Viaduct Mod

[ILL Tonkso 1,239]

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//viaductmodtitle.jpg align=baseline>

Welcome to the new Viaduct Mod! I wanted to make a visual addition to the elevated rail to fit in with my industrial cities. I made a few basic moels (yet to be scaled correctly ect).

 

So far i have made the pieces for El Rail Strait, El Rail over Road/Rail and El Rail over Avenue.

 

Here is a picture of the strait pieces (before correct modding). From these you can clearly see the seams (re rendering after rescaling will deal with this).

 

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//viaductmodseams.jpg align=baseline>

 

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//viaductmodseamscloseup.jpg align=baseline>

 

Hers my (bad picture) plan of what i want to do.

 

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//viaductmodplan.jpg align=baseline>

Anyway, any modders here want to help with the Transit Enabling ect. just PM me, i will deal with the Modelling.

 

Anyway, lets make this good Peeps!

 

[toxicpiano 125]

Interesting...

[frogface 354]

looks good so far, how about corner pieces?

 

[SpartanBadger 4]

That's a very creative idea! Great job on the textures, those models look great!

[madawac 48]

What a coincidence. I had today just a very similar idea.
My would've been to change the lightrail itself with ilive's oder DatGen into rails with viaducts under it, just by placing the lightrail. I don't know if this would be possible, but you're idea is good too.
I don't know if simrolles S-Bahn viaducts are using the same trick u want to, or if they are designed like the embankment set of morifari, I've never used them.
Anyway, I'd like help transit enabling, on of the few things I can mod with ilive's Costum Paths or something like this... not with me

Maybe there could be different versions? Some with brighter bricks (like yours) and some with darker?

[ILL Tonkso 1,239]

Frogface: I will make them, just as soon as i get these on their way.

[pikatchoum 2]

Great idea!!

[Andreas Roth 629]

That's a very nice idea, however, it suffers from two major drawbacks: You have to use these lots on perfectly flat terrain, otherwise the tracks will look awfully bumpy. Another problem is the amount of transit enabled lots (TEL)  that are needed for longer viaduct stretches. Each TEL will act like a mini station, adding up to the commute time, and probably, the el-trains will make a short stop at every lot (the first approach of the GLR mod had the same problem). The best solution to this would be puzzle pieces, just like the GLR mod. Not only they will work as real network tiles, but you can also group them in a single menu button and select them by pressing TAB repeatedly. I suggest to talk to Tropod or smoncrie, they can convert the models into puzzle pieces.

[ILL Tonkso 1,239]

Me and Frogface were discussing 'Replacing' the elevated rail alltogether, extracting the 3d files and replaceing them. We think it can be done, but can it? Remembering this is a British Style Mod and the Puzzle pieces are very iffy with the UK left hand drive version. (in other words, it crashes every 2 seconds)

[Andreas Roth 629]

I don't know if puzzle pieces are more complicated to use with a left-hand drive version of SimCity, but since Tropod comes from Australia and also uses a left-hand drive version (at least I think so), he should know best what to do regarding this issue. Anyway, it should be possible to replace the in-game 3D models for the el-rail, I guess the best persons to be asked are the ones I already mentioned.

[Traffic_Jam 0]

Looks nice!

[smoncrie 44]

If you used network props it would be a lot simpler to use, and the trains would not be affected.

How about if your model automatically showed up under the tracks if you dragged the tracks south or west?

[Murakumon 1]

I would give you a award.... but i have no authority so it wouldn't mean anything . That is very innovative, props filling in as lots.... hope to see more. why didn't i think of that.....?

[deadwoods 542]

Date: 7/4/2005 5:19:26 PM
Author: Andreas Roth
That's a very nice idea, however, it suffers from two major drawbacks: You have to use these lots on perfectly flat terrain, otherwise the tracks will look awfully bumpy. Another problem is the amount of transit enabled lots (TEL) that are needed for longer viaduct stretches. Each TEL will act like a mini station, adding up to the commute time, and probably, the el-trains will make a short stop at every lot (the first approach of the GLR mod had the same problem). The best solution to this would be puzzle pieces, just like the GLR mod. Not only they will work as real network tiles, but you can also group them in a single menu button and select them by pressing TAB repeatedly. I suggest to talk to Tropod or smoncrie, they can convert the models into puzzle pieces.

quote>

Yes the perfectly flat land is a killer. It's worse than you've mentioned. If there is a reasonable incline between the two lots (assuming a single tile gap) the NE will not work; the game won't be able to join them up. I found this with my Under Rail Shops.

As to the trains stopping on each NE tile, it shouldn't unless you Transit Enable to tile to allow one type to change to another (e.g. peds to elrail). Otherwise it's the same as any lot with NE through it.

We should probably distinguish between Network Enabling tiles on a lot and Transit Enabling a lot (smoncrie or other modding experts please correct me).

• Network Enabling a tile involves adding a 0x00000007 LotConfigProperty to a specific tile (or set of tiles) that will allow one network type (e.g. street, road, rail, elrail) to traverse the tile. This is how you make lots that roads run through.
  
• Transit Enabling a lot defines what network transitions are allowed on a lot. For example Peds can enter only from the North and transit to Rail. This is how you make a lot into a station/terminus.
  

You should be able to Network Enable the relevant tiles without Transit Enabling the lot. I did this for the BSC SimCity Rail Utility Rail lots on the STEX and I don't remember seeing trains stop there.

[ardecila 125]

Replacing the 3d models should be very easy. However, it must use full-3d models, which cannot be created through the BAT exporter.

If you want, I can show you how to import the gmax models into Reader as S3D files.

There are only about 40 different El-Rail models; it shouldn't be that hard to replace them, versus thousands of road textures.

[deadwoods 542]

You need to be careful if replacing the network tiles for elrail. All the custom el-rail lots built (like mine and vlakhass' stations) use the ingame 3d models for the rails (by copying the exemplar that points to them) and I'm sure the ingame one's do the same thing (notice how the same building is used as the Monorail and ElRail station). So if you replace the 3d models for all elrail, you may nuke any lot that uses the ingame ones.

[jacqulina 162]

great idea

[ILL Tonkso 1,239]

The modding, i will leave to others, i can Network Enable a lot easilly enough but i think replacing the 3d files ingame is the better option, if i make the models, who is willing to import them?

[Jerebannus XVI 7]

THis should be very interesting indeed. mmm.......

[ILL Tonkso 1,239]

Hey, i resized the models back to 16x16 (which allthough the size of 1 tile wont fit on 1 tile) to rid of the seams, i think if we replace the strait pieces of rail now it would be a good start, the strait diagonals wont be a problem either. If we can get these done i will make a start on the curves ect. Oh and, how are we going to implement the road under piece? is the el rail over road piece a seperate replacable model too?

[ILL Tonkso 1,239]

Update 1.

I have only completed 6 models as of yet, these are the following.

 

Strait Piece

Diagonal Piece

Strait Road\Rail Underpass

Diagonal Road\Rail Underpass

Strait Avenue\Ground Moterway Underpass

Diagonal Avenue\Ground Moterway Underpass

[timo 15]

cool, well done!

[ILL Tonkso 1,239]

Just announcing, Nooneatall has offered to attempt the modding for me (thats a real members username im not taking the mick lol) What we have now is the idea of NAM rail but cooler.