[Weter]

Hello.
Tweaking MSTS&ORTS models since 2002 or so, I have the same thoughts, as Ex-Rail have expressed yesterday:

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Watching Runactivity loading a Route for 30 seconds just to see the results of a small change drains the energy;
With only 4 seconds of reload time, it's just paint - save image - Alt+Tab - Reload - watch results - repeat.

I've spent enormous amount of hours (far longer, than 30 seconds per load in my machine), waiting for the game to load, just to check, how recently added changes will look.

So, can "reload model" function be added to runactivity for model tweaking/modifying purposes?
Altermatively, can separate program be derived form runactivity 3D-viewer (as TrackViewer was done) to see "live model" with smoke and lights, responding to player's controls status, maybe sounds too? Actually, no need for scenery or route, or activity functions most often in such cases - so they can be ommitted.

Currently Shape viewer DDS lends a hand with a great help, showing light's and smoke/steam effect's appearance points, allowing to use position tool to define the right coordinates for placing/correction of effect's origins... But it's totally-different program, demanding specific windows libraries, which could be not inherited in later OS releases, and it looks aandoned now - depriving us the hope on future support and compatibility.

[cjakeman]

Weter, on 03 May 2024 - 11:33 PM, said:

So, can "reload model" function be added to runactivity for model tweaking/modifying purposes?

Interesting idea.

Which bits of the model would you want to update? Is it just textures, or more than that?

[R H Steele]

A suggestion, if the route is not that important to checking a model, why not use Peter Newell's test route, a bare bones route that loads quickly. >>> CTN Test Route

[steved]

I have a little two tile route I use just for testing stuff like this. Just takes a few seconds to load. Useful for night textures too.

I gotta be careful, this is how the VSL started.
Randy

[pschlik]

This would be very useful in theory but it's not clear if just running the parser/initializer/copy a second time could work at all. Overwriting engine/wagon properties in real time might just not work, or even if it does the change could cause other things to break which would not be a very helpful feature. There's quite a lot of investigation that would have to be done.

[Weter]

Hello, Chris.

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Which bits of the model would you want to update? Is it just textures, or more than that?

If read post#1,

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to see "live model" with smoke and lights, responding to player's controls status, maybe sounds too?

The texture is the last-importance point - SViewer does it well.
Some turn towards native ORTS viewers/editors...

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Hello, Gerry.
Teoretically - Yes. And I thought about that many times, but it's not always handy.
If only we could have model reload - no route's reload needed, even so quick-loading, as ctn Test Route (excessive Alt+F4 and clicks Start in Menu)

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Hi, Randy.
O, yeah.
It's better to have a nice route loaded - for taking some screenshots, when wanted, or to roll, when needed (with freight might be).

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Hello, Phillip.
Humm... Jan have just warned me about complexity of re-parsing process.
I believe, you both do know that better, than me, who knows nothing about how program runs.