The Very Last White River and Northern Railroad

[DKS]

On your layout it will be "find a fully functional table fan, and a barber pole"!

My list (for now)...

Mill Wheel
Fireflies
Gas Station Car Lift
Ceiling Fans
Dam Spillway
Window Fan
Barber Pole
Turbine Vents
Grade Crossing Gates
Campfire
1950s Police Car
Faulty Fluorescent Light
Desk Fan

[peteski]

My list (for now)...

Mill Wheel
Fireflies
Gas Station Car Lift
Ceiling Fans
Dam Spillway
Window Fan
Barber Pole
Turbine Vents
Grade Crossing Gates
Campfire
1950s Police Car
Faulty Fluorescent Light
Desk Fan

Nice!
That is a long list for a relatively tiny layout - lots of super-detailed points of interest.  Awesome!

[jpec]

FDR appreciated the gentle breeze...unbelievable modeling...

Jeff

[DKS]

Next up old lady in a rocking chair... but with a cat next to her wagging it's tail so it just misses the chair rails. All while the cat is pawing a mouse running around the porch. 

OK, so just for sh!ts and giggles, I created an old lady in a rocking chair, per @Chris333 . I didn't animate the cat, but I put the cat in her lap instead, so now it's also animated--sort of. Only took a couple of hours. Not sure if I'll include it on the layout or not; it's not my best work, since it was a joke, but it didn't come out half-bad.

[Chris333]

That is double nuts! Especially because there is no wire poking up attached to the chair 


OK no more silly suggestions because he'll go and do it   

[DKS]

Today I built an enclosure for the MP3 player. I couldn't build it into the layout because 1) I needed access to the USB stick, and 2) the controls were part of the PC board. So I popped it into an electronics project box which had a nice 9V battery compartment, requiring that I include a 5 volt regulator in the circuit (tucked in behind the power switch, top left corner of the image below left). I also had to construct a set of buttons using tubular styrene. The finished enclosure is below right; I'll hang it on the face of the layout with Velcro, like a throttle.

   

Technical notes on the sound files: Because of the tiny speaker size, as well as the lack of volume control on the player, I processed the files quite a bit. First, I attenuated the volume to keep the music from being overbearing, as well as to reduce distortion. I also ran the file through an EQ to greatly reduce the bass, also to further reduce distortion. Then I applied some dynamic compression to keep the softer passages from dropping out and the louder ones in check. Finally, I mixed in ambient bar-restaurant sound, plus some light applause. I also included a couple of tracks of just the ambient restaurant sound to give the band a break once in a while. Thankfully the little player plays the tracks without pauses between tracks, so the the whole experience is seamless.

[MVW]

Hey, is there gonna be any railroad on this model railroad? 

Just kidding. It's always a pleasure to see what tricks the wizard is working up. 

Jim

[DKS]

Hey, is there gonna be any railroad on this model railroad? 

Maybe, if I get around to it...

[joepri]

DKS, I'm just blown away by the animation that you been doing. It's just amazing work.


Joe

[160pennsy]

I processed the files quite a bit. First, I attenuated the volume to keep the music from being overbearing, as well as to reduce distortion. I also ran the file through an EQ to greatly reduce the bass, also to further reduce distortion. Then I applied some dynamic compression to keep the softer passages from dropping out and the louder ones in check. Finally, I mixed in ambient bar-restaurant sound, plus some light applause. I also included a couple of tracks of just the ambient restaurant sound to give the band a break once in a while. Thankfully the little player plays the tracks without pauses between tracks, so the the whole experience is seamless.

@DKS Your project has got me thinking about jumping into a few sound projects that could be synchronized to the physical animation. While I understand how to build the physical part (to put in motion whatever it is your trying to animate), the step by step sound file manipulatiions are a skill set I don’t yet have... BUT I know a guy...My son & his girlfriend both work for a large pro audio reseller and do similar stuff like this all the time. They both have lots of MIDI equipment along with pro audio software that used to compose, record, edit & playback music/sounds/multi tracks, etc Can not recall the actual brand names, model numbers or descriptions but I should give them a call to bounce some ideas around to see if they can assist me..

[DKS]

@DKS Your project has got me thinking about jumping into a few sound projects that could be synchronized to the physical animation. While I understand how to build the physical part (to put in motion whatever it is your trying to animate), the step by step sound file manipulatiions are a skill set I don’t yet have... BUT I know a guy...My son & his girlfriend both work for a large pro audio reseller and do similar stuff like this all the time. They both have lots of MIDI equipment along with pro audio software that used to compose, record, edit & playback music/sounds/multi tracks, etc Can not recall the actual brand names, model numbers or descriptions but I should give them a call to bounce some ideas around to see if they can assist me..

Talk to @rray -- he's doing some pretty sophisticated animation/sound tricks.

https://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?threads/np-lester-wa-t-trak-z-module-set-project.129952/page-9

[160pennsy]

Talk to @rray -- he's doing some pretty sophisticated animation/sound tricks.

https://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?threads/np-lester-wa-t-trak-z-module-set-project.129952/page-9

Thanks for the tip & link.

On a side note it would be neat if there was a separate Railwire folder (Animations & Audio) for example, where this type detailed info could be stored for future reference. Maybe post crude or detailed line drawings or photos of the components used to make the animation work. Provide dimension, p/n, vendors where said parts or supplies can be purchased. Anything that helps the newbie along with building their own N Scale animation project. I would be more than willing to assist with this endeavor or be a beta tester.

[DKS]

Thanks for the tip & link.

On a side note it would be neat if there was a separate Railwire folder (Animations & Audio) for example, where this type detailed info could be stored for future reference. Maybe post crude or detailed line drawings or photos of the components used to make the animation work. Provide dimension, p/n, vendors where said parts or supplies can be purchased. Anything that helps the newbie along with building their own N Scale animation project. I would be more than willing to assist with this endeavor or be a beta tester.

I was going to start a whole website devoted to animation and special effects, but... well, like a lot of other projects, it never made it off the to-do list. Part of the problem is how much time and effort it takes to document everything--it's a lot more than people tend to think.

[alhoop]

That pretty much describes all of my N scale work!

That reminds me of the thread that Dave started about railroad smells. If he has passenger/sleeper cars on that
early 20 century railroad he will have to have that chamber pot/outhouse smell to include with his models.
Even if there are no sleepers/coaches the stations and workers will require outhouses with associated smells. It's not really early twentieth century either. I had a SNCF  sleeper overnight from Vienna to Paris in 1980 that had that odor in my  sleeping
compartment . Yep, had a chamber pot in an enclosed cabinet under the wash basin.
Al

[160pennsy]

I was going to start a whole website devoted to animation and special effects, but... well, like a lot of other projects, it never made it off the to-do list. Part of the problem is how much time and effort it takes to document everything--it's a lot more than people tend to think.

As I mentioned before I’m all in for helping with documenting or compliling what you have already shown us in this “Master Class” on animation & special effects. Rather than taking a tangent in this thread how about giving me a PM and we can work offline?