[Grandeguy]

This route is coming along quite well. That F-1 looks right at home on that bridge as well. Keep us updated on this highly detailed route. :wheelchair:

[SVRy_Steve]

The GC&D mainline follows the river, and there's just no space under that trestle, so, I had to bite the bullet and tunnel under the hill here. This is the first time I've done a tunnel, hadn't realized what a pain they are! The base mesh, track, tunnel track, and large cover-up-the-hole portal all have to work together to end up with no gaps to null space. This is the further portal, about 1/4 mile upstream.

http://earthseaimagery.com/70-lv-tunnel1.jpg

These are 2048 aces. I'm finding that anywhere near the tracks I'm using at least 1024's, mostly 2048's and a few 4096's. I now have a lot of them in place. 50 new objects whether on stock or my big aces have a much greater impact on frame rates than my big files. The biggest thing I notice a slowdown on is in RE, where loading a bunch of these when moving to a new tile, can take a while!

Of course, the biggest catch to these large terrtexes is that they are detailed, which means each one is a major "work of art". In making one, I have a base texture I work from, already made, although little of it may show by the time I'm done. I also have a pallet of sized textures, grass, rocks, ballast, boulders, litter, etc., open to clone onto layers above the base. By the time a fairly comples 4096 is done, I've probably spent 2-4 hours on it. I like realistic scenery, so it's worth it to me! Doing enough for even a small route is probably as tough as making a new detailed locomotive ( I'll leave that to others!).

Steve

[Jonatan]

Well, it sure looks good to me! :wheelchair: I couldn't make a logging scenery like in your first post even if I tried. So I stick to making stock, it's easier and less nerve-racking than working in that RE abomination. LOL

[SVRy_Steve]

I did a bit of work on the logging line this morning. I didn't have what I thought was a suitable texture for a clearcut, and in going through my own photos, couldn't find anything that I felt would work. So... I scanned a photo out of the Kinsey Photographer book (he was an exceptional photographer of the logging scene in the PNW in the early part of the 20th century). By cloning portions of the hillside onto a new image, I ended up with a black and white clearcut. I then toned it brown, and colorized portions of it. It's now a sharp as I'd like, but not bad.

http://earthseaimagery.com/kinseyclearcut3.jpg

http://earthseaimagery.com/kinseyclearcut1.jpg

The stumps, again, are something Tim made, back when we did the SVRy. The background stumps are a forest, track object I put together so I can spread the devestation across the landscape.

Now it's back to the real world and making a living!

Steve

[captain_bazza]

That certainly works visually, Steve, but the stumps look 'disconnected' with the ground? Perhaps they want surrounded by some aged (?) sawdust?

Cheers Bazza

[SVRy_Steve]

Most objects don't connect well with the ground! I think what it'll take is retexturing the stumps, so the bases better match the lighting of the terrain, and some weeds growing there too. I've been meaning to experiment more in that area. I've had success with treelines by making the bottom edge partially transparent, so some of the ground texture shows through.

Always a new challenge!

Steve

[captain_bazza]

Yep, that's why we train simming masochists love the hobby, I think.

Cheers Bazza

[SVRy_Steve]

This morning, I worked on the other end of the line, at the fringe of Defiance, the small port town. This is the intertidal area along the lower reaches of the river. The beach still needs driftwood, etc.

http://earthseaimagery.com/bridge-bay.jpg

So as not to totally overwhelm my system, the terrtex are only 2048 on the point under the bridge, and 1024s elsewhere. I have noticed that RE sometimes doesn't like the 4096's after several are loaded, refusing to insert any more in the selector unless I reboot. The workaround is to move to an unpopulated tile, load the 4096 I want, place it and copy, then move back where I want it and paste it in place! This has only happened on tiles where I have 30 or so loaded, all 1024's and larger.

Mosaic doesn't like the big tiles and takes as much as 20 minutes to load the route, all 4 tiles of it!

Steve

[timmuir]

That's beautiful, Steve. Reminds me of a spot up the Oregon coast near Astoria, on the old Spokane Portland & Seattle branch to Seaside, even the hills in the background.