Can surveyor use *.nif mesh files?

[RJPugh]

Hello, fellow Trackers!

I’m wondering about something. Last night my wife and I were chatting about computer gaming in general, and somehow we came up with the idea of running a railroad across the island of Vvardenfell. For those who don’t know, that’s the setting of one of the Elder Scrolls games, Morrowind. Morrowind has a very atmospheric setting, and the idea of running a rail line through it makes for an intriguing “what if” scenario. I know that someone built a layout set in Middle-Earth; this would be a similar project.

That being said, to make such a scenario work, it would be necessary to re-create some of the unique structures from the original game. For those of you know are familiar with the setting, could you seriously picture Sadrith Mora without the giant mushroom castle? Or Ald’Ruhn without the prehistoric emperor crab shell? Didn’t think so. Can the Trainz surveyor use or import *.nif mesh files? Morrowind keeps mesh and texture data in a *.nif file, which can be manipulated with some patience. If Trainz can work with *.nif files – either directly or by using a converter – then the structures that make Vvardenfell unique can be implemented in the Trainz simulator (with some persistence). I'm mostly concerned with meshes; textures are much easier to manipulate in my experience.

If this is addressed in an FAQ or how-to document somewhere, please point me to the relevant switch point and I’ll check it out.
Thanks in advance,

RJPugh

 

[AntonyVW]

I dont know the answer to your question but I would be concerned first about copyright infringement. Unless of course you have a licence to use the original files?

 

[RJPugh]

I don't know the answer to your question but I would be concerned first about copyright infringement. Unless of course you have a license to use the original files?

I suspect this would be a copyright infringement, and for that reason this isn't a route I would upload or share. Well, at least I wouldn't upload or share a version with the original meshes on board; a "distribution" version of this layout would be little more than a DEM file. I would only be able to share screenshots.

Use of the meshes in this way, for my own use only, would be considered fair use. I have a license for the Morrowind game, and the manufacturer (Bathesda Softworks) gives users the right to edit the files and textures to their liking. They even include a very good level editor, which is one of the reasons Morrowind still has a strong following. Users are making and changing content even after ten years, which creates constant replay value.

But getting back to point, the ability to export the files, as I understand it, only extends to use within the franchise (you can export a Morrowind mesh to Oblivion or Skyrim, for example). Exporting to a different franchise is probably not permitted. I may be wrong, but to be safe that's the route I'm taking until I learn otherwise. So again, this would only be for my own use.

However, the *.nif format is supported by Blender, Daz, and I believe Google Sketch-up, so if the format can be supported by Trainz, that would be a good thing for the overall community to know about. Those programs could provide a host of content creation options.

 

[oknotsen]

However, the *.nif format is supported by Blender

In that case you can import it into Blender and then export it using the Trainz exporter.
http://online.ts2009.com/mediaWiki/index.php/HowTo/Export_from_Blender

 

[BuilderBob]

Can the Trainz surveyor use or import *.nif mesh files? Morrowind keeps mesh and texture data in a *.nif file, which can be manipulated with some patience. If Trainz can work with *.nif files – either directly or by using a converter – then the structures that make Vvardenfell unique can be implemented in the Trainz simulator (with some persistence). I'm mostly concerned with meshes; textures are much easier to manipulate in my experience.

I went through a similar process some time ago with about 3,000 models that I had from a very old 3D graphics program. I selected about 500 that would be useful in Trainz, and ended up converting nearly 300 of them - mostly machinery such as cranes and forklifts, heavy roadmaking equipment, industrial buildings and factory items like tanks, piping etc, and facades.

There is no general FAQ that I am aware of. The process is different for each source, and you will probably have to work it out for yourself. In my case I had to export from the old modelling program using a script that did a scale conversion, and in Blender I had to sometimes invert the normals for a face. The benefit was that all faces were double-sided, so I got interiors that looked correct (as long as you didn't look too closely!) . There were no animations - I doubt they would convert correctly - and if I wanted attachments I had to add them in Blender.

In your case you will have to take the meshes as they exist (I'm assuming you don't have an editor for nif files) so if adjustments are required it will have to be done in Blender. I was fortunate that I had the editor for the original meshes, and it had a very powerful scripting ability, so writing the scale converter was trivial and saved me from adjusting each asset in Blender. Of course, if adjustments aren't required, that's not a problem.

But it was well worth the exercise to get a large supply of good quality models with textures already set up for just a few hours work. One thing to check is that the originals do not have a high poly count, or the conversion does not create a high poly count. For many models the poly count for the original usage didn't matter, and they may have been created without regard for the poly count - for instance too much detail on a curved surface. In other cases the file format forces the Blender import to create many more polys than are actually required. In each case you need to manage the poly count to keep it to an appropriate level for Trainz. That can be done in Blender, but adds to the task. I still have some meshes that I would like to import, which I'll get around to when I have the time to adjust the poly count.