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MMD Model Review - MMD Freight Yard

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Review per request of the modeler: Wampa842


This is a truly impressive train yard scenery model. It is also huge, but despite its size, it has a fairly light footprint which is a good thing. This means that most graphic cards can handle it without issues and it packs a lot of details into the entire package as well. If you like trains, this is definitely a 'must have' model, as it serves really well as an environment in which you can really show off the trains. Plus it has plenty of opportunites for MMD crews and whatnot to poke around. But let's break it down and do bear in mind that the set is still under development and I am only looking at a beta model; and as with all beta models there are issues, but fortunately none that aren't addressible.

Texture Maps:

These are important for almost any scenic model and this set has some truly impressive texture work. Most are easily equivalent to texture maps found on commercial models and what is especially nice, since there are a lot of texture maps, is that they are for the most part very conservative in size. Most are 512x512 pixels, some smaller and a handful larger. This is really great as the combined collection will not make a great demand on your average and low end graphics card. Plus, many are the building blocks of some of the more complex structures which means that the number of polygons needed to represent complex structures is optimized. The downside, is that are a lot of transparencies, and this in the beta model, has lead to some draw order issues which I will address in more detail below.

The Model - An Overview:

As a model, it is finely crafted, low polygon and richly detailed. A very nice balance technically. As for what is modeled, I'll only make a few assumptions here based on what I have seen and we will take it from there. The model was provided at 10 times it's use size, which means that it retains well all the details when scaled down to 10% or 0.1. However, the tracks are too wide for most of the MMD trains and stock cars I have in my collection. Now that said, when it comes to MMD trains and train tracks, they don't seem to be to a consistent scale. So many existing scenery models from Japanese sources have tracks that are either too narrow or too wide. Some Japanese train modelers have added sliders to their stock to allow the width of the wheels to be adjusted to match the width of the tracks, then again, not all models have this feature either. That said, when I scaled the Train Yard model to 0.07, the tracks were a perfect fit, and the overall reduction in size didn't really effect anything else adversely as the facility buildings are huge as can be seen in the screenshots provided above.

I put Miku and Neru in there just so everyone has an idea how large these trains and the Train Yard model really are.

However, regardless of the fact that I scaled the model down to 0.07, even at 0.1, the overhead electric wires for electric trains are too low. As you can see with the electric railcar at the center of the picture, it can hardly raise its pantograph, and this is one of the few models with an articulated pantograph, not all models have this feature and with those that don't, they are supplied with raised pantographs and these will extend to well above the level of the overhead wiring. And even for those trains with articulated pantographs, they don't have enough room to extend to look convincingly operational.

The Train Yard Facilities:

The model comes with a selection of buildings and facilities to represent a steam age train service yard in its most basic form. Now before I go any further, I need to state clearly that my comments are from purely an American perspective as I don't know enough about railroad practices in other countries to make any categorical claims to authenticity anywhere outside of the US. As is, the set up is credible, but not quite accurate if one wanted to be nick picky.

The set comes with a water tank, a locomotive shed, a very prominent coaling tower facility, as well as (I am assuming) a freight station, which is where Neru is standing and Miku's switcher is currently parked. There's also a large industrial building just behind the freight handling buildings. The loco shed is behind that and cannot be seen in the screenshots. It would be nice if the loco shed had open doors so that locos can be driven in there but I can certainly understand why these are modeled closed.

With this set up, there are some issues with the track layout. It's missing a switcher track, which would be common for a facility of this type. This is where the local switcher would be parked when it is not in use and usually will be somewhere near the loco shed. Likewise, it is missing a repair track, another type of dead end spur that would be near the loco shed where freight cars in need of repairs would be parked. Around the loco shed would be ancillary buildings such as a small administrative office (yard office) and very commonly, supply sheds and a machine shop.

The water tank is in the wrong location. US practice would have placed it either along the run around that leads through the coaling station or more commonly sited to service trains running along the main line. Right now it is servicing what in US practice is called a Team Track and this track would have been used to exclusively access and service the freight station. The water tank is also a bit on the small/low side and missing a service/access ladder. I know that the switcher in the picture looks huge, but it is actually only a medium size switcher. A main line steam locomotive of around this era, late steam age, would have been huge in comparison.

As for the coaling station, given it's size and configuration, it is also a little on the low side and also it is suggestive that it would have serviced two tracks not one. Also missing is a track to which coaling cars would have been brought in to supply it with coal. But then again, the coal could just as easily be brought in by trucks, though this practice is not prototypical. Missing is a facility to dump ash, an ash pit. This is usually a hole in between the tracks with sometimes a shed next to it. Also missing is a sanding station, and in actual fact this facility will be the only one left in the diesel age as sand is needed by all trains, especially freight trains to increase traction; even those running on the 'flat'. It's fairly normal for even diesel freight engines in the US to dump some sand on the tracks to increase traction when the trains begin to pull a load. But like I said, this is just being nick picking. Most people won't even know what a sanding station looks like.

But as a whole the current track arrangements and facilities provided are more than workable for MMD use. Overall the current configuration looks convincing enough to feel authentic and only rail nuts (like me) might take issues with it; but we  are probably in the minority and can be safely ignored. The model already offers a lot of scope for many different types of train activity animation and being a little open ended with the details might actually be more of a benefit than a handicap.

As for the Team Track, the service platform adjacent to it is a bit too low. It should be level with the deck of the flat cars, but even in the prototype, sometimes these are low, in which case some sort of ramp facility would be provided.

Draw Order Issues:

When I was setting these shots up, I ran into draw order issues especially with that fence between the Team Track and the Main Line. Also do bear in mind that many of the MMD train models have transparent textures too and not just windows that need be factored in. It might be an idea to actually separate the transparent portions of the model into a component that loads separately, but I can also understand the advantages of loading everything in a single model. Sorting the transparent materials to the bottom of the materials list might help too. This is something that you might want to look into further as it is visually jarring. BTW, it's a lovely fence, but you might want to break it up a bit, and give it a support frame similar to what was done with the fence behind the coaling station. However, taking that fence out completely is also a valid solution as in US practice, fencing in between tracks is rather rare.

The Environment:

It is a huge model, which is very nice. But there's an awful lot of flat featureless land. Might want to consider 'populating' it a bit with some building flats or trees as right now visually it is a wee bit boring. Even in the Western USA where this sort of vista is not uncommon, flat doesn't always mean there's nothing out there. But this is just a thought, leaving it as is, is fine too. The whole thing is really big and most of the time the camera would be more focused on what's happening at the center of the model where all the buildings are, and where the trains will be. Also, there are sufficient numbers of standalone buildings and tree models from Japanese sources that can be used to fill in the scene if some find the environment overall too empty.

One thing that should be addressed though is the road leading into the facility and the car park. It doesn't extend out far enough and in some views the fact that it abruptly cuts off is rather apparent.

Nice touches with the little details, like crates and junk. Not too much, but enough to suggest a 'lived-in' scene. One other thing that would be nice is to allow some means to illuminate the lights. If possible, making them Auto-Luminous or Object Luminous compatible would be a nice touch.


Overall:

Darn good job, it is really nice and the quality is superb. It looks really good and I have not run into pixelation issues with this model as was evident in one of the screenshots in your gallery. Very simple conceptually overall, but it packs a lot of potential for MMD video and still picture making.





CREDITS:

MMD Train Yard : Wampa842
Skydome : Meme
Miku and Neru : Masisi models edited by SeasideEXP
Switcher : Ejima
Rail car :  SeasideEXP
Flat wagons : Kataro
Render in MMD 9.26 + MME
Image size
1280x1440px 1.44 MB
© 2015 - 2024 Trackdancer
Comments18
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anime-queen-the-best's avatar
Will you give me the model's link?