220hotwheels

Your comment about loosing patience with V7 does surprise me. Whilst I can concur that nothing is ever perfect my impression of V7 thus far is nothing but positive. For the element that I am most interested in, layout design first and technical aspects second I find it a vast improvement on V6 offering much greater flexibility. Even the technical elements that I have started to get involved with, in particular the routing of road vehicles along with the implementation of traffic lights at junctions has proved to be more straightforward than I had thought, albeit with the invaluable assistance of members in the forum. Overall I personally think V7 is absolutely great. If I had any less positive comment to make then it would not be directed at V7 but at every version and that is the lack of an informative manual that might provide a learning platform that would leave one feeling more independent and less reliant on the expertise of others. However, that said, the forum does provide a brilliant platform from which to secure new friends and at the same time move forward with problem solving. Sometimes, as in my case, advice offered can take several attempts to sink in but then I have found that most members seem to have infinite patience with we less knowledgeable folk. Anyway that's my opinion for what is might be worth. I'll now get off my soap box, take the dog for a walk ang get some breakfast. Stick with it Simon I'm sure you will benefit in the end. You have expertise to offer that we lesser mortals need. Pete

Hi to both @Goetzand @simonjackson1964 Not too sure if I have posted my relies to you both correctly but I hope you both pick up my thanks for each of your bits of advice. Pete

Hi Goetz Thank you for both explanations. Sometimes I tend to overthink things and in doing so overlook the obvious. Pete Thanks Simon. As they say every little helps. It was from your example for carriage door opening that I was first drawn into the world of iteration. That example was so straightforward to follow it made me feel like a pro quite quickly. The same can be said for Goetz traffic lights solution so if I can do the same with level crossings then I shall feel as though the sky's the limit. Pete

Hi Brummi As always there seems to be yet another question to ask. The iteration 'wdh'. What does this refer to please. The only time I have thus far got involved with iterations is to use them to open and close train carriages and for that the word "carriage" seems quite obvious. Kind regards Pete

Hi Brummi What can I say other than brilliant. I do so very much appreciate you having done this for me. A few days ago Goetz very kindly pointed me in the right direction for sorting out traffic light systems at junctions and so I have been busy taking full advantage of my newly found knowledge. I can now set up lights at T junctions and crossroads with 30 minutes, which is absolutely great. Best still they work!!! I hope I might be able to say the same for level crossings in a day or so. Once again many thanks. Kind regards Pete

@Roter Brummer Hi The layout that I am working on at present is one that I started back in 2019 in V4. It has grown quite large with many level crossings, some I have completed and others await completion. Some that I thought were complete, work some of the time and not fully on other occasions. Having done a little investigating I came across your ME05 Level crossing with car traffic. As the title was in English I immediately jumped at the possibility of further investigation. Whilst I can follow the basic principle of the operation I cannot fully understand how to implement this on my layout. I'm only just starting to see the wood for the trees with variables let alone inters!!! What I can say quite categorically is that I do find your solution to be immensely more straightforward than the one I have been using, a screenshot is attached to give you an example. My hope therefore is that you might be so kind as to provide me with an EV in English. I'm afraid I am a typical Brit, no ear for languages or as some might say just too lazy to learn another language. I leave you to decide which of these to be most appropriate. The basic principle is clear, a train comes and the crossing barriers go down, vehicles stop until the barrier is lifted after the train has passed and then continue. All very simple until you try to put it as simply as possible into the EV. Anyway, any assistance that you feel able to offer will be greatly appreciated. Kind regards Pete

Hi Simon I've been between meetings and just thrown together a brief mountain scene. I started off with a small piece of track, raise it to the height that I want the mountain, adjusted the terrain and applied, then just keept doing that to create a rough mountain range. Angle the rail track to assist in the different angles. Once you have the rough outline then use the size and strength tools to achieve your desired look. Throw on some paint and in doing so adjust the size, opacity and scaling to suit. The attached took me around 6 minutes and clearly needs much work to finish it off but it should provide the basics. When painting I have found that applying the lighter colours first and then overpainting with other, darker textures is best. Hope this helps Pete Mountains with V7.mbp

Hi Simon I have created quite a lot of different scenery in V4 then V5 and V6 but I will admit that I think V7 is the best for such tasks. It does take a little patience but by playing around with both the size and strength it is possible to create some very realistic hills, valleys, mountains etc. Think of moulding with clay. You create a basic shape and then mould it by changing tool size. Later today I'll create a mountain range for you to take a look at but it will not be until later as Monday's are a busy day for me. Kind regards Pete

Hi Goetz EUREKA ---- I've made the necessary amendments and hey presto all is now working well. I am most grateful for your guidance. Now to have some fun in the actual layout whilst at the same time being more careful with my EV. Pete traffic light test layout.mbp

Well I'm glad I hadn't got any further yet, just dealing with replies to very kind members for their advice. Now I'll make inroads into your recommendations Goetz. Many thanks once again Pete

Hi Douglas Many thanks for your input. Between Goetz and you I might just get the hang of traffic lights. Dare I hope for a final eureka moment just round the corner.

Well now I don't feel quite such a fool, still rather clumsy but not so bad. I'll apply each of your solutions and see if it all works OK. To be absolutely honest I could have looked at the EV for sequence B and never in a month of Sundays spotted my error. Just goes to show how careful one needs to be. Fingers crossed that it will all work fine now. Once again many thanks. If I have got to grips with this one junction then many more await. Kind regards Pete

Hi Goetz Dobby's back I've followed your example, I feel sure accurately. I've even tried my magic wand but all to no avail. If the lights are on green then vehicles go, if on amber then they go but a bit slower, if on red and amber they wait and if on red they stop but clearly they only do so providing I change them manually. Nothing works automatically. The only element that I have not used is the "random destinations" as the two vehicles on this test junction are set on a fixed course. Surely this is not my problem!! Clearly I am missing the magic dust needed kick start the auto element but I haven't been able to find it yet. Might I therefore intrude on 'Dumbledore' once more for what I hope to be final guidance on the element. I have attached the relevant mbp file which I hope will enable you to point out the errors of my ways. Kind regards Pete (Dobby) traffic light test layout.mbp

If I didn't know better I would think you had a camera installed in my study. How else could you possible come up with such an accurate analogy!!

Good morning Goetz The demo is absolutely great, many thanks for that. It makes abundantly clear what I was lacking in my attempt to copy your initial instructions and so today will hopefully see my first junction performing smoothly. As everywhere there are always bad drivers, perhaps I will have to introduce traffic police with speed cameras and impose heavy fines on such bad behaviour!!!! Impatience in all walks of life today has become the norm and that includes me when trying to learn something new with this hobby. I have duly reprimanded myself for such bad behaviour. Many thanks once again. Pete

Hi Goetz I've managed to work through your suggested solution and watched the video, which despite the language element was most informative and the instructions were very easy to follow, great video. This now brings me to the final bit, the switch. What is this connected to? There are two elements that will allow a connection, the car and the traffic light opposite the side junction. I have tried both and neither provides any change in the traffic lights. Clearly I am missing something but not really sure what. Pete

Hi Douglas I've taken a quick look at the file you sent me and it does look as though it would be easy to follow so many thanks for that. Goetz has also sent me a reply with a detailed explanation as to what I need to do. I am going to try to work through his system first and then move on to yours. Hopefully by working through both I will learn just a little more and end up with a better understanding which I'm sure will assist me with other elements of my EV. As you probable noted from my unfinished Fairmont layout my EV needs more than just a little help. By the way since V7, Fairmont has gained a holiday island, Sandown, which can be reached via a tunnel system under what I have named Fairmont Sound. I do so enjoy the construction bit, it's the EV part getting things to work properly that I keep putting off. Anyway many thanks for taking the trouble to provide me with a solution, it is greatly appreciated. Pete

Yet more learning this evening. That's great, thanks. I'll give it a try now. Pete

Hi Goetz As you rightly stated, it's not good to assume anything even if at the time it sounds logical. Your example above seems to be just the ticket, so to speak, I have only one extra small favour to ask. Would it be possible to provide a larger screen shot of your EV please. I can almost follow the one above but not too sure on one or two bits. Old eyesight does have it's drawbacks!! I'll let you know how I get on over the next day or so. Pete

HI Douglas Just taken a good look at the demo you sent me. Whilst it may well solve issues with general junctions for later I cannot figure out how to adapt it for traffic light control. Perhaps I'm missing something, you know me, at times a lead short of a pencil!!! Pete

Hi Douglas That's brilliant, many thanks. I'll take a look in the next hour and get back to you if I have any questions. My attempt thus far has got the vehicles to stop on red and go on green just so long as I operate the traffic lights manually, not really ideal. I'll get back to you later. Pete

Hi Everyone To many of you the question that I am about to ask will probably have a very simply and maybe obvious answer but I am afraid to me it does not. The basic principle would seem to be relatively logical but putting that into practice is proving to be less straightforward. I wish to set up a traffic light system to control road vehicles. Whilst my layout has many complicated junctions generated in V6 I have concluded that if I can sort out the basics for one simple 'T' junction using V7 components then all of the rest will follow even if it means redoing all other junctions. My conclusion thus far is to assume that control comes in two parts. The first to set the traffic lights to change from red to amber/green or visa versa. This I assume would be done in the form of a timer so that the two lights on the main road would be "connected" and therefore work simultaneously with the one controlling the traffic from the side road changing in reverse to the other two but still at the same time. Part two, I assume, is to tell the respective vehicles to stop or start at the appropriate time using a suitable variable. If the basic principle is right then I am at somewhat of a loss as to just how to achieve this in EV. I've looked through and tried various options but so far got no where. Any guidance that anyone can offer would be most appreciated but please keep said advice as simple as possible, assume you are dealing with a complete novice when it comes to EV work. I have attached a screenshot of the junction involved Kind regards Pete

Good morning to both Goetz and Simon Having slept on the above problem I concluded that I should remove the roundabout and replace it with a crossroads in an effort to see if that solved the problem of not being able to produce a complete round trip route that would provide a trouble free route for my bus. It has worked, eureka, and whilst that problem is solved it still begs the question why does the roundabout cause this issue? A problem for another day I think. Pete

Hi Simon and @Goetz Thanks for the additional information. It will prove to be most useful when I eventually get to that point. For now I continue with my struggle to solve the basics. Having spent all of last night working diligently through the route for my bus I did find that some of the road sections had nor converted over properly from V6 to V7 and so with the help of a spreadsheet I was able to check each section, methodically, and correct those that were not quite right. Having done so I was able to set a complete route from start to finish. However as there is a roundabout involved I found that the bus would negotiate the roundabout OK on it's way out but on it's return it got confused as to just which way to go. My solution was to set the route in two halves. A route out and a route back. In order to set the second part I found it necessary to delete the last waypoint for out route. With the return route set I waited for the bus to return to it's start point, which it did and stopped in the bus station for it's allotted time as per the E.M. All once again seemed fine. The bus set off once more on it's journey but as soon as it encountered the first junction, the one back into the bus station, it simply selected that route and returned. I have included screenshots that I hope will help to explain this. I have looked at the junction itself and it is set at '0' which should send the bus nicely on it's way. I first encountered this problem whilst the return route was highlighted in green and therefore deleted the final waypoint for that section, the stop contact in the bust station. Clearly there is something else that I need to do in order to complete and secure this route but at present I cannot figure it out. Any thoughts please. Kind regards Pete

Hi Douglas You should know me by now!! "Two feet into the pond Pete" is my nickname. I have always taken the view that the quickest way to learn anything is to jump in at the deep end, make all the mistakes imaginable and as you start to put them right then the solution sinks in quicker. Perhaps it is not the most scientific way, it certainly isn't the best use of time but then I have plenty of the latter. I will now move forward with the advice from Goetz and hope that I get my bus to completing it's round trip without too many disgruntled passengers!!! Yes I have included passengers in the bus this time, the bus tickets are much cheaper than those for the train!! kinr regards Pete