TransDEM and TS12 need help

[Dap]

I have recently installed TransDEM on my computer and have been able to successfully create several Trainz 3D route baseboards. Now I have several questions.

Question #1: Is there anyway in TransDEM to get colored lines on the Trainz route? I have had others in the past make DEM based routes for me and they have had colored lins on the route showing where tracks, streets and streams werre located. I can't figure out how to make this happen in TransDem. Was some other program used to create these lines?

Question #2: The tile maps I have created in TransDem show up on the MiniMap in Surveyor, but when I lay track on a baseboard, the map for that baseboard disappears. Is this to be expected or have I done something wrong?

Thanks for any help/

David

 

[geophil]

Question #1: Is there anyway in TransDEM to get colored lines on the Trainz route? ...

Question #2: The tile maps I have created in TransDem show up on the MiniMap in Surveyor, but when I lay track on a baseboard, the map for that baseboard disappears. ...

Did you install the TransDEM ground textures in Trainz? TransDEM Trainz manual page 13 in the current edition.

 

[Dap]

Thanks geophil,

I thought I had installed them, but duh, I hadn't. But now that I have, it works. Amazing what happens when things are done correctly!

Now, I am having a problem with using the route vectors to lay track. All I get on the route is a pair of dashed lines and circles. I can edit these and move them just like real track, and I can even run a train on them, but they don't look all that great. I have tried several different track kuid's with the same results. And yes, I did verify they exist in my Trainz installation. This may not be a DEM problem in that a friend sent me a copy of his route yesterday and it loaded the same way - dashed lines for track.

Any suggestions

 

[geophil]

Now, I am having a problem with using the route vectors to lay track. All I get on the route is a pair of dashed lines and circles. I can edit these and move them just like real track, and I can even run a train on them, but they don't look all that great. I have tried several different track kuid's with the same results. And yes, I did verify they exist in my Trainz installation. This may not be a DEM problem in that a friend sent me a copy of his route yesterday and it loaded the same way - dashed lines for track.

Did you try with the default KUIDs as pre-set by the TransDEM export dialog (some depend on the Trainz version)? If you select other KUIDs please make sure they represent a standard spline asset, not a bridge spline or any other type. The other day we had a case where a track spline with catenary looked like an ordinary spline at fist glance but turned out to be a bridge spline when examined closely. TransDEM treats all KUIDs the same when exporting vectors, it cannot distinguish asset types. It just places the KUID without knowing whether this is a track spline or not.

 

[Dap]

I have used the pre-set in TransDEM - kuid:-1:100673 as well as tried my favorite - kuid:-25:195. Both gave me the dashed line spline rather than a track spline. Shouldn't the kuid number show up in the route config as a dependency? The only two dependencies that show up are:
United States,<kuid:-25:927>
Choppy water,<kuid:-1:6342>

As I understnad the process, from ContentManager, I should have the route open in explorer. Then go to TransDEM and use the Export to Trains:Vector Data to create the track on the route. Then go back to Trainz and commit the route.

David

 

[geophil]

As I understnad the process, from ContentManager, I should have the route open in explorer. Then go to TransDEM and use the Export to Trains:Vector Data to create the track on the route. Then go back to Trainz and commit the route.

Usually you would "lay the tracks" in TransDEM before you export to Trainz. Of course, you can add track (or other) splines later, by doing the "open for edit" round trip, but then a few limitations apply. TransDEM will act in a very conservative manner, retaining all existing track splines. It will neither modify any geometry nor any KUID. Only new splines can be added. This means, if you try to export vectors in TransDEM which already exist as splines in the Trainz route, the existing splines will prevail and the vector polylines in TransDEM will be skipped during the export.

Have you tried to inspect the KUID of affected splines in Surveyor and to replace it in Surveyor, if applicable?

BTW, the asset dependencies in the route's config.txt file will be updated by Surveyor once you save the route. TransDEM does not generate the dependency information.