Is their any better way to shape the terrain?

how is the best way to shape the Terrain? i am trying to use the

button. the terrian shifts as i am moving the circle so it is hard to shape. Is their any easier way to Shape the terrian? nighthawk1
nighthawk1@kscable.com
nighthawk1
nighthawk-1@cox.net

http://members.cox.net/nighthawk-1

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Is their any better way to shape the terrain? [View All], nighthawk1, 11:43 PM, Dec-28-01, (0) RE: Is their any better way to shape the terrain?, wdperson, Dec-29-01, 00:12 AM, (1) RE: Is their any better way to shape the terrain?, Hobart, Dec-29-01, 00:52 AM, (2) RE: Is their any better way to shape the terrain?, whockin, Dec-29-01, 01:14 AM, (3) RE: Is their any better way to shape the terrain?, tryagin, Dec-29-01, 01:43 AM, (4) RE: Is their any better way to shape the terrain?, timken, Dec-29-01, 08:35 AM, (5) RE: Is their any better way to shape the terrain?, Boweavel, Dec-29-01, 08:51 AM, (6) RE: Is their any better way to shape the terrain?, sniper297, Dec-29-01, 01:21 PM, (7) RE: Is their any better way to shape the terrain?, nighthawk1, Dec-29-01, 02:05 PM, (8)

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>how is the best way to
>shape the Terrain? i am
>trying to use the
>
>button. the terrian shifts as i
>am moving the circle so
>it is hard to shape.
>Is their any easier way
>to Shape the terrian?
>
>nighthawk1
>nighthawk1@kscable.com Nighthawk, The best wasy is to use DEM data. That is if you are in the US. If you aren't then look for TSTF v3 in the file library. For Dem extraction tutorial check out this thread:
http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/DCForumID6/1540.htmlMike Riley

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Hey All,
Even with DEMed terrrain you'll have to smooth it out. The way that works for me is press the terrain button. Drag out the red outline to the size I want. Then press 'D' to make the outline follow the cursor. Press the 'F' key and flatten terrain until I start to drool. Then they put me back in my straight jacket.Best Regards
Hobart

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For shaping small areas try using a 100m road piece and the Y key. A road piece can be moved, rotated and sloped and the embankment can be adjusted for width and slope. The method is very effective once you get a handle on it.

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Try taking this a step further by trying different sizes and lengths of track. A 7m straight for tight areas, a 45dyard switch for craggy rock-faces, always rotating this way and that up'n'down while kicking the "Y" key to keep the geography interesting. For digging out long trenches for, say the Columbia River, I'll use up to a 2000r20d curve for the big areas. It's a pretty good system, once you get the hang.

All of this was created in this way. The big drawback is that it's very time-consuming and that's where DEM starts to look good(not to mention correct geography) But, if you're a sculpter, well, this can be fun, too.Hope you get along ok,Tim

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I meant to answer, but Tim told most the story! One thought, sometimes road sections are handier to use, as track can only be rotated a few degrees from horizontal, road can be much steeper, and this can be another handy shaping tool. That little terrain editing gizmo is great for tweaking little spots, like when the ground comes out over the track like a small slide, or you want to make rocks stick in and out from a face of a cliff.Steve

Steve T.

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Ive also found road pieces and switchs to be the best pieces for terrain editing. The best piece i probably used the most was the smallest road piece (10m ?) Thats a great object to use for getting the terrain on the top of a tunnel entrance to be juuuuust right oh and to get the terrain juuuust right at either end of a bridge...Enjoy !Catchya's

------ Dawn Shift ---- Robe River ----- Western Australia --------

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The old sculptor's joke is, you start with a block and chip away anything that don't look like the model. I use assorted different track pieces depending on what I'm trying to do, but for mountains in minutes the 45 degree yard switch is my favorite. I sometimes change the cutting and embankment, but mostly I set width to 6, cuttin 35, embankment 25. Or the other way around. I'm afraid to try DEM extraction, I've heard Rich put a voodoo black mojo on DEM so it don't work unless you buy his tutorial.
Before: expanding onto a new tile East of 77.
Place 45 yard switch, raise in the air, hit the "Y" key, burying all the track I layed.
Raise, lower, move around, hitting the "Y" key to carve away anything that don't look natural.
Here's where changing the cutting angle comes in, when unburying the track. I vary width from 12 to 16, vary cutting from 25 to 65 as I move along unburying each piece, this gives variety to the angle of the cut. I do the same when making riverbeds. Obviously some adjustments need to be made, driving the route to look at everything is the best way to judge.
This looks OK.
Something has to be done with the sharp ridge just above the engine, and either the forest region has to go or the slope needs to be shallower. Trees just don't look right on any slope over 40 degrees.
When you use the Y key to unbury a long piece of track, you get flat sided cuts that don't look natural, unless a rock texture is applied. I'll fix this by placing a 7 meter piece on the ground just to the right of the right hand track, about where the first loaded log car is, and cut away at the middle of the wall with varying degrees of cutting slope.
In the background is some of my early work that's been there since PO&N 1, never got around to getting rid of the jaggies and pointies.
Grade seperations for closely spaced track are a constant pain, sometimes it's necessary to use small bridge sections partially buried in the ground to avoid spillover and undercutting. The wall on the right also needs work, either applying a rocky terrain texture or cutting away at it til it looks more natural. BTW, while I was fooling with this, I found that a UKsingle tunnel buried with just the top showing makes a better looking floor for a trainshed than a US2Tarmac section.How you make terrain is pretty much how you get to Carnegie hall, practice, practice, practice.

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Thanks For all the help and suggestions.nighthawk1
nighthawk-1@cox.net

http://members.cox.net/nighthawk-1

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