[Plugin] Eneroth Railroad System (v 0.1.21)

eneroth3

Pascal: I've updated the Add Track Tool to avoid the problems with the control vector pointing the wrong way. The Lego tracks should work after you've replaced the file in the plugin with the one attached .

I've also been working on adding the new references in the balise code. last_run and last_train is really simple but I was wondering how you imagined the custom data. It's quite hard to save it between sessions if it contains other classes than what can be written as attributes (trains for instance). Is it enough to save the custom data within the session only?

Btw: I really love the idea of making Lego trains

Edit: The scale of the arrows in the switch tool and height of the coupling points in the coupling tool are still adapted for trains at the scale 1:1. However it now all should function even if not visually pleasing at other scales.

track_insert_tool.rb

ppoublan

@eneroth3 said:

I've also been working on adding the new references in the balise code. last_run and last_train is really simple but I was wondering how you imagined the custom data. It's quite hard to save it between sessions if it contains other classes than what can be written as attributes (trains for instance). Is it enough to save the custom data within the session only?

There is no problem for me if the balise states/variables are not saved from one session to the other. Maybe I would prefer if the code typed into advanced animation dialog could be saved, it would be great.
In fact I’m looking for the best way to prevent from collisions… I did not found yet the ideal way.
Maybe I missed another wish, a function or track property that will return if another train is already on the same track ? or a kind of special balise that can act as a signal based on where trains are.
I have used last_run and last_train to reduce speed of current train and accelerate the previous one if time between 2 trains is too small. This is already a cool way to regulate traffic, but It looks to be insufficient when two different tracks merge into one. If you have any idea.

tt_su

"This video is private"
/me wants LEGO!

ppoublan

@tt_su said:

"This video is private"

Oops, is it better now ?

tt_su

eneroth3

I can hardly believe my eyes when seeing the video. It's really cool!

I think I can add the settings for how to follow a rolling stock in the advanced animation settings. I don't want to clutter the context menu since it makes it a lot more time consuming to find in it when drawing.

By 'Translate camera', do you mean moving the camera relative to the train but without rotating and by 'Rotate around selection' the current behavior?

I can add a reference called session_data to the balises where user can store any data they like during a the Sketchup session.

Btw, custom signals have been added for the next version:).

ppoublan

Hi Christina,
Thanks for the fix for small tracks. It works great.
I played a little bit with the SU camera target and eye attributes and put the code to be executed between frames.
Here is a sample of what can be obtained with that :

It’s very simple code, but hardcoded, and no idea of any user interface.
I will try at least to “package” some functions so they can be called easily from railroad at each frame call.
Basically I’m thinking of :

Follow selection
Rotate around selection
Zoom in / Zoom out
Translate camera
With any train that can be selected as any other object.
If others want to play and add more detailed/fun rolling stocks, here is the basic Lego pack used in this video to unzip in the Plugins directory (simple track + locomotive and freight):
ene_railroad.zip

Yours
Pascal

Box

A fantastic plugin, but it does have something that bothers me. I like to use a limited number of toolbars and only open them up when I need them. Your toolbar, no matter which way you close it, will always reopen on startup unless you have actually disabled the plugin. Could you look at removing this behavior.

eneroth3

@box said:

A fantastic plugin, but it does have something that bothers me. I like to use a limited number of toolbars and only open them up when I need them. Your toolbar, no matter which way you close it, will always reopen on startup unless you have actually disabled the plugin. Could you look at removing this behavior.

The plugin should run toolbar.restore within a 0 timer t avoid some bug (apparently called 2902434) but for some reason my code uses .show instead . It'll be fixed for the next release but you can manually change it an line 1248 in main.rb now if you want to. I think this was the solution for a bug in SU 8 which doesn't support the plugin so it's probably not needed at all.

Box

Thanks, it was only a tiny thing in an otherwise superb plugin.

deaneau

WELCOME BACK <joke> JCE (sound like jaycey)</joke> Eneroth3.

i have find some bugs and eastereggs in your plugin.

more about this via PM.

dean

ppoublan

@eneroth3 said:

By 'Translate camera', do you mean moving the camera relative to the train but without rotating and by 'Rotate around selection' the current behavior?

Hi Christina,
Easier to explain with sample. Here are some functions I used, to be called at each frame.
Feel free to integrate/customize/mix as you want within your plugin.

Here is the ruby file:
camera_animation.rb

And samples:

rotate around

target

follow

Pascal

tt_su

So, you created the animations in your videos with your own animation script?
Have you published it anywhere other in that comment here? GitHub?

ppoublan

@tt_su said:

So, you created the animations in your videos with your own animation script?

Yes for the cameras, not for the trains that are moved by Christina's Railroad plugin.

@unknownuser said:

Have you published it anywhere other in that comment here? GitHub?

No. Its only few lines of code, that could/should be optimized... and adapted to custom needs. If any of the good developers that are here wants to improve it to make a more complete library it may be great...
In fact I think those features are really missing to SU.

tt_su

@ppoublan said:

If any of the good developers that are here wants to improve it to make a more complete library it may be great...

I'd encourage GitHub to publish code where you invite collaboration and enhancements from the community.

leolouie

I have just downloaded the Railroad plugin, but there are no selections in the "Add Track" box. Is there a link to other components?

eneroth3

Pascal: The animations look great and I really like the 0.95 ratio thing to make it smoother. It looks just as filmed with a real stadicam. I think this library could grow and be used for much more than the train simulator. I agree with Thomthom about putting it on Github for more people to work on, then I can also add a link to it from the documentation of my plugin .

@leolouie said:

I have just downloaded the Railroad plugin, but there are no selections in the "Add Track" box. Is there a link to other components?

That's really odd. What Sketchup version are you using? 2013+ is needed.

jonb42

I'm having the same problem. I use SU 2013 and 2014 and in neither of them can I place track in a new drawing. When I open your example drawing however I am able to place track - it is as if a library was not loading but perhaps is already loaded in the example drawing.

Also in SU 2013 I get a script error - see attached photo. I'm using your latest version 1.13 I think dated the 9th of this month.

thanks though for this awesome plugin! I am really impressed and can't wait to place a train track throughout some new building model I want to show off to a customer!

Jon

Railroad script error-001.jpg

eneroth3

@jonb42 said:

I'm having the same problem. I use SU 2013 and 2014 and in neither of them can I place track in a new drawing. When I open your example drawing however I am able to place track - it is as if a library was not loading but perhaps is already loaded in the example drawing.

Also in SU 2013 I get a script error - see attached photo. I'm using your latest version 1.13 I think dated the 9th of this month.

thanks though for this awesome plugin! I am really impressed and can't wait to place a train track throughout some new building model I want to show off to a customer!

Jon

Hi Jon

This sounds very similar to an error on Mac that's one user has reported but that didn't occur for others. Can you add this code "puts js" to line 376 in track_insert_tool.rb and post the text printed in the console?

deaneau

Here an intresting links:

for all ENE-RR-Fans ( eneroth3railroad)

Index of /greg/rail/docs/clearance

(gritton.org)

this is a svg file UIC & AAR clearance.

for all non railroader.

this is the room that need the train without crash with other objects along and alongside the Track ( /bridge/tunnel/catenary/signals/and other trains.)