Michael Earley

I am not sure if I should put this post here or in 3DMax or where. I am using Vray and I have to make a train that moves across a large valley and other various land masses.

How can I create this without building a monster model of terrain? I also want to have some interior shots with the landscape going by on the outside of the train and a scene at a train crossing as the train goes by.

Do I or can I run a movie on the outside of the model as the camera moves through the train? Any ideas at all would be helpful.
thanks
Michael

ihabkal

there was a plugin for 3dsmax 3 that was called "toy train" I don't know how good it s and if it was updated for max 7 but it was made specifically to simulate train animations.
lucky you you get to work on train animations while I finish up a warehouse...

skippy

this toy train v.1.2 really rock try it and let us know how good result u get.

http://www.toy-train.com/

Michael Earley

Think he ment this on lol....http://www.habware.at/ Thank you for the lead.. it will help a little. From looking at the help file, it seams this is to spin the wheels along with the movement of the train. I am really interested in some ideas on how to move the train across large areas or to simulate the landscape flying past the window from inside.

As I mentioned.. maybe also from a flashing crossing gate, but not sure of how to make the train go by fast, but not to fast that you cannot see anything.

I guess I should mention that the project is for maker of the train, so I need to show the train sometimes.. not just a blur.
thanks. ihabkal right about now, I might be willing to trade for a nice safe warehouse lol
thank you both.
Michael

ihabkal

please take into account that many "speed" effects, zooms and blurs, are done with after effects or combustion.

Michael Earley

Thanks ihabkal, but I think some have to be done in max like the landscape passing in the window as I make the movie of the inside? I thought that I would put a cylinder around the outside of the car and map a photo to it and spin the cylinder to give me the movement. The problem is when you see both sets of windows (left and right) from a long shot the background would be moving in two different directions.

I thought about trying to blue screen the window, but I would need to put the movie in all the windows on both sides.

any ideas?

ihabkal

yes many ideas:

0-make a stroyboard, some sketches so you would decide what you need first.
1- assign a matte material to the windows to separate and have a mask for compositing so you wouldn't have to re render that way your inside of the train will be one layer and the background another layer
2- for landscaping
a- paint a loooooong photomontage scene, trees grass some houses and put it in the background with after effects and animate it moving with blur effects based on movement. a rotating cylinder will get repeated...you can sssign it to a looooong rectangle too and render the camera moving without the train being there.
b- model a true terrain with RPC trees and animate the camera moving like if it was inside a train and looking at the landscape and composite no need to be in a train as it will be composited with the window (step 1) and the you will be able to color correcr, assign blur, make it faster...etc. in after effects


I would model true geometry outside and do it like if it was really a train in a landscape.

Michael Earley

thank you for the hints. will post some images as I get them
michael