An old modeling package?

[Bill Early]

I started with Microsoft Train Simulator maybe around 2005 but never got past downloading routes. Now with the current situation I have, well, far more time.

Back then, there was a modeling package where you started with a car drawing then worked that into a 3d model. If I remember correctly, it was not freeware but was not at all expensive.

What was its name? 🤔

Thanks in advance for any information.

[NW 2156]

Maybe photo modeler lite?

When MSTS first came out. There was a game pack for Gmax which was available for free from Discreet. Gmax can still be downloaded and there are still tutorials available for MSTS modeling.

TSM, or Train Sim Modeler is now available for free as well. There are plenty of tutorials and information on these forums and a few other places as well.

Robert

[conductorchris]

Also some folks are modeling in Blender (also free, but significantly more complex. But also more solid for a number of reasons).
Christopher

[pwillard]

While I've used both 3d canvas and train SIM modeler. Both low cost... I now do much better with free Blender

[Bill Early]

Thanks very much 🙏 for the information.

TSM was precisely what I was thinking of. Blender seems well worth learning.

As for 3d Canvas (from Amabilis), I experimented with it years ago - what I found useful was the ability to generate (and regenerate) at least parts of models using VB Script. (Think the shovelnose Burlington Zephyr) Amabilis' web site still there but broken.

[pwillard]

Right, the scripts were neat and save time. I do have a version of 3D canvas at my website for download since the site is offline... but you still need a "key" for it to work. Blender has a scripting language as well, so it's not impossible to have similar functionality. It would be better if we had access to the sources of the original tools though... as they would still need a translation into Python.

[Bill Early]

3d Canvas seems to be available as freeware from numerous sources. I haven't tried any of them (I would attempt to download it on a Linux machine then copy the payload over) as although it might work on Windows 10, the installer might not.

As far as I can remember, 3dC was written in VB6 and would be an excellent candidate to further develop in C# (where your code is not safe) or D (what C++ could have been). From what I can tell, Train Sim Modeler was written in C++.

Looking more at Blender, this seems to be where the action is, specifically Blender add-ins. I found https://github.com/InamuraJIN/CommandRecorder , an add-in which looks something like Word or Excel's Macro Recorder. Record - modify - try something new.

[pwillard]

I believe the latest versions of 3D CRAFTER (3dcanvas suffered a forced rename) were re-done in C#.
Blender's scripting support is how all of its many addons are created