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Simmer's Lotting Lab.

Started by Simmer2, December 11, 2015, 07:24:45 AM

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Simmer2

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Simmer2

Been busy designing and making a new railyard texture core base and other fancy pieces.
It is based on real life specs or at least as close as possible  ;D

Here is the real deal.



And here is a close approximation...

RRY1

RRY2

RRY3

RRY4


More to come...
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vortext

time flies like a bird
fruit flies like a banana

Vizoria


Themistokles

Come join me on a hike to St Edmea!

Latest update: 7

"In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create, but by what we refuse to destroy." - John Sawhill

TheTeaCat

Oh My Word!!!
that's about as close to RL as i have seen (within the game at least)  &apls &apls

I know all the railheads here will be  &hlp

Fantastic job!!


Derry.
Kettle's on. Milk? Sugars?    ps I don't like Earl Grey  $%Grinno$%
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - If you're not part of the solution , you're part of the problem!
"Never knock on Death's door: Ring the bell and run away! Death really hates that!"
Tales at TeaTime      Now A proper NUT      TTC plays GRV II

mattb325


Swordmaster

#107
Pretty impressive start! What yard is that in the RL picture?

Of course I've got some remarks and tips! :)

This is actually a hump yard, which is a rather specific type of thing. Where you've put your DTR line would be a hump instead (kind of a hill).



Cars are shunted over it, decoupled and left to roll on their own onto the different tracks. Humps are usually only a single track, sometimes two tracks connected right after the hump (cars need to be able to reach every single yard track). In any case they shouldn't be represented by DTR.

I've been hurting my head over how to handle that specific area. My idea had always been to make it draggable rail up to where the actual yard begins. That way it's more modular. However, lots can handle the specific nature of the whole thing better. Because apart from the hump, there are also rail brakes that slow down the cars once they approach the yard tracks.

Found this again from when I was planning this years ago:



So, more specifically, I would make the area of your switches about twice the length it is now. You have single tracks diverging into four in a single switch. That doesn't exist really, even one to three is very rare. More importantly, the angles are too sharp for the speeds at which cars are travelling there. I would take a closer look to yards like Selkirk or Bailey and observe the nature of the tracks there. Mind, these are only subtle things, but nutters like me notice them.

Don't know if you've worked on that yet, but the other end of the yard should be made up of regular end switches (i.e. making the yard pencil shaped there).

I hope you don't mind I try to nudge you in the direction I'd be going myself. That way I actually won't have to do a thing anymore :D

+1 KP for bringing something to the table that's been a long, long time on my wish list.


Cheers
Willy

Simmer2

#108
Thank you vortext, Vizoria, Themistokles, TheTeaCat, mattb325 and Swordmaster!

Willy.
What you see here is version 9.1  ;D The project is open to improvements of course.
My son works for CN Rail here in TO, he is a conductor and he has brought me at the main yard several times to see the operations!

I'm painfully aware that the hump single rail entrance should be implemented rather than DTR but the curves makes TEing the lot/s a nightmare. Also the hump elevation would have to be made as an actual prop. Unfortunately as we are all aware, textures only cannot represent elevation  :(
The reason I made the middle quad DTR compatible is so we can actually see train traffic go through the lot/s.

Also I thought of making this as small as possible so that it takes a small foot print in game. What you see here is only half of it  :)
I'm currently designing additions to make it bigger on all sides. I made the length of the actual yard connections a lot longer but it took a lot of tiles in game therefore I shortened them.

However I might design an actual monster just for giggles  ;D

Thank you for the KP  :thumbsup:

Oh and by the way Willy, "nudge away", again this is an ongoing project and any suggestions you have will be taken into consideration ;)
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mgb204

Quote from: Simmer2 on January 24, 2016, 12:49:02 PM
I'm painfully aware that the hump single rail entrance should be implemented rather than DTR but the curves makes TEing the lot/s a nightmare... The reason I made the middle quad DTR compatible is so we can actually see train traffic go through the lot/s.

If you can make it happen, I'll TE and path it for you :).

QuoteAlso the hump elevation would have to be made as an actual prop. Unfortunately as we are all aware, textures only cannot represent elevation  :(

Can't see another solution, the hard part would be colour matching the prop. How simple a shape would this be? I'm guessing it's a simple prop to make, again could be a possibility for me to handle it.

Otherwise, great stuff going on here all round. You're making a big improvement to rail yards and RRW in general with all your textures.  :thumbsup:

Simmer2

Quote from: mgb204 on January 24, 2016, 01:12:58 PM
Quote from: Simmer2 on January 24, 2016, 12:49:02 PM
I'm painfully aware that the hump single rail entrance should be implemented rather than DTR but the curves makes TEing the lot/s a nightmare... The reason I made the middle quad DTR compatible is so we can actually see train traffic go through the lot/s.

If you can make it happen, I'll TE and path it for you :).

QuoteAlso the hump elevation would have to be made as an actual prop. Unfortunately as we are all aware, textures only cannot represent elevation  :(

Can't see another solution, the hard part would be colour matching the prop. How simple a shape would this be? I'm guessing it's a simple prop to make, again could be a possibility for me to handle it.

Otherwise, great stuff going on here all round. You're making a big improvement to rail yards and RRW in general with all your textures.  :thumbsup:

Oh wow!
Well then, let me mull the specs over for a new iteration of this baby!
Thanks Robin ;D
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eggman121

I must say your work is quite masterful Simmer2  :thumbsup:

Saying that your work is filling a void that has been around and am very pleased that you are applying yourself with great diligence.

I have been busy quite recently (Again). But hope to help you further in the future if you have any questions ;)

You have quite a good eye for detail and hope you continue your fantastic work  :thumbsup:

-eggman121

Swordmaster

Textures can represent elevation if they're on slope tolerant lots. The hump should be terrain, not a prop (too much work, not modular enough), with separate lots representing 1/ the track(s) of the hump, 2/ the first line of switches with the retarders, and 3/ the yard lot(s) starting from the second line (where the balloons start). Different configurations of balloons can then be used with the same hump. Lots 1 and 2 would need to be completely slope tolerant.

I'm not particularly sold on the TEing part. Trains shouldn't run over it, they're pushed over it car by car (or a few sets of cars at once).

I guess it all depends on where you want to go with this. You can also sell it as a flat classification yard, which looks mostly the same, except there's no hump.

Btw, Nick, I'm not complaining about the size of the yard in general (there's about as much variation in size as you can think of), it's just what I said about the switches. I see you've got only two four-way switches, so if you can separate those into four two-ways I'd be quite happy already.

I've been planning to recreate a hump yard for a long time, and now I'd feel like a jerk if I started making my own, seeing how close you are to perfection.


Cheers
Willy

Simmer2

Thanks Stephen!!


Willy.
Splitting the quads in to pairs is easy, I will leave the triples though just to spice things up.
As far as the hump is concerned, it could be something that players can make with the game itself, like you suggested (great idea). Perhaps I could make a separate lot with the workers house to be placed on a 15m elevation before the actual yard entrance. I could have an elevated line curving in to that lot.  Slope tolerance is something I will be looking into as well.
Also I just downloaded the specs for the "retarders". I will be incorporating them on the lines going in.
Lets see where this takes us.

Cheers
Nick
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compdude787

Wow, that railyard looks awesome!!!! &apls &apls &apls

I'm planning on several places in my region to make railyards so this will be a neat thing to have!
Check out my MD, United States of Simerica!
Last updated: March 5, 2017

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Gugu3


Badsim

Hi Nick/Simmer2 ( and those getting involved here  ;)) ,

Splendid project actually !  &apls

Maybe time to resurrect some unforgettable works from MIncroabl he posted in « Show us your Miscellaneous Modular creations ! » back in ... 2007 (!)  ::) , pictures now gone and forgotten like so many other unforgettable treasures ...  &sly











Don't know if the way he made humps  and/or everything else  is accurate and can help but I hope that at least you will not take umbrage for what you could consider like a digression , and that it will motivate you ( if necessary , considering  the specialists list you've attracted here ... ;D )  to patiently refine that essential project . SC4 railways for sure are still the larger , the wilder and the harder domain to conquer ; the most exciting so  ... .

Another K-point here . :thumbsup:

Cédric.

°   °   °   °   °   °   °   °   °   °   °   °   °   °   °   °   °   °   °   °   °   °   °


Simmer2

Thank you compdude787, Gugu3 and Badsim.

Badsim.
Those pics look amazing by the way. :thumbsup:
Those humps is the direction this project will be going. I will make separate lots and connect them to the actual railyards.
Work is progressing well, I will have a draft ready very soon for everyone to peruse and if more changes are needed I will keep going until its perfect!

Thank you for the KP :thumbsup:

Simmer2/Nick
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Simmer2

Update.

6 pizzas, 2 bottles of soda, 42 espressos and 12 aspirins later I just finished re-designing and making the entire hump railyard. It's massive  :D
Its so big that I will have to split it in two.

Tonight I should be able to process and IID all the textures and dat pack them.
Next I'm creating a slope friendly STR line with props to be placed from the top of the hump to the entrance of the railyard.
Sorry for the lack of pics but due to the complexity of the design I have had no time to get to that stage yet.
Good things come to those who wait.

Simmer2/Nick
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noahclem

Outstanding work with these yards  &apls  Really excited about the hump yard project!