Pants!

My head hurts.

I've done a bit more on the 86 Class. I added the last of the hand holds (at the front) and have started on the first pantograph. All that concentration has given me a headache.

Im making a heavy duty version of a cross-arm pantograph, as was originally fitted to the 86 Class (Like the ones you see on the S sets, but tougher). I also plan to build a heavy duty version of a high speed panto, which were used on the 86 Class in later years. (Like the ones on the Tangara). While the loco itself is going to be payware, the pantographs will be free, and available on the DLS. I will also eventually be building a light duty version of each, and have already started on the high speed version for the Tangara. These will also be on the DLS, and having all four versions used by Railcorp / Cityrail will allow me to use them on other locos in the future. If you like them, you could even use them on locos make by other creators.

I've finished the base and the contacts, and added the pistons and springs. I need to tweak those some more. I havnt built the cross-arms yet, but they will be next. You can just see the pivot bar for the arms in the base, if you squint :)

Somehow, I managed to freeze the ditch lights, so they havnt been appearing on recent screenshots. They're back now, and integrated into the base so that they wont go missing again. I havnt started on the headlights yet.

I also did a bit more work on the catenary, and have the first model almost ready for testing in Trainz.

Im off to Japan at the end of this week, so if I dont post anything for a couple of weeks, you know why.

The poly count has crept up a bit - remembering that the number below represents half of the loco. Im not sure if you can use LOD modelling on pantographs, but I guess I will find out. Im building this one with a lot of detail, but I can make it a bit simpler if I have to. I plan to animate it, and besides the usual up and down motion, you should also be able to see the pistons and springs expand and contract. I want the workings to be apparent. The panto itself isnt really using a lot of polys. The number below includes a lot of things that will be separated into different files, so individually, it should be fine.

File Version: 102
Poly Count: 8931

Note: The poly count shown here is for the gmax model in progress. The count will generally be higher than that of the finished in-game model since it includes various tools, jigs, and other pieces which may not be part of the final model. LOD modelling will further reduce in-game polygons.