Elvas Tower: SP Depot at Crockett - Elvas Tower

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#1 User is offline   Genma Saotome 

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Posted 20 January 2017 - 02:07 PM

Craig Kawahara (ckawahara) has been kind enough to make and contribute a number of models to my overly-long running Cal-P project. I take on the chore of adding LOD's and the occasional texture update.

Here's one such example of Craig's work... the SP depot at Crockett CA. The scene is not well developed yet and Craig's model is likely to be the first finished for the town.

Click on any image to enlarge to 1920x1200.

Attached Image: Clipboard0763.jpg
SP 1017 - model by Allen Norton, textures by Richard Percy. Available at Elvastower.com
Track - ScaleRail by Marc Nelson, 3dtrains
Station - Model by Craig Kawahara
All other shapes and textures - Dave Nelson



Attached Image: Clipboard0764.jpg
Carquinez Bridge -- model and textures by Ron Picardi per drawings from HABS-HAER, Washington D.C.



Attached Image: Clipboard0765.jpg



Attached Image: Clipboard0766.jpg
A number of texture changes have been made after Craig completed the model. We decided the original SP Colonial Yellow boards was too dark; this lighter version looks about right. Similar problem with the Moss Green shingles which are probably still too saturated in color. Window sash and mullions were changed to white wood per SP standards in place ca. 1950 and the decking was switched to dark brown.



Attached Image: Clipboard0767.jpg
Per some experiments in the Goose Island route we're trying high shine, semi-transparent glass. The shine works ok but the color doesn't seem right. More experimenting is needed.



Attached Image: Clipboard0768.jpg
There is a lot of 3d detail in this model, all of which is LOD'd away at 100m. It could probably be 50m but it would be too much work to update that now.



Attached Image: Clipboard0769.jpg
Experimenting with the variable FOV values (mouse wheel) in Open Rails. I like it!



Attached Image: Clipboard0770.jpg
I think this is my favorite of the set... inspires me to get off my butt and add more things in the background.



Thanks Craig... this is a cool model for sure!

#2 User is offline   paulytechnic 

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Posted 20 January 2017 - 02:36 PM

Looking good! I think you're on the right track with the depot colors (and I agree with maybe desaturating the green roof a bit). Also, the Carquinez Bridge looks spot-on! I drove across it quite a few times when I lived in Fairfield some time ago.

#3 User is offline   ckawahara 

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Posted 20 January 2017 - 05:54 PM

If I am not mistaken, Dave spent as many hours doing poly reduction as I did to make it.

#4 User is offline   delamate 

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Posted 23 January 2017 - 02:26 PM

 paulytechnic, on 20 January 2017 - 02:36 PM, said:

Looking good! I think you're on the right track with the depot colors (and I agree with maybe desaturating the green roof a bit). Also, the Carquinez Bridge looks spot-on! I drove across it quite a few times when I lived in Fairfield some time ago.


The model and the scene look very nice. I am interested in your debate over the color of the various sections (walls, roof) of the station building. I have scratchbuilt many SP cars and buildings over the years for my HO scale SP layout, and have struggled with how to get the correct color. Sometimes I was able to find some statement that a specific paint was (almost) correct, but other times had to work from photos. The colors in photos of the same car or locomotive vary depending in light, etc. So I am very sympathetic. Sometimes I just punted!

John DeLamater

#5 User is offline   Genma Saotome 

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Posted 23 January 2017 - 05:48 PM

 delamate, on 23 January 2017 - 02:26 PM, said:

I am interested in your debate over the color of the various sections (walls, roof) of the station building. have scratchbuilt many SP cars and buildings over the years for my HO scale SP layout, and have struggled with how to get the correct color.


Unfortunately I don't think there is a simple solution. Almost everything will depend on the quality and intensity of light. When I was into HO Scale I did my painting outdoors, but of course you cannot match that inside so right off the bat there was a problem. >90CRI, 6500Kelvan lamps helped but of course they lack the proper intensity and corners were just hopeless.

On the computer I do believe having a calibration device for your display is a requirement. I also have a very good monitor as far as color rendering is concerned.

I find V-Scale vastly easier to do color work; If it doesn't look quite right it's so easy to change... 10% lighter, 15% denaturation, whatever. You have to have software that provides you with n number of layers you can paint upon along with varying the opacity of whatever you do. Having software that has special functions to blend layers in interesting ways is a wonder.

Perhaps a willingness to go back to an earlier model and change out something helps too. As an example, after using one set of shingle textures for a number of years I completely re-did them this past week. I did this:

Attached Image: a1.jpg
Base layer (w/o the size info of course).



Attached Image: a2.jpg
Second layer - the above, overlaid by a fully saturated shingle image I found online, at 100% opacity, set to blend using a function called texturize. This function uses the degree of light/dark on each pixel to alter the layer underneath w/o inserting any color.


Attached Image: a3.jpg
Third layer -- the above, overlaid by a a cloud image at 50% opacity set to blend using a function called soft light. I don't know how that function works but I do like what it does.


Attached Image: a4.jpg
Third layer again -- only this time the clouds are using a function called hard light. Obviously not suitable.


Attached Image: a5.jpg
Top layer -- the above, overlaid by a 25% opacity black layer used only to represent the appearance when it's raining. This one goes into the \snow folder and shows up only when the weather is set to snow (no snow in coastal California but (always hopefully) plenty of winter rain). Compare to the image two up, which is for dry weather.

FWIW I also did base layers I've called slate, med blue, med red, dk red, dk brown, warm brown, and dark olive.

I'll take a guess that iterating thru edit/export/aceit/viewing in OR took 8-10 loops for just this dk green, mostly trying to desaturate it w/o making it too dark. IMO it's still not right but for now its good enough. The rest remain as tentative and will stay so until I choose to use one of them. I also use a .bat file and aceit's scripting ability to make the production of all of those .ace files a snap.

The SP Colonial Yellow wood, the SP Samoa Brown (a.k.a. buff), the SP Dark Brown and the antique white sash wood went thru all of the same sort of multi-layer processing as have most of the other 1700 texture files I use on shapes.


Needless to say I did not do any of those things when I started doing textures... I learned how to do more and more as I went, trying whatever the software would let me do, mostly out of frustration at the poor results I had been getting. I still do not regard my artistic skills as being anything more than mediocre but hand me some license free textures (see textures.com) and I know how to use my tools to make a lot more of them.

#6 User is offline   Genma Saotome 

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Posted 23 January 2017 - 06:43 PM

A couple more images of Craig's station (click on any image to enlarge to 1920x1200):

Attached Image: Clipboard0771.jpg
Note the stairs... the texturing came out well there with the line between boards looking like a shadow. Window sash is worn too.


Attached Image: Clipboard0772.jpg
Door and window detail.


Attached Image: Clipboard0773.jpg
The freight desk. I think I finally got it sun weathered and dirty looking.


Attached Image: Clipboard0774.jpg
in context, with the start of the C&H Sugar mill in the background.

#7 User is offline   delamate 

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Posted 24 January 2017 - 10:35 AM

 Genma Saotome, on 23 January 2017 - 06:43 PM, said:

A couple more images of Craig's station (click on any image to enlarge to 1920x1200):

Clipboard0771.jpg
Note the stairs... the texturing came out well there with the line between boards looking like a shadow. Window sash is worn too.


Clipboard0772.jpg
Door and window detail.


Clipboard0773.jpg
The freight desk. I think I finally got it sun weathered and dirty looking.


Clipboard0774.jpg
in context, with the start of the C&H Sugar mill in the background.


Beautiful!

John DeLamater

#8 User is offline   mtrnp 

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Posted 18 February 2020 - 05:18 PM

greetings friends

Fantastic work is being developed on this route, where can I get these trails with this higher stone base available?

#9 User is offline   Genma Saotome 

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Posted 18 February 2020 - 07:36 PM

The ballast? Custom shapes I've developed, not released yet.

Berms are easy to make, you just need a ballast profile you like to follow. Some are on the web, some from historical societies. There are some differences from one railroad to another but they're usually minor.

The trick to making the shapes work is to lay your track the correct distance above the ground... 1/4 to 1/2m above the ground. Once they is stable you add the berms under each track shape, so you need a library of berm shapes equal to the dimensions of the tracks you have used. This can become a fairly large number.

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