Introduction
Future routes from 21 March 2020 will now be routes with steamships and no sailing ships. There are a few sailing ships in route/s before this date. There may be revised versions as adapting as I go.
I have ben using the finished games forum and have made a series of basic maritime routes following around the coastline of he UK. These stretch from the Borders of Scotland and the Solway Firth around to the tip of Corrwall and Lands’End.
All the routes are available for download from the completed games/simulations forums and there are about 40 but have lost count. All routes are at or below 5 megabyte including all the textures. I use the kis system keep it simple. So using 2.79b which is quite capable of making ship and maritime routes and simulations.
However as it is a completed games/simulations forum it s not open to discussion. Please note all my routes are not for commercial use and also use at your own risk, etc. There are only 2 terms and nice and simple.
I have recently started making basic steam-ships in addition to the sailing ships, and basic paddle steamers. If you wish to run them you will need to download Blender 2.79b from the archives which is before the embedded game engine was removed in the 2.8 version.
Another important point critique will be useless as mentioned the maximum file size is 5 megabyte. Of course discussion is welcome but if you wiish to use critique and make alterations to the routes yourself, see if any alterations would fit into 5 megabyte zip file. otherwise it is a no go. There are about 40 routes or so available for download on the completed games/simlations forum, including some scenarios in th routes. Any changes or ideas must be relevant to 2.79b to enable the available maritime downloads to be made.
Any further posts will now be on this forum. Maybe will concentrate in the steam-ships on this w.i.p. forum as only just started on these and 3 seperate routes. Route 3 has 3 seperate harbours on the Solway Firth.
Thanks Barry
Not sure whether to continue with the sailing ships which i can make ‘floating’ and drivable (my method) or make the larger coastal steam-ships which i can’t seem to make drivable, probably due tp rotating popellor and the position of the collision box. However they work fine on preset courses with the timeline. The 3rd route has 6 preset paths for 6 seperate steam-ships. keys 1,2,3,4,5,6.
No much more I can do with the sailing ships so talked myself into the steamships on the work in progress forum and will make the downloads available on this forum and might adjust them from time to time.
01silloth22022020.zip (3.5 MB)
Summary. also see enclosed readme in zip.
01 Silloth.
key 1 opens dock gates and starts the animation of the 2 cargo vessels. In far distance another veSsel uses key 2 which will bring it into the tidal dock. Wood pier was 1000 feet in length and a railway ran alongside. All routes are at or below 5 meg to meet forum requirements. Thanks B
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Next will be Maryport and made some alterations to the previous version extra ships etc. Ships were launched sidways. i have simplified it by showing the vessel towed to the docks for fitting out (that is if it works out OK). Might upload Sunday evening.
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key 1 opens both sets of dock gates and started the movement of one dock the next. The vesel might pause a few times for a minute or 2.
A new addition. The vessel launched is towed backwards by another to the docks for fitting out. This needs key 2.
Should any of the vessels in these routes run through each other just alter the time when you press each key to start the animation. See readme in zip for further info.
Use at your own risk. Not for commecial use.
Barry
If any problems missing textures etc please mention. Thanks
Missing texture on warehouse so had to upload again.
IRemoved previous version.
02maryport23022020.zip (3.6 MB)
03workington23022020.zip (4.0 MB)
3 different docks in this route
03 Workington, Harrington,Whitehaven
The keyboard keys for this route, 1,2,3,4,5.6.
Three ships Workington- in the distance - keys, 1,2,3,
One ship Harrington dock key 4
Two ships Whitehaven keys 5,6
Time approx. from 600 seconds to 2500 for the different routes although they might differ.
Workington top of route dock - Three distant steam-ships - two enter through dock gates. One enters open dock. keys 1,2,3,
Harrington middle dock - One steam-ship moves from inner to outer dock. key 4.
Whitehaven dock bottom of route - one ship manoevers from the open dock through two sets of dock gates into dock in corner. The second ship has quite a long journey along the coast to the Workington dock at the beginning of the route. I set this to approx 2500 seconds and 12000 meters coastal length. keys 5,6,
For this single route easiest to show the three seperate docks as overhead views.
Workington
Harrington
Whitehaven
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I am still not sure whether to continue with coastal steam-ships or sailing ships due to the added complexity of the industrial age. The docks I made for Liverpool are about 1800. I think the steamhip era will be too complex for me and maybe the 3 routes are enough.
Barry
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I have decided 3 routes are enough for the steam-ships. The sailing ships have more options with the era set up to about 1815.
The main option is many are already made Solway Firth to Lands’End and on this forum I can regard them all as work in progress as these types of simulations can never be finished.
For an era up to about1815 many of the docks were still to be built. In this case I will place a wood pier for vessels to moor to. For the river Wyre the main item will Knottend opposite side of river and I have a scenario already made in the route, collect crew, barrels, etc. I will add sailing vessels, etc and check the route out, update the readme, then upload. This will be the procedure for each route.
I have made enough routes of the Solway Firth Area (see other downloads page) so will jump ahead to the river Wyre, Ribble and Liverpool to work on, continuing around the coastline. With the sailing ships maybe not use preset routes as drivable (sailing) and floating work well with the collision box around the sea and around the ship.
B
Next will be the river Wyre as detailed. All these routes have been made previously and some were very basic. This time round the starting point is the river Wyre and Fleetwood. The fishing docks came later outside the era I mentioned up to about 1815.
I might upload the route today or tomorrow.
I am also using embedded scenarios which I am able to do, as can get the sailing vessels ‘floating’ and drivable (sailable).
Fleetwood is at the mouth of the river Wyre and for many years there was a small ferry to Knott-End whch is opposite on the other side of the river.
The first scenario is take the sloop across the river to collect the crewman on the edge of the pier on the other side. wasd.
The second scenario is extremely important !
There is a sailing-flat moored a little upriver on the jetty, where the fishing docks were to be built later. ‘Sail’ the sailing-flat down river to the jetty where the inn is located. They have run out of grog and you have to deliver the barrels of rum. The barrels need placing on the edge of the jetty). tfgh
P.S. Nearly forgot you will need to back out of the gap between jetties and collect the barrels first, and you may find it a little difficult to manoeuver as the floating sloops might partly block your path. (smile)
B
River Wyre, Fleetwood, and Knott End.
Use at your own risk.
Not for commercial use.
000a01fleetwood24022020.zip (4.5 MB)
![01sailing-flat_collect barrels|690x355]
(upload://5M8Ah2xcELpnNp4cASfqLCwr7Su.jpeg)
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The next route following along the coastline will be the Ribble and Douglas. There is a smaller river the river Alt but whether it had a small harbour centuries ago I wouldn’t know.
About 1890 a single dock was built at Preston on the river Rbble. I think this was the longest dock in Europe at 3000 feet. So not really practical trying to make more docks relating to the age of steam with Blender, except for the first 3 downloads on this page.
As mentioned I have already made all these routes down to the tip of England so I will use these and will add, alter, ajust them as I work along the coastline. Perhaps also make the South coast but will have to use grey scale height map using srtm2 data, when I eventually reach that far.
I have decided to pause these routes as some might have missing textures due to altering dates. As there is no feedback even about any missing textures I am making a long pause. To continue I think it would need half a dozen interested. So for now a long pause to decide what to do and would take a while to correct any missing texture in about 50 routes.
B
i came across this GIS data addon that looks really amazing! automatically retrieves height, texture, and optional building data.
i assume your using 2.79?
manual reference
Thanks Daedalus I will look into the links you gave. 3DEM is fine for the height map but comes unstuck since the script for Blender mesh changed.
Regarding my routes I will change my tactics to just river systems, maybe make them tidal, and forget the ship side of things from now on. I think I have made more than enough ship routes available for download.
Thanks
Barry
Replaced 2 textures. If you wish me to fix any missing textures in any of the routes about 40, you will need to post and let me know. What I see might be different to what you see. I won’t know unless you post!
000a01fleetwood24022020.zip (4.5 MB)
Had a look at the links. Gave up after a few hours, as fell at first hurdle. Download and install the script add on. But where is it. Couldn’t find it on the Blender Gis page to install and enable.
Not in Blender preferences and so must be on the gis page?
Thanks
Barry
spent a few hours working on it as well. its certainly tricky, but i did manage to get height data.
i just copied a folder BlenderGIS to the addons folder. i never use the install from zip. the BlenderGIS folder has the init and geoscene files right inside.
setting the cache folder is what got me tripped up.
i could only get the Google maps selection to actually download the map.
be sure you installed the blender 2.79 version, itll say 279 in name, rather than “master”
Daedalus
If I make more routes I think I will use greyscale from height map. Only ake a few minutes wih 3DEM
I have use 3DEM for abouT 16 years I think. This is now hosted on a different site but has a lot of opptions and easy to use
https://freegeographytools.com/2009/3dem-website-is-gone-but-3dem-still-available-here
After you make the height map, coloured if you wish, I used to use the Blender script which I think changed to a payment version , but creates the towns as well. The original version only required the co-ordinates and you had to keep the srtm2/hgt file in same folder.
It can be be ownloaded from Blender but the script has changed. It it import terrain/hgt if you want to try it and enable preferences.
It will make the terrain but section might need to be very small maybe 5km. think unlike the original version as made most of my routes with the original version. up to 20 to 30km and it worked fine.
Barry
i might continue with the steamship era but it requires new docks making. You will find 3 routes with 5 harbours to download on this page. Drivable/sailable does not seem to work well with these steamships, but not required anyway as it was only for others. Ships move on preset routes operated from the keyboard, made with the timeline. Dock gates etc are also operated from the keyboard.
To keep all the routes below 5 meg including textures any critique from others is not appropriate. Of course discussion and feedback is a ‘different kettle of fish’ and of course welcome.
I think I will start making a brief list with each of my posts as regards the steamship routes that are available for download on this page. There are probably 50 or so routes available for download on the other pages relative to the age of sail and terrain based on srtm2.
Steamship routes.
All up to or under 5 meg including textures.
1.Silloth
2.Maryport
3.Workington (3 harbours -Workington,Harrington,Whitehaven)
Maryport and workington required a few repairs
re-uploaded
B
02maryport28022020.zip (3.4 MB)
Zip name can be altered, exe name can be altered/
inner folder name can’t be altered. memo for myself
03workington28022020.zip (4.0 MB)
There are about 40 to 50 routes for download on the various pages as I have now lost count of them.
Maybe the other alternative is the South coast from the tip of Cornwall along to the Thames Estuary. The only problem is I need to try and make a sailing barge which are very wide and different to the sailing-flat which is a flat bottomed barge with sail used on the Mersey. he sailing barges I think were mainly used on th river Thames and East coast of UK.
Only 2.79b Blender will be used.
Routes will be up to and below 5meg including textures.
Not for commercial use.
Use at your own risk
B
