Recently manifesting issue with Protrack NSWGR track

Has anyone else noticed that the ash colour of 'Protack NSWGR ashes, old timber, directly spiked, rusty rail' <kuid2:368725:49030> has changed from grey to rust with a recent (last?) update to 'PBR NSWGR Mesh Library'? How would one go about getting the colour reverted to the correct grey ash colour?

Here as appears in my TRS19 SP4 build (with obsolete Protrack NSWGR PBR Mesh Library <kuid2:368725:4900:11>)




Here as appears in my TRS22 Beta build (with Protrack NSWGR PBR Mesh Library <kuid2:368725:4900:13>)

Hi Phil,
After looking closely at the 3 ProTrack 'Ashes' tracks which I have installed on T:ANE and the same on TRS19; I do not see any change in the ballast colour at all.

The rust rail is on the right on both programs.

This was T:ANE

This was TRS19.
I've found the colours in T:ANE tend to appear slightly darker.
Cheers, Roy

Thanks for replying Roy. Would you mind checking in Content Manager the modification level you have of 'Protrack NSWGR PBR Mesh Library' <kuid2:368725:4900>. I only see the issue with Protrack NSWGR PBR Mesh Library <kuid2:368725:4900:13> - both for TRS19 and TRS22. Deleting :13 of the mesh library and falling back to :11 fixes the issue.

Phil, the change you have observed is deliberate, not an accident. The texture image used for the ash track assets has been altered so that the ballast shoulders have been changed from ash to brown dirt. The motive for doing this was my recollection of ash ballast on the Merriwa branch line in the 1960s where the ash was used immediately under the track but was not (and could not) build up a shouldered profile. The ground texture <kuid2:368725:55085:1> 'Protrack NSWGR brown yard dirt, nonPBR, for TRS19' can be used to meld the track shoulder texture with the surrounding ground. Alternatively (and more realistically, since such pioneer ash-ballast tracks were virtually laid directly on the ground), the height of the track spline can be lowered by approx. 20cm so that little of the shoulder is exposed.
I acknowledge my alteration has caused a problem for route builders with well-advanced routes. Given the high contrast between the sand-coloured ground texture in your screenshots and the dark-brown dirt colour of the revised shoulders of the ash-ballasted track, there would be a lot of work involved to change the ground texture under, or to lower the height of, all the ash-ballasted track you placed on your route. Do readers of this thread think I should issue an update to the mesh library that reverts the ash ballast texture image such that the ballast shoulders are again ash, not dirt?

Thanks for your reply ElStoko, and for all the contributions you have made to the Trainz community.

In my memory the ash ballast on the Grenfell line was grey (I used to walk the line as a child). The previous version of your track was a good likeness.

Its my belief that if a fundamental change (such a texture colour) is made to an asset then the updated asset should be issued with a new KUID. Could you please post here with regards what you decide to do. I may need to find an alternate track, as the rusty red road bed just doesn't look right to me.

Phil, your post above indicates you think the entire ash-ballast texture has been changed. It has not. The central section of the texture image applied under the rails and sleepers remains as it was in mesh library v11. Your screenshots are a side view of the tracks, thereby highlighting the ballast shoulders that have changed. An aerial view would show the ash under the rails and sleepers has not changed.
You refer to the changed shoulder colour as 'rusty red'. To my eye the colour is brown and is the same texture used in <kuid2:368725:55085:1> 'Protrack NSWGR brown yard dirt, nonPBR, for TRS19'.
I'd like to hear from other users before I make a decision.

Yes, now that you point it out I see what you mean. However the track is now unsuitable for my use, so I to will wait to see what others say, and for your decision. Its your track, made for your usage, so I will not be offended if you decide stay with the new look!

FootplatePhil said:

Thanks for replying Roy. Would you mind checking in Content Manager the modification level you have of 'Protrack NSWGR PBR Mesh Library' <kuid2:368725:4900>. I only see the issue with Protrack NSWGR PBR Mesh Library <kuid2:368725:4900:13> - both for TRS19 and TRS22. Deleting :13 of the mesh library and falling back to :11 fixes the issue.

Click to expand...

Phil, I checked Content Manager and firstly, I notice that the kuid is incompatible for T:ANE.

Then for TRS19 my Content Manager shows <kuid2:368725:49000:11> Protrack NSWGR PBR Mesh Library. As you say :11 fixes the issue.
Cheers, Roy

Thanks Roy. It just occurred to me that the last WeddinNSW release I uploaded to the DLS will no longer appear as I intended once a user updates to the latest ProTrack Mesh library. I may need to upload a revised version with replaced track, which is a bit of a nuisance. I have already had to revise it once before, when NV3 updated some of the textures I use to PBR, and I have now moved on to working on my next release (for TRS22).



Edit: apologies to ElStoko. I just reread this post and realised that it comes across as a bit passive aggressive.

Just give it a couple of days, Phil, to allow time for others to offer an opinion. If there are no opinions contrary to yours, then I will issue a mesh-library update with the ash-ballast texture restored to that of v11.

OK. Thanks.

I have uploaded to the DLS the following assets to address the problem raised by FootplatePhil regarding the ash ballast tracks.\:

<kuid2:368725:49000:14> Protrack NSWGR PBR Mesh Library


<kuid:368725:49112> Protrack NSWGR ashes on top of brown dirt, old timber, directly spiked
<kuid:368725:49113> Protrack NSWGR ashes on top of brown dirt, old timber, directly spiked, rusty rail
<kuid:368725:49114> Protrack NSWGR ashes on top of brown dirt, mid-life timber, directly spiked

Click to expand...

The following assets now revert to having ash shoulders, whereas the new assets 49112-49114 have brown dirt shoulders:

<kuid2:368725:49029:2> Protrack NSWGR ashes, old timber, directly spiked
<kuid2:368725:49030:2> Protrack NSWGR ashes, old timber, directly spiked, rusty rail
<kuid2:368725:49031:2> Protrack NSWGR ashes, mid-life timber, directly spiked

Click to expand...

Thank you ElStoko.

I can confirm that the affected track has reverted to its previous appearance after downloading the latest mesh library "<kuid2:368725:49000:14> Protrack NSWGR PBR Mesh Library".

Weddin V5.1

Hey guys and gals, relatively new to trainz and content manager. Hoping its an easy fix, downloaded Weddin V5.1 of DLS for TRS22, at first it worked, however when I open it now there is no track anywhere it is meant to be. Can someone please help so I know what i am doing, have watched a few videos on youtube about missing/faulty dependencies however still cannot get it sorted. Any help greatly appreciated.

mg1997, your post is more suited to the Weddin V5 Forum thread

When you look at the route in CM, does it day "Missing Dependencies? If so right-click and select "List Dependencies", then click the "Status" column header so missing assets come to the top. It may just be something you have to download from the DLS.

Yeah tried that, it just says "third party, missing dependencies" or "installed from dls, missing dependencies" - it is all to do with protrack stuff. Thanks for the reply really appreciate it.

In CM, right-click on a Protrack asset with the status "installed from dls, missing dependencies" and select from the menu box "List Dependencies". In the new window showing the dependencies, highlight the dependencies that have yet to be installed and download them from the DLS. When downloading is complete, close the new window. Repeat this process until all Protrack assets have had their dependencies installed.

Thanks for that, when I did the protrack stuff just shows as "installed from dls,faulty"

You have both TRS19 and TRS22. Is the problem you report in TRS22?

In CM, right click on a Protrack asset with the status "installed from dls,faulty". Select the option "View errors and warnings". Please get a copy of the errors and warnings then paste the copy in your next post to this Forum thread.