Virtual Monorail, or How I'm Spending My Summer Vacation...

[Syndrome]

Love it! But can't you people the park area with little flag-toting tour groups and stroller nazis?

[BRWombat]

T...Now you need to quit your job to do this full time, right? Then you will be a true Computer Geek! :hysteria:

In a heartbeat, Sues -- but first I'd need to find someone willing to pay me to do it! :)

Love it! But can't you people the park area with little flag-toting tour groups and stroller nazis?

Heh... part of the beauty of computer modeling is that you can improve on reality. For further explanation, see the Walt quote in my signature. :twisted: :D:

[Switchbeam 9]

Very nice! EPCOT especially looks sharp.

One of the keys will be to lay out your pylons and holdpoints to be compatible with the system. Another will be to incorporate traditional Monorail landmarks for said holdpoints. For example, the two magnolia trees and the three lights right near the beam (west side) at pylon 210 on EPCOT. The popcorn stand just below where the operating cab will stop for 204 (~pylon 203). Rectifier buildings for the Epcot line are also key as well as the work platform (Rect. 3). Didn't see a slope when approaching EPCOT park, it slopes down a bit just before being parallel with EPCOT station and then moves back up when entering the teardrop around pylon 183. Being alerted for a speedzone change depends on the speed traveling, but the actual speed zones themselves are well defined.

Will send a PM soon.

[BRWombat]

Very nice! EPCOT especially looks sharp.

One of the keys will be to lay out your pylons and holdpoints to be compatible with the system. Another will be to incorporate traditional Monorail landmarks for said holdpoints. For example, the two magnolia trees and the three lights right near the beam (west side) at pylon 210 on EPCOT. The popcorn stand just below where the operating cab will stop for 204 (~pylon 203). Rectifier buildings for the Epcot line are also key as well as the work platform (Rect. 3). Didn't see a slope when approaching EPCOT park, it slopes down a bit just before being parallel with EPCOT station and then moves back up when entering the teardrop around pylon 183. Being alerted for a speedzone change depends on the speed traveling, but the actual speed zones themselves are well defined.

Will send a PM soon.

Awesome! Thanks for this and your PM's so far!

As I mentioned in my PM reply, I've now set up some trains on the various loops and have had fun driving around the World -- not that it's finished, but it's close enough to make it fun. I hope to capture some video soon and upload it to YouTube. I'll post a link here when I do!

Time to build the Poly, GF, and Wilderness Lodge now... :)

[Cranbiz]

Uh Wombat,

Wilderness Lodge is not on the monorail line.





J/K I know what you are doing, I just couldn't resist.

[Big Wallaby]

So now you need to build your monorail to Animal Kingdom and Studios as well, with service to other locations. I would ask that the Monorail not be seen from the Safari. I'll send you a map and other things you would need to know soon.

[BRWombat]

Uh Wombat,

Wilderness Lodge is not on the monorail line. ...

I know, I know. But I miss not seeing it.

So now you need to build your monorail to Animal Kingdom and Studios as well, with service to other locations. I would ask that the Monorail not be seen from the Safari. I'll send you a map and other things you would need to know soon.

Uh... it's prohibitively expensive?? Hey, I have enough on my hands just building the monorail as it exists -- especially now that Switchbeam 9 has me counting pylons and placing popcorn stands... :p:

On the kewl side of things -- I've learned now how to place audio cues, so the monorails will (once I set it up properly) play the recorded spiels as appropriate for the various sections of track that they are on!

[Whazzup]

I know, I know. But I miss not seeing it.

Uh... it's prohibitively expensive?? Hey, I have enough on my hands just building the monorail as it exists -- especially now that Switchbeam 9 has me counting pylons and placing popcorn stands... :p:

On the kewl side of things -- I've learned now how to place audio cues, so the monorails will (once I set it up properly) play the recorded spiels as appropriate for the various sections of track that they are on!

Oh boy, can't wait to see the YouTube version of all this. :)

[BRWombat]

Video's not yet done -- mainly because I haven't placed the virtual "cameras" in the scenery that will let me make the video really cool, but also it's tough to make myself take a break from actually working on the World -- but in the meantime here are more screenshots showing some progress:

Shortly after the last picture posting, I finished work on the Living Seas (sorry, The Seas with Nemo & Friends), which is a pretty complex building, with all its curves, murals, and various colors:


I know the entry mural is messed up, but it falls into the category of "Good Enough For Now / Will Fix Later"!


Here's a better shot of the Universe of Energy than I've posted before:


I've added ticket booths to the Epcot entrance:


Here's the (mostly) completed Future World, looking from World Showcase:


I also created scads of cars for the parking lots. Here's Epcot...


...and the TTC...


I've now fully modeled the Grand Floridian (well, almost -- I haven't done the convention center, and there are also still a few gazebos to toss in) and thrown out those stock buildings I was using as placeholders...


...and the Polynesian:

(Believe it or not, the hardest building to create there... was the laundry building!)

And finally, a glimpse of a work in progress -- the Wilderness Lodge, with a screenshot of the gmax modeling software that I'm using:


I am very grateful all the help and suggestions I've received, publicly and privately, from several of our resident monorail drivers! Any details you guys can give are still appreciated!! (I'm particularly lacking the actual speed limits.)

[vixen101485]

That is really really really really really neato.