CCG/Modelling: Problems with Model Exports
Problems with Model Exports
Some suggestions for common problems in having a model export to Trainz:
1. The object shows in Trainz but has white surfaces, no texture:
- · the texture file may not be a recommended size;
Texture images must have pixel dimensions that are a power of 2. e.g. 16, 32 ,64, 128, 256, 512 etc (32x64 is OK for example) In CM2 this should give an error on committing.
- · it may have been saved as a compressed TGA file;
Check that you image editor is saving without compression for TGA's.
· the reference name may be spelled incorrectly; or
· the texture files may not have been exported to the Trainz Edit directory (for Content Manager).
2. Some faces of the model are invisible in Trainz:
The faces or surfaces have a single sided texture and the normals are facing away from the viewer.
You must repair this in 3DSMax by flipping normals.
3. Some surfaces of planar objects show darker colours (in shadow) when lit by the sun in Trainz:
The sun side of the object shows dark, and the unlit opposite side of the object shows a lighter colour if the normals are facing away from the viewer for a 2 sided textured object. This can happen when a plane object is copied to the opposite side of a model, plates on a steel bridge for instance, and the normals have not been flipped to face outwards towards the viewer, on that side of the object. After selecting the face, and clicking the Show Normals box, use the Normals: Flip option to change the normal direction to align with other normals of the model.
4. Building walls which include transparent windows are see-through:
A transparent texture with an alpha channel or opacity map has been applied to the windows as part of the wall texture. Window transparency must be applied to window planes separate from the main building wall and separate textures must be used for the window and for the wall. Do not add an opacity layer to the wall texture.
5. The animation does not work in Trainz:
· the anim.kin file has not been exported;
· parts of the model were hidden when exported;
· all the dummies were not included in the export;
· the config.txt file is incorrect, particularly with reference to names of files, missing lines in the file, incorrect matching brackets or quotes;
- · the animation-loop-speed 1 tag has not been entered in the config.txt file; or
- · the default modeling units are not consistent.
6. The animation is working but the animated parts are scattered over the landscape in Trainz:
· the axis of the parts were not aligned to the World coordinates before linking and animating; or
· the objects have been moved after linking, but the movement was not recorded as part of the animation, and the axis reference has changed; or
· parts are linked to the incorrect dummy.
Unlinking the parts and dummies, and re-aligning the axis does not always fix the problem. Often the dummies have to be deleted and replaced, with all the aligning, linking and animation redone.
7. The lettering on a sign using the a.name attachment point option is not visible or is facing the wrong way:
The axis of the attachment point is not facing the correct direction. You must rotate the attachment point, not the axis, in 3DSMax. Refer to Page12 for the correct method and orientation.
Orientation can also be a problem with corona visibility.
8. Deleting a model in Trainz sometimes leaves the track attachment points behind, or attachment point changes do not show.
When developing a mocrossing type object, you may have changed the location of attachment points in 3dsmax/gmax. If the model has already been placed in Trainz, these changes do not show unless the original model is deleted and replaced. When a model is deleted, sometimes the attachment point circles remain. Change to the Track menu in Surveyor to delete the obsolete attachment points.
9. Changes to queue or smoke container values in the config.txt file do not show in Trainz.
You have made changes to commodity start values for instance, in an industry, within the config.txt file. An already placed model in Trainz will not register these changes - delete the model and replace it to have the changes take effect.
We hope these ideas assist you in solving problems.
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