Tutorial: From 3DC to RW3 - Making a Wayside Signal

[SMMDigital]

I've posted the first of a multi-part tutorial on making signals for Railworks. The tut covers basic-moderate techniques for getting a SafeTran V20 3-light target signal into the game. These techniques can be applied to any signal you may wish to make.

I posted the tutorial to the SMM site because it is full of very large photos. But, I don't have a message board, so if Mr. Hawk will allow, we can discuss questions, options, and suggestions here in this thread.

The site is http://www.smmdigital.net/makingsignal



Just a quick update: The signal scripts from the RS Wiki are fubar. I had to copy the LUAs from the Kuju US assets folder to make it work properly. I informed SMM of this and the tutorial will be updated in the near future. - Admin

[PapaXpress]

Thanks Jerry, between this tutorial and the one GreatNortherner gave me I have a several nights worth of study ahead of me, but its going to be well worth it.

I also noticed that the example you used was for the signals I need on my route. Will you be releasing them?

[SMMDigital]

Yes, once it is done, I will add the signal to the SafeTran package I already have out. I will be adding the post tutorial in a few days.

[SMMDigital]

Part 2 of the Signal Tutorial, The Post, is now up and ready for your inspection.

http://www.smmdigital.net/makingsignal2

[micaelcorleone]

Thanks for the nice tutorial Jerry.

Would somebody here please be so firendly to make this sticky? Please. Thank you.

[Csxgp38-2]

Great tutorial, now if only there was one for us Sketchup users.

[PapaXpress]

Actually its Jerry's tutorial that is finally making 3DC click in my head. I am going to make an effort to use 3DC without SU.

Don't get me wrong. I love SU, but with all the cleanup work I have to afterward because it didn't export well to DXF, I feel I am just loosing the time that I was hoping to save.

[SCLALINE]

Thank You Jerry :)

[PapaXpress]

Thank You Jerry :)

Double that.

[SMMDigital]

Just a heads up: before the next tutorial section is released, you will need the Kuju Signal source files. They are available from the Railsumulator Wiki, Section 3: Signaling. The download is about 40mb.

[SCLALINE]

is there a link

[PapaXpress]

http://www.railsimdownloads.com/wiki/ti ... ling+Guide

[PapaXpress]

Another question (some were in PMs). I am working on another model based on your tutorial. I place a cylinder, turn it 90 deg, yada-yada, I get it into the asset editor and its turned face down, as if step 1 was completely ignored.

Also, I am adding a lens to this model. I am following the same steps that you have shown for adding the aspect color to the light. But in game the lens component is not showing up with the rest of the model.

Any ideas?

DitchLight01.jpg

[SMMDigital]

That is an issue i've run into from time to time using 3DC, and I think it's a program bug. Most of the time, it's from grouping objects together and 3DC gets confused and takes the original group orientation into account instead of the new orientation. Whatever the reason, the Normalize Groups plugin usually fixes the problem. I've also had to move the entire object to coordinate 0,0,0, then Normalize to zero everything out, and move the object back to its original position. As a last resort, i've copied the entire asset, pasted in a completely new Scene, and that seemed to fix the orientation problem.

[PapaXpress]

Normalize Groups did the trick, thanks.

Also got the lens to show but now I need to find out how to make it light up.