AD Drawing train tracks. How?

[Nazario]

Hi guys. Bit embarrassed by having to ask this but I've been at it a while and still got no where really. I'm creating graphics for a potential new video game. Very basic 2D (top down) pixel graphics.

 

I've created some track (see attachment) all I want is an idea of how best to create a 'switch' i.e. the track crossing over to the other track for a train to swap tracks. I've been trying to work out a formula like 25 pixels down, track should move 5 pixels across. But it actually distorts the track. i.e. the width between the rails varies.

 

I've used the pen tool with beizer curves but I'm really just guessing at where to place the points etc

 

Any ideas?

[Madame]

I'm on a very thin limb here, but have you tried power duplicate? 

[Nazario]

I'm on a very thin limb here, but have you tried power duplicate? 

Yeh it again distorts the gap between the rails. You have to allow for the outer curve being wider than the inner curve. It sounds simple to achieve but its actually quite complicated, especially when you are rubbish at maths like me haha. I done it by eye and its looking better than before. Just finishing up the rest of it and i'll post a finished switch to end the thread. Im sure theres a better mathematical way but I've just done it freehand  :wacko:

[Nazario]

Heres the finished article. Im making track sections so you can build your own railway using the pieces. The grid you see depicts each pixel so it will be really quite small, essentially like you see in this thread before you click on the image to enlarge it. Looks ok I think though.

[Madame]

They look fine!

Good luck with your project! :)

[R C-R]

A technique I sometime use for physically small objects like this is to use a photo of the real object as a tracing guide. Take the photo from far enough away from the object that it will not be distorted too much by the wide angle (fisheye) effect & from as directly above it as possible to eliminate perspective effects. Then import it into Affinity as a layer above the working one set to about 25 to 40 % opacity so you can see what you are doing on the working layer.

 

It works well for me because I am a terrible freehand artist.  :wacko:

 

Another approach might be to draw one of the curved outer rails as a separate curved line object, using the stroke width to set its width, then duplicate it & scale it down to create the inner one. Do this to create ½ of the curved rail section, group the two rails together, then duplicate & reverse the duplicate to finish off the curve.

[Asha]

The shape seems fine to me, but I think you need to bring your track layer to the top. Right now it has the gray shading over it.

[Nazario]

The shape seems fine to me, but I think you need to bring your track layer to the top. Right now it has the gray shading over it.

The shading is oil and dirt falling from the trains. I suppose you wouldn't actually notice that on the rails that switch over as they would remain shiny. I'll look into thanks.

[Gear maker]

Nazario, I also am lousy at freehand drawing.  So a trick I use to draw parallel complex lines is to draw one as I want it.  Make 2 copies.  Add a stoke to one copy that is the separation I want.  Then drag the second copy until it follows the edge of the stroke.  Then delete the copy with the wide stroke.  Maybe this would help.  No math.

 

 

[uncle808us]

I'm on a very thin limb here, but have you tried power duplicate? 

What is power duplicate and where is it located?

[DWright]

Hi uncle808us,

 

Power duplicate is when you duplicate and object and then perform a transform on the duplicate such as a move or rotate and when you duplicate again it will apply the transform to the new duplicate. for example if you move an duplicate object down by 10 pixels then on the next duplicate the new object will be 10 pixels below the last.

[MEB]

Hi uncle808us,

Check this video for more info about Power Duplicate.

[uncle808us]

Thanks that is very handy....

[Nazario]

Creating the other track parts I've done it a better way. I created a curve with the pen tool at the width I want, i.e. the rails, expanded the stroke, converted to curves, opened the shape and deleted the bits I don't need. The result is a perfect inner and outer rail.

 

The hard part now is getting the wooden sleepers (dotted line) to follow the same curve without AD making the inner edge smaller than the outer edge because it looks wrong but theres no way to stop AD from doing it that I can see.

[Oval]

without AD making the inner edge smaller than the outer edge because it looks wrong but theres no way to stop AD from doing it that I can see.

You mean this problem (?):

 

[Nazario]

yep.