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 Animation

In this tutorial we will describe how to animate models for Microsoft Train Simulator.

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

The features of 3DCrafter Trainworks should be enabled before completing this tutorial. This can be done by choosing "Options" from the "Tools" menu, and then clicking the "Misc." tab.

bulletThe Train Simulator Wizard automatically animates the drive wheels and the link between the drive wheels. Pistons and rods need to be animated manually due to the complexity and variety of piston and rod configurations.
 

 

bulletIn order to reduce the amount of animation required, left and right side equivalent rods must be merged into a single unit. Note that the imported Scotsman model already has the left and right rods and pistons merged.

Once you have merged left and right rods you will need to set the axis point locations for the rods. This can be done using the Shift tool. Select the Shift tool and ctrl-drag to move the axis location while retaining the position of the rods.
 

 

bulletRun the Train Simulator Wizard.

Click the Next button until the attributes are displayed. Enter the number of rods the model uses. Note that this is the number of rods per side.

Click the Next button.

 

bulletThe wizard will ask you to identify the rods and pistons. It is critical that this step be completed since Train Simulator will not animate items that have not been properly identified.

 

bulletThe animation process is relatively straight forward. For each key-frame in the animation re-orient the rods and pistons so they match the animation of the drive wheels and the link between the drive wheels.

 

bulletThough this is relatively straight forward, this can be time consuming. And, it is critical that you understand how the rods should move before attempting to animate them.

 

bulletA completed Scotsman with rod animation.