The Steam Engine (commercial) in the shop

3djoji

This little set is somewhat incredible of reality. All mechanical parts are well working and the whole machine is ready for the animation. The promo's are most realised with DS i(Iray) and the steam is just some brushes from Photoshop (studiodork.com). 

JOdel

Oh, splendid. Will be looking forward to this.

Now i think we just need a coal carrier and a caboose.

3djoji

this loco type has a coal tank on each side. A caboose is somewhat interresting :)

JOdel

Ah, I see.  Looks a bit awkward to stoke the engine from, but it must have been doable.

nowefg

First: The modeling is really nice, and I've been wanting exactly this style of Victorian/Edwardian Era steam loco, to go with other period rolling stock I already have. But...

There are problems. For example, the Steam Loco bumpers, or blocks, as they're called in this model, have sliders that don't work. The blocks don't move when you use the assigned slider, in other words. This is a bug, front and back.

Also, Wheel rotation using the assigned slider for the great looking and elaborate drive mechanism is totally jerky. Not a ram issue, but a processor issue for me. I can dial the rotation numerically, .1 at a time, but it's tedious and disrupts the spontaneity, aka fun. I'd rather the slider did a better job. As it is, if I slide it up some, it take some seconds for the movement to actually happen, so there's no real control. Maybe on a more powerful computer that would work better.

There are an awful lot of fiddly little morphing control handles and dial-arrows inside the cab, but the big one, the Main Power Bar, isn't rigged at all, and can't be moved. It's like a rigging a morphing radio dial, when the steering wheel can't be turned at all. I'm unlikely to try to animate a figure moving all those tiny controls, when they can't move the Main big one.

Couplers and hoses on the Steam Loco don't rotate into coupled-position, while the couplers and hoses on the Wagon do rotate. Loco and Wagon can't be coupled together, in other words, just wagon to wagon. A major issue, there.

The bumpers on the wagon aren't rigged to move, while the bumpers on the loco are at least supposed to, though, as mentioned above, they don't work. Another major issue.

The scale is very odd. The Loco is way too big for use with a stock-sized M4.

It may match the Parkside sets, but not the stock human figure size, so it can't be matched with any existing rolling stock I have, except the Parkside sets.

Nothing really wrong with that, but, since I have already some excellent vintage locos and rolling stock from other venders, this scale issue is a real disappointment. At 80%, the loco fits the figure, but is too narrow for the supplied, standard track gauge. If I reduce the track to fit, all my other models, all scaled to stock M4, are too wide.

Overall, I would rather the modeller had stayed true to scale on the standard human scale figure, instead of trying to match Parkside. I have all the Parkside models, of course, but when I want realistic, vintage rail scenes, there are other models that are a lot more effective than Parkside, which I use mostly for squashing zombies. (Kidding, there, Jack.)

All in all, I'd like to find some way to use this Steam Loco, especially if the bugs are fixed, and the issues around bumper and coupling incompatibility are resolved. But, even at 30% off, it's no giveaway, and having to wait to get the fixes inclines me toward a possible return. With all the money I spend at Daz, I hate to have to do QC for them, too.

 

 

3djoji

nowefg said:

... having to wait to get the fixes inclines me toward a possible return

 

 

IMO, better for you to ask your money back because, using DAZ Studio 4.9  :

• at my side the bumpers of the loco work well
• I can make a complete animation without jerky because I know how to from the tutorials
• Programming of what you call "main Power Bar" was not in the descriptive book but as far the components of it are selectable and boned (However I did it), you can try easily to make it using the powerfull DS (who want to try can be helped of course). Even programmed, you can not have some music like a radio...
• Morphs of the couplers of the steam loco are not included, this is not in the order book and finally these one can not generate any steam at all. (However I have them ready for those who ask gently and, perheaps, a new version would be available to add this too late unrequested morph).
• The bumpers of the wagon are not in the order book but they can be easily programmed because they are selectable and boned (However I did it). Using the hidden property Z translate you can easily make the control property yourself.
• Your opinion is somewhat for you, not somewhat universel, matching the parkside is somewhat requested and I didn't try to make it, I made it. Usually I've to scale the genesis3 figures at least at 150% to match this parkside environment. I use it also with a lot of other environments, knowing exactly what are the size of all items I use, comparing them in a scale chart I made to be able to use them together.
• what you call bugs are only what you expect more and are not included in this engine. 

IMO, better for you to ask your money back because there is no reason to make the changes you ask for. 

 

Male-M3dia

3djoji said:

nowefg said:

... having to wait to get the fixes inclines me toward a possible return

 

 

IMO, better for you to ask your money back because, using DAZ Studio 4.9  :

• at my side the bumpers of the loco work well
• I can make a complete animation without jerky because I know how to from the tutorials
• Programming of what you call "main Power Bar" was not in the descriptive book but as far the components of it are selectable and boned (However I did it), you can try easily to make it using the powerfull DS (who want to try can be helped of course). Even programmed, you can not have some music like a radio...
• Morphs of the couplers of the steam loco are not included, this is not in the order book and finally these one can not generate any steam at all. (However I have them ready for those who ask gently and, perheaps, a new version would be available to add this too late unrequested morph).
• The bumpers of the wagon are not in the order book but they can be easily programmed because they are selectable and boned (However I did it). Using the hidden property Z translate you can easily make the control property yourself.
• Your opinion is somewhat for you, not somewhat universel, matching the parkside is somewhat requested and I didn't try to make it, I made it. Usually I've to scale the genesis3 figures at least at 150% to match this parkside environment. I use it also with a lot of other environments, knowing exactly what are the size of all items I use, comparing them in a scale chart I made to be able to use them together.
• what you call bugs are only what you expect more and are not included in this engine. 

IMO, better for you to ask your money back because there is no reason to make the changes you ask for. 

 

+1

Totte

3djoji said:

... matching the parkside is somewhat requested and I didn't try to make it, I made it. Usually I've to scale the genesis3 figures at least at 150% to match this parkside environment. I use it also with a lot of other environments, knowing exactly what are the size of all items I use, comparing them in a scale chart I made to be able to use them together.​

Being a "former" rail road nerd, I found it very difficult using railways as every PA uses a different gauge.The European (and mostly in US / Canada too) standard is 1435mm, 143,5 DAZ Units (cm).

- The Parkside gauge is at 150.5 DAZ Units (cm), which is 1505 mm, close to the russian gauge at 1520 mm, I always suspected Jack spent too much time in Pripyat ;-)
-The Old Railway gauge is at 176,8 DAZ Units (cm) which is 1768 mm, close to the Indian gauge at 1676 mm.

There is a fun story why the russain gauge is wider that the European standard gauge. When Russians came and meassured the railroads in Europe, they meassured outside-outside, not inside-inside, but when they wrote their standards they put that figure as inside-inside.

 

Digital Lite Design

Great looking engine!  I am looking forward to playing with it.  :)  Now....to find time.  :D