Steam Locomotive Animation?

[nyc6025]

Hello all,

I have started dabbling in creating mods for Locomotion (I know, it's over 15 years since the game was released, but I also know I'm not the only one out there who still enjoys using the game some...). Lately, I've beenlearning how to make mods with MSTS2Loco and Vehicle Creator. However, I have found one of the limitations that the former of the two has: it is unable to create animated steam locomotives, or at least animate them in-program.

Being aware of many steam locomotive mods that were released years ago, with full side-rod animation, one can see that it's able to be done one way or another. But, the question is, how is it done, then? I have searched far across this forum and the rest of the internet, but my search so far has turned up empty (with one former creator hinting at the idea that there are ways to work around some of the previously-mentioned programs' limiations).

One way I see animation *possibly* happening is by taking a given MSTS loco, somehow modifying the file into four different versions that each have the rods in a different position (0, 90, 180, 270), and then creating sprites from there. Of course, this depends on whether or not an MSTS file could be modified in such a way...

Does anyone out there know more about steam loco animation? Can anyone give me some hints or ideas about how it might be done?

[uzurpator]

I made a Walschearts valve gear animator ( key frame generator for 3d model of each gearing step ) for Transport Fever 2 - it is available on steam and transportfever.net.

[nyc6025]

Hmmm, I'll have to take a look at that sometime. Is it only used in combination with creating new locomotives, or is it able to modify existing files?


Since my initial post, I have discovered another method that can be used to develop the needed sprites for Locomotion:

viewtopic.php?t=50278

The good thing is that Shape Viewer allows for taking 8-frame screenshots of an animated locomotive; the not-so-good thing is that it can be a tedious process to manually take those screenshots for 136 (or even just 104) angles, and then process them afterwards, as I found out this week... However, in the end it can be effective when nothing else works. However, I will not discuss my specific results here, to keep the discussion focused on general locomotive animation, and instead will ask the questions I have elsewhere.

[Walter1940]

Hello nyc6025
In principle, you are on the right path. I actually animate most of my steam locomotives with 4 identical versions of a MSTS model. They differ only by means of 90 ° wheels and drive rods.
I then do 136 pictures. If you change the order, it looks like an animation.
However, this assumes that you either send a creator of a steam locomotive and ask him that he turns the wheels with 4 versions and leaves you.
Honestly, with me in persistent cases if I wanted to have a locomotive necessarily, even a donation helped.
That is an option.

The second option would be the camera positions from the User Tattoo, where you also found the link. But that's extremely complicated.

The third and most expensive and unattractive method is to remove the rods at the 136 images, everything fourfold copiers and new draw.
I tried that at some. But the result is .... hmmm .... ugly