Railroads! and showing Firaxis we want to see it thrive.

[Burlington_Northern_3140]

If you need any more engines I'll paint them. I haven't heard from anyone about the project for awhile though.

[Lowell]

Still working on my projects. Molly has had two surgeries and needs to go back on Dec 23rd for another big one. This has slowed me down big-time.
I have been modeling some new train engines and cars though. I am almost complete…but I need to examine the mini animations (kf files) the game made for moving/turning wheel sets. The steam engine will require the most work as the pitman arms and wheels need moved on each key frame…the smoke and steam I can reuse from the game’s files...they will need placed on the models in Nifscope. I will have a new tender for it as well. There are several models I have been working on…4 steam engines, one electric, two tenders, an old style passenger and baggage car set, a new wood car are the ones that are near completion. These will not be added to the maps I have already done…those are getting updated and released first. I will release the engines and cars separate. I have made a couple snapshots of what I am working on.
The old map projects that I have out will be completed soon as I have started back work on their completion. The rail lines on the Florida Gold map are being changed…the southern engines were built for the Georgia map that is not out as yet, but will be released with the four map updates.
Mud Skippers will be fixed tonight. There are two Holidays In Ohio maps, one is an easy version and the Holidays In Ohio-ToyTrains map is the harder of the two. New trains passenger and mail cars have been added to that map set. The nightmare map…Florida Gold is almost complete…however there are some things I would like to add that I don’t have ready as yet.

Below is a look at what I have been working on...I have more...but these are near complete.
EDIT//
Removed default jpgs of models, new renders will show the knuckle couplers. I have emailed the artist to see if we can get approval for usage in the game, my purchase allows me to work with the models on my projects and render/animate them on my projects. For public release of the converted models I will get approval first.

[Lowell]

Edited images pending approval of model usage. I will make some new renders showing the knuckle couplers.

[Modeltrainman]

Wow........Those locomotives and cars are for Sid Meier's Railroads!? They look great, Lowell!

[Lowell]

I may take the wheel sets off the cars and use the wheel sets from the games cars. That may speed things up for the train cars, as those wheels sets have kf files for their animation. I need to examine the files from the game for the steam wheel sets so I save my key frames in the same format.
I also want to look at the way they animated the electric engines power pickup armature. If anything I will just have the front one all the way up...but to animate it would be cool. I will just have to start digging and see. The animated sparks will be easy to add/attach in Nifscope.

[karsten]

Great stuff, Lowell. Keep up the good work!

[Modeltrainman]

I wish some of the people who model locomotives for Railroads! could release parts of models, like wheels and boilers and cabs and stuff, so all that people would have to do is import them into a 3d modeling program and snap them together to create a new locomotive. I've tried to model, but I can never do wheels, but if I had some parts I could work with, I would like to build a locomotive for Railroads!.

Would this be possible? What ever happened to the model files Firaxis was going to give to us? Dan Gackey wrote this before he left Firaxis:"I should also add that we've got source train model files in 3DS Max format we'll be releasing shortly as well, to help train makers."

[Burlington_Northern_3140]

These look beautiful! I like the different cars and what appear to be replacement steam engines and a GWR tank engine. What happened to the SD40-T2 though?

[Lowell]

You mean the 3D image files? I can save those in many different formats. The Nif and Kfm files will already be made. So anyone can use them on their own project.

Still working on the SD40-T2, and a couple others.

[Burlington_Northern_3140]

You mean the 3D image files? I can save those in many different formats. The Nif and Kfm files will already be made. So anyone can use them on their own project.

Still working on the SD40-T2, and a couple others.

Wonderful!!! I can't wait for the others! What exactly are the others though?

[Lowell]

I wish some of the people who model locomotives for Railroads! could release parts of models, like wheels and boilers and cabs and stuff, so all that people would have to do is import them into a 3d modeling program and snap them together to create a new locomotive.
Would this be possible?
What ever happened to the model files Firaxis was going to give to us? Dan Gackey wrote this before he left Firaxis:"I should also add that we've got source train model files in 3DS Max format we'll be releasing shortly as well, to help train makers."

I can release the wireframes/3D images if you wish when I am through. It isn't as easy as snapping parts together though. The 3D models are assembeled. You would have to edit the wireframes yourself, molding new parts from basic shapes etc. as you go. The wheel sets for the cars can be attached in Nifscope using the wheel sets from the game as those have the wheel movement animation files ready for use. The steam engines wheel movement is something different.

Firaxis never responded as to the release of the 3D Max files. I even emailed and called them and 2K...no responce. Only at the time of the calls etc I was told they would be happy to pass it along to their Dev team...( the bottomless pit to nowhere ) I would guess someone spoke out before asking management.

Edit//
Oh, trains can be used in the game without the wheels moving. It would just look funny. I have a program I like to use for making my keyframes for small animations like the wheels. I can save those out in many file formats...I just need to spend a day reading through the animated files they made for this game, so I make mine the same way. The steam and smoke can be reused from the game and attached where needed in Nifscope.

The other models I am working on are several new industry buildings. I also want to finish the billboard signs I had started. If I could figure out the darn number scheme on adding new trees and clutter, they could be placed on maps without using them as decorations. I followed the games directions as to making a new number in the same range as the trees or clutter, but they don't render in game. It places them good enough, and I made an icon for inside the map editor and that too works, only thing is they come out invisible.

[jayo]

I like the passenger car, but then, I also like the ones in SMR, they're more like the original RRT style! You may want to shorten them abit so as to fit more with the style of the SMR cars. Now that tank loco, I dunno. I mean, it's nice looking and all, but the engines in SMR are main line engines. That one's more of a branch line/indusrial swicher, so I don't think it would work in SMR...

[Burlington_Northern_3140]

I think the tank engine fits in just fine and will probably help alot for the trains that run the very short distances between towns. It would be better than the grasshopper and norris. The passenger cars will make making money alot easier since they are so long so they may be making things too easy. I do think that the game only needs longer passenger cars. None of the original train cars look right when its coupled to a pair of AC4400s or Dash 9-44CWs.

[Lowell]

The idea is to make them as long as the Basin and Range passenger and mail cars.

People have requested switch engines before. They could be used for short halls where a couple cars back and forth are needed. Less cost etc. I do have some main line engines being modeled as well.

I saw a Trainmaster model floating around, it could it be used.

[Modeltrainman]

Never mind, Lowell, I didn't know about the other stuff. Thanks though.