How to fake a moving train?

[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