Calling Rumour3

[airtime]

Hello Rumour3,

I love your bullhead track 09, and I use it all the time, however I wanted to create a new one (for my own use) to use on one of my layouts.

What I'm after is a rusty rail with a silver top were the wheels run along, similar to the pictures below, using your track...

Now I was going to reskin this track myself using Irfanview to colour the top rail silver, the only problem I have was after I made the change, and then imported it into trainz under a new kuid number and a new name "UK Bullhead 09 Silvertop", my track becomes see through with white lines were the rails where, so I am doing something wrong somewhere.

So I am asking you please, if there is a possibilty of a track being made similar to one above, were the rail is rusty, but does get used sometimes leaving a silver sheen on the top of the rail.

I feel awful asking, as I feel like a gimmie pig, which I am not, as I'm a person who will have a go at changing or reskinning something myself, to adapt to what I want, and once complete, I send a cdp onto the content creator to do with as they wish, but with the track becoming see through after importing, I thought it would be best to ask you if it could be made please.

I will understand if it can't be done, and the above is only a "please can it be made" and not a must do demand.

Many thanks in advance

Joe Airtime

 

[paul502]

Or possibly a third rail, anyone ?

 

[stovepipe]

Now I was going to reskin this track myself using Irfanview to colour the top rail silver, the only problem I have was after I made the change, and then imported it into trainz under a new kuid number and a new name "UK Bullhead 09 Silvertop", my track becomes see through with white lines were the rails where, so I am doing something wrong somewhere.

This is because you have saved the texture without the alpha channel. The main texture is 32bits perpixel, Irfanview can only save 24bitsperpixel, so you lose the alpha channel, which controls opacity.

Have a look at Paint.net which is free and can handle textures with alpha channels. See

http://www.getpaint.net/index.html

 

[rumour3]

Hi Joe

Although I check in here quite regularly, I'm not finding much time for content creation at the moment due to real world stuff. I've no problem with you asking, but I doubt that I'll be able to help on this anytime soon. However, the textures are just normal TGAs with alpha channels so it should be fairly straightforward to get the effect you want. I think Stovepipe has hit the nail on the head, and you could consider an alternative image editor that may be more straightforward for alpha channel work.

Really sorry I can't help at the moment, but hope that with a litlle trial and error you can get the effect you're after. BTW, the license for my Bullhead track permits re-skinning and re-release, so don't worry about the personal use thing. Perhaps some other kind person may be able to do a reskin for you?

regards

R3

 

[Paulsw2]

Joe

I see you have TS10 - assume you don't have any problems using the bullhead track? ie. the notorious 'pop up' issue where draw distance arbritrarily goes in and out if Trainz thinks it detects 'inefficient' items (usually track or splines). Try driving through a layout when this is going on!

I have this problem so can't use the bullhead track, even though its the best available as far as I'm concerned.

Rumour - just wondered if you have any views about this issue? I don't think we've ever bottomed out why TS10 thinks your bullhead09 track is 'inefficient'. How to make it 'efficient' I wonder?

Paul

 

[rumour3]

Hi Paul

The Bullhead track was originally uploaded as a test to see just what TS09 was capable of. It was made following the poly count guidelines and the information available at the time about stitched track, but I must admit that I still don't fully understand the way the LOD works.

On my own PC I've been using a tweaked version of the track, where both normal and rusty versions share the same mesh library and texture files, since it is normal to have both types in use on one route. I've also attempted to tweak the LOD to drop the high detail meshes a bit sooner. The other big factor is that I've upgraded to a new computer (i5, 4GB RAM, GT330M, Win7 64 bit). The end result is I'm now getting decent draw distances on high detail routes but I suspect that the new computer is the biggest factor, since I'm still using the original asset in the built in ECML route and it runs very smoothly.

I'm conscious that there are a couple of big dimensional errors with the track, and in particular the sleeper length, so I had always intended to do a complete rebuild. The plan was to throw in concrete sleeper, flat bottom rail, various chair types and possibly even ballast colours into one mesh library, depending on the space available on the texture. I was hoping to make check rails, point blades as switch levers, single rail 'half track' and crossing assets with the intention of providing a flexible way of creating detailed turnouts. However, my plans are currently on hold until I get a few non-trainz things sorted out.

If I get time I might temporarily upload my experimental mesh table versions of the track, since these work OK for me- although it will be next week at the earliest before I get a chance to look at this.

Cheers

R3

 

[itareus]

R3,

You future plans sound really good, just the job for a dyed in the wool BR 1960s man like me!

I look forward to seeing the end result (when "Real Life" gets out of the way).

Regards

Chris

 

[airtime]

This is because you have saved the texture without the alpha channel. The main texture is 32bits perpixel, Irfanview can only save 24bitsperpixel, so you lose the alpha channel, which controls opacity.

Have a look at Paint.net which is free and can handle textures with alpha channels. See

http://www.getpaint.net/index.html

Thank you Stovepipe for this very helpful information, I was so puzzled at how my track was becoming see through, it's the first time I've had a go at reskinning track, I reskin rolling stock and engines all the time without problems, but the see trhough track was new to me.

Thank you Stovepipe for your helpful information and the link for paint.net.

Hi Joe

Really sorry I can't help at the moment, but hope that with a litlle trial and error you can get the effect you're after. BTW, the license for my Bullhead track permits re-skinning and re-release, so don't worry about the personal use thing. Perhaps some other kind person may be able to do a reskin for you?

regards

R3

No worries Rumour3, I was puzzled at what was happening with the see through track, I thought it would be best to ask you for help, thankfully Stovepipe has given me a link to paint.net, another new editing program to learn, so I will have a go, and see how I get on, if it works, I will send you the CDP of the track, it's up to you what you do with it.

Many thanks Rumour3 for taking time out to reply and for giving permission to reskin for myself.

Joe

I see you have TS10 - assume you don't have any problems using the bullhead track? ie. the notorious 'pop up' issue where draw distance arbritrarily goes in and out if Trainz thinks it detects 'inefficient' items (usually track or splines). Try driving through a layout when this is going on!

Paul

Yes Paul, I have that problem too, but Rumour3's Bullhead track is superb and looks fantastic close up, but you are right, the track does do a dissapearing act in the distance sometimes and then pops back into place, hopefully Rumour3 might know a fix to this in the future, I don't know of any other track that looks as good as Rumour3's.

Thank you Paul, I will test the Bullhead on a huge route and see how I get on.

Hi Paul

I'm conscious that there are a couple of big dimensional errors with the track, and in particular the sleeper length, so I had always intended to do a complete rebuild. The plan was to throw in concrete sleeper, flat bottom rail, various chair types and possibly even ballast colours into one mesh library, depending on the space available on the texture. I was hoping to make check rails, point blades as switch levers, single rail 'half track' and crossing assets with the intention of providing a flexible way of creating detailed turnouts. However, my plans are currently on hold until I get a few non-trainz things sorted out.

Cheers

R3

I look forward to your new track in the future, I will continue to use your Bullhead track until your new track is released, hopefully you might be able to make what I was looking for earlier with the new track, thank you for your reply and your excellent creations, your track and class 66 locos are amazing.

Joe Airtime