Tutorial : Route Building in Railworks

[keithmross]

Hi All,

I have been asked by a few of you for some tips on how I have gone about creating my WCML North route for Railworks.
So, I have put together a document which describes my methods and highlights some things to watch out for.
I really hope you find it useful and that it may even encourage more of you to dip your toe in the route building pond.

Finally, I must stress that this is just how I have approached it. There are other posts on UKTrainSim that cover many aspects in more detail.
I'm sure there are many other ways and better ways to do things, but hopefully it will help get you started.

Good luck with all your projects.

Best wishes,
Keith

PS Mods, please make this sticky if you think it would be useful.
Thanks

[keithmross]

Route Building in RailWorks
A Guide from Start to Completion

Research

Route selection
Decide on a route; what period will it depict?, is sufficient source material available?, will it satisfy your operational requirements?, is there suitable stock to run on it?

OS mapping
In the UK, obtain Ordnance Survey data for the route. http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/getamap/


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Small sections of about a square mile can be downloaded and stitched together in a graphics program.


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This will provide lots of detail; topography, structures, watercourses, etc, etc and also clues to the routes of lifted lines.

Google Earth
Is the route shown at high resolution on Google Earth?
Unfortunately, some areas are not although the image can still be a useful guide and will be essential for plotting the route in RW.

Gradients
In the UK, get hold of a copy of BR Main Line Gradient Profiles published by Ian Allan, ISBN0711008752.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/BR-Main-Line-Gr ... 039&sr=8-1
Information based on the original 1966 publication, but for our purposes pretty accurate.

Track layout
In the UK, get hold of a copy of the Quail Track Diagrams booklet for your area.
FYI; Scotland edition, ISBN9780954986636.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_0_9 ... =track+dia
Great level of detail including all track on the network with identification of locations, bridges, crossings etc, etc all with milepost references.

Location photographs
Use your favourite web search engine to find photos of the various locations and places of interest along your route. All time periods will be a useful reference.
Of course books can also be a great resource as can the increasing number of DVD archives and documentaries that are available.

Cab ride footage
If a DVD cab ride is available for your route it will be an essential tool in achieving accuracy. A map or aerial photo can only tell you so much, a good cab view can show so much more of the trackside detail. Of particular use is operational information; signalling, speed limits and infrastructure placement.
http://www.video125.co.uk/
http://www.telerail.co.uk/product_range.htm
http://www.225studios.com/
http://www.pentrex.com/
http://www.wolvertonrail.co.uk/

[keithmross]

Preparation

DEM terrain data
Get hold of the necessary DEM data file from this site;
http://sb.itc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/GIS/e0srp01 ... 3/Eurasia/
The file should be unzipped and dropped into your DEM folder in RW.

Route markers
There are great tutorials on these forums on how to go about this.
All I would add is that it is helpful to do Series Markers for not only the line of your route but also main roads, rivers and any other significant features.
I use letter codes for each type and give names to each marker where I can.

A - Mainline 1
B - Mainline 2 and so on
D - Branchline 1
G - Motorway 1
J – Trunk road 1
P – River large
Q – River small
R – Stream
S – HV pylons

For example, A014_M6_over, A028_track_over, B052_Warrenhill_LC, G004_junc


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Decals
Again, there are tutorials on how to make decals from Google Earth images. You can make them from anything, OS maps etc, etc.
You can make decals to cover every mile of your route if you’re so inclined. I have tended to focus on the well populated bits. When screen grabbing in GE it is best to leave your marker pins visible so that later you can line them up with your route markers in RW. Beware, for whatever reason, the GE images rarely coincide with the RW markers exactly. So, I wouldn’t recommend trying to lay out decals to lay track over. Particularly as editing splines/lofts is virtually impossible on top of a decal.

Blueprints

Route template
This is fundamental to starting a real world route as it sets your origin in the real world and allows the co-ordinates system to mean something. This procedure is fairly well documented in the Wiki and tutorial docs as well as pointers in the forums.

Things to watch out for;
Make your own unique Developer and Project folder in Railworks\Source,
for example, Railworks\Source\keithmross\WCMLNorth
RW will convert your source files and put them in,
for example, Assets\keithmross\WCMLNorth
When asked for blueprint entries, use those in Kuju\Railsimulator.
If you’re making your own load screen convert your image into a .ace format file.
Beware – when you first open your New Route it will load with no sky or terrain textures. Use the object filter blue square to ensure that Kuju\Railsimulator is checked. When the route is reloaded the textures should be there.

Track rule
Best to make your own track rule if you are likely to use a number of track types.

Things to watch out for;
Track is found in Kuju\Railsimulator\RailNetwork\Track
Point motors/levers are found in Kuju\Railsimulator\RailNetwork\Junctions
Catenary is found in Kuju\Railsimulator\Scenary\Procedural
Set Mainline minimum radius to 500m but ensure that your other track types (Freight, Yard etc) can do less than that, maybe 100m minium.


Hardware setup for Route Building

Multiple displays
One thing that is a huge advantage when working in Route Editor is the ability to refer to lots of source material at the same time.
For work purposes I use a dual monitor setup on one of my PCs which is great to run alongside the RW PC. Therefore, I can view GE, OS maps and a cab ride at the same time to get as much info as possible on the area being edited.


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[keithmross]

Route Building 1

Depending on the size of the project I have found it better to split a long route into a number of smaller routes – maybe 10-15 miles in length. This way you can avoid lengthy periods of the same activity – as some stages can become tedious and will drain your enthusiasm.

So, for each section I tend to do things in the following order, although this is by no means rigid. Some areas may take your attention at different times and small pockets of a route may be worked up in isolation. Each to their own.

Terrain
Assuming that the route template has been successful you can jump to any point local to your route and extract the terrain. I recommend doing this first and extending the terrain for some distance beyond the route on all sides. RW draw distances are such that you may see straight edges on the terrain on the horizon if you don’t extract enough.


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Rough track paint
Turn on route markers, bottom left pull out window – compass icon, and paint the approximate line of the track following a map as a guide as the markers are very approximate.


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Lay track with gradients
Next actually lay some track.
Use only one track rule or editing the track properties becomes a nightmare.
I would recommend always working in one direction to ensure the gradients are reasonably accurate as you go. Also, joining track from two directions can be very tricky.
Gradient info is very important here. It is surprising how well the line of the track relates to the terrain if you keep this in check – cuttings and embankments will be formed in roughly the right place without too much additional manipulation. Use the snap terrain to track tool as you go.
Do not lay complex track on a gradient unless you really fancy a challenge. Identify where crossings and junctions are located and prepare to lay level track on those areas. Some track tools won’t function on graded track.

Paint track
Use the appropriate ballast colour to paint the line of the track. This helps ground it and make it stand out in the editor.


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Rough road/river paint, lay roads/rivers, paint roads/rivers
Follow a similar process with other loft objects.
These start to provide some structure to follow when adding more scenery and texture.
While GE decals may be not always be suitable for track laying they are usually accurate enough for road and river placement in conjunction with series markers.


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Lineside infrastructure
This is really building on the structure that you made in the last step. Place bridges and points where rails and roads or rivers meet. These are key reference points and will often relate to GE route markers. These are also easy to identify on cab ride films and photographs. Decals may be helpful in well populated areas.


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Placeholders
Before things get too well populated it may be useful to drop in some scenery assets as placeholders or markers – these might act as a reminder of a particular feature that needs more time to detail correctly. Maybe you’ll construct some custom assets later which can replace your temporary items.

Track setup

Before your virtual world gets too cluttered it may be useful to set up the track. As this is core to the gaming experience it is worth putting as much into the accuracy here as you can.

Track type
Using the space bar, circulate through the track edit modes.
Track type will determine how the dispatcher will utilise the tracks and prioritise traffic over them. Start off with everything as Mainline and then identify which stretches of track should receive a lower classification that will encourage the dispatcher to do what you want him to do.
Beware, as certain classes of train will not gain access to certain types of track. This will become apparent in scenario testing later.


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Track direction
Also, very important when testing begins. A train will not be routed along opposing track. Bi-directional track may be a safe choice in most situations but more specific up and down running may help with accurate pathing by the dispatcher later.


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Speed limits and signage
Cab ride footage is particularly useful for this type of detail. Even better if you can source a trip in both directions. It is not always the case that the limit on a double track section is the same in both directions.


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Track sound
Choice of track texture will also dictate the sounds that are available to attach to it. The default track types have their own sound sets. It is worth being creative to get the most out of the EAX reverb features at bridges, stations, cuttings etc.


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Destination markers
If you are confident about the location of everything it is useful to complete the track setup at this stage before adding more layers of scenery. Add platform and siding markers to all relevant pieces of track and then destination markers where they may be useful to influence the pathing of trains. These can act as waypoints not just stopping points. The more the better. Adding waypoints to a trains orders during scenario creation can help in setting up AI traffic, as you will know when your train is likely to pass a given location.


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Portals
Portals are very useful in scenario creation. They allow your AI traffic to be much more efficient. Rather than running trains the full length of a route in order to pass the player service it can be orchestrated to appear shortly before the approaching player and disappear shortly after. This means RW isn’t looking after too many things in game.

[keithmross]

Route Building 2

The next stage of construction is to add to the important track related infrastructure.

Track signalling
Again, a cab view DVD is the best way to identify signal locations and types/functions.
If possible, add prototypical signals if they are available in RW. If you are equipped to make specific signals to suit you needs, even better. Generally the default signals suit most situations. One notable void is the theatre signal, making complex station approaches a bit more of a challenge.


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OHLE infrastructure
Be creative. I have experimented with adding odd bits and pieces to recreate lineside structures and electrical and signalling clutter. This is effective enough at 125.
Start with the O Wire Gantry Tool to auto-place masts. These can be adjusted or elaborated on as you proceed down the line. Keep an eye on the cab view for ideas on how to add interest.


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Mileposts
These can be placed with reasonable accuracy if you have track plans with milepost markers. The distance figure must be input manually.

Route Building 3

With the core track and structures in place you can now add layers of scenery.

Adjust terrain
If necessary, add or reduce the height of terrain. Available DEM data is not particularly accurate and will require some fine tuning particularly in relation to smaller topographical features. Use the terrain tools as required.

Paint landscape
A method which is quite well documented elsewhere is to cut up the landscape using a dark grass texture. This will represent embankments and hedgerows etc. It helps identify field boundaries allows areas of woodland etc to be picked out. Lofted objects and bushes/trees can be placed later to show field boundaries etc.
GE decals can be useful to ensure accuracy although painting over them can be awkward as you can’t see what you’re painting. Break up the landscape with different colours – use some artistic licence if things are looking a bit bland.


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Place buildings
For well populated areas use a decal. I have used GE decals and OS decals where available aerial photo resolution is poor.
Be creative. Merge default assets to make something new.
Lower assets into the terrain to make them appear to be something new.


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Add detail
As your world gets more populated, start to add smaller scenery items, vehicles and people. Remember that generally you will be viewing from inside the train or close to the track, so don’t add to much in the distance – you may never see it again.


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Trackside lofts
These are applied by offsetting objects from the track.
Fencing and weed lines can add much to the embankment area. Variety is good but too much will reduce realism and look overly cluttered.


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Tree Planting
This is also about levels of detail and distance from the track. The default items are designed to be placed at a specific viewing distance. Work out a system and a palette of trees and bushes that suit your locality. Layering of closer items in particular will build up into dense woodland which can be quite effective when close to the trackside. Forested areas should be painted first using a mix of forest floor colours. This avoids bright grassy gaps showing through the trees.
Rotate objects to increase variety.
Ensure that tree assets are well planted – they may need to be lowered to avoid floating. This can be particularly apparent when using the spring or winter season where leaves are not present.


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Add detail
When the bulk of the larger trees are in position you can fill gaps with individual trees. Individual trees around buildings and along streets will add density and interest.
Grass objects close to the track side will add depth and texture.
Small bush and weed assets can be added right at the end to add to the object density.


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Add sounds
I usually leave these cumbersome objects until the very end; although they can be turned off using the display filters. Make sure the emitter canopies overlap to ensure that the whole environment is covered.


I won’t go into scenario creation but that is the next step. Testing the route through scenario creation will usually throw up some issues – whether with the track or the signalling. However, these can usually be sorted and you can enjoy running on your creation. Once you’re happy with it then maybe everyone can enjoy it.

[almark]

That is great Keith,thanks,much appreciated!

[AndyUK]

Keith,

Many thanks for taking the time to put this together, it looks very useful.

Anyone needing detailed information on speed limits, distances etc for current (1 April 2009) UK lines may well find something of use in this area of the Network Rail website: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/5523.aspx

Andy L

[nobkins]

Much appreaciated Keith. Pretty comprehensive and I know it is going to save me some time.

[charlie99]

I must really stress the usefulness of having at least two computers for route building. For a start my railworks crashes if I run google earth in the background and it's anoyying to switch between the two anyway. Recently I tried without the use of my laptop as well and found it impossible to do much proper route work.

[keithmross]

Anyone needing detailed information on speed limits, distances etc for current (1 April 2009) UK lines may well find something of use in this area of the Network Rail website: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/5523.aspx

Andy, Many thanks for the link - I didn't realise this info was in the public domain - excellent.

I must really stress the usefulness of having at least two computers for route building.

Well said Charlie, an absolute must.

[Trainguy76]

A very nice explanation here for the overall effect.

[keithmross]

Found this site...

http://www.railsigns.co.uk/home.html

Very informative if you want to get into the technicalities.

[nobkins]

Just a thought but does an moderator want to sticky this in the same way the bulk decal creation has been. It is much better than my bulk decal tutorial

[ashgray]

Done

Ash

[RCH37401]

Nice Guide keith. I have used Dry grass to break up fields and then place Bramble Line's over the top of this, then Sapling Mixed Lines on that then finall a few tree's