Realistic Billboard Trees that Work Great in Native Mode

[dricketts]

I just found some great looking billboard trees by "olegkhim" that rival tundras trees. These trees look and perform great in native mode and they're on the DLS.

As most of realize now that tundra's trees have the alpha blending problem in native mode. These don't seem to have that problem. I just did a replace asset on a decent portion of a large route I've been working on and I'm really happy with them so far. It looks like most of this content was recently added. I'm curious to know if they are updates to older content or he has mastered the alpha issue.

Do a search on the DLS and use the author filter "olegkhim" and the category filter "flora".

I'd like to know how the folks that aren't really happy with speedtreez (including me) feel about these trees by olegkhim.

Edit add: I just noticed they do not look correct in comp mode even though they show error free. This looks like more evidence that the author made them specifically for native mode. Interesting...

 

[gisa]

Awesome. I will definitely check this out when I get home. I am sure for some, that speedtrees work better on their system, but not on mine. Despite what N3V thinks, billboard trees will be here for quite some time and are quite useful for distant scenery, even for those with powerful systems.

I will post more later hopefully. I too am interested in hearing feedback from others.

Thanks for posting this and letting us know!

:wave:

Gisa ^^

 

[Dermmy]

I just found some great looking billboard trees by "olegkhim" that rival tundras trees....

That would be because his '1G....' series trees are Trunda's trees, modified for better performance in Native...

Andy

 

[gisa]

Tested these out with mixed results.

Of course, Andy is right. The 1G series are Trunda's trees. I'll list the good and the bad

good: some of these trees look and work well in native mode. You can barely see or see none of the *bleeding* that happens with Trunda's trees in native mode. In that sense, this is great. The trees look good and are the same, poly wise, as Trundas (based on what PEVs trainz mesh viewer is telling me).

bad: some of these trees still bleed in native mode. Only 14 out of 39 will look the part. If you can handle bleeding, then Trunda's trees are the same the way I see it (unless these have less polys). I was hoping they'd all work, but I'll take 14 over nothing any day.

Others thoughts?

:wave:

Gisa ^^

 

[boleyd]

TS12 -- Still Transparent

The new trees look like the original Trundra trees do in TS12. As below, they are transparent.

This shows a 1G: tree in TS2010 compaibility mode. Other trees are original Trundras. Tried Native mode in TS2010 and the 1g: trees look the same as the Trundras - halos and ugly billboard effect. I also tried OpenGL but no change with it.

Windows7, nVidia 240 512mb, 4mb memory

 

[dricketts]

Maybe I got a little excited at first in my endless quest for realistic looking trees that work well in native mode. Everyone has mad some valid points.

Here's some pics in native mode TS2009. They defiantly look better than the original trunda trees but they are not perfect. There are a fair amount that don't have the halo or see through effect but at the right angle the lighting seems to bring out the billboard design.

I know Jankvis is working on some "billboard speedtreez". I'm anxious to see what they look like. I should be receiving my copy of TS2010 any day now and I can start experimenting with speedtreez.

 

[dricketts]

Another quirky thing I just noticed. The screen captures bring out faults in the trees that are not near as pronounced in game. At least with my naked eyes...

 

[boleyd]

It is indeed unfortunate that we cannot migrate Trundra "type" trees to TS12 where you are stuck with speed trees. I think that the speedtrees were developed from the inside out. By that I mean strong attention was paid to a viewpoint only a few feet from the tree. But when 10 ft or more from it the clarity begins to erode and eventually all you see are "globs" of leaves. Trundra, on-the-other-hand made his stuff in an era where being close reduced resolution so he concentrated on distant views. I really like the Kentucky-iii route just because of the Trundra trees. That route is the only reason I keep TS2010 on the PC. I spent several days with Kentucky-III on TS12 converting everything to speed trees. I absolutely could not create the same ambiance. The waving in the wind is fine if you are setting still. But you never notice it while in motion.

If a JVC series of trees appear for TS12 with Trundra like foliage I will be quite happy. However, just another incarnation of the standard speed tree format seems like a waste of time.

 

[Dermmy]

There is some video and/or Trainz setting that eludes me.

For me Trunda trees are unusable in TS10 (Native) and/or TS12, but when I release EK3 as a 'compatibilty only' route many people claimed the route looked looked fine in 'Native'.

I downloaded oligkhim's Trunda re-makes with real enthusiasm, but I get exactly the same results as Boleyd. On my system in either TS10 Native or TS12 the new trees placed side-by-side with Trunda's originals are indistinguishable, they both suffer exactly the same failings. Yet dricketts shots show the new trees looking quite acceptable.

What am I missing...

Andy

 

[gisa]

Andy, I think I can clarify some of the questions you have. I guess I wasn't clear enough in what I said when I posted though (can't blame me after a long day's work though ).

Some of olegkhim's trees (about 14 out of 39 if I counted correctly) will work and look okay in native mode. Test all the G1 trees, one by one in native, and you'll surely agree with me that some do work as intended. Dricketts showed some pictures of some of those trees. They don't bleed in native mode, so that's obviously the biggest plus but I did notice (upon further testing) that the billboard effect really really stands out a lot in native mode. What is worse is that most of the rest of the 1G trees still bleed through in native mode. In my mind, these trees don't really work as intended (A + + for effort though!). I felt that the trees that were made as intended were crisper in native mode though, and I liked being able to see through *small pockets* just like in real life.

Unless there is something I am missing as well, all of Trunda's trees will bleed through in native mode. Believe me, I wish it weren't true but some folks who post shots of EK3 with Trunda's trees and claim they are in native mode...it's impossible.

If I'm wrong, call me out on it please and prove me wrong!

Unfortunately, the billboard speed trees Jankvis made are payware (as to my understanding). I'd consider picking them up if I knew a freeware equivalent would be made (as I'd like to release the route I'm working on someday).

Like I said, for those with older computers or for routes with depth, I still believe billboard trees are quite useful. I can see the point to having high quality trees near a line but there is still a huge need for billboard trees that work and look well in native mode. Hopefully, someone will step up to the plate to fill this gap.

:wave:

Gisa ^^

 

[Euphod]

Hopefully, someone will step up to the plate to fill this gap.

Please don't summon the maker of 55mb trees back to the forum!
I downloaded those trees too, and have had no joy in 12. I'm beginning to believe that there is a difference in rendering between 2010 native mode and 12.

 

[Scottish]

On my system in either TS10 Native or TS12 the new trees placed side-by-side with Trunda's originals are indistinguishable, they both suffer exactly the same failings.
Andy

I agree with you. I am no expert but I have compared oligkhim's asset files with the original Trunda files on one tree sample. The mesh and texture files are identical. The texture.txt file is also identical therefore the treatment of the alpha blending problem does not appear to be any different from the original Trunda.

The config.txt file has been updated to TS2010 standards which presumably is a good thing, but I don't see how the appearance can be different if the treatment of the textures and alpha has not changed.

I have created my own version of some of these Trunda trees following guidance elsewhere on the forum. By creating a black and white .bmp alpha file from the .tga file and including the alphahint masked line in the texture.txt file, in native mode this gets rid of the transparent and halo effects but cannot get rid of the billboarded appearance as the view turns.

My view is that compatability mode has to be used to get the best out of Trunda's great trees. However since I prefer to use native mode for better framerates, my alpha boarded version (I think this is the correct name) is a substitute to get rid of the transparency effect.

Of course playing about with the anti-aliasing setting in the startup option display settings also affects the appearance of Trunda trees.

Scottish

 

[boleyd]

Please don't summon the maker of 55mb trees back to the forum!
I downloaded those trees too, and have had no joy in 12. I'm beginning to believe that there is a difference in rendering between 2010 native mode and 12.

There is.... I can't see what it is specifically but there is a difference. Add that to all the other visual anomalies with billboards and comparisons become muddy. Maybe there is hope but not on my system right now.

 

[wreeder]

Everyone seems to think so including myself but according to Chris, nothing was done to the rendering system between TS10 and TS12 except bug fixes.

William