Rail Simulator Exports Available

The new Rail Simulator LOD exporting feature works as in the MSTS tutorial on LODs, with one new exception.

It’s now possible to use object naming to indicate which LOD an object should be in. What you need to do is affix ‘_LOD_x’ where ‘x’ is 1 to 3.

When 3DC exports non-custom LODs it will use these affixed lods to determine which LOD an object should be in. For example ‘3’ indicates it should be in lods 1 to 3, ‘2’ indicates lods 1 to 2, and ‘1’, indicates only in lod 1.

Any object that does not have this affixed will be culled from lods based on it’s size. That means objects need to have two sides of .5 meters or more to be in lod 2 and objects need to have two sides of 2 meters or more to be in lod 3. (this is assuming you don’t have custom LODs)

The non-custom lods are visible to 100, 400 and 1000 meters.

This will all be documented properly eventually.

This LOD feature also works with the MSTS export.

Oh, one more thing I forgot. MSTS placeholders are not exported to Rail Simulator now. This is part of the process of making it possible to have one model that can be exported to both MSTS and Rail Simulator.

[BLOCKQUOTE class=’ip-ubbcode-quote’][div class=’ip-ubbcode-quote-title’]quote:[/div][div class=’ip-ubbcode-quote-content’]Originally posted by ianm42:
One thing I notice is that the axis point for the main body model is too high – it should be at rail top level. That will not stop it showing in Previewer, but the wheels will be half buried in the ground.
Ian <!– s8-) –><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_cool.gif" alt="" title="Cool" /><!– s8-) –> [/div][/BLOCKQUOTE]
Right. Corrected.

[BLOCKQUOTE class=’ip-ubbcode-quote’][div class=’ip-ubbcode-quote-title’]quote:[/div][div class=’ip-ubbcode-quote-content’]Originally posted by ianm42:
If the model is now showing, but all one colour, then that could be the wrong setting of ToAce has been used. There is an RS Bin tool available from uktrainsim.com (File ID: 17703) which will convert back from .ace format and allow you to view what was created. If this shows all black, then try ToAce again, but with a different file format. I found that .bmp files need the RGBA format rather than DXT.

Ian [/div][/BLOCKQUOTE]
I exported everything as RGBA, even the one with alpha.

… and a big step forward (thanks ianm42):

[img:1scsd3qu]http&#58;//img215&#46;imageshack&#46;us/my&#46;php?image=image7zk5&#46;jpg[/img:1scsd3qu]
[img]http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/8784/image7zk5.th.jpg’]

Obviously, the model on the top is from 3DC.

Things that are not correct:
1) The preview looks like an overexposed photo. I don’t know yet how to change that.
2) Some parts should have matching colors (roof, lower grey part of the body) but they come from 2 different textures. And those textures don’t have the same KRS shader. Shouldn’t it be possible to have different materials based on a the same texture? It looks like I’ll have to change that in the original model.
3) I had to change alpha channel from grey to black to have transparent windows. I hope there is a way to use a greyscale.

(LOD was not tested)

I think RS only allows transparency, and not translucency, in textures. The glass effect is done differently. You can use transparency in the texture to create a window ‘hole’, but then you need another object to form the window pane itself. This uses a different shader to give the glass effect. I have not tried this yet, but this is what I understood from reading the Dev Docs.

Ian <!– s8-) –><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_cool.gif" alt="" title="Cool" /><!– s8-) –>

You have to do windows as Ian suggested, and use BlendTexDiff shader to paint the separate glass windows.

Anyone any suggestions on how to do specular lighting effects?
From reading the docs, I presume you can use a .tga file with the specular info in the alpha channel. If so, which slot would you load the texture to in 3DC, the primary slot or the specular slot (or both?). The use the TrainSpecEnvMask shader.
I’ve had a few go’s but had no success. Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Kevin

Hello,

[BLOCKQUOTE class=’ip-ubbcode-quote’][div class=’ip-ubbcode-quote-title’]quote:[/div][div class=’ip-ubbcode-quote-content’]Originally posted by kevm:
You have to do windows as Ian suggested, and use BlendTexDiff shader to paint the separate glass windows.
[/div][/BLOCKQUOTE]
I don’t understand what has to be done:
[BLOCKQUOTE class=’ip-ubbcode-quote’][div class=’ip-ubbcode-quote-title’]quote:[/div][div class=’ip-ubbcode-quote-content’]Originally posted by ianm42:
You can use transparency in the texture to create a window ‘hole’ [/div][/BLOCKQUOTE]
Then I can also make a real hole.
[BLOCKQUOTE class=’ip-ubbcode-quote’][div class=’ip-ubbcode-quote-title’]quote:[/div][div class=’ip-ubbcode-quote-content’]Originally posted by ianm42:
… but then you need another object to form the window pane itself
[/div][/BLOCKQUOTE]
I don’t see how to create the translucency effect neither what KRS texture to use for this.

[BLOCKQUOTE class=’ip-ubbcode-quote’][div class=’ip-ubbcode-quote-title’]quote:[/div][div class=’ip-ubbcode-quote-content’]Originally posted by kevm:
Anyone any suggestions on how to do specular lighting effects?
[/div][/BLOCKQUOTE]
Yes good question, I’d like some help too.
It seems to me that, as you suggest, it can be done with an alpha channel with a greyscale.
I think it can be loaded in the primary texture slot of 3DC, like any ace file. Then railsimulator devtool will process it as material with specular if it is exported as TrainBumpSpecEnvMask.fx or TrainSpecEnvMask.fx.

ANd do you know any tool to create the greyscale specular info (without using photoshop)?

Btw, have 3DC material attributes (specular, diffuse,…) any effect for KRS? It looks to me that, after export from 3DC, texture effects in KRS are all driven by the texture files contents and the use of the shader keywords (such as TrainSpecEnvMask.fx).