Tutorials -- Microsoft Train Simulator Effects

Please note: This tutorial was originally written for 3DCrafter 7. It has not been fully updated to reflect the changes made in 3DCrafter 9/8. An updated version will be made available in a future version of 3DCrafter.

Microsoft Train Simulator Effects

In this tutorial we will describe how to add effects such as smoke and steam to a Microsoft Train Simulator model.

Note that if you are using 3DCrafter Pro, the features of 3DCrafter Trainworks need to be enabled before you can export to a train simulator format. To enable the Trainworks features:

	Select Options... from the Tools menu.
	Click the Misc. tab.
	Check Enable Trainworks Features.
	Close and re-open 3DCrafter Pro.

This tutorial assumes familiarity with 3DCrafter and that the earlier Train Simulator tutorials have been completed.

Our imported Scotsman is looking good, but is lacking the effects, such as smoke and steam, of the real Scotsman.

In this tutorial we will add a smoke effect to the Scotsman we imported in the previous tutorial.

To add an effect to a train simulator model, we have to indicate where the effect originates and the size of the effect.

This is done by adding a placeholder shape to the model. This placeholder indicates the location and size of the effect. In this example we have dropped a sphere on our model as our smoke source. There is nothing special about this sphere. It is just a primitive. It does not need to be textured like the other shapes in our scene since it will not actually be exported with the model.

Once you have added the placeholder for the smoke effect, run the Train Simulator Wizard. Click the Next button until you get to the Attributes section. Change the value of the Stacks field to 1 to indicate that there is one stack. Notice you can enter values for other effects such as the effects from Cylinders, Whistles, Safety Valves and Drain Pipes. We will restrict ourselves in this tutorial to the stack.

Click the Next button.

The wizard now asks you to identify the source of the stack smoke. Click the shape you added earlier.

Click the Finish button to export your model to Train Simulator.

The smoke effect now appears where the placeholder was and using a source the size of the placeholder. Obviously this is not a correct location or size.

The source needs to be smaller and set inside the stack.

Here we have our completed effect.