What is the correct setup

[BLOCKQUOTE class=’ip-ubbcode-quote’][div class=’ip-ubbcode-quote-title’]quote:[/div][div class=’ip-ubbcode-quote-content’]

I read in one of the post that the greyscale of the alpha layer in the ace file has to be a certain shade for translucency to happen so I was going to try this next.

Mike. [/div][/BLOCKQUOTE]

Your problem seems to be very similar to what I’m seeing in the RailSimulator export.

It does look as if the greyscale has to be a certain level for translucency to work. Depending on the greyscale, you seem to only get full transparency or a very limited range of translucencys.

I have to do some work on a MSTS model, soon, so will see if I get the same effect on that.

Kevin

I have 3 computers and 3DC ver 7.x.x.x works on none of them. The computers are P5 quad SLI with 2 Nvidea 7900GS cards, a P4 dual with Nvidea 7600GS both running XP with DirectX 9c. The other computer is an Acer laptop I just bought running Vista and DirectX 10. I have made and uploaded over 50 emu’s to UKTS such as 4COR, Brighton Belle, 6PAN/PUL etc so I’m not exactly a newbie with this stuff.

The only way I can run 3DC is by using ver 6.5.10 on my P4 with a Nvidea 5900GS with a very old video driver.

If I try running ver 6.5.10 with a later video card the newer drivers prevent 3DC from operating, a problem known by Amablis.

When I run 3DC ver 7.x.x.x the group selection tool works incredibly slowly on the laptop and P4 computer and totally crashes 3DC to the desktop on the P5 computer. This problem I’ve had ever since ver and came out. Amablis can’t replicate this problem so they can’t fix it and I’m stuck with it. However everything else in 7.x.x.x seemed to work so I was hoping to create my models in 6.5.10, compact them and export to ver 7 and then use that version to export to KRS when the time is right. No can do. Since the new materials TxAlpha and AlphaPr have been introduced the exported model to ver 7 now looses its texture attributes and they cannot be changed (on my computer, not necessarily yours). The problem is that translucency is converted to transparency and it cannot be changed back to translucency, even after retexturing in ver 7. After exporting the model to MSTS the texturures show accurately in Paul Gausden’s Shape File Viewer, but not in the trainsim, the translucency is transparent. Thus goes my hopes for transfering models to KRS.

Now to the question. Nobody else appears to have these problems and are happily using ver 7, no group selection problems, no texturing problems etc. Since Amablis can’t figure what the problem is with my system I’m wondering if some of you who have no problems with ver 7 can tell me what you are using so I may be able to use ver 7 and later 3DC’s if possible. Else I’ll have to sadly quit making models as I’ll be dead in the water.

Thanks,

Mike.

First, are you exporting with the Train Simulator Wizard? It translates old material attributes to the new format. You don’t actualy have to export, just run it and click cancel.

When you say ‘translucency is converted to transparency and it cannot be changed back to translucency, even after retexturing in ver 7’ do you mean that you can’t change the ‘Tx Alpha’ field from ‘Transparency’ to ‘Translucency’ for materials? That should be possible.

And have you read this post: [img:2o75thb6]http://amabilis.com/forumattachments/a/tpc/f/7046019974/m/33010526341[/img:2o75thb6]
MSTS export changes

Hi, thanks for a fast reply <!– s:-) –><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!– s:-) –>

Yes I have read the posting about the new MSTS export changes.

What I do, step by step:

First I make my model made with 3DC 6.5.10 as clean as possible and ‘compact all’.

Next I open the model in 3DC 7.1.2 and get the message that the model is going to be upgraded to this later version of 3DC. I say Yes. The model appears in 3DC and looks exactly like it did in the original.

Then I open trainsim wizard and get a message about the Tx Alpha and Alpha Pr. which I ok and afterwards cancel the wizard. I can then click on any item in the model, select properties and see the new window with the new materials and their attributes. In my case the outside of the carriage is classified as Translucent which is correct. The Alpha Pr had to be changed from 1 to 0 to prevent transparent number and lining decals on the surface of the outside from seeing right through the layers.

I then export the model to MSTS using the drop down file menu, selecting export, and selecting MSTS ‘S’ file. In less than a minute the model has been exported to the folder of my choice.

I select the newly created ‘S’ file and look at the model using Paul’s Shape file Viewer and it is exactly correct. Translucencies, Transparencies and none are all good. Also 3DS has done a nice job keeping the objects to less than 11K poly’s. *smile* I also select view lo resolution textures in the SFV and it looks as good also. So far, 3DS has behaved perfectly as it should.

I then open Trainsim, all display sliders to the max and the carriage appears. The translucency of the glass has been replaced with transparency, or as another forum member put it, it looks like they are holes in the side.

Since then I played with the model. I have used every combination of Tx Alpha and Alpha Pr and specular setting and nothing changed, the holes were still there, no Translucency.

I then decided to try retexturing the carriage sides with the settings set for translucency 2 Alpha Pr 0. What I got was totally opaque windows after I exported. I tried this a number of times again with different settings and still got opaque windows.

I read in one of the post that the greyscale of the alpha layer in the ace file has to be a certain shade for translucency to happen so I was going to try this next.

I hope this info can be of help.

Mike.