We shall build a locomotive not because it is easy...

[PapaXpress]

I completely agree. I have gone through at least 500+ pictures and have 57 specific shots bookmarked for just the U30B.

[PapaXpress]

Part 4 is up!

I will probably not make my self imposed deadline to have a WIP by the end of the week. In a fit of delusion I decided to do the one thing that has been scaring me half to death (because it failed so miserably before).


I punched the windows out of the cab.


Yea, yea, I am now were near that step in reality. But it was bothering me. It was challenging me. It was keeping me up at nights, taunting me.

Well the windows are just about done. I promise to have a WIP shot when I have the Part 1 completely done.

[Kali]

For the next one it might be easier to build them in from the start :) there are various ways of making holes in things, but they're all destructive in some way. If you can't subtract one object from another ( you make a 3d object the size of your hole, move it into place where the hole will be and then subtract it from the face ) then you've either got to split the face at least four times so where the new edges intersect is the biggest extent of the window, or completely delete the face, make a new face the size of the window, join the edges back up & delete the new face. Easier to do that from the start, really.

[SMMDigital]

No need to get in a hury, no need for deadlines. Myself, I just made and scrapped my first texture set. I'm thinking of doing away with all those doors along the hood and simulating them with paint and normal maps. My first set of doors looked great with vents and all, but I just couldn't get the logo right. The C39 has this goofy widening of the hood just behind the engine compartment, and it plays heck with the logo texture.

[g_nash]

I have drawings published in books from well respected draughtsmen which are visibly not correct...

LoL , ain't that the truth . Imagine getting 75% of a mesh complete , and then reading an obscure post on a web page from a highly regarded and award winning modeler stating that the drawings you are using are 2ft 3in short the overall length because someone referenced the wrong frame ,, even the handful of not so good photographs available in public places were useless . The further back in time you go the harder it is to find info , joining an historical society or 2 or 3 can be a great help also.

.

[PapaXpress]

No need to get in a hury, no need for deadlines. Myself, I just made and scrapped my first texture set. I'm thinking of doing away with all those doors along the hood and simulating them with paint and normal maps. My first set of doors looked great with vents and all, but I just couldn't get the logo right. The C39 has this goofy widening of the hood just behind the engine compartment, and it plays heck with the logo texture.

With my limited free time I am constantly feeling like I am falling behind. I need to hit a mile stone so I get that sense of accomplishment.

I am still working out the textures. At first I too wanted to make the doors and panels normal maps, but if you read elsewhere (maybe earlier in this thread) I lost a lot of the detail when I turn the alpha down. I have now found how to add panels like you (and others) have done, and texture them using the 'crop texture method'. I am not completely sold on this method, but it works for Britkits, and is straight forward. I expect in the end that I will be using both crop and unwrapping methods. I am also tempted to experiment with adding a decal 'face' on top and see if Logos and the like will work better, but this is may not work for all cases where I need details.

[Chacal]

My advice for punching holes out of walls is: don't.
Instead, build the wall around the hole. Like in real life. People who build houses, cars or locos don't punch holes in them.
This is the easiest way to keep control over your polys.

Build the cab wall using panels:
- under the window,
- over the window,
- in front of window,
- at rear of window.

To make this easy, start with your existing cab wall and CUT those panels from it.
This is not a boolean operation and it shouldn't split your panels in weird ways.
Delete the center panel, thus making a rectangular hole.
Then you can build a window frame (with square or rounded corners) inside the hole, then add a window pane.

[SMMDigital]

Chacal, are you using 3DCrafter? If so, then please explain, with photos, how to build windows in the way you describe. I have tried many different ways to produce holes with the program. Boolean and Inset operations both leave at least ONE fracture line (after trimming) that cannot be erased. Building the hole block-by-block then joining together is undesirable because if the positioning along the joints is off to a micro-fraction, the even after Shape Union, lines will be left that will be visible if you have even the least bit of gloss in your paint. Also, even if you get perfect joints, it is impossible to Chamfer the edges to create round window corners. I stand by Boolean, with as the best way to get a window cut-out.

All of you who are giving sage advice to need to remember that we using 3DCrafter, not Max. The difference
betwween the two is about $3,000 and a more than a few quirks and limitations that we have to work around.

And just as a nitpick, when my house was built, all the panels went up, then a reciprocating saw was used to puch out the windows.

[Kali]

Does 3DCrafter have any vertex snap tools?

I would also recommend Blender again - plenty of pro users of Blender.

[SMMDigital]

3DC does have a "weld" function that will combine two points together. Results are varied.

This tutorial is being written for 3DC, not Blender. I have Blender, and i've dabbled with it a bit. However, i'm not going to completely shut down all production for six months or so to learn a completely new building system when i've already purchased this one. And as of yet, i've not seen a bundle of locomotives being produced with Blender, which makes me question just how many so-callled "Pros" are using it. More than likely that comment was just a dig at what we are trying to accomplish here.

Those of you want to offer constructive comments, thats fine, dandy, and welcome. To those of you who want to offer nit-picking, which i've seen starting to creep in here, then please find another thread to do it in.

[Kali]

No, it wasn't - you were declaring that only expensive "pro" software offers certain features and stamping all over people offering well intentioned advice; who was digging at who?

"Snap" tools generally auto-position/align whatever it is you're manpulating - most usefully vertices in 3d work - to some other feature, like another vertex, an edge, or a face, all of which would be useful for keeping faces planar when you've made holes in them. I've skimmed the 3DC docs & noticed "snap to grid", but nothing else. And well, not inclined to bother now. Good luck all.

[PapaXpress]

There is a script to Butt Shapes but I have yet to try it.

[bomuseumconductor]

I would like to know if anyone has made a Railworks 3 Bombardier Light Rail Vehicle? Particularly the Maryland Transportation LRV designs. I would like to have one for my Baltimore Md route, as there is a many mile electrified route for them. Thank you very much!

Please see the topic I started in the Rolling Stock Design section for more information on the MD Transportation Bombardier Light Rail Vehicle.

[PapaXpress]

bomuseumconductor just a heads up, but this thread is more on how to build your own locomotive, and does not address requests. As you can tell from the history in this thread it take quiet a bit of time to make a locomotive, so you may not see your request anytime in the near future.

[Chacal]

Chacal, are you using 3DCrafter?

No, I use Blender. I don't have screenshots, as this was a technique I used years ago.
I wish I had the time now to start a project and make pictures of it.

Boolean and Inset operations both leave at least ONE fracture line (after trimming) that cannot be erased.

My experience was that punching holes, especially rounded holes, with boolean tools would uncontrollably split your wall into lots of oddly-shaped pieces (often many very thin triangles originating at the same point, I remember it looked like shattered glass). Usually this was not optimal, it tended to complicate texturing and have an adverse effect on performance in games.
Cutting the wall into pieces amounted to controlled splitting, leading to a minimal number of pieces.
The inside of the square hole created, I would build a window frame with rounded inside corners. The many splits needed affected only the window frame, not the whole wall.

I don't know if this is still needed with the RW game engine and modern versions of Blender, 3DC, etc.