Railworks America

I am creating new geometry for a boxcar project and am looking for input.

I see some builders provide a separate area on the texture sheet for each side of the boxcar. Others just provide for a single image and rotate it onto both sides of the car.

What's the preference from the repainters out there?

I guess the same question applies to the ends?

Any other tips?


Wayne

I prefer two sides and two ends. If not, please do not mirror sides. The Mainelines models are an excellent resource.

Harry

My preference would be separate image areas for the sides and ends. That way, each side can be a little different (weathering, text placement, placards, etc), and when rotating the car in a consist... there is some variety. And with hoppers that have rotary end markings, both sides need to have the markings on the same end. Just my .

This is good input. And if there is any baked ambient occlusion from the brake wheel and step etc then separate ends are needed for sure.

What things can the model builder provide to help the repainter. I can think of:

Uncompressed image files
Shadow layer as a separate image

What about mapping? How do you figure out what part of the texture is mapped to what part of the model?

Separate images for sure. Ends not so concerned.

cnwfan wrote:My preference would be separate image areas for the sides and ends. That way, each side can be a little different (weathering, text placement, placards, etc), and when rotating the car in a consist... there is some variety. And with hoppers that have rotary end markings, both sides need to have the markings on the same end. Just my .

I could not have resume it better. It is ideal for providing a variable canvas. Also, I would prefer a 1024x1024 resolution as a minimum (even for the ends) - needed where tiny lettering is used (i.e. modern tank car body). A well planned graphic canvas will assure multiple combinations.

Thanks Wayne for inquiring.

QcRail

wacampbell wrote:What things can the model builder provide to help the repainter.

Hi Wayne,

The three things you mentioned go a long way in making a car "repaint friendly". The mapping template can be as simple as a single extra layer in the .PSD which includes the UV grid for the texture. A legend layer which describes what is what is also helpful especially if the UV grid contains elements that aren't obvious to identify.

One other thing that can make a car comfortable or frustrating to repaint is how all the many small bits and pieces are mapped. The common 3D modeling practice of having even the smallest part properly unwrapped and economically spread over the texture often creates confusing textures and thus challenging repainting.

Cheers,
Michael

wacampbell wrote:What about mapping? How do you figure out what part of the texture is mapped to what part of the model?

Here's an example of how you could map in Blender. I would image 3DC or Max have similar options. (This is a very simple example. Hope it helps.)

I appreciate the input from everyone.

When it come to ladders and grabs and steps its tempting to take a shortcut where all these items get mapped to a single area of the texture sheet. But this would prevent painting individual objects different colors. Are there certain liveries that require some grabs or steps to be a different color than others?

I would say shorcuts are fine as long as it isnt all mixmatched in areas. (example being the handrails on the Big 7's painting in multiple different locations in one stretch. )