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Is it possible to design my own track completely from scratch? I noticed a couple of threads that mentioned track building in passing but I couldn't find anything in the archives that said anything definite about it.If it is, what sort of software would I need to do this and has anyone posted something on how exactly it is done?I have a couple of 3D design programs (Design Works light and Blender) as well as the 2D Paint and Painter Classic. Can these be used to do it?

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Scratchbuilt track [View All], DavidY, 11:27 AM, Jul-17-02, (0) RE: Scratchbuilt track, bcdef, Jul-17-02, 05:12 PM, (1) RE: Scratchbuilt track, bcdef, Jul-17-02, 05:14 PM, (2) RE: Scratchbuilt track, DavidY, Jul-17-02, 06:23 PM, (3) RE: Scratchbuilt track, patm41, Jul-17-02, 07:18 PM, (4) RE: Scratchbuilt track, beadyboy, Jul-19-02, 04:06 AM, (5) RE: Scratchbuilt track, DavidY, Jul-20-02, 03:34 AM, (6) RE: Scratchbuilt track, ccyko, Jul-20-02, 03:37 AM, (7) RE: Scratchbuilt track, DavidY, Jul-22-02, 07:03 PM, (8) RE: Scratchbuilt track, patm41, Jul-22-02, 09:43 PM, (9) RE: Scratchbuilt track, beadyboy, Jul-22-02, 11:32 PM, (10) RE: Scratchbuilt track, DavidY, Jul-24-02, 08:56 AM, (11) RE: Scratchbuilt track, smmille1, Jul-24-02, 10:17 AM, (12) RE: Scratchbuilt track, DavidY, Jul-24-02, 02:47 PM, (13) RE: Scratchbuilt track, smmille1, Jul-24-02, 05:57 PM, (14) RE: Scratchbuilt track, nwallace, Jul-27-02, 11:43 AM, (21) RE: Scratchbuilt track, MikeSimpson, Jul-27-02, 07:42 PM, (23) RE: Scratchbuilt track, Hack, Jul-25-02, 06:41 AM, (15) RE: Scratchbuilt track, OkrasaGhia, Jul-25-02, 09:24 AM, (16) RE: Scratchbuilt track, Hack, Jul-25-02, 07:50 PM, (17) RE: Scratchbuilt track, Hack, Jul-26-02, 07:33 PM, (18) RE: Scratchbuilt track, beadyboy, Jul-27-02, 00:29 AM, (19) RE: Scratchbuilt track, Hack, Jul-27-02, 04:15 AM, (20) RE: Scratchbuilt track, beadyboy, Jul-27-02, 09:49 PM, (25) RE: Scratchbuilt track, Hack, Jul-27-02, 10:46 PM, (26) RE: Scratchbuilt track, NoMoreTrains, Jul-27-02, 01:29 PM, (22) RE: Scratchbuilt track, beadyboy, Jul-27-02, 09:44 PM, (24) RE: Scratchbuilt track, patm41, Jul-27-02, 10:48 PM, (27) RE: Scratchbuilt track, griffinmt, Jul-29-02, 00:24 AM, (28) RE: Scratchbuilt track, DavidY, Jul-31-02, 03:58 PM, (29) RE: Scratchbuilt track, DavidY, Aug-01-02, 10:52 AM, (30) RE: Scratchbuilt track, beadyboy, Aug-02-02, 08:44 AM, (31)

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try the route design forum

FAMOUS HIPPIE slangs
Man-to get atension( hey man )
Chick- hippie gal, girl, woman
Dig- get it, get interseted in
Crash- sleep
Crash Pad- where one sleeps
Groovy- cool, neat, all right
Later- hippie of sayin bye
Nifty- cool, nice, sexxy!, exc
Head- a hippie! :)

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sorry it is the route desgn !!!
try using TS Modeler and try to build youre own track

FAMOUS HIPPIE slangs
Man-to get atension( hey man )
Chick- hippie gal, girl, woman
Dig- get it, get interseted in
Crash- sleep
Crash Pad- where one sleeps
Groovy- cool, neat, all right
Later- hippie of sayin bye
Nifty- cool, nice, sexxy!, exc
Head- a hippie! :)

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Thanks for the advice. I didn't know there was such a thing. I've just checked the Abacus website and it looks like quite a good piece of software.

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these were scratch built with TSM Patm41

Maglev Route Designer
Casino Express

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http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/User_files/3d35fb4729ea1711.jpg

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You can make tubes that fly through space if you want. Virtually anything is possible. Just steer clear of transparencies and keep poly counts low.
Craig Scott
Chief Casino Express Design Engineer
cscott02@optushome.com.au

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When you say transparencies what exactly do you mean? I'm thinking of designing something like the Lartigue system which has a lot of holes between the girders. Would I encounter problems with this sort of thing?

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This may be off the wall, but may help you also. In L2 I've gone to 3drail ties to increase realism, and it has not adversly affected framerates. Though I believe he's commenting on objects seen through the transparencys disappearing, an adverse effect of transparencies.-Chris
MSTS Chicago Elevated

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By the way, is it only Train Sim Modeler that can be used to create track or do all the programs that work for locomotive design work for track also? I was wondering because I have just found out about GMax which has the added advantage of being free.

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yes you can use Gmax or 3DCanvas there is a steep learning curve with Gmax if you have experiance you should be ok with it...Patm41

Maglev Route Designer
Casino Express

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The problem with using transparencies, or alpha channels more appropriately, is that you want to see through them and out the other side at the scenery. I and countless others have had nothing but problems with Kujo's so called alpha settings. I tried to build a maglev tube system, with tinted glass for the tube. I had to see it from the outside, the inside, plus objects through it. I had an outer tube and an inner tube because poly's only face one way.Could not see the train inside the tube.
Could not see objects outside the tube when I was in it.You just cannot have multiple alpha objects and expect to see through them all, msts cannot replicate glass this way.Keep it simple....for now. Oh, and you can build track with any 3d design program you know how to use!
Craig Scott
Chief Casino Express Design Engineer
cscott02@optushome.com.au

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Speaking of transparencies, I am trying to use them in the drawing software Paint that comes with Windows. The trouble is, on the window that deals with attributes the section under Transparency is perpetually in grey so I cannot select any options for it.Can anyone tell me how to draw a picture using Paint that uses Transparencies?

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I noticed this a little while ago when I was looking for more named_texture_filters. There appears to be an image filter (can't remember what the sim calls it - they're the ones listed before the named_texture_filters in a .s file) called 'AditiveAlpha'. I was wondering if this is a known one or not. If not, it sounds like it might solve the second alpha layer disappearing problem.I love how Kuju managed to misspell so much. AditiveAlpha, MipedBilinear,... It's amazing this program runs at all.

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I noticed Kuju is a British company. According to an edition of Focus several months ago Britain has the second lowest literacy level in Europe (Poland has the lowest). That might explain something!By the way, which folder does Train Simulator use to store the track pieces?

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\Global\shapes is where the track shapes are. They also must be referenced in tsection.dat in the Global directory, and they pull the textures acleantrack1.ace and acleantrack2.ace from \routes\yourroutenamehere\textures\ or \routes\yourroutenamehere\textures\snow\I hope I got that right.

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Nah, nothing to do with it, kuju just made a total mess of train sim

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>I noticed Kuju is a British company. According to an
>edition of Focus several months ago Britain has the second
>lowest literacy level in Europe (Poland has the lowest).
>That might explain something!
>
>By the way, which folder does Train Simulator use to store
>the track pieces? May be so, but if you go to the CIA site they give the UK as having a literacy rate of 99% and the USA as 97% - Your second question tends to prove you are in the missing 3%

Mike

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LAST EDITED ON Jul-25-02 AT 06:44 AM (EDT)

>You just cannot have multiple alpha objects and expect to
>see through them all, msts cannot replicate glass this way. Me thinks you better look again. Multiple grey-scale alpha layers work perfectly fine for me, or aren't you sorting the objects? FWIW, you can sort them either using the naming parameters Kuju gave "AlphNorm-", "AlphNorm+", etc., or by using the collapse-node and sorting feature in the Kuju gmax plugin. As many layers as you need (a glass tube, with see through windows on a train inside, and still see scenery on the other side of the tube).Cheers!
Marc - 3DTrains
http://www.3dtrains.com

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Unfortunately tracks are a special case and their alpha channels are handled a little differently than other objects.
I tried for quite a while to get the alpha channels on my Roundhouse to work with different combinations of + & - before doing a compromise.
This also comes into play when you've made a bridge that is not completely covered and you want to see the ground through the deck but all you see is the trackbed texture.


//Okrasa
Chief Engineer
okrasaghia @ yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/okrasaghia
http://www.geocities.com/okrasaghia/XTracks



Steam: 4-4-0 8, 0-4-0ST 9, 0-6-0 12, 0-8-0 15, 2-6-0 25, 2-8-0 27, 2-6-6-2 37, 2-8-2 40, 4-6-2 56
Diesels: SW8 16, F3 53, F7 54, FP7 57, CPA 58, RDC 61, GP7 81, GP9 82, RS11 86, H16 87, TM 88

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Try this in the material ID (in order):AlphHiShine+2
AlphHiShine-2sNote the 's' at the end of the negative entry...This tells the converter to "sort" the alpha - it's not enough to simply use names. The number has no bearance on the name - it's simply something I had at hand. My bad for not making it clearer above.Cheers!
Marc - 3DTrains
http://www.3dtrains.com

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Anyone try the above yet?Cheers!
Marc - 3DTrains
http://www.3dtrains.com

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How the hell do I do that? All I'm using is TSM, Gmax too confusing.I've tried every +, - and normal setting in the orders Kuju suggested but to no avail. I am sometimes looking through an alpha poly, through the back of another, the front of another then the back of another layer. As is the case with a tube.Now if you can tell me how to get that to work, I'd be impressed.I can't see scenery through the windows of my maglev train for the same reason. You're looking through the front, then the back, then the front, then the back of polygons. Something doesn't work.
Craig Scott
Chief Casino Express Design Engineer
cscott02@optushome.com.au

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Did you add the 's' to the end of the negative value as I indicated above?Cheers!
Marc - 3DTrains
http://www.3dtrains.com

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I don't understand what you add the s to. All I'm doing is assigning an alpha format to a particular part of an object in TSM and making the conversion. But that doesn't work. Complete start to finish instructions required here.
Craig Scott
Chief Casino Express Design Engineer
cscott02@optushome.com.au

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Does TSM not allow you to assign material names? If so, then add the 's' to the end of your AlphNorm- or AlphHiShine- entry (mine are done thus: AlphNorm+2 and AlphNorm-2s). If assigning names isn't possible, then you better consider gmax - sorting's easy as pie.Cheers!
Marc - 3DTrains
http://www.3dtrains.com

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I would appreciate some help on this subject as well. Scratchbuilding track seems to be quite difficult. I have been messing with it for a while now, but have had no success so far. Frustrating!!I have no problem modeling addons, creating new textures & skins (except that alpha visibility problem), AE is a piece of cake, and even RE seems simple to me (pain in the arse, but simple).But, making new track pieces ....... Again, can someone please help.Thanks.
Ray

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I am thinking of doing a tutorial on track building since my success with the maglev project. I would probably do a simple city monorail project but suggestions are welcome. Right now though there is too much to do, including finishing objects for the Casino Express Package.
Craig Scott
Chief Casino Express Design Engineer
cscott02@optushome.com.au

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yea a tutorial would be good ... Patm41

Maglev Route Designer
Casino Express

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If not a full fledged tutorial at first, how about the 25 cent overview that can get a number of others started. Once we are initiated, much of the details can be garnered along the way.Right now, I haven't the foggiest notion of where to get started. Unless the only way to do it is to go buy a unique utility, I would love to get to be able to do some of this manually.Martyn T. Griffin
griffinmt@mindspring.com

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I'm starting with a rather basic straight section I have designed and I want to experiment with it in the route editor.I have a section about 5 metres long designed using DWlight but I can easily knock together the same thing with GMAX. Just a few rectangular sleepers and two rectangular rails.What is the next step from here towards getting this into the list of track sections I can select from? Is there anything else I need to design first (there are no textures yet but if I can do without them just for the moment then that would be fine)?

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By the way, what does the T section DAT file do? I've noticed that one of the alternative track sets available needs to change it in order to work properly. Can anyone give me a layperson's description of what it is?

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The tsection file contains all the information for the track in the game. Without it you have no track. And it is where you must enter information for new track pieces. Right now I have no time for a full explanation of its use.
Craig Scott
Chief Casino Express Design Engineer
cscott02@optushome.com.au

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