CCG/Introduction

CHAPTER 1: The Basics

Introduction

Welcome to the Content Creator’s Guide.

This document is designed to assist 3rd party content creators design and create functional content for the Trainz Railroad Simulator. The purpose of this document is to detail the way in which 3rd party content should be designed and built to be compatible with TC and to describe the use of the new functions in TC, the Content Manager and the Content Creator Plus.

The Content Manager module manages content on your computer, communicates with the Download Station and uploads or downloads content more easily than in previous versions of Trainz.

The Content Creator Plus module assists in creating model assets that are compatible with the Download Station requirements, and incorporates error checking that should assist in the creation of successful models. The module creates the config.txt file for the model asset, the entry of data is by means of templates for each model asset Kind, and dialogue boxes that filter and check the data.

This document provides the standards and procedures for a content creator to enter data for the model asset, using Content Creator Plus. It also provides advice on the creation of the model mesh using 3dsmax, and the creation of correct texture files for the model.

Scripting is an integral part of model creation, however details on script code and usage are included in a separate document. Only brief references to Scripting are made in this document, as far as they effect the creation requirements.

New content creation features added to TC include:

• ability to vary track sounds on track for tunnels and bridges and for bogeys (tracksounds)
• basic animated turnouts
• ability to create backdrop objects
• control of invisible track display (visible in minimap)
• third-party configuration tags, in an extensions container
• use of asset thumbnails, replacing art files and other picture files
• new coupler performance tags and wheelslip functions
• a new kind steam engine and kind texture group.

These functions are described in Appendix D.