I would like to start making some locomotives, however I am struggling to find some tutorials which have enabled me to understand the workflow and how to use the loco editor. I have experience with cad and would like to create the 3d models in cad, then import them into blender to do texturing and create the bone animation thing. So what is the best place to start, and is using CAD and blender going to cause problems?
I'm on the clock in a few minutes, but this tutorial I found should be of some use to you since your starting from square one: https://wiki.trainsimcommunity.com/en/train-sim-world/modding/documentation/rail-vehicles
Making locos from scratch is a complicated process. I made my steam locomotive - (see "GWR Pannier Tank" thread) - in Blender and haven't had any real problems with importing things into the PC Editor. If you start with making the model in Blender bear in mind that it must be a Skeletal Mesh with all parts combined in a single object. Each moving part will require a bone in the skeleton and vertex groups assigned. Most locos have one skeletal mesh for the Exterior and one skeletal mesh for the Cab (Interior) . These are then combined in the RVV (Rail Vehicle View) in the Editor. Don't include Couplings and hoses in your model as these are added in the RVV. Best of luck !
Thank you, I've had a look at some more of the doc and tutorials, and I am understanding it more, I am planning to start easy and try getting use to the editor (making some wagons, etc) then progress into locos I am hoping to be able to use CAD and then export that into Blender to do the Skeletal Meshing and Texturing as I am far better at using CAD and I already have a start as I was in the middle of trying to deisgn and 3d print a small model of the engine and then came accross your GWR Pannier Tank thread and thought it would be intresting to try and get it into TSW. I am hoping to be able to make a USATC S160, It isn't much but this is what I have in CAD so far (They are in multiple parts and probably will need to be simplified when imported into TSW):
I think that is the right approach. If you choose a simple wagon from the game and make a similar item in Blender you should then be able to use "child" blueprints of DTG wagons and substitute your own meshes. In this way you can get them to work in the Editor using the DTG model (RVM) and Simugraph. I got my loco "working" in this way quite early on but because the wheelbase was different from the LMS 4F the wheel animations were out of place, so I have to make my own RVM and Simugraph. I suggest you choose a DTG wagon which has same wheelbase as the wagon you want to make as a starting point. Also I always advise anyone who is trying to learn to create child blueprints (of the RVV in the case of a loco) and you can see how they are put together. Good luck with your project. There are very few people trying to make steam locos for TSW so welcome to the club ! !
