Railworks America

I just started learning how to import basic models into RailWorks, and I'm going to try and set a (quite ambitious) goal for making NS SafeTran signals with their corresponding signal rules and different variations with heads. I have about 3 years of experience in modeling, texturing, and animation in Blender and now Autodesk Maya. I'm all set for beginning to model and texture everything, but where can I go to learn how to actually import these into the game and script them? I saw the RSC dev documents but they're a bit confusing to understand.

For reference I want to be able to have setups similar to this:

Source - railfanguides.us/ns/raleigh
(Note the signals on the gantry with 1-3-2 and 3-3-2 aspect setups)

The older Rail Simulator tech docs should have most of what is needed. However, a few (very) basic points...

- You'll need to have your own development folder within the Source directory of TS, such as Trainguy9512 or similar. There, you'll create additional folders for your add-on's models and textures. Look in the TS assets folder for examples.

- Each object needs to be properly named within the scene. Signals require their own naming (light objects) so they can be called from within the scripts.

- Textures needs to be in either ACE or DDS formats before exporting from Blender and should be contained with their own folder in the directory where the model is exported to.

- Each item will need a blueprint to select within the game. Signals will require additional scripts referenced within the blueprint to function. These need to be present at the time the model is exported from the Blueprint editor to TS.

Just finished creating the base models and textures in Maya, those lenses took a while to get looking just right. I'll work out getting the actual head variations after I finish a basic 1 headed signal. The different colored aspects are all separate objects, and everything else on each head is one single mesh.
I took a look at the dev docs some more and the Kuju signal scripts, are there certain requirements for naming or can I just name something in Maya "light_red" and reference it as "light_red" in the script?

Hack wrote:The older Rail Simulator tech docs should have most of what is needed. However, a few (very) basic points...

- You'll need to have your own development folder within the Source directory of TS, such as Trainguy9512 or similar. There, you'll create additional folders for your add-on's models and textures. Look in the TS assets folder for examples.

- Each object needs to be properly named within the scene. Signals require their own naming (light objects) so they can be called from within the scripts.

- Textures needs to be in either ACE or DDS formats before exporting from Blender and should be contained with their own folder in the directory where the model is exported to.

- Each item will need a blueprint to select within the game. Signals will require additional scripts referenced within the blueprint to function. These need to be present at the time the model is exported from the Blueprint editor to TS.

Some useful info there.

With TS, is it ok to place the newly created signals at any time? I couldn't quite master the speed signs when I tried with them in TS.

With MSTS, you didn't place interactive objects (stations, crossing markers) until the base route was complete. Or at least it was the practice with some, such as myself, so as to minimise the risk of stuffing things up. Having not gotten further than scenery yet, what's one's tips for this?

Yes, signals can be placed at any time during the building process. Unlike MSTS, TS20xx isn't affected by order of construction.