i have question? since DTG is having trouble getting reference meatal for us fright content why not use trainz content as reference guide. so DTG would buy trainz game program and buy dlc they want to model from rrmods or jointed rail and take screen shots in trainz game and build model from ground up off that. i believe rrmod and jointed rails models are 99% accurate from real thing. unless it the sounds that the problem for us fright in tsw.
They are more likely to take references from old MSTS or TSC, than Trainz, I have built routes in Trainz, but once you import the data from Transdem there are no detailed real world references in Surveyor other than whatever mapping data you bring with it. That gets painted over with terrain as you advance along the route doing scenery. As regards the trains in Trainz, many are old and in terms of physics lack any resemblance to real life. Ditto cab details. I lost track of the number of locos I downloaded off the DLS and found them aliased to ancient Auran cabs or in the case of a few Swiss locos to the BR Class 47 cab, complete with AWS sunflower.
route i don't think are so bad to make cause google earth pretty good depending on the area. i was thinking about US locomotives since now getting real world references is hard. if there locomotive that everyone wants even dtg want to make like for example dash 9. i think modeling off trainz version would be good cause detail i've seen is really good.
Well there is also such a thing as reverse engineering/copying others work which is frowned upon as I highly doubt N3V as a rival train game producer would agree to share data readily. And last time I checked, N3V make next to nothing in house, it's all third party. There's an outside chance they could talk to a 3P like Jointed Rail, but AFAIK they threw in with Run 8. And if DTG were going to collaborate with another developer, they are more likely than N3V.
I shared this post over on the TSC Discord and this would be a very bad case of 3D model telephone which would make the overall product worse.... At least Adam with RRmods is coming over with his BNSF SD40-2 snoot nose, so we have him as someone who can make good US locomotives (Or at least I hope) His Trainz work doesn't seen too bad.
The Santa Fe (and BNSF too) B40-8W is a must-have for me, along with Santa Fe and BNSF C44-9W, ET44C4/ACH, ES44AC/DC/ACH, GP60 Spartan Cab, GP50, GP39-3 (rebuilt GP30/GP35 ex-BN), SD60M-3, SD70MAC(e), B40-8 Narrow Cab, Amtrak P32-8BWH, P42DC, and ALC-42 Charger with Amtrak Superliners and more freight cars for Santa Fe and BNSF. As much as I like the SD40-2, we should get some of NS's and CSX's rebuilt versions with the new cabs too. For UP, I want a C60AC/C44ACM, SD70M (especially #1616 Abraham Lincoln), Big Boy #4014, Challenger #3985, FEF-3 #844, DDA40X #6936, SD70ACe-T4, GP40-2/N, GP15-1/T/AC/N, C44-9W/C44ACM, ET44AC, ES44AC, C40-8/C40-8W/C41-8W, B40-8/B39-8, SD60/SD60M, and SD59MX.
