Introduction
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Introduction
Hello all,
I've been driving around in OpenBVE for the last 3 or 4 years, on and off, and as I'm from Ireland I particularly enjoy Graymac's efforts. My main trainsimming has been with RailWorks and a little bit of Trainz, I'd know my way around the RW editors fairly well. I have created custom content and indeed got as far as publishing a few basic scenic items, my tools for the content creation are/were Blender and Gimp.
This last week, due to having some unplanned time on my hands, I've been having my first look around under the hood of OpenBVE. Its interesting to say the least as I have zero computer language knowledge but I'm following the few tutorials that are available, Graymac's eejits guide and Dennis Lance's route building tutorials. So far I've managed to edit a few 'scenarios', sorry for the RailWorks speak, adding and deleting stops and changing timings etc.
I figure if I'm going to stick at it I'll probably have a few questions to ask in the future so I'd better introduce myself. Thanks for reading.
Donal.
I've been driving around in OpenBVE for the last 3 or 4 years, on and off, and as I'm from Ireland I particularly enjoy Graymac's efforts. My main trainsimming has been with RailWorks and a little bit of Trainz, I'd know my way around the RW editors fairly well. I have created custom content and indeed got as far as publishing a few basic scenic items, my tools for the content creation are/were Blender and Gimp.
This last week, due to having some unplanned time on my hands, I've been having my first look around under the hood of OpenBVE. Its interesting to say the least as I have zero computer language knowledge but I'm following the few tutorials that are available, Graymac's eejits guide and Dennis Lance's route building tutorials. So far I've managed to edit a few 'scenarios', sorry for the RailWorks speak, adding and deleting stops and changing timings etc.
I figure if I'm going to stick at it I'll probably have a few questions to ask in the future so I'd better introduce myself. Thanks for reading.
Donal.
cilldroichid- Posts : 25
Join date : 2014-09-28
Re: Introduction
Welcome to the asylum forum, cilldroichid!
Going by that user name (transl. "Celbridge") I presume your nearest rail station might be Hazlehatch?
Do stick with the tutorials, it does get easier with practise and it's worth it. We could use more route developers.
Going by that user name (transl. "Celbridge") I presume your nearest rail station might be Hazlehatch?
Do stick with the tutorials, it does get easier with practise and it's worth it. We could use more route developers.
Re: Introduction
Thanks for the welcome Graymac, I've been an long time admirer of your routes and trains.
When I first starting joining various internet forums I lived in Celbridge hence the moniker cilldroichid. Where I live now is still not too far away from Hazelhatch although I'm a bit closer to Sallins.
Donal
When I first starting joining various internet forums I lived in Celbridge hence the moniker cilldroichid. Where I live now is still not too far away from Hazelhatch although I'm a bit closer to Sallins.
Donal
cilldroichid- Posts : 25
Join date : 2014-09-28
Re: Introduction
Welcome aboard!
Quork- Posts : 1438
Join date : 2012-05-05
Age : 33
Location : Hofheim a.T., Hessen (Hesse), European Union
Re: Introduction
Thanks Quork,
By following Graymac's eejits guide here's my first OpenBVE scenic item, I'm not sure about my attempt to create shadows though.
I have a few questions about file formats, I notice both B3D and CSV files are used for objects. Is there any difference between the two, apart from slightly different syntax(?), and is there any advantage of using one over the other? I have the same question about image files, both PNG and BMP are used, I think both formats support transparency, what is the advantage of one over the other?
Thanks,
Donal
cilldroichid- Posts : 25
Join date : 2014-09-28
Re: Introduction
b3d and csv are both equal in their rights. I am using b3d simply because that is the format which can be exported from Blender and I don't like mixing two different formats in my work.
Ignore bmp and stick with png. The latter supports alpha transparencies (which the former doesn't) and, more importantly, it is losslessly compressed and thus saves disk space and bandwidth.
Ignore bmp and stick with png. The latter supports alpha transparencies (which the former doesn't) and, more importantly, it is losslessly compressed and thus saves disk space and bandwidth.
Quork- Posts : 1438
Join date : 2012-05-05
Age : 33
Location : Hofheim a.T., Hessen (Hesse), European Union
Re: Introduction
Thanks for the quick response Quork.
May I ask what b3d exporter you use for Blender, the default b3d exporter hardly works for OpenBVE?
I found one BVE specific b3d exporter on the OBTS Wiki but it is from 2008. I tried it in Blender 2.69, more in hope than expectation, but the exporter did not even show up in the user preferences. I presume its for an earlier version of Blender. If that is the exporter and it supports unwrapping, edge seams and the like it would be mighty handy.
Donal.
May I ask what b3d exporter you use for Blender, the default b3d exporter hardly works for OpenBVE?
I found one BVE specific b3d exporter on the OBTS Wiki but it is from 2008. I tried it in Blender 2.69, more in hope than expectation, but the exporter did not even show up in the user preferences. I presume its for an earlier version of Blender. If that is the exporter and it supports unwrapping, edge seams and the like it would be mighty handy.
Donal.
cilldroichid- Posts : 25
Join date : 2014-09-28
Re: Introduction
Nice shed!
My own preference is for the .b3d format. The reason being that I hand code stuff, using nothing more advanced than notepad, so the abbreviated syntax of the .b3d file is attractive for me.
I've used .csv as well though I've never used Blender.
Quork's right about .png textures, they are preferable. The original BVE4 only handled bmp's but there's no excuse for hanging on to bmp's any longer. When upgrading my early work I now replace all old bmp's with png's. I've found that optimising png's with a (free) program called "PNGGauntlet" makes them even smaller and more efficient.
My own preference is for the .b3d format. The reason being that I hand code stuff, using nothing more advanced than notepad, so the abbreviated syntax of the .b3d file is attractive for me.
I've used .csv as well though I've never used Blender.
Quork's right about .png textures, they are preferable. The original BVE4 only handled bmp's but there's no excuse for hanging on to bmp's any longer. When upgrading my early work I now replace all old bmp's with png's. I've found that optimising png's with a (free) program called "PNGGauntlet" makes them even smaller and more efficient.
Re: Introduction
IrfanView has an optional PNG export plugin somewhere on their site, that one is very good as well.
The B3D exporter needs Blender 2.4.6; 2.4.6 basically can do anything one needs, so you can work in it directly. Since I however use Blender for other stuff as well from time to time, I am using the current version, which has a completely new GUI (and while that change angered me in the beginning, it is indeed very well done and a huge improvement, I wouldn't want go back to the old GUI now). So what I do is model in the current Blender version (as a matter of a fact, you can use any 3D editor you are familiar with; even SketchUp, though you have much cleaning work to do with that one), export as .obj (!!!), import that into 2.4.6 and export the .b3d. Sounds complicated but it isn't. There is no problem whatsoever in having two different Blender versions on one computer.
The B3D exporter needs Blender 2.4.6; 2.4.6 basically can do anything one needs, so you can work in it directly. Since I however use Blender for other stuff as well from time to time, I am using the current version, which has a completely new GUI (and while that change angered me in the beginning, it is indeed very well done and a huge improvement, I wouldn't want go back to the old GUI now). So what I do is model in the current Blender version (as a matter of a fact, you can use any 3D editor you are familiar with; even SketchUp, though you have much cleaning work to do with that one), export as .obj (!!!), import that into 2.4.6 and export the .b3d. Sounds complicated but it isn't. There is no problem whatsoever in having two different Blender versions on one computer.
Quork- Posts : 1438
Join date : 2012-05-05
Age : 33
Location : Hofheim a.T., Hessen (Hesse), European Union
Re: Introduction
Thanks again Quork,
I'll download Blender 2.46 and give your procedure a try. I started out in Blender with 2.49, that was the version the RW exporter worked with at the time when I started modelling, so hopefully 2.46 isn't a whole lot different.
All the advice i've read about SketchUp normally says using it for games is not a good idea although I've never tried it myself.
Donal.
I'll download Blender 2.46 and give your procedure a try. I started out in Blender with 2.49, that was the version the RW exporter worked with at the time when I started modelling, so hopefully 2.46 isn't a whole lot different.
All the advice i've read about SketchUp normally says using it for games is not a good idea although I've never tried it myself.
Donal.
cilldroichid- Posts : 25
Join date : 2014-09-28
Re: Introduction
The problem is, that everything has its downside. In the case of SketchUp's very intuitive workflow it is the automatic vertex and face creation. There are tons of unnecessary vertices and faces in the inside of objects. However they can be manually deleted, both within SketchUp or later on in the exported file. But the more complex an object becomes the more complicated matters get, so yeah, it is better to stay away from it if one plans to do more than very simple objects.
Quork- Posts : 1438
Join date : 2012-05-05
Age : 33
Location : Hofheim a.T., Hessen (Hesse), European Union
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