Project 2 / TrainUI

How the TrainUI works for the framework code and example solution

October, 2008 - By Mike Gleicher
Updated October, 2009 by Mike Gleicher for the 2009 version of class (with visual studio 2008).

See also: The discussion of the framework code at TrainFramework

The source code for the framework is available in TrainProject2009_1026.zip. Note that the version date (here Oct 26) is in the file name. If newer versions are released they will be announced.

The executable for the framework is TrainFramework.exe. This is what you should get if you build the code. The example solution is available as TrainExample2009.exe.

Camera Controls

• Right Mouse = ArcBall (rotates world)
• ALT-RightMouse = Pan (translate view)
• double click Right Mouse = reset view
• Mousewheel = Zoom In / Zoom Out

Moving Points

The program provides a "Mouse Pole" user interface.

Use the Left Mouse to select and move (with dragging).

When dragging, things move parallel to the ground plane. Unless the CTRL key is held down, in which case things move perpindicular to the ground plane.

Some Features of the Sample Solution

The sample solution was written for simplicity, not for efficiency. This might be a problem for you if you don't have a good computer with a decent graphics card, it might not run fast enough.

Some silly things you might notice:

• The parallel rails are flat ribbons. And they Z-Fight with the tops of the rail ties. I was going to make them thicker ribbons, but I didn't get to it.
• The wheels on the cars are "trucked" (they swivel to stay on the track), but the center of the car is also locked onto the track and the car rotates around that point. You won't notice this unless the curve is really sharp.
• The wheels on the engine are fixed, so they go off the track in a sharp turn.
• Physics conserves energy - and that's it. The amount of energy in the system is set to be sufficient that the train doesn't stop at the highest point, so a tall track will have the train going really fast at the bottom. There is no friction or anything like that, just potential energy and kinetic energy transfering back and forth like in a pendulum.
• Save and Load is relative to where the executable is run from (so if you run in visual studio, its relative to the project/solution file).
• The interface for rotating the control points is terrible. But it let me make some tracks. I actually made the more complicated ones in excel.
• The "NoAL" buttons let you see what happens if you implement fancy tracks or multiple cars without arc length. Its helpful for why understanding arc-length is useful.