Hello I'm new+ qeustion

[Pladroid]

My texture file looks like this:
Primary=FightDroidPhose1.png
Tile=st

Thnx for help

As far as I know all textures should be .tga or .bmp

 

[john259]

What did you create it in? Is the texture displayed correctly in that program? Did you use the Trainz exporter from that program?

John

 

[scorpio48]

what did I do wrong?
My texture file looks like this:
Primary=FightDroidPhose1.png
Tile=st

Thnx for help

I think, (At least it sounds like) png is a file created by Photoshop Elements.
If this is the case, don't use the 'save icon' use the 'Save As' feature and save as a .tga file.
Its a few years since I used Elements so I may be wrong.
Cheers
Pete

 

[jordynator]

What is that png texture?
I'm only familiar with tga, bmp and jpg as textures in Trainz. Best use tga. It needs to be uncompressed tga and their dimensions have to be a power of 2. 32x32, 64x128, 256x256 etc.
.

Wait don't tell me trainz want tga files to have the same lenght as hight?? In that case Damn! I have to re texture AL my models !!
BTW I use paint.net

 

[narrowgauge]

jordynator

Wait don't tell me trainz want tga files to have the same lenght as hight?? In that case Damn! I have to re texture AL my models !!
BTW I use paint.net

You can also use 64 x 256 or any combination that conforms to the base 2 rule and is not a greater ratio than 4:1. No need to re-texture. Make a file that will contain your texture images, then copy/paste these from the old .png to the new one. If the positions and sizes don't change, the mapping will still be good. It will just mean that you have extra space.

If paint.net will allow, it you can also change your canvas size which allows you to change the overall file dimensions without re-sizing the image it contains.

Narrowgauge

 

[scorpio48]

jordynator



You can also use 64 x 256 or any combination that conforms to the base 2 rule and is not a greater ratio than 4:1. No need to re-texture. Make a file that will contain your texture images, then copy/paste these from the old .png to the new one. If the positions and sizes don't change, the mapping will still be good. It will just mean that you have extra space.

If paint.net will allow, it you can also change your canvas size which allows you to change the overall file dimensions without re-sizing the image it contains.

Narrowgauge

Hi NG,
Not sure about paint.net, but most programs I have tried, if you change the image size and save, on re-loading the canvas size automatically adjust itself to the new image. I found this method simpler to use.
Also, has paint.net a 'save as' feature, where you can change the format.
I haven't even heard of that program, so I'm probably barking up the wrong tree, but its just a thought.
Cheers
Pete.

 

[paulzmay]

I know of at least one other trainzer using paint.net for re-skinning in Trainz, so it should be OK.

I'd never heard about the 4:1 rule - I'm sure I've used more than that. How would I know if it was a problem?

Paul

 

[narrowgauge]

scorpio48

We may be talking about apples and pears here.

Assume you have an image 128x128. That can be resized to say 64x64 and will still map correctly because the proportions remain the same. However, if you resize to 128x64 your image is distorted.

Changing the canvas size is different, assume an image 100x200 which you have use to map into gmax but Trainz won't accept. This can be changed to 128x256 without changing the image proportions by adding 14 pixels each side of the short dimension and 26 pixels top and bottom of the long dimension. Thus you end up with a resized image file without any changes to the image contained. In Paintshop Pro this is possible.

Even if Paint.Net does not allow this, the other method works. Make a new 128x256 empty image, select/edit/copy/paste the entire original 100x200 image into the blank image, centreing it accurately, and you end up with a correctly sized image file containing an undistorted image.

However, something I have never tried is to just resize the image file which distorts the image and then use that file in the asset file. It may be possible that the image will still map correctly. Worth trying, nothing gets lost by trying.

Cheers

Narrowgauge

 

[narrowgauge]

paulzmay

Ratios greater than 4:1 may be possible, but it sticks in my mind that sometime in the past, 4:1 was given as the preferred limit. Nothing is going to blow up if a greater ratio is used, it either works or it doesn't.

In this case, we are talking to a beginner who was not even aware that it was possible to depart from the 1:1 format and an extreme ratio may give him problems that he is not yet equipped to solve.

Cheers

Narrowgauge

 

[scorpio48]

Hi NG,
I'm having a late night .
So far, and it may be pure luck, I haven't had any trouble changing just the image size, even with ratios of 4:1, incidentely, I got that from you a long time ago and have always stuck by it. Successfully I may add.
I have had the occasional error message about loosing detail Etc, but after a few experiments I found it made no difference, at least none visible.
As I said, it may be pure luck, and one day it will come back and bite me in the rear (Being Polite) :hehe: .
Anyway, as you stated, we are talking to a beginner, hopefully we're not confusing jordynator even more.
Cheers
Pete

 

[jordynator]

jordynator

You can also use 64 x 256 or any combination that conforms to the base 2
Narrowgauge

Hm what do you mean with base of 2?
Ok I tried 1 setting it to targa (the model only became grey) tried resizing...Uh I am running out of ideas

 

[john259]

1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024 and so on. Powers of 2, or to be more precise 2 to the power of n where n is a positive whole number.

John

 

[narrowgauge]

Jordy

1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 4096. Nothing else will work

Cheers

Narrowgauge

John, you beat me to it - just!

 

[jordynator]

1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024 and so on. Powers of 2, or to be more precise 2 to the power of n where n is a positive whole number.

John

OK so that means that
4096x4096 or 1024x1024 ect. ect. would work

 

[john259]

Yes, except that I don't know what the upper limit is and previous posters have said that the ratio of one dimension to other shouldn't exceed 4.

For example:
128 x 512 ok
512 x 128 ok
128 x 1024 not ok
1024 x 128 not ok

John

 

[jordynator]

Yes, except that I don't know what the upper limit is and previous posters have said that the ratio of one dimension to other shouldn't exceed 4.

For example:
128 x 512 ok
512 x 128 ok
128 x 1024 not ok
1024 x 128 not ok

John

so does anyone know what is the highest level that ok is??

 

[narrowgauge]

Jordy

4:1 is a guide, if you want to go higher, try it. The only bad thing that can happen is that it does not work. Don't forget that the next step after 4:1 is 8:1, you can't use 5:1, 6:1 or 7:1 because those use sizes that are not in the 'times 2' number series.

I have a very strong feeling that 16:1, say 32x512, would not work but try it. You lose nothing by trying.

Cheers

Narrowgauge

 

[jordynator]

Jordy

4:1 is a guide, if you want to go higher, try it. The only bad thing that can happen is that it does not work. Don't forget that the next step after 4:1 is 8:1, you can't use 5:1, 6:1 or 7:1 because those use sizes that are not in the 'times 2' number series.

I have a very strong feeling that 16:1, say 32x512, would not work but try it. You lose nothing by trying.

Cheers

Narrowgauge

uh ok right? I am trying 512x512 because if it gets smaller it is almost mini!
stil I don't know what 4/2/6:1 ect. has to do with scale? no option in PDN works with those things

 

[scorpio48]

so does anyone know what is the highest level that ok is??

Hi jordy;

I once experimented with a ratio of 8:1, (next logical step from 4:1) but had all sorts of problems with it, especially on the export side.
Since then I have stuck to 4:1 max.

Reading your post I get the feeling your confused about ratio's.
Perhaps this will clear things up,
You don't have to keep it square, IE: 1024 X 1024;;; 512 X 512.
Most of your posts (if not all) only mention a ratio of 1:1, (square)
A ratio of 2:1 starts the oblong trail.
But if you want it oblong, it has to be in a ratio described previously.

I'm trying to explain this a clear as possible for a raw beginner, we've all been there .

Cheers
Pete.

 

[john259]

By 4:1 (etc) they're referring to the ratio of width to height. For example 2048 x 512 would be 4:1, while 512 x 512 would be 1:1.

John