choco's attempts at BATing bridges

[Pat]

uuh huu I agree with Robin, Choco!!! You should release them all!!!!

[choco]

we'll see what ID ranges i can get....

couple action shot finally....so at least this one works...

[nerdly_dood]

Not bad! I'd like to be able to use this for myself... I have a few ideas about where to use it too.

[threestooges]

Shouldn't be too hard to get you what you need. Just let me know what you have, what you still need, along with the bridge names, and I'll see what I can come up with.
-Matt

[choco]

@matt: id like to send ya the alpha pack to play with in any spare time.....least so ya have an idea about whats included.

couple more screens i took today.....

[Pat]

Those action shots are looking real sweet there choco!!! 

[choco]

i had to play a bit over the holiday.....

also got a bit of work on the BAT.....got all the models generated for the bridge packs sans one.  the textures are much the same as the rest....not final by any means, just threw them on for testing.  still tryin to work threw the mirroring problem, but i did get a large majority of props done, fixed some LODs, and got the remaining exemplars/icons finished. 

a few new pics of the new tests.....
HSRP Undertruss: this one im kinda on the fence over....


El-Rail Undertruss: pillar should be mirrored as well, as only half is shown here.


GLR Thru-truss: will be a few tiles longer, obviously without the pillar problem.


STR Thru-truss: this is a remnant of an old style rail truss used frequently in the late 1800-early 1900s
called a Bollman Truss.  I need to work on getting the props aligned as well, but this was thrown together pretty quickly


besides one other bridge (also a Brunel bridge), thats basically the bridge pack im putting together.  including the heavy rail and stuff for STR, it'll be total 18 separate bridges for the rail networks.  once i get these approved by NAM, i'll get the pack together for some testing.....should there arise some volunteers to test....

going forward, i have many plans for additional props, and a complete retexturing of the entire pack.  i have tentative plans to extend a couple starter pieces for more realistic approaches, and some other added details to particular models.  there's also a bit of work im hoping to farm out, since i dont have 3dsmax......

thanks for all the help, critiques, and replies getting this stuff off the ground everyone!   Here's to a good holiday getting better.....  

[threestooges]

It looks like you've been busy. If you could, shoot me a pm with the IIDs and exemplars you've used for these so we can make sure everything is set on that end, and to make sure LHD pathing is done. I love the Bollman truss, some of those classics are just good to look at. For whatever reason though, the tracks look odd in that one, they sit up remarcably high. I can send over the tack texture I use (no ballast and it looks pretty good) if you'd like. Nice work on these bridges, and it'll be good to see them in game.
-Matt

[choco]

i think i have everything recorded, so you should have a PM soon.  i just got ahold of the STR pieces so i can make the track props for those bridges.....the bollman as pictured above only has the ties; i wasn't sure what to do about that aspect till i knew how the track prop would fit.  next pics should be much better....

my HSR network has gotten fairly massive as of late, and i needed to get one of the long span bridges relatively done.....so i remodeled one and added some props. 

an HSR cable-stayed bridge





you can see a small issue im having with it though in the second pic......there seems to be some slope adherence or conforming going on rather than all the approach span pieces being parallel in the horizontal.  i was also messin with the SFBT catenaries on the first piece, and not really sure if i should put them in.  there's other cat's as well.....thoughts anyone?

[Andreas]

Kenworth is making new catenary props for the Rail Viaducts and for bridges at the moment, since the current ones look a bit out of place indeed. I'll keep you posted on the process.

[choco]

i'd greatly appreciate that...

thanks Andreas! 

could ya recommend some good railing props? 

[deathtopumpkins]

Wow, Choco! Some of these bridges are amazing! Can't wait for a release.

I read mention of some testing a few posts back... I'd be willing to.

[choco]

thanks DTP!  i'll get back at ya in a few days. 

couple things i would like some input on.....  below are 2 elevated heavy rail bridges, interfaced with some of the NAM rail viaducts.  im not sure where to begin with the interface.  id like to have a plan before i remodel them, and may/maynot need the appropriate textures......any suggestions are encouraged!     thanks all!   




and the Bollman Truss in STR this time....

[deathtopumpkins]

Whoa, did I miss something in here? Bridges for heavy rail viaducts? Now how does that work? (I've read the past few pages ) Oh, and I especially like the fact that there are some in STR. It seems like with these we'll have as many STR as double-track rail bridges. 

* DTP enables notification of new replies.

[Pat]

daaaaang choco you have been busy little bridge maker here lately wow!!!

[threestooges]

Choco,
The Bollman looks good now that the tracks are laid (if perhaps a bit large in scale, unless you meant for it to be that big) but there are other textures out there that eliminate the ballast and such. Let me see if I can get you those here. The Saltash looks great, and the approach with the viaducts was well done. Was the model elevated to accomodate that, or did you raise the bridge in game? Also, as for the slope conforming issues, double check to ensure that the model was centered at x=0 y=0 and that the road bed itself is at z=0. I'm not sure why, but the models can tend to move around a bit when you build them, especially if things start getting put in groups. Nice work.
-Matt

[choco]

awesome!  thanks again matt!     i have it converted to a transit prop, try for some pics soon....

[choco]

got the pillar problem worked out finally.....



newer revision of an hsr undertruss....

[threestooges]

Good to hear you got the pillar thing worked out. Ever figure out what it was? The new HSR undertruss looks pretty good, but the textures seem to clash a bit. The pillar and truss are worn, but the tracks look shiny and new. The scale on the truss part itself looks different from the rest of the bridge (not sure if it seems undersized or the rest of it is oversized), but it looks like it's coming along nicely. Glad to see you are getting these things going.
-Matt

[choco]

edit for quick response:

@matt: it seems i assumed incorrectly, the manner in which the game interprets/constructs the bridges.  this false assumption was regarding a few properties.....



for the pillar:

NumSupportPieces
SupportPieceExemplars
SupportPieceRotations

i figured it was handled like start pieces.....the number of pieces entered is the number ya get.  but its not...here's how it works (for whatever reason)....

NumSupportPieces = 1 -> single support model 16x16
NumSupportPieces = 2 -> 3 support models 16x16, 1 central, 2 outter; overall 48x16
in RUL notation: A B rev(A)
the first exemplar listed is the central pillar, the second is the outter piece to be mirrored. 
for rotations, they're defined as the pillar should be constructed....outter (0x02), central (0x00), outter mirrored (0x00)

all the maxis bridges i found with split pillars were controlled with the RULs, so i had to remodel the pillars as 2 pieces so i didn't have to RUL these simple bridges.  the downside was that it took an extra ID.....i'll update ya in a bit about that.

i am presently re-exporting the bollman to fix the same issue, but that one didn't use another ID due to symmetry.

also spent some time fixing the skybridge model to more realistic scale......had it 23 meters too short.




now to correct the bridge deck and the start pieces.....

edit2: needs the props aligned, and the decking fixed (as well as others), but thats for another day.