Train Mods

[+Guest JetRanger]

Man I can't wait to download some of these. Unluckily, my computer crashed on me (like it always does, must be a tradition for HPhttps://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/7.gif>) when its up and running again I will check it out!https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/16.gif>

[burwellian 16]

Trolca, did you see the images? Any chance of these trains?

[Trolca 15]

3/22/2004 4:00:26 PM

JVGazeley

Trolca, did you see the images? Any chance of these trains?

I'll try to get to making something simular to that but I'm not sure when.

I noticed at the time I'm posting that Simtropolis population and the number of views to this thread are both 27,944. That's an average of one view for every member.

[Gemika 6]

Hey Trolca, I was wondering if you could make me one custom car with one logo on the side it doesn't need to be anytime soon but it would be awesome if you could. I want to use it on my new website opening this spring the logo is my avaitor above my name except I would like the cars to be a light gray if you could do this for me I would be more than happy and of course credit your work on my site. Thanx

GE

btw. its going on a banner if you decide to make it

[addax61024 6]

I'm not saying anything against your previous excellent work trolca, but now you've started doing custom member cars, you know the requests for them will NEVER end https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/5.gif>

[Gemika 6]

Well they may never end, but maybe others are willing to learn how to make them it can't be to difficult. I would learn how if I knew where to start. I used to make big Freight liner trucks for Carl over at the C&J Group at Freeland once I had the models made I just had to change the colors and the logos which took me about 5 minutes. here are some pics of the trucks sets I made.

[chasemiles0 10]

anybody notice my sig?

 

\/

[+Guest]

Umm, I don't see something new expect for a sig image change.

[chasemiles0 10]

I meant the colors

[DarkMatter 21]

Hey Trolca and gang. I don't know if you guys know this yet, but I think its possible to use LARGER textures for skins than the default ones. A skinned model uses pergentages, rather than pixel values, to assign that part of a texture gets assigned to what vertex. The values range from 0.0-1.0 for both U and V coordinates.

I'm working on a skin editing tool in DatGen that might help facilitate the creation of larger, more detailed skins for train cars and other stuff like cars, trucks, etc. I think, currently, skin textures are 128x128 pixels. It should be possible to double that, up to 256x256 pixels, which would give you guys a LOT more room to work with, and should allow you to get more detail into your skins.

I havn't fully figured out how to design the tool in DatGen yet, but I have a vauge idea, and I can explain it to anyone who is interested. Any thoughts?

[Trolca 15]

3/23/2004 11:37:40 PM

DarkMatter

Hey Trolca and gang. I don't know if you guys know this yet, but I think its possible to use LARGER textures for skins than the default ones. A skinned model uses pergentages, rather than pixel values, to assign that part of a texture gets assigned to what vertex. The values range from 0.0-1.0 for both U and V coordinates.

I'm working on a skin editing tool in DatGen that might help facilitate the creation of larger, more detailed skins for train cars and other stuff like cars, trucks, etc. I think, currently, skin textures are 128x128 pixels. It should be possible to double that, up to 256x256 pixels, which would give you guys a LOT more room to work with, and should allow you to get more detail into your skins.

I havn't fully figured out how to design the tool in DatGen yet, but I have a vauge idea, and I can explain it to anyone who is interested. Any thoughts?

Most of the current train skins are 256x256. I have attempted to use 512x512, it was some time ago so I forgot what the results was but it wasn't good. I'm using the Ilive Reader because my OS is Windows ME. My attempt to use DatGen failed.

[Trolca 15]

Here's another attempt at the CsX Lots car.

[chasemiles0 10]

If you could, make a boxcar for my mother. She'd like thi pict:

 

Call it:

Julie Pet Delivery

Make sure you make it purple. Thanks trolca! I hope you arn't tired of making these.https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/9.gif>

 

I shall give you a reward for all of this work. But what?https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/27.gif> Oh, well. I guess praise and talant are enough. Good luck.https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/2.gif>

 

Soon I'll be asking you to make my father one. But later.

 

***Trolca Rocks***

[BigRedFish 21]

Woo-hoo!  Check it out, yo:

 

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files/Trolca11.jpg border=0>

 

 

Patch's finally made another batch of blue paint, so we could do something about that engine we got from the GN.  Now, if we could just get the forward gear to work...

 

Credit to Dearnen for the model, and the livery, and the fact that the lights work, and.... I just altered the GP38 skin to fit a GP7, and touched up the vents in blue.  I'm not completely satisfied, and may take another stab at the skin, but hey - not bad for a first try.  Now, to flip it to run the other way, address the mirrored cab numbers issue, and get it onto a unique instance ID so it doesn't conflict with the GN one...

 

Thanks to Trolca and Dearnen for the support and encouragement!

 

[Smurfer2 7]

Very nice Mr. Fish. I really like that. The head light just adds to the excitement. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/9.gif>

 

You have some good mentors Mr. Fish.https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/25.gif>

[DoubleJ2K 3]

Trolca, if it's not too much trouble,  I'd also like to request 2 boxcars:

I'd like the number to be MFC300A and the color white

 

And, again, if it's not too much trouble:

I'd like this one in white also with number TTT2001

 

Thanks again,

Double J

[Trolca 15]

BigRedFish:

I'm honored with another Trolca Train engine. If you'd like for it to be flipped around I can help. Let me know if you rather I give you the instructions or have me do it. It might take a little bit to learn the process but once you know it, it'll help with making custom engines/cars with the Ilive Reader.

 

DoubleJ2K:

Your requests are on my list.

 

To everyone that has submitted requests up to this point. I'll try to get them out soon.

 

I am asking everyone to hold off with requests for now.

 

Gemika:

The trucks look great.

[BigRedFish 21]

Why thankee, Smurfer2!  Trolca and Dearnen are the best.

 

BTW, I don't want to embarrass you, but just for the record, I'm 34/F/Married, so that's Mrs. Fish to you. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/2.gif> No biggie if you thought otherwise; like Trinity said in The Matrix, Most guys do.

 

[Trolca 15]

More custom member cars.

 

I forgot that you wanted white so you're getting two for the price of one.

 

[Gemika 6]

Trolca Thank You, Your trains are awesome!

I can wait for my request, I'm in no hurry. Thanks in advance for taking the time to do it.

GE https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/5.gif>

[Smurfer2 7]

I apologize Mrs. Fish, but most members on Simtrop are male (I don't know why) and your name didn't suggest otherwise. It's happened to me while playing hearts, I was called a female because Smurf was in my name.... So, it goes both was I guess, but from now on I'll call you Mrs. Fish if you don't mind.

 

As for the boxcars, another job well done Trolca, though I will be honest and say that I'm not fond of the last four. As long as the person who requested them is happy.https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/35.gif>

[born acorn 0]

Thanks alot Trolca!

I owe ya two!https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/9.gif>

[BigRedFish 21]

Thanks to a maintenance manual sent by our parent company, the maintenance staff was able to repair the forward gear on our GP7.

 

 

They're still working on that gap between the rear running board and the locomotive body - our SimInsurance company is howling that someone's going to get SimHurt someday.  I've tried telling them about the Alpha channel but they say it's all Greek to them.  Our maintenance staff are not the brightest lights in the harbour, but they mean well and they're learning... https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/2.gif>

 

 

Speaking of lights, I think they mounted the headlamp inside the hood cowling rather than in front of it!  I really must go down there and find out what goes on in that shop...

 

[Just kidding about the alpha channel, I think I know what to do about that gap.]

 

[chasemiles0 10]

Very funny Mrs. Fish!https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/22.gif> I would like to comment that Trolca deserves a reward. PM me if you can make her something telling me what it is, and we'll discuss it in chat. Thanks.

[Dearnen 11]

The headlight on the GN engine was never changed.  I was concerned about how it would look, but when I looked at the night version, I decided it looked just fine.  The actual focal point is still located at the front of the cab, where it was on the original.

 

I'm curious, how did you flip the engine back around?  When I made it, I just rotated the model around its vertical axis in gmax.  That's the tool I used to raise the short hood and remap the skin too.  Heh, I was surprised at how easy it was.

 

-Dearnen

[BigRedFish 21]

This is odd, the message the board says I'm replying to is not the one I hit reply on, it's the one at the top of the page.  This is meant for Dearnen.

 

[bEGINQUOTE]

3/25/2004 8:46:25 PM[/quoteDATE]

Dearnen[/quoteAUTHOR]

The headlight on the GN engine was never changed.  I was concerned about how it would look, but when I looked at the night version, I decided it looked just fine.  The actual focal point is still located at the front of the cab, where it was on the original.

[/quoteMESSAGE][/bEGINQUOTE]

I'll take that as gospel, then.  It looks OK as it is, really.  I also just noticed that the gap in the rear running board was gone in the night picture.  Weird.

 

[bEGINQUOTE]

I'm curious, how did you flip the engine back around?

[/quoteMESSAGE][/bEGINQUOTE]

Credit to Trolca for the technique:

In the Reader, open your .dat, fill the list, and select the S3D file.  Click the Vert tab above the image.  Click the X column header to highlight the entire column of X-values.  Press CTRL-INS to copy that row.   Fire up a spreadsheet (I used OpenOffice Spreadsheet, MS Excel should work too), click cell A1, then press SHIFT-INS, to paste the X values into the A column.  In the B1 cell, enter the formula =0-A1.  Copy that cell, then highlight cells B1-Bn (where N is the bottom of the list of X values), and paste.  The B column now contains the inverse of the original X values!  Highlight cells B1-Bn, and press CTRL-INS to copy those to the clipboard.  Return to the Reader, click the y column header and then the x again to avoid a strange user-input glitch, and then press SHIFT-INS.  The inverted X-values will now be in the entire X column, and you should see the model become a mirror image of itself in the rendered picture below.  Hit Apply, and then repeat the process for the Z column.  Apply, Save, done!

Trolca saved me hours of data entry with that little spreadsheet trick.  Three cheers for Trolca, hip hip hooray! https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/1.gif>

BTW, could I get a briefing on what I need to change to alter the instance ID?

 

[chasemiles0 10]

Keep  up the good work Trolca!

[Dearnen 11]

Basically, you'll need to look for every place that the engine's instance is used in the dat's subfiles and change them to the new instance.  Naturally, the subfiles will need their instances changed.  Furthermore, the exemplar and s3d files both have internal data that will need to be changed (where they refer to the model and the skin TGIs, respectively).  I can't remember where all they are off the top of my head.  I usually start with the fsh, then the s3d, and finally the exemplar...sort of working my way up the file heirarchy - it just keeps it all in order.

 

-Dearnen

[+Guest Chrono Vulcan]

Hey, Gemika, could you possibly provide those as props, except with a plain ole' no-brand-type skin? https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/9.gif>

[stp243 8]

[bEGINQUOTE]

3/23/2004 7:17:16 PM[/quoteDATE]

[/quoteAUTHOR]

Well they may never end, but maybe others are willing to learn how to make them it can't be to difficult. I would learn how if I knew where to start. I used to make big Freight liner trucks for Carl over at the C&J Group at Freeland once I had the models made I just had to change the colors and the logos which took me about 5 minutes. here are some pics of the trucks sets I made.

>




[/quoteMESSAGE][/bEGINQUOTE]

hey! i remember these! i used to go to that site all the time and d/l stuff for my SC3K BAT tool. i remember being really impressed with them. that seems like such a long time ago now...I would also like to see these as props for our current lot editor, that would be great.