!! Working Turntable !!

[Vince]

This just in: A working turntable. In alpha test now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsyg7_vWEto&feature=youtu.be

regards,

[frliss]

This is fantastic!

OR has arrived.

Fred

[stewy]

Talk about a game changer! excellent work,

Stewy

[lateagain]

This is excellent news but not wishing to dampen enthusiasm I thought the issue with turntables was that "paths" in activities couldn't cope with them? Maybe my misunderstanding?

[csantucci]

Thanks for appreciation!
In the video I uploaded the locos of first and third demo arrive at the turntable on an activity path. In the third demo the loco restarts after rotation again on its path. In the second demo static consists are driven, and therefore as such without path.

[conductorchris]

How do working turntables interact with paths and reversing points?

[baldwin]

If you watch the demo, the third part shows an engine coming off of a train, moving to the turntable, turning and then backing down to the train. It was all done on path with reversing points. We just need to wait for Carlo to write up the details for us.

[csantucci]

This is how the path of the third demo looks like:

Turntablepath.jpg

When the steam loco stops on the turntable, it is less than 50 meters away from the reversal point (it is shown in green colour on the OR trackmonitor); so the reversal point is activated on the turntable. To turn the loco it must be passed to manual mode. After the loco has been turned it can be passed back to auto mode, and OR recognizes where it was in the path. The directions problem I mention in the video has been already solved. The loco could also be moved to any roundhouse position in manual mode and then, when returned on the turntable and turned towards the exit track, it can be passed to auto node and therefore return on the original path.

[Train-a-Mania]

That's fantastic. Yet another great development!

[NW 2156]

I am so glad to see my quest for a working turnable show up as a rough working beta thanks to a very ingenious individual. Hopefully the default MSTS turntable sounds can be linked to work correctly with this new found wonder we are seeing for ORTS at some future point.

I had struggled with the very idea on how to connect and disconnect the table from the paths and not screw the trackdb all up in the process. The rotation of the locomotive once on the table was also a huge stumbling block since I have no formal training as software engineer.

I wonder if the table has bounding box properties?

Other concerns will be offering a version for electric and non electric locos so a table with overhead cable that rotates with the table can be rendered correctly. I envision something like two supports at each end of the table and more of steel pipe or bar as the cable for the table.

Hopefully this will lead to a working transfer table or rotary car dumper for coal or gravel hoppers at some point in the future. Then ORTS will be the best train simulator around.

I'd donate to a fund to buy this man a beer for his hard work on this contribution to ORTS. Well done!

Robert

[woodfyr]

A Beer ? I will buy him one of every brand of Craft Beer made in the State of MAINE (there are over 60)!!! And I'll pay to ship it.
This is really a game changer. On to an AE.

[Don6218]

I would even buy Him/Her a Canadian Craft Beer!!! Real BEER!

So my understanding is the Activity Path has to include the turning of the loco. Can it be set up so that an AI/Dead engine is being turned while the player train passes? This would be the ultimate scenery!

Here in Ontario, Canada a lot of turntables were steam powered, some with a line from the locomotive on some smaller branch lines. The ones in the larger shop areas were electric or air.

[lateagain]

PLEASE, PLEASE..... stop threatening the guy with your dreadful beers!!! He may take offence?! In case you missed it he lives in Europe? They've been making beer for CENTURIES, before you guys were only a bad dream for the indigenous North Americans....

Back on topic..... I'd guess that the many types of turntable would be more to do with modelling detail and speed of animation. Never saw an Overhead Electric turntable? I'd have thought most Electric loco's were either centre or dual cabbed? ...and therefore didn't need them? Can't think of a US loco that wasn't? Certainly it was a design feature for European loco's of ALL sorts after steam.

Here in Europe we had many more "Tank Loco's", who's advantage was that they could run backwards as easily as forwards due to their design and this idea was copied by a few North American Roads for use in suburban commuter traffic. However long haul steam always needed turntables and in many places the physical limitations of the location for the turntable limited the type of loco that could be used.

It's a sad fact that most folk in the US old enough to remember steam would now be in their 80's. Youngsters like me clearly remember steam in general use but then we had it 10 years later in the UK. We also had Electric Steam and Diesel operating side by side for a few years.

[csantucci]

The operating turntable feature is now available within OR release x.3544.

Here are the instructions and the files to test this function, both for route Catania-Messina (SICILIA_1) and for other routes using a1t27mturntable.s.
Route Catania-Messina can be downloaded from here: http://www.trainsimhobby.net/infusio...ad.php?did=544
A .ws file within the World subdirectory must be replaced with the following one (this has nothing to do with turntables, it's a file that contains incoherent data that can cause a crash)
w-005631+014158.zip
Here two test paths, one for each turntable in the route, are provided: they can be used either in explore mode or within activities:
Turntable_PATHS.zip
Within the route's folder following kit, containing a .dat file with the turntable data and a small integration .trk file that indicates the name of the .sms sound file to be associated to the turntable (they will be automatically placed within an Openrails subfolder), must be inserted
Sicilia1_turntable_kit.zip
File a1t27mturntable.s within Global\Shapes must be uncompressed with Route Riter or Shapefilemanager and the animation data included in the file attached here below must be added to such uncompressed file (just above the last parenthesis).
a1t27mturntable_animations.zip

Within the base Sound folder (not the one of the route) the following .sms file has to be added to provide sound. It uses the two default MSTS .wav files for the sound. They have a bit a low volume. It is open to everyone to improve such files. Discrete trigger 1 is triggered when the turntable starts turning empty, discrete trigger 2 is triggered when the turntable starts turning with train on board, and discrete trigger 3 is triggered when rotation stops.
turntablesSOUND.zip



To extend to other routes the operation of such turntable only one integration .trk file and a specific turntables.dat (the route's specific turntable kit) must be created and inserted in an Openrails subfolder. The only data that must be modified for the first file is the reference to the base .trk file, and for the second file parameters Wfile and UID. One block for each turntable must be inserted in the .dat file, and the number on top of the file indicates the total number of blocks (turntables).

Operation hints. After having stopped correctly the loco and having put reverser to neutral and entered manual mode (in explorer mode this last step is not needed) you can rotate the turntable clockwise with keys Alt+C, and counterclockwise with keys Ctrl+C. You must keep the keys pressed to continue rotation. When the first of the two rails of the rotating bridge is between the two rails where you want to stop, release the keys. Rotation will continue up to perfect alignment. If necessary exit from manual mode (if you are again on a path in activity mode) and move the loco out of the turntable.

By correctly animating them, also other turntables included within tsection.dat can be made operational.

Remaining on turntable a1t27turntable.s, there are e.g. within routes Rollins Pass, PRR EAST REG, ATSF Marceline Sub, and a good amount of other ones within non-US routes. turntables.dat files for such three USA routes are available within the ET Forum.

[sidp]

For those who may not have access to the ET Forum, here are the the turntables.dat files for some of the routes with working a1t27turntable.s turntables: