Just curious, is anyone doing animation on their HO layout? Looking for a few ideas to keep me busy at my workbench this winter when I’m grounded with arthritic pain in my ankles.I have a few servo controlled goodies on my layout that work pretty good. Remote doors on a couple of stalls on my roundhouse and a worker banging a hammer in my diesel shop.An 8 RPM water wheel.A moving elevator cable on my coal mine.She doesn’t move, just has a flashlight in her hand.Haven’t figured out where I’m going to put her yet.I have several Lambert solenoid turnout motors, low RPM gear motors, 3g and 9g servos and a tortoise that could be used for animation.
A half dozen Arduino UNOs.I’m currently attempting a pair of wig-wag signals using a low RPM motor, couldn’t get a servo to work realistically. Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
My only pure physical animation is a grade crossing with gates. I do have an operating coal loader and my old Tyco clamshell doors hoppers can then dump the coal into a box below the tracks.
I like the Miller Engineering animated signs, which provide the illusion of motion with no moving parts.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I wasn’t thinking about Miller Signs being automated, I have three of those as well as all my Arduino random lighting structures. Thanks Mister B.Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
I have the lighted Fire Station from Menards and 3 lighted fire trucks from East Coast Circuits. Trying to upload my video since it's not on YouTube, to no avail..
I do not do any animation. The only things that move on my layouts are the trains.
That is a personal preference, and I am not trying to change anyone's mind.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I guess I have more automation than I thought, I have seven emergency vehicles with flashing beacons as well as a tower and a water tank.Acouple of houses have flickering fireplaces.
I might add my layout is mid 1950s.Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
I want to do one of these where the blades turn. It would mean extending the shaft through the bench to a motor.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Mel,
A list buddy of mine from Down Under, Laurie "Scoop" McLean MMR, has a bunch of videos on various animations he's done. He started in HOn3, but has since moved on to On3, but there is a wealth of material showing both the animations and how he does them if you follow the first few results in this search.
https://www.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEB&search_query=Anim8FX
A good group of examples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1eSvca2dm4&list=UL1RR9_mXQdec&index=241
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szoBpm0-jP0&list=UL1RR9_mXQdec&index=188
One of the how-to videos, part of a series:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFW9QXd-n8s&list=UL1RR9_mXQdec&index=206
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
BATMAN I want to do one of these where the blades turn. It would mean extending the shaft through the bench to a motor.
I like it Brent, thanks.Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps
Thanks Mike,He does fantastic work!!! I made a guy with a lantern but not moving. That’s quite a trick with a working LED.Thanks for the links.Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
The only animation on my layout occurred when I couldn't reach all of the track on this part of the partial upper level of my layout, when I needed to paint the far-sides of the rails...
...and animation was fairly minimal, as I was lying on my side while painting.
I could reach and see the near-side of the rails, but often take photos with the camera on-layout, facing aisle-wards, so the painting of the normally unseen side of the rails needed to be fairly neatly-done.
The stuff seen in the photo was, of course, removed before I clambered into position, but that's the totality of my fling with animation.
Wayne
In this age of small screens and microprojectors we're getting close to realizing my old dream of 'human' full interactive crews on locomotives and a great deal more besides.
One thing I expect is to see some of the Disney Animatronic idea used on stationary figures. You'd need strategically located small projectors, and some care with masking to eliminate stray light, but I suspect some remarkable lifelike effects might be possible without having to coordinate push and turn with motors and servos.
Mel, you might try a combination of dashpot and brake to get servo motion 'modulated' for better realism. I suspect you could combine both with magnetorheological fluid and a voice-coil analogue wrapped around the dashpot.
Haven't there been experiments with the 'technology' used for the HO scale bicyclist to get the effect of people walking? In groups with different legs the 'same speed' effect might be less noticeable; for single figures some very complex effects might be possible...
I have 3 "roll up" doors on my locomotive shop, they work at a nice slow speed. And another on a large lumber shed.
And a working vent fan in a truck shop. Dan
Overmod In this age of small screens and microprojectors we're getting close to realizing my old dream of 'human' full interactive crews on locomotives and a great deal more besides. One thing I expect is to see some of the Disney Animatronic idea used on stationary figures. You'd need strategically located small projectors, and some care with masking to eliminate stray light, but I suspect some remarkable lifelike effects might be possible without having to coordinate push and turn with motors and servos. Mel, you might try a combination of dashpot and brake to get servo motion 'modulated' for better realism. I suspect you could combine both with magnetorheological fluid and a voice-coil analogue wrapped around the dashpot. Haven't there been experiments with the 'technology' used for the HO scale bicyclist to get the effect of people walking? In groups with different legs the 'same speed' effect might be less noticeable; for single figures some very complex effects might be possible...
That’s out of range of Mel’s expertise. Sounds neat but not doable by me. I can do pretty good with Arduinos and LEDs or servos even the tiny gearmotors but past that is beyond me. Thanks for your input!!!I do like the windmill and I’m going to try a few more figure animations, I rather enjoy messing around with the tiny figures. I’m going to try making arm sockets like Scoop does with his figures, much more realistic. Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
20200413_203859 by Chuck Lee, on Flickr
I have a welder working on a newly installed pipeline. I still need to get his welding truck in place but I have arduino that flashes a blue and white led out of sync so they look like a welder.
You might need to click on link to see the video of it in action.
Colorado Front Range Railroad: http://www.coloradofrontrangerr.com/
I’ve played around with a LED welder in the past, yours looks very nice. Mine didn’t look right in either my diesel shop or roundhouse so it’s in my project box.A orange and yellow LED using the same process works pretty good for a fireplace.Thanks for your input.Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Batman Brent,
I made mine spin using a motor out of an electric toothbrush. I've postioned it so the motor isn't too obvious as you can see. Also a few other animations mostly lights.
Alan Jones in Sunny Queensland (Oz)
Very nice Alan!
I ordered a windmill kit and it should be here by the end of the week so maybe I’ll have something going later next week.
Great video too.Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Another way to make the windmills turn is to hide a small motor with propellor up under the top valance and blow air at it - si it moves by wind power. Or a small fan, like a computer fan. Driven at variable speed, so it's not a tornado every day and your scale girl and scale dog can stay firmly on the ground in farm country.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
RandyI didn’t look at the composition of the kit until it was long ordered, it’s looks like metal castings so I don’t think your idea will work using the supplied fan blades. I don’t think I have it in me to make a light weight fan assembly. I have a box full of robotic gears and have an idea how to drive the blade from the bottom.I’ll just have to wait and see, it might just become a static windmill.Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
RR_MelI don’t think I have it in me to make a light weight fan assembly.
IIRC someone offers a photoetch fan blade assembly but my CRS isn't allowing me to access that memory file right now. Anyone else? Does that sound familiar?
Saw that Scoop has a new compilation available of video of his old HOn3 layout and several of his animations in HO and O scale from a few years back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TijBGOybEO0
The technical twist to much of this animation is his hacking of various F keys in DCC so that they control motors instead of the lights they typically are applied to.
20 years ago, the last time I had an actual layout up and running, I kept thinking... at the Texas station, a phone boot, a string from it to a damsel tied to the tracks, with Snidely Whiplash by her, and the train coming would release a weight on the other end of the string... and you know who would come flying out of the phone booth and grab her off the tracks before the train got there.
whitroth... and you know who would come flying out of the phone booth and grab her off the tracks before the train got there.
Thanks guys!I have a Woodland Scenics Aermotor Windmill on the way, should be here Friday. I have a couple of ideas on how to turn the fan.After the reminding from you guys I had forgotten how many animated goodies I already have on my layout.I do like the idea of a bull, horse or maybe a dog moving heads and tails.I have a dancing girl moving around her bedroom but her movement isn’t seen easily though the bedroom window.I get more wows from the animation and scenery than I do from trains. Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
My dream has always been an animated harbor scene at Port Orford. As night lightens into fog (from theater fog machines and controlled lighting), the harbor comes to life. A train arrives with loaded lumber and log cars from the mill and log loaders. Lumber and logs are loaded from the car into the hold of a dog hole schooner. Sailors chanting as they turn the manual winches and capstans to do the loading with the schooner's booms as their cranes. Over at the saloon, workers are replacing the glass windows broken in last night's fights.
The sun burns away the fog as we get well into the morning. The empty lumber and log cars depart. Another train arrives and the cycle repeats.
In the evening, the fog starts to roll again. A "passenger" train arrives with the workers from the woods. Sailors and loggers gather in the saloon, singing and drinking together. We cut away before the fights start.
On Sunday mornings, the woods and harbor and saloon are quiet. A train with the only real passenger cars the Port Orford & Elk River owns hauls the townspeople, sailors, and loggers in their Sunday best up the hill to the church. Church bells are ringing, followed by the singing of hymns. Sunday afternoon, the Sunday special heads into a clearing in the woods for the Sunday picnic for all the families.
just a dream to somehow animate some of this....
Fred W
....modeling foggy coastal Oregon in HO and HOn3 where it's always 1900....
Had to jump in on this thread and put in a plug for my 1st train mentor. Bill Day is a nationally-known for this field. He has done so much animation that puts Disney to shame! He helped me work on a coal tipple that actually worked. Before we could finish we had to get many small parts and balance multiple schedules.
Pls send me a private message should you want to talk to him.
I have plans to put a hobby shop in downtown Demons Hollow.....
And. The train layout in the front window will actually have a train going around it. But I'm still a year away from getting anything even started.
BUT, IT CAN BE DONE!!!
All I need is some piano wire, solder, and a tiny motor.... all of which I already have on hand.
Rust...... It's a good thing !
Well I received the Woodland Scenics Aermotor Windmill kit, that will be my last kit from WS. More work repairing bent parts than starting from scratch. It will take a lot of work to just make it usable. The only piece in the kit that doesn’t have major bends is the fan. The top mount is so badly bent it might not make it.I’m not a quitter so maybe a week or two before it will be ready for Mel animation can be added to it. I think it’s doable.This model appears to be a wind powered pump, all the Aermotor windmills I saw in the mountains were 12 volt generators, thus the motor in the name. Farm lighting was 12 volts where I came from if they didn’t have commercial power. I was planning on having to hide the fan drive shaft but this kit came with a .025” (2-3/16” to scale) piece of wire for a pump shaft. I’m planning to use 1mm shaft (3-7/16” to scale) with a 2mm to 1mm sleeve in the worm drive to the fan.Pictures when I get there. Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
As an HO modeler, I thought the windmill and an accompanying farm in N- scale would be a great forced perspective item in a distant corner. The operating windmill would draw in the viewer's eye and make a better model.
I was planning on two windmills (before I received the WS kit), both were going to be about a foot and a half from the edge of my layout so N scale won’t work for me.If this one turns out good enough it will be next to this house.If I can find another windmill it will go next to these houses.Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.