How to build realistic layouts (Special Issue)

[mvanhove]

I have just read the article by Joe Fugate,on "How to ballast and weather track" and it was very well received. The timing is perfect as that's my next project.
How do I download the video that's refered to in the article? I have been looking all over the website, but can find no reference to this article.
I appreciate any advice you can offer.
Thanks,
Mike Van Hove
[e-mail]

[RoyalOaker]

I have seen them for sale on Joe's personal web site.

siskiyou.railfan.net

I hear they are very good, Joe has offerered some great advice to many of us at this forum. If you search this forum history, he has put together some very nice classes.

[Anonymous]

Why isn't this stuff inside the regulare magazine?
I dont want to buy a different magazine.

[n2mopac]

Go to modelrailroader.com. There is a link to the free video just right of the picture at the top of the page.

Ron

[jfugate]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CurtMc

Why isn't this stuff inside the regulare magazine?
I dont want to buy a different magazine.

MR came to me and solicited that I write a very specific article for this special issue. They typically don't do that for the magazine -- they print what people send them. I think of it as a 13th issue -- kind of a subject-specific bonus.

To find the video download, click on the Model Railroader logo above to get to MR's main page and look for this text (it's 4 bullet points down as of this post):

QUOTE:
• How to build realistic layouts bonus video!
Download the bonus video by entering your access code printed on page 15 of the magazine. Click to enter your access code. Still haven't picked up your copy? Order online today!

[zgardner18]

Okay, I don't understand how you guys already got your magazines. I haven't received mine yet. It probably came already and my wife is hiding if from me. I just can't wait!

Joe, when is your next video on scenery due out? I can't wait for that either? Your first three are great. I just watch the second one last night for the umteenth time. I had a question about using a helix and want to see what you had to say about yours. I'm trying for a 36inch radius and using helper grades like you did to get to the helix. I just need to know the grade that I should put it at to run a train of auto racks about 20 cars long. If you have any input, please, I'm all ears.

[Anonymous]

Can't wait for volume three to hit my mail box! Great Video's!

QUOTE: Originally posted by jfugate

QUOTE: Originally posted by CurtMc

Why isn't this stuff inside the regulare magazine?
I dont want to buy a different magazine.

MR came to me and solicited that I write a very specific article for this special issue. They typically don't do that for the magazine -- they print what people send them. I think of it as a 13th issue -- kind of a subject-specific bonus.

To find the video download, click on the Model Railroader logo above to get to MR's main page and look for this text (it's 4 bullet points down as of this post):

QUOTE:
• How to build realistic layouts bonus video!
Download the bonus video by entering your access code printed on page 15 of the magazine. Click to enter your access code. Still haven't picked up your copy? Order online today!

[jfugate]

Video volume 4 (the scenery how-to DVD) will be out this fall, probably October. It would have been earlier, but I need to take a few months off to get my layout ready for the special PNR Regional convention tour and the special op session I will be making available for convention attendees.

ZG, on your helix question, with a 36" radius, you can probably do something like a 2% grade and still have sufficient clearance between levels. A 2% grade plus the helix curve radius will probably make it act like a straight 2.5% grade elsewhere on the layout. As long as your layout's maximum grade elsewhere is also 2.5%, then you should be fine. You want to be very careful you don't accidentally make the "steepest" grade on your layout a huge hidden track helix.

As noted in the video, curves add drag to your train somewhat like a grade does, so putting a constant curve on a grade (as you do in a helix) will create an additive effect, and result in lots of drag. Long story short, you should be *very careful* trying to make the radius too tight on a helix when designing a layout. Going to 30" radius or less on a helix can easily make it the "steepest" grade on your layout in terms of limiting the pulling power of your locos. [swg]

[mvanhove]

Thanks, everyone that replied. I found it, right where you said it would be.
Says can't be viewed on a Mac. Seems funny, as I am able to download and view PDF's all the time.
God *** Bill Gates, anyway! (VBG)
Thanks, anyway,
Mike

[jfugate]

Mike:

This is a very special kind of PDF, which is your problem. This is a *video* PDF, and it requires Windows Media Player. Unfortunately, Windows Media Player videos embedded in a PDF only work on Windows. Go figure.

[swg]

[Tom Curtin]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jfugate

QUOTE: Originally posted by CurtMc

Why isn't this stuff inside the regulare magazine?
I dont want to buy a different magazine.

MR came to me and solicited that I write a very specific article for this special issue. They typically don't do that for the magazine -- they print what people send them. I think of it as a 13th issue -- kind of a subject-specific bonus.

To find the video download, click on the Model Railroader logo above to get to MR's main page and look for this text (it's 4 bullet points down as of this post):

QUOTE:
• How to build realistic layouts bonus video!
Download the bonus video by entering your access code printed on page 15 of the magazine. Click to enter your access code. Still haven't picked up your copy? Order online today!

I most wholeheartedly agree with thost who posted how much they enjoyed the articles in How to Build Realistic Layouts, and I add my own vote to theirs! I also add my vote to those who said they would like to see more stuff ot that nature in MR.

I know it has become very much in vogue, on this and at least one other forum I read, to criticize MR these days, "It's not as interesting as it used to be," etc., etc. Perhaps it isn't. But all of us have to be cognizant of one particular statement in the post I quoted above --- "they print what people send them."

[jfugate]

So how many have downloaded the special video PDF? And what to you think of that somewhat unorthodox method of presenting video content?

[Pruitt]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jfugate

So how many have downloaded the special video PDF? And what to you think of that somewhat unorthodox method of presenting video content?

The video presentation wasn't bad, except the many small segments made the PDF too "choppy." I think one segment was only six seconds long, and one or two more only about ten seconds. Maybe fewer, somewhat longer chunks wouldn't look so broken-up.

I did enjoy it, though - the videos certainly added to the article!

[jfugate]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Brunton

QUOTE: Originally posted by jfugate

So how many have downloaded the special video PDF? And what to you think of that somewhat unorthodox method of presenting video content?

The video presentation wasn't bad, except the many small segments made the PDF too "choppy." I think one segment was only six seconds long, and one or two more only about ten seconds. Maybe fewer, somewhat longer chunks wouldn't look so broken-up.

I did enjoy it, though - the videos certainly added to the article!

Brunton:

I certainly agree with you on the "choppiness" of the video. This video was not originally designed for the video PDF format, and as a result, some segments make sense in a static document, but only have a few seconds in the video.

If this video content were designed from the ground up to fit the video PDF format, the clips could be more balanced in length.

Since my new scenery DVD content is being created as we speak, I'm giving more consideration to targeting the video PDF format for these how-to segments. Hopefully, if and when those appear from MR as video PDFs, they will be less choppy.

I think the video PDF format is a great new way to present how-to information. You look at the steps in the PDF, and click on the picture for that step to get a video clip demonstrating it. Once you see how it works, if you have questions about a certain step, you just go back to it and click the picture again to watch the video clip again.

To me, it really puts the how-to information right at your fingertips! I'm excited to do more of these in the future -- they're pretty cool. [swg]

[littleboom]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jfugate

So how many have downloaded the special video PDF? And what to you think of that somewhat unorthodox method of presenting video content?

Hey Joe,

I too have a Mac and, to be honest, it can be frustrating to not be able to view something on the web because of a proprietary format. There are so many other formats that are multi-platform friendly(.avi, .mpg, quicktime, real media, etc).

Just my 2 cents...
Peace,
Mike

[ModelTrainman]

it didn't work for me on windows

[jeffshultz]

You definitely need to have the current (7.0) version of Adobe Acrobat and Windows Media Player - at least 9.0 that I've found.

Under Windows at least.

It might be nice if instead of the video PDF format, it was instead a zipped up "website," containing an index page with photos linking to videos in a non-Windows proprietary video type (Flash 7, since Flash 8 is still not available in all platforms, or QT .mov or.mpg perhaps). You could even add external links to it.

I know you can make zip files executables that will launch an executable program - can it be made to launch an html page in a web browser?

[jfugate]

QUOTE: Originally posted by littleboom

QUOTE: Originally posted by jfugate

So how many have downloaded the special video PDF? And what to you think of that somewhat unorthodox method of presenting video content?

Hey Joe,

I too have a Mac and, to be honest, it can be frustrating to not be able to view something on the web because of a proprietary format. There are so many other formats that are multi-platform friendly(.avi, .mpg, quicktime, real media, etc).

Just my 2 cents...
Peace,
Mike

Mike (and Jeff):

Actually, we started out using Flash 8 video in HTML files, all zipped up into a single download. The problem is you get a gazillion little files, for the images, the MR logo, the video clips ... it was probably more compatible, but really messy with all those little files.

So we moved to a PDF format since that lets us put everything into one nice neat little package. We started with Flash video in a PDF. Even though Adobe now owns Macromedia (the makers of Flash), there's a nasty incompatibility between Flash 8 and Acrobat 7 that crops up sometimes. If you go to the Macromedia support site, you find the issue listed with "no fix at this time ...".

So next was to hunt for a replacement for Flash 8 video inside a PDF. We tried Flash 7, Quicktime, Real Media, and Windows Media. We also had a constraint of no more than 14MB for a file download size. Flash 7 media files were about 300% larger and the quality was slightly lower. Quicktime video files were about 200% larger and the image was extremely soft, making it very hard to see the details of a how-to step. Realtime was crisper than Quicktime, but 250% larger.

So guess what ... Windows Media was only about 5% larger than Flash 8, and near-the-same video quality as Flash 8 -- and very reliable on Windows machines. The downside to Windows Media was the 2% of MR's online subscribers who are Mac users -- it just won't play, period.

So what to do? Windows Media is not an ideal solution, but a workaround until our real preference finally gets all the kinks worked out -- Flash 8 video, since that should play on the Mac OS, Linux, and Windows. And Flash 8 was the best quality *and* the smallest video file size. Pretty amazing, it was a bummer it wasn't reliable.

Believe me, we tried everything. But keeping the file size under 14 MB and the video quality up *and* have the best reliability -- meant we had to go with Windows Media for now -- with Flash 8 in our back pocket once Macromedia gets their bugs worked out when in side of a PDF. [B)]

[SilverSpike]

Joe,

Considering all the research and "trial and error' you went through with the various file formats and delivery options the PDF video presentation is a great start and especially for a first time offering. It is the first time I have been exposed to PDF with embedded video, and it was exciting to see the short video clips. They offered more detail than in the original article and actually answered a few questions I had after reading the original article in the magazine.

I must agree with the comments on the short 6 and 10 second clips, a bit choppy but with the data space limitation requirements it makes sense.


Cheers,

Ryan

[Pruitt]

Back to the few-second video clips...

As I recall, every photo in the step-by-step "videos" section had a video attached. Some of those very short videos could probably have been omitted and the item completed with only a few words added to the photo (maybe with a mouse click to bring the words up to make that step "feel" complete in this format PDF). But the longer videos, showing spreading of the ballast and shaping with the fingers, painting of the rails, etc. added temendously to the information presented, even somewhat on a subconcious level. Photos and words will never convey all the info I could see as Joe was painting the rails, for example.

[jamnest]

The PDF video and the special edition left me hungry for more. I'll be buying the full DVD!

[jfugate]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Brunton
Photos and words will never convey all the info I could see as Joe was painting the rails, for example.

Mark:

I have to agree that there's nothing like a super closeup video showing you the steps to convey how-to insight you'll never get in thousands of photos and captions.

For instance, I can't recall ever seeing the pre-wetting and white glue steps on video before -- at least not in a super closeup like we did in this video.

I'm adamant that model railroading how-to video needs to be super closeup much of the time so you can actually *see* the process. The typical "across the room" how-to hobby videos you often see don't really tell you what is going on like you could see if you were there.

It's funny (as in funny odd, not funny ha-ha) because many of these techniques have been written about for years, and even demo'ed at conventions. But no one has ever put them superclose up on video so you could see and study the process for yourself.

Well, if I have anything to say about it, that's going to change. And MR seems to agree, for I'm working them to do more of this kind of thing. I hope you all will agree as well, because I think it's about time we start building a good how-to video library of these techniques. [swg]