This gets me thinking what if (hoppers) there was a way (Hoppers!) for the game to call multiple models at random for the same cargo. Like If a train above had 8 loads of weapons, it could call all of those models below even the default pop top artillery guns.!Rolling Stock skinning ideas
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Cash on Wheels
Re: Rolling Stock skinning ideas
This gets me thinking what if (hoppers) there was a way (Hoppers!) for the game to call multiple models at random for the same cargo. Like If a train above had 8 loads of weapons, it could call all of those models below even the default pop top artillery guns.!
Re: Rolling Stock skinning ideas
Can't be done. The file calls are hard-coded, so you're stuck with whatever you define as your cargo model for that era. You could mix those up a bit though, by modelling several missiles combined with a few guns if you wanted to. Short version is you're stuck with one cargo model per era per cargo, but you can make it look like anything. I've already tried something similar with hoppers, by giving different load meshes and load skins to individual cars in double and triple sets, but obviously those will repeat if you have a string of cars with the same cargo.
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LMR Samson 0-4-0 - Pennsy H3 Consolidation - Custom double tank cars set
LMR Samson 0-4-0 - Pennsy H3 Consolidation - Custom double tank cars set
Re: Rolling Stock skinning ideas
Makes me wish you could change rolling stock skins in-game like with locomotives.
Or better yet a feature that allows you to create custom paint schemes for locomotives and rolling stock during company creation that incorporated company logos. Though I could see that being problematic for modders adding new locomotives and custom skins.
Or better yet a feature that allows you to create custom paint schemes for locomotives and rolling stock during company creation that incorporated company logos. Though I could see that being problematic for modders adding new locomotives and custom skins.
Re: Rolling Stock skinning ideas
You can do that sort of thing manually if you want to. Say you have a company logo you like using all the time. If you want that on some cargo cars, all you'd have to do is grab the DDS skins, open them in Photoshop or GIMP or whatever, add the logo you want to use, then save them and drop them in UserExtraContent as loose files. It wouldn't take that long to do them, as long as you didn't want umpteen choices of logo.
Which reminds me, I hate a lot of the default logos and never use them. I had thought of making a new DDS, to get rid of the ones I hate and substitute ones I like. You can add custom logos separately, but that's just more crud to sort through when you're looking for one. I'd rather just have logos I like.
Just took a look at the default image. I only ever use 11 out of 36, which is why I'm always trying to avoid 25 cruddy ones. What I should do is add 25 good ones. Easy to do, and more fun for me.
Which reminds me, I hate a lot of the default logos and never use them. I had thought of making a new DDS, to get rid of the ones I hate and substitute ones I like. You can add custom logos separately, but that's just more crud to sort through when you're looking for one. I'd rather just have logos I like.
Just took a look at the default image. I only ever use 11 out of 36, which is why I'm always trying to avoid 25 cruddy ones. What I should do is add 25 good ones. Easy to do, and more fun for me.
Gumbootz Lokomotivfabrik und Bierkeller
LMR Samson 0-4-0 - Pennsy H3 Consolidation - Custom double tank cars set
LMR Samson 0-4-0 - Pennsy H3 Consolidation - Custom double tank cars set
Re: Rolling Stock skinning ideas
I have a bunch of custom logos, but the thing I like about the default ones is that the AI only uses them or at least mostly only uses them. At least from what I've seen. It's good because then you don't see Jacksonville & Tampa using a logo that says New York Central for example. Even though I dislike having to use the editor as part of the gameplay, I think I've reached the point where I would rather just open the editor and manually rename and relogo all the AI companies during a game. That way I can at least get interesting competitor names with unique logos.Gumboots wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2018 5:28 pm You can do that sort of thing manually if you want to. Say you have a company logo you like using all the time. If you want that on some cargo cars, all you'd have to do is grab the DDS skins, open them in Photoshop or GIMP or whatever, add the logo you want to use, then save them and drop them in UserExtraContent as loose files. It wouldn't take that long to do them, as long as you didn't want umpteen choices of logo.
Which reminds me, I hate a lot of the default logos and never use them. I had thought of making a new DDS, to get rid of the ones I hate and substitute ones I like. You can add custom logos separately, but that's just more crud to sort through when you're looking for one. I'd rather just have logos I like.
Just took a look at the default image. I only ever use 11 out of 36, which is why I'm always trying to avoid 25 cruddy ones. What I should do is add 25 good ones. Easy to do, and more fun for me.
Re: Rolling Stock skinning ideas
I figured out something about RT3 lighting. It was the (flat and horizontal) tank tops on the new A era tanker model that gave it away.
In real life, you'd always have the tank tops lit by ambient light during the day, regardless of the sun's position, since they are an exposed, flat horizontal surface. They'd never appear to be dark no matter which angle you were viewing them from, because the light bouncing around inside the atmosphere would provide some illumination for your point of view even if a direct line from the sun would result in any direct rays bouncing off away from you.
RT3 doesn't do this. They've simplified the lighting, so that only the direct rays from the sun's position count. This means that if, for example, you are looking at an item from a point to the east of it, and the game's sun is somewhere to the east of the item as well (IOW, it's sometime in the morning) then the game will assume that no light from that item will reach your eye. It will assume that all light hitting the item will reflect away from you, and consequently the item will be shown as if it was in deep shadow even if it is a flat horizontal surface and it's 11 am on a sunny day!
As I said, it was the tank tops on this model that gave it away. They are a separate flat surface, and on initial testing were showing as ridiculously dark compared to the rest of the model. I figured it out by changing camera position. There's a sudden switch in apparent brightness as soon as the camera position changes to the point where direct specular reflection would send rays to the camera.
As far as I can tell at the moment: the game seems to be using some sort of generalised faking of ambient light for overall scenery, and to be assuming that all other lighting is based on diffuse reflection with an assumed (low) gloss level for all surfaces. This is powerful enough to override the ambient lighting when it comes to shading of surfaces, giving the daft results. The running boards on the Pennsy H3 are another example. I won't go into detail here (anyone can check it live for themselves) but basically they exhibit the same effect.
To put it plainly: flat shading is borked. This is frankly a nuisance for skinning, to put it mildly, because a lot of the time you will have flat surfaces. However, at least now I know what is going on and will be able to compensate to some degree. The obvious workaround is to make flat surfaces relatively lighter than other surfaces, where this is possible without borking something else. Where it is not possible without borking something else then, once again, it will have to be accepted that RT3 has bugz. Many, many bugz. Creepy crawlies everywhere.
Curved surfaces are not as bad, because they will usually be reflecting some light to the camera from some point on their surface, but OTOH what the game says they will be reflecting to the camera will not be anywhere near realistic a lot of the time.
In real life, you'd always have the tank tops lit by ambient light during the day, regardless of the sun's position, since they are an exposed, flat horizontal surface. They'd never appear to be dark no matter which angle you were viewing them from, because the light bouncing around inside the atmosphere would provide some illumination for your point of view even if a direct line from the sun would result in any direct rays bouncing off away from you.
RT3 doesn't do this. They've simplified the lighting, so that only the direct rays from the sun's position count. This means that if, for example, you are looking at an item from a point to the east of it, and the game's sun is somewhere to the east of the item as well (IOW, it's sometime in the morning) then the game will assume that no light from that item will reach your eye. It will assume that all light hitting the item will reflect away from you, and consequently the item will be shown as if it was in deep shadow even if it is a flat horizontal surface and it's 11 am on a sunny day!
As I said, it was the tank tops on this model that gave it away. They are a separate flat surface, and on initial testing were showing as ridiculously dark compared to the rest of the model. I figured it out by changing camera position. There's a sudden switch in apparent brightness as soon as the camera position changes to the point where direct specular reflection would send rays to the camera.
As far as I can tell at the moment: the game seems to be using some sort of generalised faking of ambient light for overall scenery, and to be assuming that all other lighting is based on diffuse reflection with an assumed (low) gloss level for all surfaces. This is powerful enough to override the ambient lighting when it comes to shading of surfaces, giving the daft results. The running boards on the Pennsy H3 are another example. I won't go into detail here (anyone can check it live for themselves) but basically they exhibit the same effect.
To put it plainly: flat shading is borked. This is frankly a nuisance for skinning, to put it mildly, because a lot of the time you will have flat surfaces. However, at least now I know what is going on and will be able to compensate to some degree. The obvious workaround is to make flat surfaces relatively lighter than other surfaces, where this is possible without borking something else. Where it is not possible without borking something else then, once again, it will have to be accepted that RT3 has bugz. Many, many bugz. Creepy crawlies everywhere.
Curved surfaces are not as bad, because they will usually be reflecting some light to the camera from some point on their surface, but OTOH what the game says they will be reflecting to the camera will not be anywhere near realistic a lot of the time.
Gumbootz Lokomotivfabrik und Bierkeller
LMR Samson 0-4-0 - Pennsy H3 Consolidation - Custom double tank cars set
LMR Samson 0-4-0 - Pennsy H3 Consolidation - Custom double tank cars set
Re: Rolling Stock skinning ideas
I've been working on E era pax cars, but for a quick break I had a play around with an idea for the earlier eras of Weapons. I'f I'm going to do missiles for the F and G eras, I figure might as well do something fun for the earlier eras too. A Jagdpanther feels good for the E era. 
This isn't a tank, but a tank hunter. Something a bit different, and lower poly than a tank. Complete with flatcar I can keep it under 400 tris, as long as I don't go bonkers with detailing.
I'm thinking I'll do the Renualt FT for the D era, as that was the first modern tank and was widely used between WW1 and WW2. The Jagdpanther would make mincemeat of an FT though, so seems like a good successor.
This isn't a tank, but a tank hunter. Something a bit different, and lower poly than a tank. Complete with flatcar I can keep it under 400 tris, as long as I don't go bonkers with detailing.
I'm thinking I'll do the Renualt FT for the D era, as that was the first modern tank and was widely used between WW1 and WW2. The Jagdpanther would make mincemeat of an FT though, so seems like a good successor.
Gumbootz Lokomotivfabrik und Bierkeller
LMR Samson 0-4-0 - Pennsy H3 Consolidation - Custom double tank cars set
LMR Samson 0-4-0 - Pennsy H3 Consolidation - Custom double tank cars set
Re: Rolling Stock skinning ideas
I like the idea of the Renualt FT for the D era. But I'm definitely thinking an M47 Patton would be a better fit for the E era. The Patton is usually the generic tank that first comes to mind when someone thinks of a tank. Not to mention it served in WWII in both the US and German armies .Gumboots wrote: ↑Fri Jul 13, 2018 9:56 pm I've been working on E era pax cars, but for a quick break I had a play around with an idea for the earlier eras of Weapons. I'f I'm going to do missiles for the F and G eras, I figure might as well do something fun for the earlier eras too. A Jagdpanther feels good for the E era.
Jagdpanther_roughed_out.jpg
This isn't a tank, but a tank hunter. Something a bit different, and lower poly than a tank. Complete with flatcar I can keep it under 400 tris, as long as I don't go bonkers with detailing.
I'm thinking I'll do the Renualt FT for the D era, as that was the first modern tank and was widely used between WW1 and WW2. The Jagdpanther would make mincemeat of an FT though, so seems like a good successor.
Re: Rolling Stock skinning ideas
No problem. You can make it yourself and be happy.
I like the Jagdpanther for the E era. It's not just a tank. It's something different. It was in service in France until the 1960's, which fits with the E era on the new scale, and it's representative on a type of weapon which is peculiarly of the era. The casemate-style tank destroyer was developed during WW2, but not built much afterwards, and these days is pretty much regarded as obsolete. The Stridsvagn 103 is probably the last of that general style, albeit an MBT rather than a tank hunter.
Anyway, the M47 wasn't produced until the mid-1950's, which seems a bit late.
I like the Jagdpanther for the E era. It's not just a tank. It's something different. It was in service in France until the 1960's, which fits with the E era on the new scale, and it's representative on a type of weapon which is peculiarly of the era. The casemate-style tank destroyer was developed during WW2, but not built much afterwards, and these days is pretty much regarded as obsolete. The Stridsvagn 103 is probably the last of that general style, albeit an MBT rather than a tank hunter.
Anyway, the M47 wasn't produced until the mid-1950's, which seems a bit late.
Gumbootz Lokomotivfabrik und Bierkeller
LMR Samson 0-4-0 - Pennsy H3 Consolidation - Custom double tank cars set
LMR Samson 0-4-0 - Pennsy H3 Consolidation - Custom double tank cars set
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bombardiere
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Re: Rolling Stock skinning ideas
May I ask from where you got the texture for Jadgpanther?
Renault is a very good choice as almost all armies which used early tanks had that or locally built copies. US, USSR, Italy, France of course and even us Finns had Renaults.
StuG III would perhaps been more "anonymous" rather than this last effort of a fallen nazi army. I still see Shermans on well wagons in my eyes, but that is for later time.
Renault is a very good choice as almost all armies which used early tanks had that or locally built copies. US, USSR, Italy, France of course and even us Finns had Renaults.
StuG III would perhaps been more "anonymous" rather than this last effort of a fallen nazi army. I still see Shermans on well wagons in my eyes, but that is for later time.