High Speed Rail Project (HSRP)

[cogeo]

@mightygoose: Right, that's another type of track, and I guess there is a connecting rod between these half-sleepers (needed for keeping the distance between the rails constant) covered by the gravel. In this case sleepers sit on the gravel.

I think any kind of track shown in the pics above would do. None of these has such half-sleepers sitting on a special concrete (or what) stripe though.

EDIT:
@vershner: The last version looks much like to your 2nd pic, but not that posted by mightygose at all. This is much better than the previous one. Could you experiment a little, with making the supports darker than the concrete base lighter, like shown in the pic? Maybe it would look better.

[mightygoose]

that latest texture is great vershner, but maybe reduce the contrast between the gravel and the baseplate that the sleepers are attached too, it looks like too much of a raised platform... for me.

@cogeo, you are right i suppose they would have to have some form of connection obscured from view...

[vershner]

That a version with darker supports + the previous one for comparison. It looks more like the photo, but I'm not sure whether it's an improvement or not.

[bap]

Dropping in the conversation by parachute.
I would say that the left one (the new version) looks more realistic. By darkening the base and support you emphasize the track and the zig-zagging concrete wall. The track looks like metal, and the wall looks like concrete. Looking at one texture aside of the other, the lower contrast of the previous one gives an impression that everything around the track is kind of plastic. I also think that making the base darker gives a better impression of depth (the light things seems to be above the dark ones), and this contributes to realism.

This is an impressively good mod and it is becoming even better by benefiting from the great work of you all. 

Bap

[gardenwong]

That a version with darker supports + the previous one for comparison. It looks more like the photo, but I'm not sure whether it's an improvement or not.

I am lokking forward to seeing the whole set of your HSRP texture.
IT is very good!!!!

[Jonathan]

Wow, quite a lot has happened here ovenight,
I don't have time to right now to comment, but just to let you know there could be more than one texture which the user can choose(similar to the RHW texture sets[Euro/American])

Jonathan

[allan_kuan1992]

jonathan, I can agree on that.

However, the current texture set needs to be replaced... the texture makes it look like a narrow gauge line (and high speed trains are rarely in narrow gauge).

The new textures are looking good. Of course, there can be multiple texture sets.

- Allan Kuan

[vershner]

I assume we'll need some more textures for switches, diagonals, and curves. I couldn't find a curve texture in the dat though. Could someone post the old one here?

[gardenwong]

I assume we'll need some more textures for switches, diagonals, and curves. I couldn't find a curve texture in the dat though. Could someone post the old one here?

I can just find the alpha of curves in the dat.....
Is it use the alpha to cover the switches to make curves?

[Jonathan]

The curves are the same texture as the straight texture, The 'alphas' you have seen are the shadows.
Switches, Diagonal and the End stubs are different textures everything else uses the Straight or Diagonal texture.

I'll get a list of the IIDs needed.

Jonathan

[vershner]

Ok I started working on the switch. Obviously it's not finished yet and needs lots of tidying up, but could you test it on the models and see if the track lines up correctly? It'll be much easier to adjust it now than later.

[mightygoose]

bloody hell your fast.....

[Fresh Prince of SC4D]

No kidding, it was fast! I'm glad someone pick back up on the project. I wouldn't knock out the right version so quickly though. I just notice something about left version of the new texture. It seems too similar to the regular rail. Though it's more realistic it should have originalality too.... 

[gardenwong]

There are some problem in the red circles......

you can try to look at the picture below:
<=switches
<=crossing for high speed railways

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Double_slip_at_Munich_central.jpg<=protections

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Turnout_with_movable_nose_crossing.jpg


EDIT by Andreas: The latter two pic are a liiiiiitle too large for embedding them into the forum.

[io_bg]

Wow great job!

[Jonathan]

Great job, your very fast!

I will try it out in game this afternoon.

Jonathan

[vershner]

you can try to look at the picture below:
<=switches
<=crossing for high speed railways

Yeah, I'm aware of what a switch should look like. As I said in the post, it's not finished yet. I just wanted to get it tested with the models in-game to see how well the lines line up.

[superhands]

hi vershner. teriffic work on the texture

i tried out the texture and it seems it needs pushing 2pixles down.
in paint simply select all and copy. then ctrl + e and change the width to 512. then paste and ctrl + r 180 and see if they match up. this is how i did it for str and some other networks

[cogeo]

The newer version of the textures IS an improvement!

But I think they could be even better (and pls forgive me for insisting too much):
- When you posted the second pic (with the darker supports) you said you're not sure whether it's an improvement. What is "wrong" (?) with this texture to my opiniion is that there's not enough contrast between the concrete blocks and the metal supports, and to some degree with the gray gravel too. This can be improved further by ligthening a little the concrete block colour. Not only it will look more like concrete, and it will resemble more the photo you posted, it will increase constrast to the metal supports and the gravel too. Also by adding some litle "grain" to this texture it will further resemble concrete.
- I have another proposal, I can see a "shadow" around the metal supports. This was needed in the previous version for increasing distinciveness (you had light-coloured supports, so this made them more easy to distinguish). But now the supports are dark-coloured, and the concrete texture is lighter. I think the shadow is no longer needed, it just makes the supports looking larger, as the shadow is of about the same colour/luminosity as the supports. I think removing it would increase distinctiveness further.
- And something else. I might be wrong, and I don't know if it's realistic or not, but I think in the junction/switch texture, at the areas where there is both straight and curved track, it would be better to keep the concrete blocks structure of the straight track (this would look better). Alternatively you could have some special kind of concrete blocks there, eg all-concrete, as these supports are supposed to sit on a concrete base. These mixed/overlaid blocks don't look very nice I think, eg take a look at the track at the top right corner. Not only they are somehow strangely mixed/overlaid, at some points the concrete base overlays the metal supports too.
- The short sections of the cable looking under the concrete blocks of the curved track isn't looking very good, I think. It might be better to modify it a little, maybe making it looking like "diving" in the gravel before the curved track and "emerging" after. At some point it looks simply overlaid by the blocks or the supports.
- And finally I think the gravel should be widened (even to the edges, why not) and then have a carefully made alpha to "dampen" the texture; the alpha should preferably be "grainy" rather than homogenous or gradient at its transition area (from opaque to transparent), and of course have some narrow strips (some few pixels wide) near its edges of completely transparent (black) pixels. Can't make any suggestions about its width.

Keep up the good work!

[vershner]

- When you posted the second pic (with the darker supports) you said you're not sure whether it's an improvement. What is "wrong" (?) with this texture to my opiniion is that there's not enough contrast between the concrete blocks and the metal supports, and to some degree with the gray gravel too. This can be improved further by ligthening a little the concrete block colour. Not only it will look more like concrete, and it will resemble more the photo you posted, it will increase constrast to the metal supports and the gravel too. Also by adding some litle "grain" to this texture it will further resemble concrete.

I'll play around with the contrast a bit more once I've got the pieces drawn. There is a slight grain on the concrete, but it's barely visible at 256x256 and I don't think a grain will show up in-game.

- I have another proposal, I can see a "shadow" around the metal supports. This was needed in the previous version for increasing distinciveness (you had light-coloured supports, so this made them more easy to distinguish). But now the supports are dark-coloured, and the concrete texture is lighter. I think the shadow is no longer needed, it just makes the supports looking larger, as the shadow is of about the same colour/luminosity as the supports. I think removing it would increase distinctiveness further.

I'll look at this but I think the shadows help give it a dirtier realistic look.

- And something else. I might be wrong, and I don't know if it's realistic or not, but I think in the junction/switch texture, at the areas where there is both straight and curved track, it would be better to keep the concrete blocks structure of the straight track (this would look better). Alternatively you could have some special kind of concrete blocks there, eg all-concrete, as these supports are supposed to sit on a concrete base. These mixed/overlaid blocks don't look very nice I think, eg take a look at the track at the top right corner. Not only they are somehow strangely mixed/overlaid, at some points the concrete base overlays the metal supports too.
- The short sections of the cable looking under the concrete blocks of the curved track isn't looking very good, I think. It might be better to modify it a little, maybe making it looking like "diving" in the gravel before the curved track and "emerging" after. At some point it looks simply overlaid by the blocks or the supports.

I do intend to do both these things, but I need to get the track lined up correctly first. I'm also going to put in some plates and rods for the switching gear.

- And finally I think the gravel should be widened (even to the edges, why not) and then have a carefully made alpha to "dampen" the texture; the alpha should preferably be "grainy" rather than homogenous or gradient at its transition area (from opaque to transparent), and of course have some narrow strips (some few pixels wide) near its edges of completely transparent (black) pixels. Can't make any suggestions about its width.

For the raised track this is not needed because the walls will be at the sides. It's an idea for the ground-level track though. Has a look for the GHSR been decided yet? Personally I think that should have walls or fences too, but if it had chain-link fences then I guess the gravel could be wider.