Perfect, Graham. It's the little details like this (even if they are difficult to produce) that makes the railroad seem "real." I went ahead and bought TRS2019 (build 111951), so if you need a "sounding board" let me know.

Bill
 
After a short break away from Trainz, I am back at 'work' again.

Still working on road/rail alignment and track crossings, they are hard work, but I have lots of time and patience to get it right.

Here's a shot from the jungle heading down to Sukna where the road and rail part company...

The shrubs and bushes are too dark, I need to make some with lighter green leaves.

Heading-Down-to-Sukna.jpg


cheers,

Graham.
 
Back
Top