Level crossing animation gets stuck in the first frame

[Andres Blaho]

An animated crossing has been created with a total of 20 animated frames, but when animation is triggered it gets stuck in the first frame.

[Rippstein (ch-signale)]

For Levelcrossing animated by trains you need only 3 frames.
1) Gate open
2) Gate closed
3) Gate again open
The closing- /opening-time and all other parameters you can enter in the "i" Window in the Routeeditor, when you place the levelcrossing on a crosspoint of track and street

[Rippstein (ch-signale)]

correction:
 0) Gate open
 1) Gate closed
 2) Gate again open

and in the *.ref file:
LevelCr (
    Class ( "<Bahnübergänge>" )
    Filename ( PAN_Automatico.s )
    Description ( "PAN_Automatico" )

[Andres Blaho (andresblaho)]

MSTS supports multi-framed animations for level crossings, that allows creating more accurate, detailed and complex objects. For example, the attached one that was created with as multi-framed crossing for a proper timing with the light animations.

[James Ross (twpol)]

So Open Rails supports multi-frame level crossings only with negative animation timings (for looping), but that may not be right. Can you confirm whether this model is configured to loop or not in the world file?

[James Ross (twpol)]

Please try this test build (based on X2689) by extracting it on top of Open Rails and deleting RunActivityLAA.exe or turning off general OR option "Large address aware binaries".

[James Ross (twpol)]

Andres, do you think you could try my test version I posted in December?

[Andres Blaho (andresblaho)]

Dear James, thank you for your answe. The problem is not fixed. I've tested both with version X2689 and the actual version x2864 turning off the option "Large address aware binaries".

[Rippstein (ch-signale)]

Hi Andreas,
I have worked a bit with your shape, there are many Problems with it.

But first of all for OR :
James sad:
"So Open Rails supports multi-frame level crossings only with negative animation timings (for looping), but that may not be right"
If I enter for your shape a negative valour the gate is perpetual moving! with positive valour it stuck in the first step.

I have a flashing light commanded by Train, preview for negative animation time. It flash with negative times, but stuck in the first step, as your shape does, if I enter a positive valour.

And now to your shape:
1) here is a gate and a flashing light in the same shape. You have to made two shape, one for the gate, that moves only two time for a passing train, and one for the flashing light, that flash one time every half second.
In the trackeditor you have to enter a animation period a negative valour und use the ENTER-Key instead of OK-Button
try with -0.02 (60s x 0.02 = 1,2 s flashing period)

2) For the your Gate you doesn't need multiframe-animation. Three steps are enough for a continues movement of the gate.
Open, close, open. Animation with this two (three) steps will work in OR. The animation time you enter with the Tarckeditor as a parameter of the Gate.

3) For the Flashing lights you need more steps, so that you can switch the lights hard in the middle of the time. But with negative animation period this will work in OR.

4) Instead of the "CUBRE1 ...4 there are some parts of the Lightboxes ????

[Rippstein (ch-signale)]

I have tested my flashing light (multi frame animation) with positive animation time in MSTS.
also MSTS stuck in the first frame as it does OR. So I think this is not a Bug, this is compatible with MSTS.

[James Ross (twpol)]

According to my tests, the level crossing attached here works fine in MSTS and my fix does help - it animates all the way through - but it does so too slowly because it didn't take the frame count into account for the speed.

I've made a complete fix in X2977.

[Rippstein (ch-signale)]

X2977
Thank you for your fix.
But now a animated gate with 3 frames (open, close, open) makes problems
It close and open when the gate is activate and close and open again when the Train has passed.
In MSTS this work without problems.
same problem with jp1carcrossing.s from the Japan1 folder

[James Ross (twpol)]

Hmm, I can indeed believe that is now broken. If you have any insights into what might be used in MSTS to do many-frames vs 3-frames, that'd be useful. Either way I'll have a look in the next few days.

[James Ross (twpol)]

Okay, I think I've done a better job in X2983. Having more fully understood MSTS's behaviour (which I've explained in a comment) the code even got simpler, which I think is a good sign it is more likely correct than before.

[Rippstein (ch-signale)]

Hi James,
many thanks for your work. The Fix is O.K.
I have found the reason why I sad, MSTS doesn't work with multiframes:
All my testshape I have produced with more frames has worked anyway only with one Frame!!!
By Backward-engineering with MSTS I have found the reason. Multiframe animated shape I have also to change the number of Frames per second here 30:
  animations ( 1
  animation ( 2 30
30 frame per second is good for one animated position.
This number has to be as time x30 as more frames are to present.
I think your Fix based now also in this Number ?
Cheers
Eugen

[James Ross (twpol)]

Yes, this is in my fix. MSTS only uses the first second of animation for non-looped level crossings AFAICT so the frame rate needs to be 30*frames to use the whole animation.

[Andres Blaho (andresblaho)]

Hello, problem is fixed, thank you!