Elvas Tower: Mosaic call-MakeAce-to-AceIt Redirector (V1.0) - Elvas Tower

Mosaic MakeAce-call redirector to AceIt (MMAR), public release 09-APR-2014

After an idea by Scott Brunner
By Markus Gelbmann

• What is MMAR?

MMAR is a compiled batch file named the same as the main executable of MakeAce. MakeAce is used by Mosaic to create the proper MSTS .ACE-formatted texture files from the source files you used in Mosaic. MakeAce, however, limits the size of the produced textures to 512x512 pixels. As a workaround for higher resolution textures, this little program acts as if it were MakeAce, but actually redirects all options passed to it to AceIt instead.

• How to install MMAR?

1: Just unzip the ZIP-archive anywhere to your harddrive.

2: Point MMAR (IE, the "fake" MakeAce.exe you got with the ZIP-file) to you installation of AceIt:

a: In the folder you unzipped the ZIP-file to, find AceIt.ini.

b: Open this file with a standard ASCII editor, such as the default Microsoft Editor (AKA Notepad).

c: Find out the path to you installed AceIt.exe file and insert this path in the first line of AceIt.ini, wrapped inside double quotes. For example, if you AceIt.exe file is located in C:\MSTS\Modelling Tools\AceIt\AceIt.exe, write to AceIt.ini:

"C:\MSTS\Modelling Tools\AceIt\AceIt.exe"

d: Save and close.

3: Then point Mosaic to the MakeAce.exe file located in the folder to which you unzipped the ZIP-file (please refer to Mosaic´s documentation for how to do this).

4: Again refer to the Mosaic manual on how to set Mosaic´s "Copy Resolution" to 1024x1024.

5: You should be ready to go for your high-resolution 1024x1024 px texture files! :-)

TIP: If you want to reduce the mess on your HDD a little, install MMAR directly into you installation folder of Mosaic and do the same for AceIt, so that the main AceIt.exe is located in the same folder as Mosaic.exe and the fake MakeAce.exe. If you do so, step 2 and all of it´s sub-steps (s to d) do not need to be done, as MMAR is set up for this kind of usage by default.

• How to use MMAR?

If you installed MMAR according to the above directions, you should be able to work with Mosaic just as if it were using the real MakeAce program, instead of this "fake" MakeAce.exe.

• How to uninstall MMAR?

If you want to uninstall MMAR again...

1: reset the path Mosaic looks for MakeAce.exe under to what it originally was.

2: reset Mosaic´s "Copy Resolution" to 512x512.

NOTE: Refer to Mosaic´s documentation on how to do the different steps.

• How to create my own version of MMAR?

MMAR is released as open source, IE, the source file(s) for the program are provided for public acces (contained right within the ZIP-file you downloaded). The source file is MakeAce.bat, a simple, standard Microsoft batch file for usage under Windows XP and newer.
For the program to work, however, you need to compile the batch file. I suggest doing so by using the online coverter available at http://www.f2ko.de under "Programs" (you will have to switch to the English version, using the flags on the top-right of the page), if you don´t plan to compile, say, more than five times (then, the online process will become too fiddly (my experience), and you might want to download their offline .bat-compiler).
For terms and conditions of re-release, please see "Legal" (second paragraph below).

• I got this weird problem...

If you experience any problem using the fake MakeAce.exe, please CONTACT me via...

...PM to...
...markus_GE on Elvas Tower
...markus1996 on TrainSim.com
PLEASE DON´T post any questions to my profiles as profile comments. They will be deleted and forgotten.
...em@il to gelbmann.markus@gmail.com

• Legal

This software has been thoroughly tested and no problems have been encountered. You use this software on you own risk, the author is not liable for any damage the use of this program might cause to you hard- and / or software.

This software is released as freeware. You may redistribute it according to below terms, but you may in NO event CHARGE anything for it.

This software is released as "open source". You may create your own versions of it, as well for private use as for public release (see below).

If you choose o re-distribute this software, either in it´s original form or as you own derivative of it, ...
+ give credity to the original authors in your documentation and description.
+ release under the same license as this package (main points being FREEWARE and OPEN SOURCE, though you do not need to provide the code with the actual download of you program).
+ inlcude this readme (renamed to "readme_ORIGINAL" or the like) in you pack.
+ notify the author using the information provided above in this document, and...
- provide a link to where you will upload the program to and
- if you are releasing a derivative, and not the original program, also provide a copy of the archive you upload, either for download without registering to a forum or as an atachment to your message.
+ provide your own support to your release.


© 2014 by Markus Gelbmann
Original upload to www.elvastower.com