Any objects to make semi-relistic factory signs ?

[AnalogOldguy]

Hello people, I have been trying to add some signs to factories in my downloaded layouts (in Trainz 2004), and I am finding it hard.
I have the usual "Type On Signs" which seem to produce only standard text lettering...

Otherwise I have a bunch of company "logos" (from the DLS) which are never big enough to lay over the "Type On" signs (to make a fake company sign).

Otherwise I have only found a few realistic looking company signs, one from Heinz Pickles, and a bunch of coal Mine signs from Trainz Pro Routes, along with a few factory signs for the McCall Yard.

Other true signs I have found are for Gas stations. Has anyone else produced semi-realistic logos or parts to create semi-realistic looking factory signs? Thanks for any info ...

Bob P.

 

[NJCurmudgeon]

I don't know what kind of software you have access to, but one thing I've done is to find a sign I like and then reskin it in Photoshop. The art formats on the original need to be readable by Photoshop - .tga or .bmp are common. Find the sign in Content Manager, right click and create a clone. Then right click on that clone and go to Edit - Edit in Windows Explorer. That will open up all the files in a new Windows Explorer window. You can go through the folders and look for editable files. When you find the one you want to modify, open and make the changes you want. When you're done, right click again and commit the asset. You can also rename it so it's easier to find again in Surveyor. I use Photoshop, but there are probably cheaper basic programs you can use. GIMP is an open source version of Photoshop. The only catch is that you need to pay attention to the licensing. If you are only using it for yourself, you're okay. But you may not be permitted to upload it or use it in any layouts you want to upload later. Or you may be able to as long as you credit the person who created the original. Check the config file for details or else contact the originator.

 

[mezzoprezzo]

Ray Whiley has made some nice ones where detached white lettered signs with no background can be applied to buildings.

He’s made eight sizes. They are on the DLS – make sure the Trainz Classics 3 box is checked.

They can be found under user name ray_whiley.

Kuid: 275817:23150 DDD Sign 01 (smallest) through to Kuid: 275817:23157 DDD Sign 08 (largest).

 

[Jerker]

G'day AnalogOldGuy (Bob, if I may be so bold - and I do like that nickname),

...as an alternative to mezzoprezzo's suggestion, you may like to check out my "Australian Industrial Estate Sign", <kuid2:75943:2025:1>, from which I quote the description tag..

..."...This is the especially created sign to be used with the various structures of the Australian Industrial Estate (kuid2:75943:2015:1>. The sign may be 'tailored' to suit the 'nature' of the industry undertaken within the building to which it is 'attached', by simply reskinning the 'Generic_sign02.tga' texture, using the Graphics Manipulation program of your choice. Once this is completed to your satisfaction, the altered texture must then be saved, overwriting the old one. If more than one different sign is needed within any given route, then the sign must first be cloned, the texture altered appropriately and this new asset saved using your own Auran Kuid. If the route is to be uploaded for others to use, then the individually created signs must also be published (in accordance with the licence agreement), otherwise, others will not be able to make use of them. Permission is also granted to those who may wish to just create a different sign using this asset as a starting point for their own purposes. It is 'designed' to be manually placed against the side wall of the desired structure (using the proper 'move' and 'rotate' tools in Surveyor), at a point where there is sufficient blank space to accommodate it or (on certain structures in the series), seemingly 'attached' to the especially provided rooftop brackets...."...

...not mentioned in that text (though I suppose it should be), is that the sign mesh is 12.587 meters x 3.0 meters (or 41' 3" x 9' 9"), so it will need a large expase of flat wall on which to 'sit' to look right (otherwise it must needs be attached to the outside of buttresses/vertical supports supporting shorter walls)...

Jerker {}

 

[ray_whiley]

The signs mentioned above can have the colour of the lettering altered to that of the user's choice by a simple edit of the config.txt file and I am more than happy for this to be done. Just give the RGB numbers for the colour which is required.

Ray

 

[AnalogOldguy]

Thanks fellows for responding about this!
I did download the Kuid: 275817:23157 DDD Sign 08, and I extracted it into Trainz 2004 and my Trainz Classics 1&2 ....

It did not show up properly in the Surveyor of each program .. perhaps this is because it was made for Classics 3? (in the config it says Trainz 2.8), and I don't know if this is easily changeable ??

However, I did open the kuid folder, and was able to view the ddd sign 08.jpg and the green.tga in my graphic programs, Paint Shop Pro 8.1 and PhotoImpact 6.0, so I see some possibilities there if I can edit them. Thanks, Ray Whiley! This looks like a very interesting type of sign!

I will also try jerker's "Australian Industrial Estate Sign" though I don't know right now what Trainz version this was made for. (remember, I am trying to use these signs right now in 2004).

Also thanks to mezzoprezzo for pointing me to the Ray Whiley signs!

And thanks NJCurmudgeon, for the basic idea of editing in a graphics program! The only thing causing me some mild confusion here is that Trainz 2004 does not have the Content Manager... I went into the KUID folder of Ray's sign and opened the jpg and tga from there!

I'm not sure how to clone someone's kuid to my number ... perhaps the Trainz Objectz program has a function for that but I have not fired it up yet!

Thanks to all for all this good information !! Bob P.

 

[mezzoprezzo]

Thanks fellows for responding about this!
I did download the Kuid: 275817:23157 DDD Sign 08, and I extracted it into Trainz 2004 and my Trainz Classics 1&2 ....

It did not show up properly in the Surveyor of each program .. perhaps this is because it was made for Classics 3? (in the config it says Trainz 2.8), and I don't know if this is easily changeable ?? ~snip~

Hello Bob.

Change the build number in the config.txt file from 2.8 to 2.4 and it should work in all of your quoted versions.

Cheers
Casper

 

[AnalogOldguy]

Well, no good luck after changing the 2.8 to 2.4 in the Config.txt files.

The title shows up in the surveyor list, but no thumbnail, and nothing shows up when I try to place it
on the route.

However, I can see that editing the Trainz Pro Routes Signs could be a possibility! I sure wish there were more of the larger factory signs in Trainz, even if the names were fictitious!

Thanks for the help people!
Bob P.

PS ..TrainzObjectz does not seem to have a function for cloning. Perhaps if I just rename a sign folder to an unused KUID number of mine and save it ....

 

[dnevans8]

Well, no good luck after changing the 2.8 to 2.4 in the Config.txt files.[/I]

For them to show in TRS2004 you might need to scroll the build number back further, possibly 1.3.

 

[mezzoprezzo]

When files are modified in TRS2004, (or newly downloaded), you sometimes have to delete the dispatcher chump file. You can do this in TrainzObjectz via the Menu button. The next time you load Trainz the new stuff should show up.

With regard to your second point I don’t know of any cloning tool in TRS2004. However, you can copy the complete KUID folder, give it a new (your personal) KUID, and amend the KUID line of config.txt file to read the same.

My downloaded KUIDs are found in C:\Program Files\Auran\TRS2004\World\Dispatcher\Downloads


I copy the relevant file to my Desktop to edit the config.txt and anything else I want to do, (e.g. image files for re-skinning), then save the new copy to:

C:\Program_Files\Auran\TRS2004\World\Custom\Scenery


You don’t need to enter a lower build than 2.4 for assets to show in game, although you can just put in 2 if you’re really lazy. I don’t do this. Any I see entered as 2 from other creators are immediately corrected to 2.4, just in case it might cause Trainz to crash. I don't have have any evidence that it could, but tend to err on the side of caution!

 

[AnalogOldguy]

You guys neglected to tell me that another file was needed to get this sign to work!! I went back and looked up "DDD Sign" and noticed another KUID called "DDD Sign Marker"... Lo and behold, the sign is now working !!:Y:

No problemo! I would have probably forgotten to mention it myself, if giving advice !! :hehe:

 

[mezzoprezzo]

You guys neglected to tell me that another file was needed to get this sign to work!! ~snip~

Sorry about that.

I'd have included it had I remembered. It's so long ago that I downloaded these I'd forgotten that it was even needed - old age!

Sound as if it was a missing dependency. TrainzObjectz could have possibly found this. In case you don't know how that works, highlight the line the faulty object's in, then click on the red exclamation mark icon in the top toolbar. After a few seconds TO will report back identifying the problem, including a note of any missing asset/s.

Anyway, glad it's all now working!:Y:

 

[AnalogOldguy]

Hello again to All.

Thanks for everybody's help with factory signs!

Jerker said

G'day AnalogOldGuy (Bob, if I may be so bold - and I do like that nickname),

...as an alternative to mezzoprezzo's suggestion, you may like to check out my "Australian Industrial Estate Sign", <kuid2:75943:2025:1>, from which I quote the description tag..

I went look at the sign and believe it was made for 2009.. I do own Trainz 2009, but it's no longer installed, (there were too many glitches for me). Also, as "AnalogOldguy", I am so analog that I use dial-up at home!

I will try downloading the sign and the meshes using the public library computers the next time I purchase an FCT ticket and save it if I ever install 2009-2010 again!

Mezzoprezzo, thanks for the reminders ...

you sometimes have to delete the dispatcher chump file (and) ... After a few seconds TO will report back identifying the problem, including a note of any missing asset/s.

Yes, I haven't deleted the chump file on a long time! And, I do use TrainzObjectz to find needed assets!

I have some more large-ish "signs" I already had ....UK_Billboards (1-6) and Retail Sign by Smileyman and German signs called DDR Propaganda, and a sign called Ureel_Publishing, so I can use these to try out changes!

The only thing is that some of these have "night modes" and I'm not educated on how that works! I will experiment! Robert P.

 

[Jerker]

G'day AnalogOldGuy,

...as has been noted already, Bob, you will be able to make copy of my sign and alter the value in the trainz-build tag to 2.4 to make it work in that version of Trainz but keep in mind that such actions are, to a certain extent, fraught with danger. A number of tags that were important for TRS 2004 were eliminated as being unnecessary in TS 2009 and even though the asset may well be usable without them, the asset won't quite work as it is meant to in TRS 2004. In addition to this it should always be remembered that such local changes to an asset (unless it can be uploaded with those alterations - something which is usually NOT possible), means that the asset can ONLY be used on your installation and nowhere else...

Jerker {}