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MSTS Route Design

Newbie to the RE Needs help

Started by smp11512 14 posts 8 min read

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smp11512Member since Apr-7-03 · 1020 posts

Newbie to the RE Needs help – image 1

Hello all . I just started working in the RE and I need some help . My question is how do I start off with a blank template ? When I open the RE all I get to choose are the Pre made Routes that I have installed . Thanks in advanceMy website for MSTS Pic's www.msnusers.com/shanestrainsShane Palus
smp1151@sbcglobal.net

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RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help, DRGWK36, Aug-07-03, 08:54 PM, (1) RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help, Coonskin, Aug-07-03, 08:56 PM, (2) RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help, smp11512, Aug-08-03, 03:28 AM, (3) RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help, Coonskin, Aug-08-03, 04:55 AM, (4) RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help, mivone, Aug-08-03, 09:50 AM, (5) RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help, Coonskin, Aug-08-03, 11:44 AM, (6) RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help, sniper297, Aug-08-03, 02:06 PM, (7) RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help, smp11512, Aug-08-03, 06:05 PM, (8) RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help, Coonskin, Aug-08-03, 06:17 PM, (9) RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help, smp11512, Aug-08-03, 07:02 PM, (10) RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help, griffinmt, Aug-08-03, 09:13 PM, (11) RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help, smp11512, Aug-08-03, 09:45 PM, (12) RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help, smp11512, Aug-08-03, 09:50 PM, (13)

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DRGWK36Charter Member · 565 posts

RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help

Shane, welcome to the world of route building. I wish I had a simple answer for you. It's an involved process. You're probably going to get more than one post that advises you to get the route building guide by Michael Vone, which can be purchased on line - I don't have the details, but folks will certainly help if you ask about it. That will give you tons of help.If you want to go it solo, you'll have to start by creating a route in the Route Generation Editor - the RGE. Once you do that, it'll make a route with nothing there but flat green ground. If you want to create hills and valleys that are realistic to the area you're building your route in, you'll need to get a program that helps out with DEMs - digital elevation models. The one most people use is DEMEX. Then, you'll probably need something to show you where the tracks and roads go - a marker utility. The one I like is USAPhotoMaps, which you can download here from the File Library. By that time, if you're still interested, you're pretty much set to do some serious route building.Good luck!Andy

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CoonskinMember since Aug-1-02 · 2593 posts

RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help

Hi, and welcome to the wild and wacky world of RE.To begin your learning quest, I have several suggestions for you:http://trainsimulatorworld.com/Once at the above, look for the Route Building Guide by Michael Vone. It is one comprehensive volume that will save you much time and grief.Also, go to: http://www.railpage.org.au/steam4me/trainsim/tutorials/index.htmlScroll down to the "Route Design" section... and begin reading.You will likely need some good tools to create DEM terrain, route markers, and such. Two highly recommended programs would be: http://www.dem-ex.comThe above is a super easy way to use free USGS DEM's to create reasonably accurate terrain for route construction. It is also very compact so doesn't take much space on your hard drive at all.The other program is freeware/donation-ware, and is at: http://jdmcox.com/This will create excellent markers for importation to your route with simple point/click operations.Finally, read the "Help" file that comes with the Tools and Editors program. It will give you some tips on how to start.Good luck!Andre Ming

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smp11512Member since Apr-7-03 · 1020 posts

RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help

Newbie to the RE Needs help – image 2

Thanks alot . I think I am going solo for now as I am not serious enough to buy the guide yet ( My fancy excuse for not being able to afford it right now ) Thanks for the suggestions I went into the RGE and I extracted a part of from the map and I loaded it in RE and all I see is the sky with Nothing underneath it ( not even Grass . Just nothingness ) so I am going to go experiment with it a little .
Thanks again My website for MSTS Pic's www.msnusers.com/shanestrainsShane Palus
smp1151@sbcglobal.net

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sniper297Charter Member · 5347 posts

RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help

I don't know if you went to the link Andre posted, but here's the direct one for the geo extractor:http://www.railpage.org.au/steam4me/trainsim/tutorials/ig_route.htmlIt's very important to follow that exactly, if you skip any step the extractor will happily create a route for you with no terrain. Example, File, new route, file, new quad tree, go thru the rest of the steps and you get no terrain. Why? You skipped "select route" to select the new route that you just created, so it don't have a quad tree, and the quad tree you saved didn't go anywhere since there was no folder specified to save it in. The trainsim editors and tools are not designed for computer dummies, they completely left out all the usual warnings, reminders, error messages, and automatic helpers that are designed into most programs intended for non-programmers.

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smp11512Member since Apr-7-03 · 1020 posts

RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help

Newbie to the RE Needs help – image 3

Yeah and I am also following the Help guide in MSTS and I just relised that I missed a step so I went back and restarted and I found out that the step I missed is going to take hours to Generate all flagged tiles because there are like 3000 tiles is that too much ?( I am new to the RE like I mentioned so I havent a clue how much I am supposed to have)
Thanks all for your help My website for MSTS Pic's www.msnusers.com/shanestrainsShane Palus
smp1151@sbcglobal.net

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CoonskinMember since Aug-1-02 · 2593 posts

RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help

"3000 tiles..."Heaven's sake, feller... what'cha buildin', the entire state of California??? "...is that too much?"I don't rightly know.One thing's fer sure: Once you hit the Big Button to tell RGE to generate the terrain... you'll find out soon e'nuf.WAIT a minute... so you didn't generate the terrain? HEY MIKEY!!! Yee HAW! I WUZ RIGHT!! (Couldn't resist.)BTW, don't forget to set a Start Tile when you're ready to leave RGE and go see your new terrain.Andre Ming

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griffinmtCharter Member · 1128 posts

RE: Newbie to the RE Needs help

Try to select only the tiles that are actually used by the track plus at most one on either side, to start with.Don't worry too much if you missed one or two, you can go back and add them any time.The routes with the best frame rates have the bear minimum of tiles around the track, and use scenery etc to hide the great white void at the edges.Martyn T. Griffin
griffinmt@mindspring.com
http://www.geocities.com/tcmrrc/

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