Big boy Steam engine animation

The animations shows how the rods and valve gear works in a Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 steam engine. The animation was created by me and it took 8 hours to render.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• steam
• engine
• big
• boy
• 4-8-8-4
• Union
• Pacific
• locomotive
• 3d
• animation
• model
• wheel
• valve
• gear
• american
• render
• rail
• railway

[hammersm1988]

What prints?

[hammersm1988]

Thanks... This was indeed done in 3dMax and it goes something like this: one wheel drives the whole animation, the main rod has an Y axis constraint on it so that it only moves up and down, the connecting rod has its pivot point put on the main rod and a look at constraint. The rest on the model is done in the same way. You just have to look at the mechanics of it and do search some youtube videos of steam locomotives anfdyou'll be alright

[hammersm1988]

I know it is in neutral, I know more about steam locomotives than you would expect... But it is rather tricky to animate the reverse arm, in a way that the animation would work nicely...

[robertgift]

The "Reverser"? is ineutral. This would not happen.

Looks nice!

Why so rapidly jerky?

Please show for several minutes at LOW speed and then stop and reverse - if notoo much trouble.

[Phillyart280]

Hammersm did you know that the prints might be available for the bigboy again.

[Nickuk1987]

Very good :-) I'm trying to create a CGI model of the V2 Green Arrow Train for an animation project but having trouble doing the wheels like you have. Was this done in 3ds Max? and is there any chance you could explain how you animated this?

Who cares about neutral gear its still excellent!!!

[MikeM8891]

it's in nuetral

[ScRamjet57]

@IllinoisTrains1

Thank you, that's Good to know. I know very little about the actual correct terminology. I'm coming at this as a hobby from the semi-scale models end.

I am trying to get parts to make my models more accurate.

[IllinoisTrains1]

@Ramjet1975 There is know such thing as neutral on steam locomotives on steam locomotives. It is called on center.

[Ramjet1975]

Odd, your train wheels should not be moving. You are in Neutral gear. That's what the slide link on the inside of the back of driver #2 controls. Up for forward, down for reverse. That being moved up will cause the rod coming forward from there to move the sliding valve in the top cylinder at the front. The top cylinder is the Valve body.