TRAIN SIM WORLD ANNOUNCED!

http://train-simulator.com/category/train-sim-world/

With a BETA arriving in December 2016, and full release early in 2017, TSW represents a major step forward for railroad simulations. Based on the Unreal gaming engine, TSW promises much better realism, both in look and operation, allowing 3D artists to once again push back the envelope of create mastery. Everything is new again!

And it won't be quick. No development tools are slated to be released with the BETA, and likely not the first release. Unreal is a vast suite of tools, and no backward compatibility is planned. This really frees up what is possible, but it also lengthens the time that new content will appear for TSW.

With this September 2016 announcement, we are officially ending development of Panamint Crossing for the existing TrainSimulator product. The route is now freely available to anyone who wants it, and you have our blessings to do anything you want with it, assets and all.

We have another route planned in addition to Panamint Crossing, one which pushes the LOD horizon just as far as the basin and range vistas of America's southwest. But we'll keep it under our big ugly hats until we have a demonstration ready. If you live in Michigan, you are going to just squeal!

Here's a peek at the new sim (click to enlarge):

Many thanks again to the TS community. Our brightest days are ahead!

MODELING BREAKTHROUGH

As attention turns to trackside models, it had always been my intent to increase and extend the realism. The dusty desert environment is a challenge in that nothing ever remains shiny and new for long. But most everything in nature does reflect some light, creating both ambiance and shine, even dulled by wind and grit.

So I turned to some new shaders -- those bits of software that interpret images for painting models in the simulation -- to help with the trackside look and feel. Retrofitting existing models has been a mixed bag, because they really needed to be designed from the beginning with these shaders in mind. So I was able to restrict that work pretty quickly, allowing me to address only the models that needed the touch-ups.

NAUER BOOM CRANE VARIANTS

ALKALI FLATS

As these models are strewn about the route, breaking the crane models into pieces allows for more flavors, including rusty bits to be used in the coming fields of detritus and decaying heaps. The basic body is used for boom cranes, excavators, and drilling rigs.When you need to pack it up, and move it around, Nauer Industries custom configures flatcars to accommodate any chassis.

NAUER FACILITY AND CRAWLER BOOM CRANE

ALKALI FLATS

The Nauer Industries Facility base model is now complete. We threw in a water tower, because why not? Nauer builds and maintains road vehicles of all types and sizes, the primary supplier of such goods and services for the route's many industries.

MOJAVE DESERT PAINTING

ALKALI FLATS

Alkali Flats is a small town sandwiched between the dry beds of Lake Panamint and the boundaries of Death Valley National Park In this sequence, we see the open Mojave Desert north and east of Alkali Flats taking shape, leveraging irregularly shaped asset blocks used to lay down the overlapping carpets of seasonal vegetation and default rocks. The zoom effect introduced with TrainSimulator 2014 allows users to peer deep into the terrain, so we filled in the region bounded by the hairpin curve in the main lines as they begin their long ascent.