[James Ross]

Yes, more of the environment values used by MSTS are being supported. I believe the sky is being worked on.

[James Ross]

That's exactly what supporting MSTS environments is, so yes. :D

[rdamurphy]

Yes, I'm working on the sky, along with some of the current OR settings to make them more compatible...

Robert

[nicober]

Hi!

Since the introduction of some TGA files in the Content folder of Open Rails - OR - Experimental X-1744.
I can use all environment sky textures from KOSMOS or HITW with Open Rails .

Presently I use about more than 50 different skies including the default OR sky in my routes for OR.
17 skies from KOSMOS - 18 skies from HITW - 15 skies from my realisation

Some KOSMOS sky textures are not tileable and need to be seamless to work on OR.

To use all these textures you need to convert ACE files in TGA Files and be sure that all textures are seamless. After, just to substitute the Clouds01.tga file in the Content folder and you have an other sky with many settings with CRTL + from clear to overcast. For each new sky you need to replace this Clouds01.tga file by your new one because you can't change the name of the file in the content folder. But you can automate this function simply. You have to made a little BATCH file for each new sky and then you just have to click on the .BAT file you want, to have your new sky in OR. On the file Starmap_N.png I add a magnificent Aurora Borealis with the same way and in the night in a nothern route I can run and see a beautiful nothern ligh in my black sky.

One of the great advantage of this system is I can use and change all my 50 different skies for all my routes and for pratically all seasons. In comparaison, in MSTS you have only 3 choices per season for a total of 12 skies in all. Just an example, if you choose HITW - Blizzard , it's an overcast texture for MSTS, but in OR if you click on CRTL - you will have a perfect clear day, and if you click on CRTL + some times, your environmemt will become overcast at different stages and you can add rain or snow if you wish.

The only restriction I found is that you can't change a late afternoon orange sky in a beautiful blue sky like the texture OrangeCloudy of Kosmos. If you use this texture in the morning you will have all the time of the day an orange sky. You can conturn it in an activity - the environment in OR is completly independant of the route - you save your activity and before you restart it, just change your orange sky to a blue sky and at the end of the day you can redo the same thing to have a warm sun effect. But for the night you need to clear your orange sky it's better.

Nicober

[nicober]

HI!

Hello Walter!

For a quick shot of the environment Kosmos-HITW texture, see this topic about a bug on the Milwaukee Bi-Polar engine, I solved here:

http://www.elvastowe...bi-polar-in-or/


ICE - Colone Bridge - HITW - Breeze Sky Texture.

I will post more informations about my system to automate everything from your desktop with only two clicks of mouse to have a new sky with OR.

Thanks for your attention.

Cheer!

[nicober]

Hi!

OK if this way to use Kosmos/HITW sky textures is good, you can also made it for your own sky textures. You can use square or rectangular textures, the only restriction is your texture must be tileable.



But the problem is very boring if at each time you have to go on some folders to change your environment tastes. To simplify the operations with only two clicks of mouse from your desktop you have to follow these instructions.

Because the OR program change all the time you need a special folder to put everything and don't have to change your shortcuts all the time from your desktop. I call it OR_EXP-METEO.
You can place this folder where you want on your computer and use an other name if you prefer.
In OR_EXP-METEO folder copy the latest experimental OR and you will have this:

OR_EXP-METEO
---- OR _X-1955
---- ---- --- Content

Then I change the name OR_X-1955 for Program

OR_EXP-METEO
---- Program
---- ---- --- Content

Now it's time to make a shortcut of the OpenRails.exe file and place it on your desktop. Don't forget to give it a proper name.

Then you have to insert all your skyTGA files with their corresponding BATCH files.

I don't want to modify anything in the OR program and for this, I create a new sub-folder call it Meteo.
Then I place all my skyTGA files and .Bat files inside. I make also a copy of the original Clouds01.tga and rename it Clouds01-0.tga file in this folder, plus make a .BAT file for it. With this, I can return to the original clouds when I want.
PAY ATTENTION - Your batch files must be build depending of the folder you place your skyTGA files and the target folder of the Clouds01.tga.
Now you can make a shortcut of every batch files you have and put all these files in a speclal folder create on your desktop call it Meteo-OR

You will have this:

OR_EXP-METEO
---- Program
---- ---- --- Content
---- ---- --- Meteo

And a folder on your desktop: Meteo-OR

Inside this desktop folder Meteo-OR, you'll have all your shorcuts but nothing else in reference to your sky files. Considering the Windows Explorater doesn't display TGA files, I create for each sky a little JPG file and I can see an image of each sky textures with the same name. With this, I can see rapidly what sky textures I want to see in my next session of OR.



With this you can change your environment sky with only two clicks of mouse. In reality three cliks of mouse, one to open the Meteo-OR folder, a second click to choice the sky texture and finally a third click to launch OR.

Change for a new experimental release:
- Just copy your New OR-X-Release in the OR_EXP-METEO folder
- Transfert your Meteo folder from Program folder in the New OR-X-Release folder
- Delete the Program folder
- Rename New OR-X-Release in Program

Now you have the last experimental release ready to use with all your sky textures.

For information how the BATCH file works?
1- It copy a sky texture TGA file from your Meteo folder to the Content folder
2- It remove the Clouds01.tga file
3- It remane the sky TGA texture in Clouds01.tga
That's it.

I would like to share my work with you but I'm not sure if I can do it. Some textures are from Jeff Bush - Kosmos and HITW (HowInTheWorld), I never modify any of these textures except to change their format from ACE to TGA with TGATools2 and also just render some Kosmos textures tileable with The Gimp. I'm not sure if it would be acceptable to include these textures with my work. This is the reason I detail how to transform it to use it in OR with the easiest way.

Cheer!

[Csantucci]

Hi Nicober,
nice work! Could you please attach an example of your batch files?
And couldn't it be possible to put the Meteo folder directly within OR_EXP-Meteo (at same level of Program folder) so that you don't have to move it when you load a new OR version?

[nicober]

Csantucci, on 31 January 2014 - 12:18 AM, said:

Hi Nicober,
nice work! Could you please attach an example of your batch files?
And couldn't it be possible to put the Meteo folder directly within OR_EXP-Meteo (at same level of Program folder) so that you don't have to move it when you load a new OR version?

Hi!

Thank you very much.


An example of the batch file for the HITW Breeze sky texture:

@Echo Off
call xcopy "HITW-Breeze.tga" ..\Content\ /Y
del "../Content\Clouds01.tga"
Rename "../Content/HITW-Breeze.tga" Clouds01.tga

Yes you can put the Meteo folder where you want - You just have to change the path in your batch file. If you put the Meteo folder in the same level of program folder you have to remove this ( ../ ).

Some screenshots:


Santa Fee Super Chief Kosmos Sky Texture OrangeCloudy


BNSF Freight Marias Pass 5 - Sky texture Nicober Photo


Aurora Borealis in a cold winter night in the old Russia.

Note: The last picture was made from the Starmap_N.png

Cheers!

[gpz]

Joining to this conversation, I would like all the TGA files in out content folder be changed to PNG. This is because XNA4 doesn't support loading TGA files, and while it is not decided if we will move there at all, to be on the safe side this step should be taken, while it is painless. (Before everyone starts to copy hundreds of TGA sky textures.)

So a question to James: May I make this step?