Auto Rails

Geometry nodes tree that generates railway tracks from a curve input.

Note: May not work in blender v3.4 and above at the moment.

How to use:

1. Expand the .zip file and save the autorails folder
2. In blender, go to File > Append > ... auto_rails_v0.3.blend > Node Tree > AUTO RAILS v0.3. Also go into the collections folder and append the three track type collections.
3. Hide the assets that load - these are used as instances in the node tree so still need to render, so just move them out of your cameras view
4. Make a curve that you want to be your railway path (Check that the curve is 3D in Curve Properties)
5. In the modifiers tab, add a Geometry Nodes modifier and select 'AUTO RAILS v0.3' from the list.
6. Play with the settings to get the desired result - see video below:

V0.3

In version 0.3 I have added the ability to switch between track/sleeper types, and have added 3 options to chose from: Modern, High Speed and Traditional track types. The procedural track textures have been improved as part of an upgrade to the original low quality textures included in the first release.

new track types

I have also improved the look and accuracy of the catenary wires which now sag in relation to how far apart the catenary masts are and the support catenary is actually attatched to the active one. Finally there is now an easier option to remove the catenary alltogether with a switch on the geometry nodes modifier.

V0.2

Version 0.2 adds the ability to add infinite parallel tracks with the new portal catenary that spans the railway when there are 3 or more tracks. This feature brings a few new perameters that can be adjusted:

Number of Tracks [no longer limited]
Portal Height [height of the cross beam of the portal catenary]
Portal Width [catenary mast distance from track edge - only with 3+ tracks]

V0.1

This initial version is a definite work in progress and has a limited functionality, but enjoy this proof of concept. This is my first geo-nodes project that i'm sharing so please give me feedback on it's usability.

Editable Perameters

Number of Tracks [currently limited to 1 or 2 tracks]
Track Seperation [distance between tracks]
Sleeper Spacing [distance between track sleepers]
Catenary Spacing [distance between catenary masts]
Catenary Side Switch [allows you to swap the catenary side on a single track]
Mast Foot Height [height of the base of the catenary masts]
Mast Top Height [height of the masts and the negative wire]
Ballast Depth [how deep the sleepers sit in the ballast]
Ballast Width/Height [scale of the ballast]
Ballast Subdivision [to improve the displacement of the ballast material]

Future Features

Enable bridges along section of the track
Overgrown track options
Improved Textures [moving to mostly procedural textures with ability to add wear and rust etc.]
Much more, please suggest!

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.

Appropriate credit could be a mention of my name (Milo T-c) in credits, a link to this page, or my Instagram:

Thanks xxx