More Tool Questions

[Brtnboarder495]

I hate having to create new threads about repeated topics and such, but there doesn't seem to be a search function and sorry, but I'm not sifting through hundreds of pages.

Anyway, I have been fooling around with AHG, Elementary and Purg again.

I have been able to complete the purg guide on CS, it's obviously easy since there is a guide, but I feel I still don't know enough. Normally I'd have no problem just fooling around with it, but there are SO many options it's almost overwhelming. I have some math base, so I'm not worried about not being able to understand it, I just need to learn what everything means and what each option does.

Elementary is helpful for little things such as simple elements, but often they stick out in a hand built track (since I can't use purg), and now that I have some idea of what to do with it thanks to the guides here on WWS, I feel comfortable with it. However, I don't know how to "rotate" elements and such.

Lastly, AHG is still being problematic. I understand you should probably heartline one track element at a time (right?), because otherwise I get wacky heartlines. Again, what do these color codes mean?

I don't want to be annoying, but It'd be awesome if someone that excels with these tools (particularly purg, but any help is appreciated) could explain what everything means or maybe even write a guide.

Thanks

Well, I use elementary but I'm not sure how to answer your first two questions. But for the AHG, you actually should heartline your entire track, from the end of the lift/launch to brakes, that way everything matches up and flows alot better than if you took many elements and pieced them together. For the colors, any peices of track that have less than 0g's should be colored pure black on the main track only. Black should also be used for custom banking, say on a wooden coaster or a 0g roll. Red and greeen don't always have to be used, but alot of the time it's needed when you are going from completely ahged track (no coloering) to custom banking, etc. You can also determine the filter of one or a few peices of track by changing the rails to a pure red color between 0 and 255. The value determines the filter. This is helpful in areas when you want a quicker transition when you used a higher filter for the track overall in the AHG. I hope this helps! If you want even more info, try going through Jimmy Yoshi's tutorial thoroughly.

[Brtnboarder495]

Yea just read it and I feel much more confident, I'm still confused on the color coding really. That and the 20m and 18.9M lift thing. How did he calculate the .98m and use Purg to scale it?

And what program did he use to create the track initially, forgetting the AHGing, because that is definitely not handbuilt.

Originally posted by Brtnboarder495

Yea just read it and I feel much more confident, I'm still confused on the color coding really. That and the 20m and 18.9M lift thing. How did he calculate the .98m and use Purg to scale it?

And what program did he use to create the track initially, forgetting the AHGing, because that is definitely not handbuilt.

Wells, when you realize that it's 18.9, you have a problem. Using my ultimate 8th grade math knowledge, if you divide 20 by 18.9, you'll get the number that you have to upscale by (1.058201...). You then stick that number in the Scale > Total by: box, click purg, and wala, the radii match up.

I make me tracks all with elementary and rotation, scaling, and sometimes snything in the purg.

Elementary, just with alot of more advanced formulas that a beginner should probaly avoid. I've been using NL since about October, and just now am I getting into the more complex formulas.

This is how I do it, not the confusing way :p.

When you ahg a track, the radius in certain areas is changes slightly, so sometimes the drop of your ahged track won't match up with the lift you already have, so using the AHG you find the radius of the ahged track, and then created a new lift pullover with the hsak and rotated it. Say the radius of the the drop was 20, and starting at -35 degrees, and the lift ends at 35 degrees, then you would (or anyone) make a 70 degree turn (35+35) with a radius of 20. Then using the purg, you rotate the element with the z-axis set to -90 (straight pullover) and with the x-axis set to 35, or the angle coming off the lift. Then you delete the old pullover, and insert the new one, followed by the ahged track.

Like I said, I'm not that good of expressing ideas in words, but I tired!

I don't use the purg for much more than rotating elements, so I don't know what everything does. But rotation is quite easy once you know what you're doing.

The only boxes you need to concentrate on are the three on the right-hand side of the "Rotation" section. The top one of these rotates your element about the Z axis. If you want to convert a flat curve into a hill, then enter either 90 or -90. Depending on which direction your element is turning, these will either make your element curve upwards of downwards. Experiment until you get the one you want.

The X axis rotation will determine the entry slope (in degrees) of the element. Positive values tilt upwards, negative ones tilt downwards.

Finally, the Y axis controls the entry direction of the element. You normally won't want to use this unless you've got vertical track. In that case, it will change the direction in which it will pull out. Quite useful for top hats.

And make sure you check the boxes on the left of any axis you're rotating the element by, otherwise nothing will happen.

Edit: And about the lifts, I just AHG the whole crest of the lift hill, so I don't have to worry about any radius mis-matches.

[Brtnboarder495]

Then using the purg, you rotate the element with the z-axis set to -90 (straight pullover) and with the x-axis set to 35,

That's exactly what I wanted to know.

And thanks Wing-Over and Jimmy Yoshi.

I will fool around with it and let ya know how it goes

One more thing Yoshi, what did you use to create the track in your guide of AHG. Is that elementary? Becuase it almost looks too smooth to be elementary. If so, how did you link your transitions so smoothly?

I used elementary. Experience is a big thing with any method of building, your not just going to be able to open up elementary, stick some numbers in, a magically a perfect track appears. Takes some practice and time to adjust.

It's harder than some people make it out to be (yes SMer, I'm talking about you).

I've been using it for a year, and my tracks are still not that great.

[Brtnboarder495]

Hmm, okay, so you manipulate elementary formulas and then occasionally use purg to rotate?

Is this the most effective way to build what you want while staying technically sound?

That's exactly what I do. Most of the things that can be synthed in the purg have similar formulae in elementary that can do even more.

Yeah, but I use the parabolas out of the purg because the parahat formula isn't very good with leads.

[Brtnboarder495]

Man this is so confusing >_< Guess I'll need more time practicing than I thought.

Thanks though I'll let ya know if any problems arrive.

Good luck. [;)]