[Jonatan]

A quickie done for friends showcasing a little animation.

[thegrindre]

Absolutely fantastic, Jonatan. :pardon:

:derisive:

[Jonatan]

Thanks Rick. It's pretty believable for MSTS. :derisive:

[Bernie]

Wow, that is wonderful! Excellent work! :derisive:

BTW, how how on earth is a lil' moogle able to keep the stamina to fire a locomotive? That firemoogle must be quite a trooper, but at least he was dealing with coal. If I am not mistaken, a cord of wood standing on end would be at least two thirds as tall as as your average moogle, imagine lifting something like that all day! :pardon:

[Noisemaker]

Cute! Didn't know you were into animating things as well Jonatan. I've always given it up for Dieter Penzel being THE MAN when it came to MSTS object animation, but think you may have topped him. I thought cars and engines could only sport 2 animations max? But you got four or five of the little guys moving individually - or is that kinda a group sequence of actions under one overall animation? Very cool however you swung it. :pardon:

RW better watch out! :derisive:

[Jonatan]

Noise,

MSTS passenger view animation is much less strict than an engine animation. You're not limited to a set number of animateing objects or names or hierarchy. The giant letdown is the slow rate in which it animates, the entire sequence is only 20 frames and each motion is two frames which lends much to be desirded in accuracy and controlling speed. If it animated in realtime like scenery objects do it could be made alot more complex and realistic.

Bernie,

Moogle firemen are at the top of Moogle physique, but this is the limits of what they can manage. The loco's firebox is about 9x5ft and a fit Moogle could throw 2-3lbs of coal that far. As a fireman myself I know it's not the physical strength but the fling of the scoop that sends the coal on its way, the trick is to throw little and often. :pardon: The 2-8-0 actually has two firemen, the regular one can manage the loco on his own when taking a local across the road, but both swing into action once the loco is doing more streneous work (this is NOT animated). Any larger locos prompted them to invent the mechanical stoker.*
Wood burning would require an army of the little guys, but I have a hunch they'd build some kind of fashinating conveyor system for the wood rather than changing fuel! :derisive:


*This was once the case on US roads as well, up to three firemen could be assigned to an engine before the advent of the stoker.

[Bernie]

Well, consider me properly informed on moogle physiology! :derisive:

[Jonatan]

I spent some time researching! :derisive:

My designs are not realy adapted for the Moogle, but more for humans and other races within the game universe, Moogles invented the train and innitially ran them, but later train crews would share their work with others. The trains and everything are based on stories I write. The designs and general railroad history in these borrows alot from American railroads, right down to certain classic figures, legends, and accidents.

You could say that my representation of the game world of Ivalice has a virtual copy of the Ameican railroad and its history.

[Noisemaker]

Interesting Jonatan. I think the only other 'on board' animation I experienced was on the PRR's end Observation Car. Static 2d people by the bar, but this one guy kept leaning over and looking at me slowly - kinda creepy! :derisive: So one's not limited to animations then - but just slow. It's nice that Gaetan Belanger and others have put these 2D cut out's of people in passenger cars and diners et al. But then to not see the server move at all, again - it's kinda creepy. Then again, we should be looking out the window like everyone else is doing. :pardon: But would a 2D thing be easier to animate than these 3D Moogles of yours? Just a simple head bob, and or a arm move. It would be nice if more could do that in the passenger cars and such.

[Jonatan]

Animation is animation regardless of shape, the only difference is the 2D will have to be positioned in a way as best to hide the fact it's flat and the larger the texture the better to hide the pixelation. A 3D figure is more realistic but uses more polygons.. Back in 2001 many details were made in 2D, right down to running gear on locomotives by some.

I'm sure it could all be done better in Trainz or Railworks but those programs would utilize bones animation, something I can't figure out.