Weathering
- Thread starter HemiMan
- Start date
Wessex_Electric_Nutter
New member
You mean, "You cannot do it in Paint Shed".
It can be done in photoshop and paint shop pro, I'll explain hopefully in due course. On the other hand, there is a tutorial on the net somewhere.
I had planned on writing some type of tutorial about weathering for a bit, so here's a first draft.
Here's what I call a Level 1 tutorial:
http://www.3dtrains.com/guides/painting/
Now I've been modifying that because I didn't like the results. The way Rust and Dirt were just added everywhere didn't appeal to me because of how it came out and did not seem realistic. I then found a tutorial for Model Railroading rolling stock that gave me ideas.
http://www.trains.com/mrr/default.aspx?c=a&id=309
Describes how to weather freight cars by putting certain weathering in certain areas and modifying based on region. So adding some techniques from that to the 3dTrains tutorial, I figure Rust and Dirt get applied to certain areas, also the Dirt color should change based on location. You don't put a Dirt color for Eastern US Mountains on something set in the Western US Desert.
Next while working on one engine, I realized sometimes you have to come up with your own tricks depending on how realistic or unique you want to be. I have a reskin for this engine.
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/dh/dh708akg.jpg
One of my goals in learning weathering was to simulate that filthy patch on the side. So I created a Filth layer that uses a dark brown color and drew the stain. Then I played around with things called Blur, Smooth, Edge Preserving Smooth and Texture Preserving Smooth. They only affect the layer I am on and remove the pixelation so even smaller textures can look weathered. Here's the end result.
If you use Blur and Smooth, expect the end result to be lighter than just drawing with an airbrush or paint tool. This is because to create the effect, certain pixels become lighter while others become darker so they blend together and lose the pixelation look.
Also, try to add certain effects in certain areas. On a locomotive on the Grime layer, add some darker patches where the exhaust stack is and where diesel smoke would be based on the direction you normally expect it to go. Some other effects you can get from reading the model article like where to put Dirt (I normally aim for the bottom, fuel tanks, trucks, front and back areas) and Rust.
Don't expect Grime to show up well on dark colored engines, same for Dust on light colors.
Depending on how much you get into it, weathering can add significant time to reskinning. I've been learning this stuff for several months now where previously when I reskinned an unweathered engine, I could do it in a few days. It might not take you that long, I've been playing around with various effects.
Also, getting to know how things in your paint program work helps. I have one of those books that simplifies learning like those Idiot's and For Dummies Guides. Sometimes, you just go through the menus available and try something there you never heard or read about before just to see what it does. And you can modify some of this for things like weathered buildings.
I just started doing stuff like peeling logos where the logo is missing part of itself. What I do is take the color around the logo and airbrush it on the logo then apply a Blur or Smooth effect so it looks like part of the logo peeled away.
Change and try out different settings of the airbrush. The ones I currently change are:
Hardness - lowering the setting makes the outer areas lighter.
Opacity - lightens the color and makes it possible to blend with other layer colors and see details through it.
Density - breaks up the area of the airbrush so some areas get colored and others don't.
These settings may also be on other tools like the Paint Brush and Flood Fill.
Hope some of this information helps.
Here's what I call a Level 1 tutorial:
http://www.3dtrains.com/guides/painting/
Now I've been modifying that because I didn't like the results. The way Rust and Dirt were just added everywhere didn't appeal to me because of how it came out and did not seem realistic. I then found a tutorial for Model Railroading rolling stock that gave me ideas.
http://www.trains.com/mrr/default.aspx?c=a&id=309
Describes how to weather freight cars by putting certain weathering in certain areas and modifying based on region. So adding some techniques from that to the 3dTrains tutorial, I figure Rust and Dirt get applied to certain areas, also the Dirt color should change based on location. You don't put a Dirt color for Eastern US Mountains on something set in the Western US Desert.
Next while working on one engine, I realized sometimes you have to come up with your own tricks depending on how realistic or unique you want to be. I have a reskin for this engine.
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/dh/dh708akg.jpg
One of my goals in learning weathering was to simulate that filthy patch on the side. So I created a Filth layer that uses a dark brown color and drew the stain. Then I played around with things called Blur, Smooth, Edge Preserving Smooth and Texture Preserving Smooth. They only affect the layer I am on and remove the pixelation so even smaller textures can look weathered. Here's the end result.
If you use Blur and Smooth, expect the end result to be lighter than just drawing with an airbrush or paint tool. This is because to create the effect, certain pixels become lighter while others become darker so they blend together and lose the pixelation look.
Also, try to add certain effects in certain areas. On a locomotive on the Grime layer, add some darker patches where the exhaust stack is and where diesel smoke would be based on the direction you normally expect it to go. Some other effects you can get from reading the model article like where to put Dirt (I normally aim for the bottom, fuel tanks, trucks, front and back areas) and Rust.
Don't expect Grime to show up well on dark colored engines, same for Dust on light colors.
Depending on how much you get into it, weathering can add significant time to reskinning. I've been learning this stuff for several months now where previously when I reskinned an unweathered engine, I could do it in a few days. It might not take you that long, I've been playing around with various effects.
Also, getting to know how things in your paint program work helps. I have one of those books that simplifies learning like those Idiot's and For Dummies Guides. Sometimes, you just go through the menus available and try something there you never heard or read about before just to see what it does. And you can modify some of this for things like weathered buildings.
I just started doing stuff like peeling logos where the logo is missing part of itself. What I do is take the color around the logo and airbrush it on the logo then apply a Blur or Smooth effect so it looks like part of the logo peeled away.
Change and try out different settings of the airbrush. The ones I currently change are:
Hardness - lowering the setting makes the outer areas lighter.
Opacity - lightens the color and makes it possible to blend with other layer colors and see details through it.
Density - breaks up the area of the airbrush so some areas get colored and others don't.
These settings may also be on other tools like the Paint Brush and Flood Fill.
Hope some of this information helps.
An ACE file is the graphics file for MSTS. Since this is Trainz that does not apply. To weather in Trainz 2006...this is what you do. Clone the original loco in CMP...after you have committed it...reopen the file for editing. This will put all of the associated files in a folder called "editing" in your Trainz 2006 folder. Exit CMP and open Paint Shop Pro (or Photo Shop). In your graphics editing program...look for the file in Trainz 2006/editing named body.tga. Open it and start weathering! Hope this helps. 
Zorronov
Zorronov
Last edited:
titaniclover
TS2010EE SP3; Build 49933
thanks Zorronov now i can start weathering. my dad has photoshop on his computer just instal trainz down there and presto! im weathering no more paint program for me!
titaniclover
TS2010EE SP3; Build 49933
CMP, Content Manenger Plus, only comes with TRS2006. no it does not work with 04 it ws degined with 06.
No it doesn't as Titanic lover says, but in a way it's easier for you.
Your assets are located in the "C:/Program Files/Auran/World/Dispatcher/Downloads "
folder, and each installed item is listed in its own folder named by the KUID.
Having said this, the easiest way to find the item is to load Terry Franks' TrainzObjectz (TO) so you can find the asset by name. From there, you can then open up the folder and edit the individual paint files using any of the above-mentioned programs.
I highly recommend making a backup of the asset first before you edit. Just copy the folder elsewhere so you don't munge something that works in the even that your results are not what you were hoping for.
Remember to clear the Chump files in the cache folder after editing your files so that Trainz04 will reload the assets into memory.
John
Sorry...I didn't notice that 04 was specified. I do, however, think that it is advantageous to clone the original asset so that an entirely new asset is created with its own kuid and your id. That way it doesn't matter what you do to it, the original is still installed and intact. It's also a good idea to change the user name in the config.txt file of the new asset. For instance, "USRA SP Pacific" to "USRA SP Pacific Weathered"...this helps to tell them apart in Surveyor.
Zorronov
Zorronov
In 2004, you have to use the old Windows explorer and know how to move files and create folders. Also helps to have TrainzObjectz so if you have a lot of DL'd content you find it easier.
Open Explorer.
Go to wherever TRS2004 is.
Go through folders until you reach the following: /TRS2004/World/Custom/trains
That's where you keep your own engines and rolling stock.
Create a new folder, usually give it a name as follows:
KUID XXXXXX YYYYYY
The X's are your kuid number, Y is whatever, there was a way to chose that depending on item.
Find where the item you want is located in /TRS2004/World/Dispatcher/Downloads or through TO (if using TO, chose the item then hit the Open Folder button up top).
Now select all the files in the item's folder. Copy from one folder to the one you made.
Go back to the one you made and open the config file, at the least you should immediately change the kuid to the one you chose so there are no conflicts and the NAME and USERNAME listings that exist so you can tell yours apart from the original.
Then just start weathering the image files.
Now if you want to upload, there is a whole bunch of other stuff to do.
Open Explorer.
Go to wherever TRS2004 is.
Go through folders until you reach the following: /TRS2004/World/Custom/trains
That's where you keep your own engines and rolling stock.
Create a new folder, usually give it a name as follows:
KUID XXXXXX YYYYYY
The X's are your kuid number, Y is whatever, there was a way to chose that depending on item.
Find where the item you want is located in /TRS2004/World/Dispatcher/Downloads or through TO (if using TO, chose the item then hit the Open Folder button up top).
Now select all the files in the item's folder. Copy from one folder to the one you made.
Go back to the one you made and open the config file, at the least you should immediately change the kuid to the one you chose so there are no conflicts and the NAME and USERNAME listings that exist so you can tell yours apart from the original.
Then just start weathering the image files.
Now if you want to upload, there is a whole bunch of other stuff to do.
titaniclover
TS2010EE SP3; Build 49933
um im having a problem i cant find any coloring tools to do this im lost help please.
im using Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition 3.0.
im using Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition 3.0.
Last edited:
Coloring
Hi titaniclover,
I am not familiar with your version of Photoshop but if you have a menu on one side of your page, look at the bottom of the menu there should be an icon of two pages overlaped, one dark and one light. Click on the dark one and this should open a color pallett form which you choose the color you want to use. Once you have selected a color it should appear on the top page of the two at the bottom of the menu. Then select the paintbrush tool from the same menu, set the size and opacity and cary on painting.
Hope this helps,
Bill69
Hi titaniclover,
I am not familiar with your version of Photoshop but if you have a menu on one side of your page, look at the bottom of the menu there should be an icon of two pages overlaped, one dark and one light. Click on the dark one and this should open a color pallett form which you choose the color you want to use. Once you have selected a color it should appear on the top page of the two at the bottom of the menu. Then select the paintbrush tool from the same menu, set the size and opacity and cary on painting.
Hope this helps,
Bill69
