| Stable release | 1.8 / 3rd July 2011 |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X |
| Type | Roller coaster designer and simulator |
| Website | www.nolimitscoaster.com |
NoLimits Roller Coaster Simulation is a software package available for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X designed and built by a team of programmers and artists led by German programmer Ole Lange. It was first released in November 2001. The package includes two separate pieces of software, the NoLimits Editor and NoLimits Simulator, with a third application, the NoLimits Terraformer supported as well.
Contents |
The 'NoLimits Editor' allows the design of a roller coaster with surrounding scenery. Track editing is based on adjacent bezier curves and allows nearly infinite design possibilities all packed in a CAD-based graphical user interface. Scenery objects can be placed in the editor, provided they are of the .3ds format. The software allows a number of popular roller coaster types to be designed, based on industrially engineered designs.
The Simulator allows the designed roller coaster to be viewed in full 3D, either riding the roller coaster like a rider, or watching it in a third person perspective, from a fixed position or behind the roller coaster train. 3D acceleration is provided by OpenGL. It is also possible to view technical information, such as speed and G-forces. These measurements are nearly exact to real-life situations.
The Terraformer allows the creation of a detailed landscape around the ride area, to simulate an actual environment. It has the ability to change the textures, water levels and placement of trees and other scenery to create a realistic environment. Some designers, who wish for a more flexible terrain design, create large 3D models of terrain, which allow for more complicated elements such as tunnels, buildings, and pathways. The Terraformer was created by Gravimetric Studios for use in the package, and is considered a third party application for use with the official suite.
According to the NoLimits official website,[1] the software has been used by amusement park related companies showcasing new rides for prospective parks and guests. Such companies include Vekoma, Intamin AG, Gerstlauer, MACK Rides, Werner Stengel, John Wardley and Zamperla. They use a version of the software called NoLimits Pro, which is only available to companies.
Companies have been licensing roller coaster styles to NoLimits including:
It has also been modified as a proof of concept for certain prototype rides, including the UniCoaster prototype.[4] A demo can be downloaded from the website, which is a customized version of the NoLimits Simulator.
Due to the free form style of the Editor and the CAD based interface the creation of different types of roller coasters is not limited by the style of track chosen for the simulation, and as such Wooden roller coasters can have the same elements as a Steel roller coaster, whilst not being "true to life". Below is a list of the track types (with train combinations) that are included in the Simulator.
| Track Style in Simulator | Real Life Track Style | Train Configurations |
|---|---|---|
| Classic/Modern Looping Coaster | Steel roller coaster | Schwarzkopf style, Classic and Modern |
| Corkscrew Coaster | Corkscrew roller coaster | Corkscrew (Arrow Dynamics, Vekoma) |
| Inverted (2 seat and 4 seat) Coaster | Inverted roller coaster | Bolliger & Mabillard (4 seat) and Vekoma (2 seat, SLC style) |
| Twister/Floorless/Stand-up Coaster Style | Floorless/Stand-up | Bolliger & Mabillard, Sit down, floorless and stand up style. |
| Hyper Coaster Style | Hypercoaster/Gigacoaster | Bolliger & Mabillard (4 seat, single row), Intamin AG (4 seat, 2 rows) |
| Wooden Coaster Style | Wooden roller coaster | Trailered (2 and 4 seat), Classic (4 and 6 seat) |
| LIM Launched Coaster | Shuttle roller coaster | Premier Rides style |
| Inverted Shuttle Coaster (Face to Face and Impulse) | Shuttle roller coaster | Vekoma Invertigo style (face to face), Intamin AG Impulse style |
| Vekoma Flying Dutchman Coaster | Flying roller coaster | Flying style trains |
| Gerstlauer/Maurer Söhne Spinning Coaster | Spinning roller coaster | Gerstlauer/Maurer Söhne style cars |
| Gerstlauer Euro Fighter Coaster/Gerstlauer Euro Fighter 2 | Steel roller coaster | Gerstlauer Euro Fighter (1 and 2) cars |
| Vekoma Motorbike Coaster | Steel roller coaster | Vekoma Motorbike style trains |
| Gerstlauer Bobsled Coaster | Steel roller coaster | Gerstlauer Bobsled style cars |
| Vekoma Mine Train Coaster | Mine Train roller coaster | Vekome Mine Train style cars with and without locomotive |
| Maurer Söhne X-Car Coaster | Steel roller coaster | Maurer Söhne X-Car style cars with lap restraints, suitable for inversions |
| Zamperla Twister Coaster | Zamperla Twister Coaster | Zamperla Twister Coaster style cars |
Notes
Nolimits Track Packager[5] Allows the user to create a package file containing car-textures, environments and scenery files using a track file.
Newton 2 was released on the 20th September 2009.[6] Newton 2 is a Nolimits 1.* add-on that allows you to create roller coaster track using mathematical formulas; This method of track building is commonly referred to as "Force Vector Design". This is where you specify the g-forces you want to achieve and then Newton 2 will then shape the track to hit those forces.
| Version | Date Released | Changes |
|---|---|---|
| NoLimits 1.0 | 2001 | Official Debut |
| NoLimits 1.2 | 2002 | Updated version of NoLimits 1.0 |
| NoLimits 1.25 | 2002 | Update patch of 1.2 |
| NoLimits 1.26 | 2002 | Minor glitches addressed |
| NoLimits 1.3 | 2003 | Added wooden coasters |
| NoLimits 1.5 | 2004 | Redone corkscrew cars and texture in front (which means changing the splash screen during startup), and added shuttle coasters |
| NoLimits 1.55 | September 29, 2004 | Update Patch of 1.5 |
| NoLimits 1.6 | September 25, 2006 | Completely redone car shapes, most textures and brakes, and additional types of cars, e.g. spinning roller coasters |
| NoLimits 1.7 | December 12, 2007 | Added Mine Train and X-Car coasters, AVI movie export, extended support functions and some texture improvements |
| NoLimits 1.71 | December 27, 2007 | Update Patch of 1.7, fixing mainly a sound issue |
| NoLimits 1.8 | July 3rd, 2011 | Zamperla Twister Coaster, Limit FPS option and a bug fix. |
Creator Ole Lange has mentioned on his personal website that Nolimits Coaster 2 will offer to fix some of the outstanding bugs in the original Nolimits coaster. No longer will it have 2 separate applications, but rather have a more WYSIWYG approach.[7] Other features include: package management[8]
Ole has said that he plans to maintain the NL1.x project while NL2 is still too far away.[9]
Official Websites