Welcome!
Amabilis Forum: Microsoft Train Simulator Export: Welcome!
andnbsp; By Richard Borsheim (Richard_Borsheim) (24.76.55.123) on Sunday, July 15, 2001 – 08:59 pm: andnbsp;
Welcome to the Microsoft Train Simulator Export forum.
For more information on this proposed feature visit:
[img:3ftk5fim]http://www.amabilis.com/MSTSBeta.htm[/img:3ftk5fim]
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Please note that this special version of 3DC is not supported by Amabilis Software.
Richard
Amabilis Software
andnbsp; By Gary (202.152.22.84) on Monday, July 16, 2001 – 06:25 am: andnbsp;
A forum just for talking about exporting to MS Train Simulator? What gives?
Gary
andnbsp; By Richard Borsheim (Richard_Borsheim) (24.76.55.123) on Monday, July 16, 2001 – 07:37 am: andnbsp;
Hi,
I’m trying to gauge interest in a particular feature. If people aren’t interested I won’t be pursuing it further.
It’s actually a very difficult item since the file format is currently undocumented.
Richard
Amabilis Software
andnbsp; By Jason Webb (65.33.163.70) on Monday, July 16, 2001 – 01:18 pm: andnbsp;
Richard,
I am sooo pleased this has come out, it can only get better.
Keep up the good work and I will let you know what I think
Jason Webb
[img:3ftk5fim]http://home.cfl.rr.com/jwebb4[/img:3ftk5fim]
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The SCL-CSX A Line For MSTS
andnbsp; By Stuart Organ (172.189.167.144) on Tuesday, July 17, 2001 – 01:29 am: andnbsp;
Thank you Richard, from someone who would have to fight hard to justify the 4 figure price tag of max to my wife……
You have just got to keep going..
Thanks
andnbsp; By Mike Skibbe (24.131.181.175) on Tuesday, July 17, 2001 – 12:27 pm: andnbsp;
Yes, you need to further the development of this software!
andnbsp; By Roger (209.74.16.43) on Tuesday, July 17, 2001 – 02:02 pm: andnbsp;
I really hope you continue this project. There are many many people who want to build loco’s for train sim, and Max is just out of there reach.
I’m sure as more people hear about this you’ll be selling a few more copies of this program
Best,
PS that’s neet, a spellchecker on a forum nice touch.
andnbsp; By Gary (202.152.22.84) on Tuesday, July 17, 2001 – 08:44 pm: andnbsp;
Richard,
I have nothing against train sims, though I have nothing really for them either, but I just want to offer the perspective that MS Train Sim is a narrow specialty niche, and that you would help everyone who uses the program more by developing the .3ds export first. There are so many .3ds to x converters already out there on the market, by enabling full-texture .3ds exports, people would be able to import to a huge variety of games and sims, as well as other modeling programs. I urge you not to put the cart before the horse when it comes to export formats.
Gary
andnbsp; By Richard Borsheim (Richard_Borsheim) (24.76.55.123) on Tuesday, July 17, 2001 – 09:42 pm: andnbsp;
Gary,
Not everything that I do is related to making pots and pots of money. I do some things because they interest me.
Richard
andnbsp; By ianm42 (212.127.8.122) on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 – 12:20 am: andnbsp;
A very nice reply,
Ian M.
andnbsp; By Gary (202.152.22.84) on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 – 06:38 am: andnbsp;
Richard,
I’m not sure where you got the idea I was advocating you try to make pots of money, as there was no such reference in my post. What I did say was that, with .3ds, you would be helping more existing users of your program. Does that interest you?
Gary
andnbsp; By Richard Borsheim (Richard_Borsheim) (24.76.55.123) on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 – 07:51 am: andnbsp;
OK Gary,
In this particular instance you didn’t say anything about money. But we have discussed this in the past and with regards to marketing.
I do care that 3DC users have the features that they need. But you see, 3DC Pro already has a 3DS export feature. All you have to do is export to 3DS and paint the model in an external program. I even think there is a freeware program that does it (I forget which one). So, that and the fact that I get virtually no requests for this feature (except from you) makes this a low priority.
Richard
Amabilis Software
andnbsp; By LawrenceKellie (209.43.254.222) on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 – 09:57 am: andnbsp;
Richard, thanks for your work. This is the first 3d software I have ever owned, and it is very daunting, to say the least.
I have checked amabilis’ site and not found any significant beginners tutorials (and I am at work, away from the software so I don’t know if anything came with it).
Do you, or anyone else, know of some beginner’s tutorials?
Thanks
Lawrence
andnbsp; By Gary (202.152.22.84) on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 – 10:51 am: andnbsp;
Richard,
I just checked out the original post requesting export to MS Train Sim, and the guy was actually originally requesting a .3ds export because there is already a utility to import .3ds models into the game. So this is pretty much what I was saying. It does make a difference if you have to texture the model in a different program, at least to me, because texturing is a part of the modeling process, and I do them together as I go along (so I lose that work on export). Also, it requires you have a different 3D program and become familiar with it, which can be a significant time investment, even just to learn texturing. So that’s why I was surprised you would make an exporter for this one game, when making the 3ds export work 100% would not only accomplish the same task, but also dozens more.
But Richard, this is just my opinion, and it is not at all my intention to tell you how you should develop your own software. I’m just a user offering my opinion, requesting the features I think are important. I try not to put too much emphasis on those requests that I think will not benefit the majority of users; the .3ds export, I thought, would really help everyone since it is the industry standard format. But if no one but me is requesting it, then sure, it’s a low priority; you won’t get any argument from me.
Like everyone here, I tremendously appreciate all the work you do on this program, and all the help and feedback you give to users. I respect your perogative to do whatever you want with 3DC, but since you’ve got these message boards, I figure I might as well throw in my two cents. It goes without saying that you needn’t listen to me.
Gary
andnbsp; By Simon Hachey (65.12.159.54) on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 – 01:35 pm: andnbsp;
I would also benifit from a 3ds export, because right now i have to use 3d exploration to convert it, and it rotates the object. Also, for some reason I think the model gets mirrored when it is exported.
Simon
andnbsp; By Tom Gibson (130.191.235.103) on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 – 01:58 pm: andnbsp;
I really do appreciate your help in making this .s format export part of your program – thanks so much.
A bit of background for those not familiar with the sim (MSTS). While the sim is advertised as andquot;allowing users to create new 3D objectsandquot;, they didn’t tell users that you had to have 3D Studio Max to do it. Others have tried to utilize exported .3ds files from other 3D programs and found that the .3ds to .s converter program provided with the sim would not accept the exported .3ds file. So, at this point the only two ways to get objects into the sim are to use 3DStudio Max or to use your program (at least for static objects). Thanks so much for giving us the choice!!
One more thing – please continue your work and find a way to get animated objects exported into .s format – that would be wonderful.
Thanks again,
Tom
andnbsp; By Richard Borsheim (Richard_Borsheim) (24.76.55.123) on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 – 05:15 pm: andnbsp;
Tom,
You’re welcome.
Thanks for giving people the background on this. In addition to what you mention, there are material issues. MSTS requires a specific naming structure for materials. IMO the only way to produce a correct andquot;.sandquot; file from 3DC is to produce it directly.
Lawrence,
The 3DC help file has quite a few tutorials and in particular a andquot;basicsandquot; tutorial. I think that might be what you are looking for.
Gary/Simon,
I don’t anticipate improving the 3DS export in the immediate future (other than bug fixes). 3DC supports the DirectX export very well. That is 3DC’ primary export format. Most other 3D programs can use the DirectX format now. And, there are at least a couple of programs out there that can translate DirectX into 3DS.
Richard
Amabilis Software
andnbsp; By Richard Borsheim (Richard_Borsheim) (24.76.55.123) on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 – 11:33 pm: andnbsp;
Simon,
I checked the 3DS export by importing it into Cinema4D XL. It looks OK to me.
What were you testing it with?
Richard
andnbsp; By Simon Hachey (65.12.159.54) on Thursday, July 19, 2001 – 12:42 am: andnbsp;
I am using 3d exploration to load it. I think the rotation problem might be that the x axis for .x is the z axis for .3ds, and vice versa.
Maybe it was just me…
Ill check again later.
Simon
andnbsp; By Jason Webb (65.33.163.70) on Thursday, July 19, 2001 – 03:37 am: andnbsp;
I personally think that if this export would be refined for MSTS I would Pay for it.
Richard, there is a use for this software, i hope you continue to develop it )
Jason
[img:3ftk5fim]http://home.cfl.rr.com/jwebb4[/img:3ftk5fim]
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andnbsp; By MRRextreme (205.188.197.44) on Thursday, July 19, 2001 – 09:55 pm: andnbsp;
Thank you for creating the .s export. I bought the software anyway because you were responsive to the MSTS community. It is really easy to create objects from those primitives. I am not sure people appreciate the power of your software. If you could get the animation capability(i.e. multiple object export) in the .s export. That would really be excellent. I am not sure where I weigh in on the .3ds since MSTS is my primary interest and I have been able to model what I want.
image
andnbsp; By Matthew Peddlesden (193.237.86.201) on Friday, July 20, 2001 – 04:03 pm: andnbsp;
Hi,
Just adding my voice here – if the .S support for TrainSim becomes a supported feature of 3DC Pro I can definitely say I will be purchasing as well as recommending to friends and family who are also avidly awaiting a more reasonably priced modeling tool for creating MSTS stock.
Many thanks for your pioneering work in skipping the 3DS export problem altogether and going straight to a .S file – marvelous andnbsp;
Matt.
andnbsp; By KingJPW (66.27.103.
on Saturday, July 21, 2001 – 12:00 am: andnbsp;
I’m taking a look at it, just to see if 3d object modeling for MSTS is ‘my cup of tea’
Thanks for your work.
andnbsp; By MRRextreme (172.138.2.158) on Saturday, July 21, 2001 – 02:15 am: andnbsp;
pic1
pic2
pic3
andnbsp; By MRRextreme (172.138.2.158) on Saturday, July 21, 2001 – 02:24 am: andnbsp;
andnbsp; By Richard Borsheim (Richard_Borsheim) (209.53.83.165) on Saturday, July 21, 2001 – 11:46 am: andnbsp;
Cool.
That’s really neat to see. Sure beats my sad excuse for a model. Thanks for the posts.
Richard
Amabilis Software
andnbsp; By Ron Paludan (63.14.226.156) on Saturday, July 21, 2001 – 02:15 pm: andnbsp;
Richard,
I figured the best way to encourage you to develop this further was to register 3DC. So I did!
As an added note, I’ve been developing and selling software to the railfan community for a couple of years. It is a niche market and I haven’t quit my day job, but I have found it profitable and fun.
Ron Paludan
Railway Station Productions, LLC
andnbsp; By Z Eytina (165.247.45.56) on Monday, July 23, 2001 – 10:26 am: andnbsp;
Richard,
As an avid MSFS fan I was only too eager to purchase MSTS. While the game shows great potential, its full impact is marred by the difficulty one experiences in building new routes. Unfortunately, creating new locomotives is simply out of the question. I think I speak for more than just myself when I say that 3D Studio Max is just NOT an option! As a result, almost half the functionality and appeal of the simulation is missing. Let me say a big THANK YOU for what you’ve accomplished so far with 3DC and congratulations to you on the hurdles you must have had to overcome to bring the software this far. All I can say at this point is please, please complete the work for importing animated objects into MSTS and I guarantee an enthusiastic market. I can definitely say I’ll be one of the first in line purchasing as well as recommending your software package.
Z. Eytina
andnbsp; By Mike Pye (213.1.163.102) on Tuesday, July 24, 2001 – 07:14 pm: andnbsp;
Richard,
Just wanted to say thanks for all your effort on this program. Been looking for something like it for a while now.. not sure why I didn’t find it before. As a newcomer to 3d modelling I particularly appreciate your efforts on the help and tutorial sections. Since I also have an interest in POV-Ray, I’ve already willingly registered my copy, but I too would greatly appreciate anything you can do to further improve the compatibility with MSTS.
Mike Pye
andnbsp; By Richard Borsheim (Richard_Borsheim) (24.76.55.123) on Tuesday, July 24, 2001 – 11:15 pm: andnbsp;
Hi all,
Thanks for all of the encouragment. I decided a few days ago that there was enough interest in the MSTS export to warrant more effort. So I have went ahead a created a new version with improved MSTS support.
I’ve posted more information in the andquot;New Versionandquot; message in this forum
Richard
Amabilis Software
andnbsp; By Larry Goss (207.0.105.160) on Wednesday, July 25, 2001 – 02:47 pm: andnbsp;
I just cast my vote for your continued support of MSTS by registering my copy of 3DC.
Larry
andnbsp; By Z. Eytina (165.247.46.245) on Thursday, July 26, 2001 – 03:06 pm: andnbsp;
Same here. My download is finally finished and I just registered my version of 3DC Pro as well. Now to get started on the tutorials, then the locomotives!
Z. Eytina
andnbsp; By Richard Borsheim (Richard_Borsheim) (24.76.55.123) on Thursday, July 26, 2001 – 05:47 pm: andnbsp;
Hi,
Don’t worry about continued support. It is part of 3DC Pro and will get the same amount of attention as every other feature.
Oh, and thanks for registering!
Richard
Amabilis Software