[delamate]

SP 0-6-0, on 27 December 2016 - 02:54 PM, said:

I can't wait for this one to be available. Nothing but excellence mile after mile.

Robert

I agree completely!

John DeLamater

[Master Chief]

Paul,

Your work really looks great - much better than my efforts.

Did you paint in the ROW all the way, or just in certain areas? I'm curious, if you did paint it in all the way from one end to the other, how many additional terrtex files did you end up with?

I'm working on another route, the Cima Sub, which runs about 175 miles, and I'm not sure whether I want to paint in the ROW all the way - it will be a million more terrtex aces.

Jeff

[paulytechnic]

Thanks, Jeff! It really means a lot to me that you're pleased with my efforts! http://www.elvastower.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/hi.gif

Yes, I'm painting the ROW all the way, end to end (including the SMV branch). It's definitely going to be a huge download when complete (I'm currently at about 9300 terrtex files, but praying that DXT1 compression will reduce the file size sufficiently). While it is very tedious, I just couln't give up the look of the grass thinning to bare dirt as it approaches the tracks. As much as I sometimes doubt my decision (usually when I check-up on how many files I've amassed), I really love the look, and I think it integrates the tracks into the environment while avoiding the "model railroad tracks laying on top of the grass" appearance. Alas, I'm about 90% done, so it's too late to turn back now!!

What's not really apparent in my previous screenshots is that, in addition to the bare dirt look around the ROW, I'm also painting a strip of ballast under the tracks. For double/multiple tracks, this fills in the gap nicely between the tracks to make it look completely ballasted-over. For single tracks, I sized it to fit within the normal tracks, so it's not usually visible. I mainly did this for Open Rails, for when activating superelevation occasionally dips the track texture below the terrain, so that the terrain showing through will still look like a part of the tracks (maybe just look like a little extra ballast piled-up).

Here's of an example of a terrtex file, with the bare dirt in the ROW, and the ballast under/between the tracks:



A lot of effort, yes...but I think it will all be worth it in the end.

[Jovet]

paulytechnic, on 05 January 2017 - 07:58 PM, said:

Yes, I'm painting the ROW all the way, end to end (including the SMV branch). It's definitely going to be a huge download when complete (I'm currently at about 9300 terrtex files, but praying that DXT1 compression will reduce the file size sufficiently).

Be sure you save those non-DXT files, because DXT compression is destructive (some detail is always lost, like making copies of copies). I wouldn't mind giving the non-DXT files a go myself... I don't care about the disk space cost.

[lateagain]

CrisGer, on 01 September 2016 - 03:06 AM, said:

I grew up in San Diego and Santa Barbara and have painted that landscape as an artist many many times including that chaparell and scrub bush type of hillside and that is perfect .you got a texture that is a very very good match. well done. keep it and keep going you are doing GREAT.

I have known that coastline since the early 1950s and the last of the Steam era..and it is wonderful to see it evolvilng.

my hope someday is to backdate it to 1940 but that will have to wait and see how much time is given to us :)

well done.

Firstly I only just stumbled on this thread by accident, having just run the route for a while yesterday. It goes without saying that I'm blown away by the work and impatient for a release ....but having worked with a team making a UK route I know how long this level of excellence takes. :thumbup3:

Cris's second point had already occurred to me.

Who ran what over these metals in the transition era and up to Amtrak?

Obviously the trackside major structures will have changed but I'm sure, like most residential areas, there are plenty of areas of scenery that haven't changed THAT much? How about the track though? Is that VERY different? Some of the pictures of modern Stations here have obviously changed (signage, paint etc on all?) but are there many stations that structurally would be the same as in pre Amtrak eras?

Here in the UK the biggest change by far to our system is the removal of 95%+ of any local sidings. "Drop Off" freight is now only found in the fond memories created by model railway enthusiasts, and so running Steam era activities on a modern era MSTS/OR route is not possible because the track just isn't there. :negative:

Don't want to hijack the thread but some local historical feedback would be appreciated. :sign_thanks:

[Master Chief]

Let me address several things with one post...

I too am laying a (wider) layer of dust, then an additional (narrow) layer of ballast; I think it looks a lot better. More work, an additional step, but I like it better.

As to DTX1 compression, I'm not familiar with the process for doing this; are you using Route Riter? I tried compressing what I have so far (terrtex files only) with RR, and with approx. 850 files, I saved only about 250 Mb after the compression (assuming I did it correctly).

Prior to Amtrak, from San Diego to LA, the line was operated by Santa Fe. BNSF still uses it for freight, while Amtrak, Metrolink, and the Coaster use parts (or all) of it for passenger/commuter service. North of LA, I believe the UP has always (or at least for a long time) operated. I say so only because of the old UP stations (two remaining stations are at Santa Susana and at Grover Beach). The stations in my route I built using photographs I took (with one or two exceptions), in about 2002, if I remember correctly. I have noticed that, at least in the San Diego area, the route is always evolving - more tracks installed, double-track in most locations now if not all the way, new sidings at Oceanside, etc. New signals, too.

[SP 0-6-0]

About the ROW, If I am not mistaken the new route editor TSRE5 has a feature that allows for painting the row. Not sure how it works? Might be able to avoid all those Mosaic files.

Robert

[conductorchris]

North of LA was the Southern Pacific, which of course was bought by UP in recent times.

[edwardk]

San Diego's trolley line is currently being extended from possibly Old Town to UTC mall. The line will run alongside the other line then cross over the 5 freeway.

Edward K.

[paulytechnic]

Jovet, on 05 January 2017 - 08:09 PM, said:

Be sure you save those non-DXT files, because DXT compression is destructive (some detail is always lost, like making copies of copies). I wouldn't mind giving the non-DXT files a go myself... I don't care about the disk space cost.

Absolutely! I'm a firm beliver of redundant backups of backups of backups! I intend to keep a master (uncompressed) copy for myself (whether or not I actually use it), just in case I need to go back and tweak something later. In most cases, I have my original source and pre-ACE files backed-up as well (in *.psd, *.bmp, or both), since even an uncompressed ACE file can introduce some artifacts. When the time comes, you're certainly free to use the uncompressed version, although we'll need to come-up with a means of distribution (heck, even the compressed version will likely be sizable, so I'll need to figure out where to even put it).

Master Chief, on 06 January 2017 - 08:49 AM, said:

As to DTX1 compression, I'm not familiar with the process for doing this; are you using Route Riter? I tried compressing what I have so far (terrtex files only) with RR, and with approx. 850 files, I saved only about 250 Mb after the compression (assuming I did it correctly).

Yes, I use Route Riter (which in turn uses AceIT, I believe) to compress all texture files in a route to DXT1 en-masse. How much space the compression saves depends on how detailed the texture is, but I roughly estimate the process reduces the size about 50-60%, which will really add-up with 1000+ terrtex files. I'm pretty sure Route Riter will compress ALL texture files of a route at once, and there are many object textures I definitely don't want compressed, so I'll need to backup and restore whatever files I don't want compressed later.

Master Chief, on 06 January 2017 - 08:49 AM, said:

I have noticed that, at least in the San Diego area, the route is always evolving - more tracks installed, double-track in most locations now if not all the way, new sidings at Oceanside, etc. New signals, too.

Yeah, it'd almost be a full time-job keeping the MSTS version up-to-date with all of that changing! That's part of the reason I'm informally sticking to a date of 2009-ish for the route, which I think is around the time you first relesed the route, anyway.

SP 0-6-0, on 06 January 2017 - 11:38 AM, said:

About the ROW, If I am not mistaken the new route editor TSRE5 has a feature that allows for painting the row. Not sure how it works? Might be able to avoid all those Mosaic files.

I don't have any experience using TSRE yet, but I would imagine that, to maintain MSTS compatibility, it would still paint the terrain across multiple terrtex files, as Mosaic does now. I think where the real benefit with TSRE's method is with time-saving and ease-of-use, where you can just paint directly onto the terrain while editing the route (vs going back & forth between route editor, Mosaic, and the image editor).