[Lindsayts]

What an interesting thread, a number of random points..................

While replacing OR's base toolkit will be a VERY signiicant advance, it does mean effectvely rewrting the whole shooting match from the ground up, believe me that will ________NOT_________ be easy. So do NOT hold your breath, the development team are only human. Note: If you think you will not have to go through every file, think again, both code and compilers are complex items and NO ONE will know all paths no matter how good they are.

A comment on file formats........

No matter how good a format is to use for either the programmers or the users, the format has to be able to easily generated. The users must have access to multiple programs that support the format so as many of the users as possible can generate content. MSTS's shape and texture file formats (.S and .ACE) are a classic way of how NOT to do it.

I selected .obj because its a text file and its a NATIVE format of Blender and is supported by at least one other 3D editor. While its is basic as far as I am concerned as both a programmer and a content developer I can live with that as there are ways around this. For images I use either PNG or TGA, both formats are open and practicaly every image manipulation program currently in existance has support for either one or the other, and that means a far better chance that content will be availible in a format I can use.

If one HAS to develop a custom format PPPPPPPPPPLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSEEEEEEE make sure there is at least an OPEN SOURCE convertor availible for it, other wise OR will be heaading to a dead end. Again just look at MSTS as an example.

Lindsay

[Lindsayts]

disc, on 13 October 2015 - 11:19 AM, said:

That's nice for static objects, but the biggest problem is with converting high poly rolling stock to s., which are usually have animations too.

Thats why I like Openbve's animation file format, it takes any number of static objects , ie one can build an entire item of rolling stock out of individual items with it (Note 1), and then one can move ANY item in any way triggered but quite few different inputs, be it velocity, distance from a object, any control movement etc.

Note 1: so one can build say a whole set of rolling stock that use a single common item, like coupling gear or bogies and one needs only a single version of this.

Lindsay

[SP 0-6-0]

Some interesting programs.

Most of these are front ends for Microsoft Conv3ds.exe.

GUI For The Conv3ds.exe program. In my personal opinion the best one so far. http://www.p-circle....r/index_eng.htm

MSTS Shape Tools http://www.trainsimh...ad.php?did=1347

GUI for the Conv3ds.exe program http://www.railserve...ump.cgi?ID=7928

GUI for the Makeace.exe program http://www.railserve...ump.cgi?ID=7929

Auto Shape http://www.fosweb.dk/divtog.htm This is modeling tool that can create basic or primitive shapes. Good for simple crossing pads or stone walls.


Open source front end for Conv3ds.exe project.

http://www.codeproje...-Utility-Helper

https://mvps.org/vbdx/downloads/

Robert

[JohnnyS]

disc, on 13 October 2015 - 09:31 AM, said:

That's the problem. There are exporters, but there always something that not 100%.

Yes, although the original author has given plenty of information about what remains to be done for completion in the documentation. I suppose like everything else in the OR world you have to find someone who has both the knowledge and the will to complete it.

disc said:

BTW as i remember this exporter is a python script, which not so user friendly, because python plugins are very unstable.

It is and I don't disagree that python scripts are unstable, I simply have no knowledge of python scripts. In my experience so far the exporter has been rock solid, even after I've made hamfisted tweaks to it and thrown lamentably bad geometry at it.

disc said:

so i think it would be better to create a converter from a popular intermediate format to .s, for example a collada to .s convert, as collada is supported natively by all major CAD soft.

Yes, this seems the way forward. .obj seems to be quite common, though collada would enable the numerous sketchup users to join the party?

[disc]

JohnnyS, on 13 October 2015 - 12:01 PM, said:

Yes, this seems the way forward. .obj seems to be quite common, though collada would enable the numerous sketchup users to join the party?

Everyone can join the party, as collada is supported by everything. But mostly because it supports animations, while .obj don't.

SP 0-6-0, on 13 October 2015 - 11:38 AM, said:

8GUI for the Makeace.exe program http://www.railserve...ump.cgi?ID=7929

Ace conversion is not needed anymore, as i see all OR only content developers are using .dds textures already.

[SP 0-6-0]

Well, I guess the question could be asked why not rewrite ORTS to use either Ogre Graphics engine or Panda3D? Would doing so not solve a few current standing issues in ORTS?

Robert

[Lindsayts]

SP 0-6-0, on 13 October 2015 - 12:53 PM, said:

Well, I guess the question could be asked why not rewrite ORTS to use either Ogre Graphics engine or Panda3D? Would doing so not solve a few current standing issues in ORTS?

Robert

Same answer as my post at the top of this page (6 posts back), it means rewriting large sections of the code, in theory this _____SHOULD____ only be the 3D code, there can be some real weird interactions though so if mass code changes is considered one should always be real carefully.
Another point is is that if the base tool kit used will not support multiple threads to the GPU its likely little improvement will result.

Lindsay

[disc]

Many highpoly 3D cab, and exterior models still rotting in TS20xx because it would be a real pain to convert them to .s format to load in OR...

[Genma Saotome]

Is there a reason an enhanced .s format is the wrong way to go? Going down that path would mean changing or writing new exporters. Might that be easier to accomplish than changing OR to accommodate a significantly different file type? Perhaps just one program: collada to enhanced .s. Not because collada is great for games but because most modeling software can produce a collada file.

[Genma Saotome]

As for features, if anybody is maintaining a list I'd be interested in blending two or more textures on one face, specifically a tiling texture to be the background upon which a different sized texture is blended for dirt, grime, etc. Much like the microtex file is blended into the terrtex art. Even if I had to do it a text editor I'd use this.

Another one I think might be useful is a shader for wet road surfaces (this assumes that eventually we'll have car and truck headlights).

Beyond that, what everyone else wants: bump and normal maps.