As it seems unlikely that there will be any "official" GWR Steam loco DLC in the near future, I have spent some time building my own version of the Class 57XX loco in Blender to use with my steam era GWR route. At the moment I have done the main frames (chassis), some of the internal works and have just finished the wheels. This photo shows the model in Blender with a scaled drawing of the prototype (sorry it's only the front end ) in the background. The plan is to create a skeletal mesh with the same skeleton as the DTG 4F loco and then reassign the skeleton to get the animations in game. If this "substitution" works I may then try to create the whole locomotive in the editor without using any DTG assets. The second photo shows the model so far imported as a simple static mesh to test the scale and texturing etc in game. (Play In Editor mode). According to Blender 42,000 triangles so far ! Next step is to finish the internal mechanism (expansion links etc), add brakes and boiler etc and do final texturing ( at the moment the textures are simple diffuse placeholders - hence the metal buffer beam). The cab interior is a separate skeletal mesh which will involve several other challenges, not least the fact that GWR positioned the driver on the right so the reverser (lever not screw) and fireman will have to be mirror images of the ones used by DTG.
As I had only just finished the wheels and they were separate objects I quickly joined them all into one object with the "frames". Then in Object Mode with the "frames" object selected click on File menu, then Export, then fbx as shown in this photo. Be careful to select the correct options in the next stage - choose Selected objects - then set Forward to X axis , Up to Z axis and smoothing to Face - I also use "Apply Unit" and have never had problems with scale of the imported objects. The last thing is to choose the name of your fbx file and then click Export FBX button. I personally have a folder on my Unreal drive (called Blender Models) and I copy the fbx file to that folder but this is only for convenience. Then open the Editor and go to the content folder where you want your object to be. Select the Add/import open and choose "Import asset to xxx folder" . In the browser window navigate to your fbx file and select open. The import options window will appear and I leave everything at default settings except choose "Create new materials" if this is the first time of importing . Then click on Import All and your model and all the textures and materials will appear in the folder. You will have to save all of these and it's worth checking through them to make sure everything is OK before saving. Sorry , this is a very brief explanation , and I don't know how familiar you are with Blender, but I hope this helps.
You're a brave man, I wonder how good a steam loco simulation you can make with the options the Editor gives you.
Thank you. Possibly more a case of "Fools rush in where wise men fear to tread" ! I have no idea how many features Simugraph offers (or how to integrate it into the code for a vehicle) but the only reason I do any of my hobby "projects" is so that I can learn how to put my inspiration into reality. I did read in a post somewhere by DTG Matt that new "physics" functions can't be added to Simugraph in the Editor so if the function (e.g. Injector) is not in the Steam section of Simugraph then I guess it won't be possible. There was an interesting series of tutorials on YouTube explaining how to make Physics based locomotives (including steam) in Unreal (I was using UE5 ) but when the TSW4 editor came along I shifted to that. (One thing I miss from UE5 is Nanite which removes the need to make Level of Detail models.)
Thanks for your interest. I have been working on it and about ten days ago I had done most of the "working parts" including the Brake rigging, all the piston and valve gear and the buffers. I have assigned each part to a vertex group before joining them into the main model and started on the Armature/ skeleton. This photo shows the "between frames" layout in the editor (still a static mesh). Since then I have been working on the Boiler because I can't do the proper textures until I can unwrap the whole model. Originally, I planned to use one huge texture (4096 x 4096) for the whole locomotive (as DTG do with the 4F) but I may do two smaller textures with one for the "chassis" and one for the boiler/bodywork. I have got the basic structure (excluding the cab) but need to add lots of detail (lamp irons, filler caps, sand boxes, toolboxes, pipes, handrails and so on). At that stage I will aim the apply proper textures, finish the skeleton and import it to the Editor substituting the DTG 4F skeleton for the one I'm making in Blender. Hopefully it will then work in the Editor (although looking a bit odd with the 4F cab interior.) This photo shows the loco as of yesterday, still wearing it's basic dark metal texture.
That is absolutely fantastic! It’s about time we had some GWR steam! Shame you can’t share it to all platforms when it’s done!
Thanks to all of you for your comments. I am pressing on with detailing and have returned to the chassis to finish off sandboxes, oilers, vacuum pipes etc. I have a few more bits to model and then plan to complete the skeleton and then export the chassis only as a skeletal mesh. Then I will substitute that mesh in the 4F RVV and see if it is driveable in the editor (even without the boiler and with the 4F cab interior). If that works then I can carry on with texturing the whole model and importing the whole model before starting on the interior !.
I have now completed this work as suggested. The skeleton was an exact duplicate of the 4F one (hierarchy etc) and was exported from Blender as a skeletal mesh. I then made a child RVV from the 4F one and substituted my skeletal mesh for the 4F one, leaving everything else the same. I set up an RVD and made a consist to use in a test timetable in the editor. With my own skeleton the model appeared in the game but would only slide along the tracks (no wheel rotation). With the skeleton assigned to the 4F skeleton the loco would drive along correctly but with a few animation errors as shown in this photo Some of this is due to Blender bone orientation not exporting correctly to Unreal. The other issues are due to the mesh being stretched to fit the bigger 4F skeleton. There are many tutorials on remapping animations to "fit" a smaller skeleton and I have been trying to do this in the editor but any attempts to reassign the animations results in a crash so I guess this isn't possible with cooked assets. Sadly, I can't go any further until I decide which of two options to pursue. 1. Carry on in the editor and try to create my own animations (which may involve setting up everything including Simulation assets). 2. Abandon the editor and revert to creating a physics based railway in Unreal 5. I had started doing this using you-tube tutorials but switched to the editor because of track laying (in the physics based system each point (junction) had to be made separately although lengths of track were laid as splines.) Ironically, in view of the latest posts about track laying being broken, the editor in its current form may have lost its advantage. If I carry on in the editor I will post again if I make any further progess.
Would it not be possible for DTG to test if this can be exported to all platforms? I understand they may (and should) pay the creator for their content, but it would be a great way of adding Locos to the game. I understand that it would be a base loco, with no route inclusion, timetables and scenarios. It could however then be available for future route creators. I don't see a downside to doing this, but also note that I don't know nearly enough about how cross platform exporting works. Keep up the great work, love a good pannier tank.
Thanks to you both for your support (oliverlacey2704 and disco#7930). I think it may be possible to solve the issue by using my own skeleton with a new Animation Blueprint (linked to that skeleton.) This would solve the problem of the mesh being stretched to fit the larger 4F skeleton. At the moment (if I don't use the 4F Animation Blueprint) the loco will "drive" from one place to another under AI control but slides along the track with no wheel movement. However, I haven't learnt enough about setting up Animation Blueprints in Unreal to get the wheels moving so I'm having a break trying to get the loco to run on my physics based railway in Unreal 5.(Copied from YouTube tutorials by "Nico's Creative Side" ) I will post again if I manage to sort it out.
Having just returned to the Editor after a long absence I have been encouraged to try again with the loco and update on how things are going. I have now succeeded in getting the loco working in the Editor . At present I am using the DTG fowler 4F model (RVM) and Simugraph. In the RVV I have substituted my own Exterior Skeletal mesh but left the Cab mesh (as can be seen from the "unusual" appearance of the Cab area). In this form I created a Scenario definition file and test timetable to drive a short distance - stop - then move forward to couple up to two wagons and then reverse with them to a stopping point. The loco is fully driveable using the cab controls and / or external view and moves forward / brakes in response. The problem is that the loco slides along the track without any wheel rotation. When I reach the wagons I can exit the loco and couple up to the wagons. At present I am having trouble getting back into the cab driving position as it is difficult to position the cab and the "Climb UP" box correctly and I have been moving them around. (Hence the driver standing in the coal bunker.) . I did manage once to get into an "on my knees" driving position and could tow the wagons away. Their wheels moved but the loco's did not. I think the entrance and exit issues can be fixed in the RVV but the problem remains no animation. The wheel diameters and spacing are set in the Simugraph and if I use the 4F animation the wheels and axles are pushed out of position (and loco hovers over the track) to match the 4F layout. If anybody can offer advice on how to read the speed from Simugraph or RVM into an Animation Blueprint linked to my skeleton I would be pleased to hear it. I have attempted my own Simugraph but, at the moment, if I use it the Editor crashes on loading the scenario.
Looks great so far, hope you can figure out how to do it You could try asking on the Train Sim Community Discord, some people there have already done animations and would probably know I have heard that animations for wheels are done mainly through bones and Simugraph calculates the rotation automatically, but I don't know the specifics. You could try looking at the 4F skeleton and make sure yours uses the same name conventions, etc
I will explain as best as I can - as far as using existing animations and skeletons - totally doable. The only question is if everything that needs to be animated is in the same spot as on the original loco. If this is the case, it's quite simple. Pull the model of the original loco out from the game, delete the model itself, leaving just the skeleton, then bind that skeleton to your mesh and weight the appropriate vertices to their respective bones like the original loco. Once you got this done, you can just import the model into the game, and specify the original loco's skeleton for the mesh on import. Now, if things are not in the same places as the original, things get a bit trickier, but still doable. You would have to import the loco into the game just like written above, however you would have to have it generate the skeleton. Then, you would have to copy the cooked animation files and edit them to change the skeleton to your skeleton. None of this is theoretical, as I had to do this very thing with my SW1500, which is shorter than the original MP15DC it's based on. If you need further help, you should jump onto the TSC Discord and go to the #tsw-modding channel.
Thanks to MJCKP and oakleymoss#1362 for your encouragement. Thanks also to TheShotte for your explanation and encouragement that this can be done successfully. I understand about importing a mesh and reassigning the skeleton but I'm not quite clear on copying the cooked animation files and changing the skeleton. As far as I can tell there is no animation for the wheel rotation except for the main Animation Blueprint. I have tried to deep copy this (Editor crash) and creating a Child Blueprint from it. I tried retargeting an earlier ABP to my mesh skeleton but ended up with the same result (Wheels now rotate but the axles are displaced to their positions on the 4F model) As I have a number of assets in my loco editor folder I think I will clear things out and then reimport the Skeletal mesh for a fresh start. Thanks for your help and I will certainly think about joining the TSC Discord
It's a Class 57xx , although there were various versions numbered in different series. The one I'm making is an early version (as first built) with round cab windows but no cab door. Apologies but I realised that the photo I uploaded was from the internet and I don't have permission from the original photographer to publish it.
You're welcome. I actually made a rather significant discovery since I wrote that post. Even if your model is sized differently, you don't have to mess around with the animations at all. If your skeleton has things that are in different places than the original, you could still use the original loco's skeleton, the only thing you have to do is check the box that says "Use T0 as Reference Pose" when importing the model. This will position all the components as per your model instead of how they are in the original skeleton, and things won't appear out of place. No messing around with animations at all. Just check that box, use the original loco's skeleton and voila, all animations work, and everything is in place as per your skeleton positioning.
Thanks very much for the suggestion and for taking the time to reply . I have tried a few variations today but still not quite there. If I import the model with "Use T0 as Reference Pose" ticked and assign to the DTG Fowler 4F skeleton it imports successfully and when loaded into the game it renders correctly with the wheels in the right place but whatever animation blueprint I use there is no wheel rotation. The simulation works correctly (acceleration / braking etc) but no rotation. This is using the DTG skeleton, DTG RVM (model) and an animation blueprint (a child of the DTG one). The second picture shows the same scene with an identical skeletal mesh but imported with "Use T0 as Reference Pose" ticked and assigned to a skeleton from my own model. The Animation blueprint is the same as above and this time the wheels move but in the wrong place (coupling rod rotating shows the movement.) The axles on the model are being displaced to match the 4F positions. I am sure that your suggestion about the TO option will be a great help in the future with other models but it seems that in this case the wheel rotation is being controlled by the animation blueprint and this is getting the axle positions from either the RVM Model or the actual Simugraph. Once again , thank you for your all your help.
Another thing is this a screw or levered reverser pannier as I do know there’s a screw revered panniers around
They were (all?) lever reverse (on right hand side). The main variations between the batches are that locos made after 1933 were fitted with improved cabs. (Cab roof rounded into sides and rectangular windows instead of round). I'm making 7728 / 7730 / 7749 which were allocated to Westbury in 1931 Chippenham was allocated 3746 and 3764 by 1937 and they had the later cabs, so I might do a variant later on. I realise that modelling the cab interior is going to be big challenge (on the scale of making the loco itself) as GWR used RHS driving position (compared to LMS) and, as you say, lever reverse. Also the fireman (fireperson) will have to be animated as a mirror image. In real life apparently, because the rear wheel springs protruded into the Cab, the firemen used a special "shovel swinging" method to avoid catching their rear ends on the top of the springs ! I've now gone back to Blender to detail the cab exterior, add injectors and tool boxes etc. and then try to get proper materials set up rather than the placeholder basic colours shown above.
You can't really use the Animation BP with your own skeleton, therein lies the problem (not easily anyway), because the ABP has a skeleton specified within it. There is a way you can do it, but it would involve editing existing ABP and literally every single animation file with UAssetGUI and changing the skeleton to your own, and then creating the pak file with those files. Trying to use them in the editor will make it crash, so they would only work in-game. I don't think that's necessary. I think the issue lies elsewhere.
Thanks once again for the advice. I had realised that Animation Blueprints are not transferable but thank you for pointing me towards UAssetGUI (and FModel). From studying Child Blueprints I have found that the Animation Blueprint and the Rail Vehicle Model both have settings where you can link the axles of the model (Axle 11, Axle 12 and Axle 13) to the Axles in the simulation (Axle 1, Axle 2 and Axle 3) and I think this might be where the trouble lies. If I link just the centre axle only the centre wheels rotate (in it's incorrect position) and if I link all three all three wheels rotate. I have tried making my own RVM from a child of the DTG one but this just crashes the editor. I am now building my own RVM and have had success in getting Player interaction with the controls, but so far have not made the links to the simulation (so if I increase the throttle in the cab nothing happens.) .The blueprint for the RVM does have an option to add axles and / or wheels so this may be the solution. Thanks again for your advice.
If you have different length of vehicle you will need edited SA as well, but again, that's what UAssetGUI is for
Thanks for your continued interest - sorry for the delay in responding but I have been busy with other things this week. I have completed the detailing on the boiler section of the model -adding tool boxes and the complex injectors and have been trying to learn texturing for Unreal. I have been using ArmorPaint (which is a budget alternative to Substance Painter) and has allowed me to combine six basic materials (Matt Black - Black Paint - Green Paint - Cast Iron- Brass and Tank Lettering into one set of texture maps. I now have two materials only for the Boiler section (Combined Material and Cab side Numbers). The picture shows current progress although I'm still trying to improve the "streaking" on the tank sides and colour variation and dirt/rust on the other parts of the model. Next I aim to do the same for the "Chassis" -adding rivets, ATC pick up and then texturing in the same way to get one texture for the frames - footplate - buffer beams - and various metal parts such as Coupling and Conn rods. When I combine the meshes into one model I hope to combine the Cab Side Numbers with the Buffer Beam numbers into one material so that I can choose the loco number in game. After that I shall start on the Cab (Interior) - at the moment I have the basic shape and the boiler firebox end in Blender and have found a good Cab Layout drawing in an old book I had about GWR locos. This is now a background image in Blender to help position the pipes and fittings in the cab.
