Dennis Lances BVE site

UPDATED 25/10/06 - tutorial 5_2, finishing construction of the brick building.

So that we can all enjoy more great BVE routes, why not try building one yourself, following the tutorials here.  These will be added to over the next few months, building a route which will be drivable if not scenically complete and following prototypical operation.  These tutorials assume no prior knowledge and are therefore suitable for complete beginners.  I would hope that any questions which arise will be answered in later installments although there is no reason why they cannot be raised in an open forum, http://www.railforums.co.uk/ is where I lurk, although there are plenty of other active BVE discussion forums.  Hopefully by learning from these tutorials, you will be able to create scenes like these Gallery.htm.  Have fun!

Tutorial 1-1.....  tutorial 1_1.htm  Getting started, laying straight track between two stations.

Objects required for this tutorial may be found here.....DLTUTORIAL_1.zip Unzip to a new directory named DLTUTORIAL_1 where your other object files are located.

Tutorial 1-2.....  tutorial 1_2.htm Adding another station, changing the time, stop points and adding free objects.

No new objects are required for this tutorial.

Tutorial 1-3..... tutorial 1_3.htm Adding curves, smooth curves and an adjacent track. 

Objects required for this tutorial may be found here.....DLTUTORIAL_1_3.zip,  unzip these to the objects directory DLTUTORIAL_1 (no subdirectory required)

At the end of this tutorial, the route file should look something like this DLTUTORIAL_1_3 route file.zip

Tutorial 1-4.....tutorial 1_4.htm Changing the track layout, using an alternative track texture and introducing run sounds.  Bit heavy this one!!

No additional objects are required for this tutorial.

At the end of this tutorial, the route file should look something like this DLTUTORIAL AFTER_1_4.zip 

Tutorial 1-5.....tutorial 1_5.htm Finishing the track layout for the island platform and adding a double lead junction.  Also, turning on the rain.

No additional objects are required for this tutorial.

At the end of this tutorial, the route file should look something like this DLTUTORIAL_AFTER 1_5.zip

Tutorial 1-6.....tutorial 1_6.htm Tidying up the junction and an introduction to speed limits.

Objects required for this tutorial may be found here.....DLTUTORIAL_1_6 OBJECTS.zip,  unzip these to the objects directory DLTUTORIAL_1 (no subdirectory required).  Overwrite files if requested to do so.

At the end of this tutorial, the route file should look something like this DLTUTORIAL_AFTER 1_6.zip

That rounds off our tracklaying.  In the last tutorial, speed limts were introduced and in the next series of tutorials we will expand on this, adding AWS and TPWS where necessary and introduce signalling to the route.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tutorial 2-1.....tutorial 2_1.htm. Finishing off the speed limits and adding AWS warnings, protecting buffer stops with TPWS and introducing signalling.

Objects required for this tutorial may be found here.....DL_TUTORIAL_2_1 objects.zip,  unzip these to the objects directory DLTUTORIAL_2 (no subdirectory required).   

For this tutorial, start with this route file.....DLTUTORIAL_2_1_start.zip

At the end of this tutorial, the route file should look something like this.....DLTUTORIAL_2_1_final.zip

Tutorial 2-2......tutorial 2_2.htm. Finishing off the signalling, including installation of AWS and TPWS.

Objects required for this tutorial may be found here.....DLtutorial 2_2 objects.zip,  unzip these to the objects directory DLTUTORIAL_2 (no subdirectory required).   

For this tutorial, start with this route file.....DLTUTORIAL_2_1_start.zip

At the end of this tutorial, the route file should look something like this.....DLTUTORIAL_2_2_final.zip

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tutorial 3-1.......tutorial 3_1.htm Starting to add scenic elements to the route by positioning signalling related freeobjects.

Objects required for this tutorial may be found here.....DLTUTORIAL_3_1_OBJECTS.zip,  unzip these to the objects directory DLTUTORIAL_2 (no subdirectory required).   

For this tutorial, start with this route file.....DLTUTORIAL_2_2_final.zip

At the end of this tutorial, the route file should look something like this.....DLTUTORIAL_3_1_final.zip

Tutorial 3-2....... tutorial 3_2.htm Starting construction of a tunnel.

Objects required for this tutorial may be found here.....DLTUTORIAL_3_2_OBJECTS.zip,  unzip these to the objects directory   

For this tutorial, start with this route file.....DLTUTORIAL_3_2_start.zip

At the end of this tutorial, the route file should look something like this.....DLTUTORIAL_3_2_final.zip

Tutorial 3-3.......tutorial 3_3.htm Finishing construction of the tunnel and introducing the brightness command.  Try using your own texture for the tunnel wall.

Objects required for this tutorial may be found here.....TUTORIAL_3_3_OBJECTS.zip,  unzip these to the objects directory  

** note - in the route file, all objects are now specfied as being in OBJECTS/ DLTUTORIAL **

For this tutorial, start with this route file.....DLTUTORIAL_3_2_final.zip

At the end of this tutorial, the route file should look something like this.....DLTUTORIAL_3_3_final.zip

Tutorial 3-4.......tutorial 3_4.htm Starting to add scenery on the tunnel approach using walls and dikes.

Objects required for this tutorial may be found here.....Objects for tutorial 3_4.zip,  unzip these to the objects directory  

** note - in the route file, all objects are now specfied as being in OBJECTS/ DLTUTORIAL **

For this tutorial, start with this route file.....DLTUTORIAL_3_3_final.zip

At the end of this tutorial, the route file should look something like this.....DLTUTORIAL_3_4_final.zip

Tutorial 3-5.......tutorial 3_5.htm Adding a waterfront with a walled and fenced walkway on the tunnel approach.

Objects required for this tutorial may be found here.....Objects for tutorial 3_5.zip,  unzip these to the objects directory  

** note - in the route file, all objects are now specfied as being in OBJECTS/ DLTUTORIAL **

For this tutorial, start with this route file.....DLTUTORIAL_3_4_final.zip

At the end of this tutorial, the route file should look something like this.....DLTUTORIAL_3_5_final.zip

Tutorial 3-6.......tutorial 3_6.htm Finishing off the tunnel entrance and introducing lighting (built in BVE lighting and .X files)

Objects required for this tutorial may be found here.....Objects for tutorial 3_6.zip,  unzip these to the objects directory  

** note - in the route file, all objects are now specfied as being in OBJECTS/ DLTUTORIAL **

For this tutorial, start with this route file.....DLTUTORIAL_3_5_final.zip

At the end of this tutorial, the route file should look something like this.....DLTUTORIAL_3_6_final.zip

Why not have a go at building the objects using your own textures - just remember to use 8 bit indexed colour bitmaps that are sized such that they obey the ^2 rule.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tutorial 4-1.......tutorial 4_1.htm Building the island platform

Objects required for this tutorial may be found here.....Objects for tutorial 4_1.zip,  unzip these to the objects directory  

For this tutorial, start with this route file.....DLTUTORIAL_4_1_start.zip

At the end of this tutorial, the route file should look something like this.....DLTUTORIAL_4_1_final.zip

Tutorial 4-2.......tutorial 4_2.htm Building a platform ramp

Objects required for this tutorial may be found here.....Objects for tutorial 4_2.zip,  unzip these to the objects directory  

For this tutorial, start with this route file.....DLTUTORIAL_4_1_final.zip

At the end of this tutorial, the route file should look something like this.....DLTUTORIAL_4_2_final.zip

Tutorial 4-3.......tutorial 4_3.htm introducing smoothly curved lineside objects;

Objects required for this tutorial may be found here....., Objects for tutorial 4_3.zip unzip these to the objects directory  

For this tutorial, start with this route file.....DLTUTORIAL_4_2_final.zip

At the end of this tutorial, the route file should look something like this.....DLTUTORIAL_4_3_final.zip

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tutorial 5-1.......tutorial 5_1.htm constructing a building from reference photos; this tutorial considers the nature of photos needed to make objects and how suitable textures can be obtained from them.   

Objects required for this tutorial may be found here.....Objects for tutorial 5_1.zip,  unzip these to the objects directory  

Tutorial 5-2.......tutorial 5_2.htm finishing of the brick building.   

Objects required for this tutorial may be found here.....Objects for tutorial 5_2.zip,  unzip these to the objects directory  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Modifying existing routes....not feeling up to building a whole route, then try modifying existing scenarions.  Includes changing traction, modifying station stops and much more!

modifying existing routes.htm

For a brief introduction regarding object making in CSV format, with a particular emphasis on appying textures, check out http://dennislance.zoomshare.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's all the tutorials planned for now - not fully comprehensive (with commands such as .turn and .announce amongst others not being included), but hopefully enough to be able to make a start. 

Rememeber, creating routes is not a quick process, especially when complex track layouts and large numbers of buildings are needed.  It's probably also true to say that like model railways, BVE routes are never truly finished, there are always opportunities for improvement and expansion.

If difficulties are encountered with any aspect of BVE coding, use the forums to ask questions and find answers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visit my fotopics site at http://dennis-lance.fotopic.net to view my rail and bus photos.

Also demonstrated on my Fotopics site is a method for calculating curve radii from maps - works better with smaller scale maps than are shown in the demonstration although the principle remains valid.

 equataion of a circle.zip  works spreadsheet for calculating offsets of diverging curves.