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Captain Bazza (311 posts)
Apr-04-02, 10:06 PM (EST) "Track: points/switches, parts naming conventions?" I wish to make a track object that requires moving parts. The standard TS points/switch has at least two: the lever and the points/switch moving track section. To get the sim to recognise the (animation) action, which is basically: start action, change position of lever and points/switch settings, stop action. The action is reversed next time the key command, or mouse command is used, changing the points/switch/lever back to the original settings.Does anyone know the naming protocol, please. For herein lies the secret of making a simple working turntable, one that turns a loco thru 180 to reverse its running direction.
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Subject Author Message Date ID RE: Track: points/switches, parts n... Captain Bazza Apr-04-02 1 RE: Track: points/switches, parts n... b101uk Apr-05-02 2 RE: Track: points/switches, parts n... OkrasaGhia Apr-05-02 3 RE: Track: points/switches, parts n... Captain Bazza Apr-05-02 4 RE: Turntable, in it's final form, ... Captain Bazza Apr-06-02 5 RE: Track: points/switches, parts n... OkrasaGhia Apr-08-02 6 RE: Track: points/switches, parts n... Motley24Crue2 Apr-08-02 7 RE: Track: points/switches, parts n... Captain Bazza Apr-08-02 8

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Captain Bazza (311 posts)
Apr-04-02, 11:19 PM (EST) 1. "RE: Track: points/switches, parts naming conventions?" Also, regarding bounding boxes: does the bounding for a track object stop the train from falling through the object, i.e. the rails,?Don't let the computer WIN! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
b101uk (53 posts)
Apr-05-02, 07:12 AM (EST) 2. "RE: Track: points/switches, parts naming conventions?" LAST EDITED ON Apr-05-02 AT 07:46 AM (EST)hi
the track nameing is (defualt)
1 any name for the base and non moveing track eg "BOX02 or even AARDVARK333"
2 the moveing part of the track is cauld "MOVINGTRACK"
3 the switch handel is cauld "SWITCH"by defualt the above use 3 keys of anomation, key 0= the starting point or defualt position of the parts when NOT trigerd.
key 1= the poisiton the parts move to when trigerd.
key 2= the parts back in ther defualt non trigerd placing (should be same as 0 )any keys more than 0 to 2 will work BUT the anomation will stop at key 1, then after it is untrigerd all the other frames will play.you can use any name for moveing parts but thay will be limeted by the above.also you could uncompres sume of the defualt track points with
c:\X\ffeditc_unicode.exe c:\X\shape.s /u /o:shape.s ware "X" is path to the shape or ffeditc_unicode.exe, /u is uncompres and /o: is output name.makeing a turn table that turns in msts is NOT a problem its just that the tranes will not turn with it due to how track paths work. i wish you luck becouse i wont a turntable!B101UK Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
OkrasaGhia (294 posts)
Apr-05-02, 11:33 AM (EST) 3. "RE: Track: points/switches, parts naming conventions?" Yes you could do the visible shape for a turntable that moves between two positions but you still can't have an engine standing on it when rotating.
Regarding the bounding box I don't think that is used for track shapes. Rememeber you can overlap tracks with no ill effect.

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



Steam: 0-4-0T #9, 0-6-0 #12, 2-6-0 #25, 2-6-6-2 #37, 2-8-2 #40
Diesels: SW8 #16, F3 #53, F7 #54, FP7 #57, Budd RDC #61, TrainMaster #88 Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Captain Bazza (311 posts)
Apr-05-02, 08:19 PM (EST) 4. "RE: Track: points/switches, parts naming conventions?" To B101UK and Okrasaghia, Thanks for the information.My theory for an operating turntable goes way back to the day I/we discovered the TS version was non-operational, no doubt another casualty of the 'rushed' release I've tried to solve this problem a couple of times, but, although the turntable could be animated, you could not drive onto it, or have control over the rotation. Recently, one very innovative modeller has came up with a ^sneaky^ solution for a working 'lifting/basculle' bridge. This involves fudging a few things to fool TS, that's what half the fun is, and it was something he did (thanks) that put me onto thinking of the turntable as a 'track' object, rather than an animated scenery object. Hence the request for the working parts of track points.My theory (it has one *fish hook*) is if you can control the action of track points/switch, then using the same protocol you should (in theory) be able to fudge a working turntable. The turntable would have only two actions (like the points/switch) a 180 degrees controlled turn, allowing a loco to be reversed at the end of a branch/spur line.(The *fish hook*: TS will not change a points/switch with a loco on/or very close to the point/switch.)Thanks to the info supplied by B101UK and Okrasa, I have a better understanding of the protocols involved........except:How would you edit a track object data entry in the tsection.dat file to configure the turntable??
I still have some work to do on the model, although I have installed a version in TS as a nonworking scenery model, without a problem.This theory might never work, but the challenge is half the FUN(?!) ^Sneaky^ = fooling TS into believing its still in control*fish hook* = something you think of at the last minute, and it just might sink your sneaky, best laid, plans.
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Captain Bazza (311 posts)
Apr-06-02, 04:38 AM (EST) 5. "RE: Turntable, in it's final form, now for the hard part..."
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OkrasaGhia (294 posts)
Apr-08-02, 12:54 PM (EST) 6. "RE: Track: points/switches, parts naming conventions?" I'm quite at home in tsection.dat these days but it all depends on what you want todo? If you could explain it in plain text (mail if you want it off the forum) I could try putting the entries together for you.

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



Steam: 0-4-0T #9, 0-6-0 #12, 2-6-0 #25, 2-6-6-2 #37, 2-8-2 #40
Diesels: SW8 #16, F3 #53, F7 #54, FP7 #57, Budd RDC #61, TrainMaster #88 Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Motley24Crue2 (518 posts)
Apr-08-02, 01:26 PM (EST) 7. "RE: Track: points/switches, parts naming conventions?" Well hopefully Microsoft think and WORK long and hard on the Next release of this sim Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Captain Bazza (311 posts)
Apr-08-02, 08:00 PM (EST) 8. "RE: Track: points/switches, parts naming conventions?" Thank you for the kind offer, I will take you up on that soon. The turntable is to be beta tested first as a scenery object. This testing is required so I can work out the maximum diameter of the apron around the TT pit. The apron is used to cover up a hole, or depression in the terrain, where the TT pit sits in the mesh. Otherwise the terrain mesh fills the pit and hides the TT mechanism. Also, I need to re-animated the TT to improve the action.Some local route builders have volunteered to help sort this out first.Don't let the computer WIN! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

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