Pump-free turns

I see tracks get bashed pretty hard for "pumping" on this site. I never seem to see anyone offer any advice on how to SOLVE the problem, though. I've seen lots of pump-free rides here, so I know it's possible, but until someone posts a "how-to" instead of just trashing someone's ride, there will continue to be turns full of pumping.

I've got several tracks that won't get uploaded because they have pumps and such, I don't know how to fix it (other than trial-and-error, but that can take FOREVER), and I'm not going to go thru the trouble to upload something just to have it slammed by a bunch of people. Why bother?

Is there somewhere online that a tutorial exists that has the secrets to smooth turns and inversions?

3 words. Practice, Practice, Practice...

Trial and error is what I do, place a control point in an area that looks smooth, test it out in the editor, redo several times until you are please with your work.

[coolbeans326]

If your doing it hand by hand with no additional tools to help (ie Elementary type programs) then this is how I do it.
1. Turn on HeartLiner (yellow line which marks heart line.
2. Only work on a few segments at a time. Don't rush yourself. Easy Does it!
3. Put down a segment, then put down 1 - 2 more segments. Work the first 2 segments together by changing the node and smoothing it out. Constantly flip back onto 3D track view and ride back and forth. Watch the yellow line for any twitching, and the track for any irregular on-smooth movement.
4. Mind you that pumping is a result of an inconsistant radius. Note that Real rides do have pumping, and its ok to have occasional pumping, but when there is a lot of pumping it really distracts the rider from what he should really be enjoying. So try and make circular radiuses. You can have it tighten up on you but don't let it jolt, or pump on you. The back seat in the 3D simulator is the best place to spot pumping.
I hope that helps.

i use a circle 3ds object and then just make the track conform to it

http://d1jlserver.dnsalias.net/CCDev2/p ... fm?fid=736

one way is to make your verticies on a 45????????? line from each other in the same distance. for example, you have one vertex, then you move up x number of feet on a 45????????? line and it'll take you to the next. the handles should, most of the time be the same length. practice with flat turns and this skill can build to making whatever kind of turn you want pump-free.

I've been able to do this with the same technique

[jayman]

i figured out how the elementary works but 99 percent of the rides i see built with it turn out kinda wierd looking to me, they come out technicaly "perfect" but the overall effect isn't quite what i like out of a (wooden)rollercoaster for the steel ride i think it works really really good, because steel rides are made to be all spread out and "glidey smooth". when it's used for wood the track comes out like a steel coaster with wooden supports, and always bears in my mind a resemblance to rct rollercoasters, built element by element rather than the whole of the ride being taken into consideration..on the other hand if it it used sparingly(ie to build a finale helix or a nice camelback hump)instead of for the whole ride it can save time and do things that don't really require a personal touch. the ahg is good because it multiplies the number of track nodes in the section being cleaned up, and if used in moderation AND BY NO MEANS used to set the banking on the whole (wooden) ride, it can an really clean up a track,but the track has to be good in the first place. also if you intend to build a woody that has parralell tracks right next to each other or something (ie something realistic) the filter can whack it out too much and make it impossible to place the tracks right next to each other giving the ride that "rct" feeling. i feel it's more important for the ride to be thrilling and realistic looking than technicaly perfect, so i wind up with g-spikes sometimes simply because the track won't fit where i want it in the layout if i make it perfect, but id rather have the spike and an original track than perfect prefab looking track.. i build a section of track by hand, i use the circle 3d thing to get the turn just right.. then i connect the track and check out my ride in the sim, over and over till i'm satisfied, then i apply the banking, and again check out the ride and redo as neccessary, when i'm satisfied i turn the whole track black and run it through the ahg. doing this every few hundred feet till the track is done is a good idea, simply because you might want to revert to a previous point to adjust the track to fit when it's heartlined...
i still don't get perfect "no pump" tracks, sometimes because of laziness, but mostly because i don't notice tem sometimes. i also believe in using the track smoother, but again section by section so as not to freak out the whole track.
on the other hand if your just interested in building tracks that are technicaly perfect then by alll means build elements in the elementary, paste them together and run the ahg and smoother to smooth out the transitions...you're bound to get high tech rates from diong this...

I have no idea what "the ahg" is...
Elementary and the track smoother are PC programs. I've recently gone to Mac and I haven't found Mac versions of these programs.
...and having a smoothing program isn't a good enough reason for me to turn on the PC again.

Originally posted by jayman

i figured out how the elementary works but 99 percent of the rides i see built with it turn out kinda wierd looking to me, they come out technicaly "perfect" but the overall effect isn't quite what i like out of a (wooden)rollercoaster for the steel ride i think it works really really good, because steel rides are made to be all spread out and "glidey smooth". when it's used for wood the track comes out like a steel coaster with wooden supports, and always bears in my mind a resemblance to rct rollercoasters, built element by element rather than the whole of the ride being taken into consideration.

and that's where thorazine comes in...

and minicooper, the AHG is the automatic heartline generator, which automatically generates heartlines for your coasters
[:D]

Originally posted by minicoopertx

I have no idea what "the ahg" is...
Elementary and the track smoother are PC programs. I've recently gone to Mac and I haven't found Mac versions of these programs.
...and having a smoothing program isn't a good enough reason for me to turn on the PC again.

There are no Mac versions of those programs. I have yet to see if they will run under Virtual PC. Having a Mac I feel for you with not having access to any tools, but I believe the Mac version of NL is easier to use.

[jayman]

Originally posted by hyperdude

Originally posted by jayman

i figured out how the elementary works but 99 percent of the rides i see built with it turn out kinda wierd looking to me, they come out technicaly "perfect" but the overall effect isn't quite what i like out of a (wooden)rollercoaster for the steel ride i think it works really really good, because steel rides are made to be all spread out and "glidey smooth". when it's used for wood the track comes out like a steel coaster with wooden supports, and always bears in my mind a resemblance to rct rollercoasters, built element by element rather than the whole of the ride being taken into consideration.

and that's where thorazine comes in...

and minicooper, the AHG is the automatic heartline generator, which automatically generates heartlines for your coasters
[:D]

[;)]yep

[jayman]

someone out there gets it, right on hyperdude