[jonas]

A note on how to prevent the disappearance of an animated shape:
If the 3D extent of the root node is too small, which is often the case, one can manually set one of the vol_sphere entries in the s file to a larger value, e.g. 100 times the given value. So you make sure that at least the RE of MSTS creates a correspondingly large ViewDbSphere in the w-file when placing the shape, so that the animated shape is visible to the user from all viewing angles.
However, one thing you can not do without: after doing this the shape must be moved at least once in the RE, resetted so to say. Otherwise, no enlarged ViewDbSphere will be created in the w file.
How it is work in TSRE I've unfortunately no expieriences with.

[Coolhand101]

Many thanks Carlo!

The 'Vulcan' bomber aircraft's are now flying again in the MEP+ route :thumbup3:

[Csantucci]

Good that the problem seems to be solved, and I hope there aren't counterindications.

Goku, on 27 December 2018 - 01:50 PM, said:

I think that there was a long discussion about root shape rotation and there were some issues with it and that's why it was never enabled. But maybe I remember it wrong.

This is probably the thread in the private forum you are remembering http://www.elvastowe...post__p__214055 . The original correction was made to solve the "floating scenery" problem, see here http://www.trainsim....loating-scenery . In fact MSTS always considers as zeros the last three parameters (that give the displacement in the three axes) of the root matrix in the .s file, as I could experimentally verify, while originally OR took those parameters into account. However the correction introduced for the sake of MSTS compatibility solved the problem at the price of blocking animations of the root of the shape.
I have now tested with the attached patch that root animations take place while still solving the "floating scenery" problem.
 Shapes_animatedroot.cs.patch.zip (656bytes)
Number of downloads: 491

[Goku]

Thanks. It must be this topic. I'm going to apply this solution in TSRE too.

Quote

How it is work in TSRE I've unfortunately no expieriences with.

TSRE just does not use ViewDbSpheres at all. Tiles created using TSRE have no ViewDbSpheres defined. It works fine in MSTS and OR with small performance cost.

[jonas]

I have a few simple questions at this point: Moving towards the animated boat "JP2FishBoat.s" in MSTS on the JAPAN2 route (w-file w-00370 + 013909.w) from the east, it disappears at a certain proximity. This happens in OR too.

1. Does anyone know this effect?

2. Can someone confirm my assumption that this effect has to do with the "ViewDbSphere" in the w-Files? Are the "ViewDbSpheres" in the w-files formed (in MSTS and/or OpenRails) in depending of the "vol_sphere" of the s-files?

3. Does OR use the "ViewDbSpheres" in the w-files as MSTS does? If not, then why does the boat disappear in MSTS and also in OR?

[vince]

That effect is due to a faulty shape file. Old stuff in MSTS.
Here's the fix for the shape file from my notes from long ago, 2005 perhaps?

The shape file needs to be de-compresed so it can be edited with Notepad or Wordpad or Context text editors.

At the top of the shape file you'll see the following:

SIMISA@@@@@@@@@@JINX0s1t______

shape (
shape_header ( 00000000 00000000 )
volumes ( 1
vol_sphere ( 
vector ( 46.612695 2.9792 37.291229 ) 86.158682
)
)

Where is says vector, make sure that the number outside the parentheses is larger than the first number in the parentheses. If not, change the last number so it is larger than the first number by about 2x . If it dosen't go away, keep increasing it.

regards,vince

[Coolhand101]

jonas, on 28 December 2018 - 09:29 AM, said:

I have a few simple questions at this point: Moving towards the animated boat "JP2FishBoat.s" in MSTS on the JAPAN2 route (w-file w-00370 + 013909.w) from the east, it disappears at a certain proximity. This happens in OR too.

1. Does anyone know this effect?

2. Can someone confirm my assumption that this effect has to do with the "ViewDbSphere" in the w-Files? Are the "ViewDbSpheres" in the w-files formed (in MSTS and/or OpenRails) in depending of the "vol_sphere" of the s-files?

3. Does OR use the "ViewDbSpheres" in the w-files as MSTS does? If not, then why does the boat disappear in MSTS and also in OR?

I only change the Volume sphere in the shape file. Like you, the Vulcan animated aircraft disappeared at certain angles and distance in RE, MSTS and OR. Changing the last entry to a higher number( 3x the value from the 3rd entry ) on the Vol_sphere line fixed this problem.

Thanks

[jonas]

Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Changing the vol_sphere in the s-file will work for me too (but only) in OpenRails. In MSTS RE, however, I always have to do a shape reset too, means a small position change in the w-file, so that the w-file "ViewDbSphere" is recalculated.

[vince]

jonas, on 28 December 2018 - 10:35 AM, said:

Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Changing the vol_sphere in the s-file will work for me too (but only) in OpenRails. In MSTS RE, however, I always have to do a shape reset too, means a small position change in the w-file, so that the w-file "ViewDbSphere" is recalculated.

Hi Jonas,
I developed the fix I posted years ago and in all my using it in MSTS I never had to to reset the shape . . . ever!
I no longer use the MSTS editors.

regards,
vince

[paulytechnic]

vince, on 28 December 2018 - 11:39 AM, said:

Hi Jonas,
I developed the fix I posted years ago and in all my using it in MSTS I never had to to reset the shape . . . ever!
I no longer use the MSTS editors.

regards,
vince

Agreed; I've been using this shape file fix for years (even prior to OR), and have never needed to touch the world files for the change to take effect.