Bhaals Question Thread - Updating/Mod/Texture QandAs

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    Okay,

    Next in my endless series of questions: Updating your published mods!


    Am I right in assuming it's as easy as updating the files in the staging area, changing what I want to then hitting the publish button in Tpf2 and adding an update note? Or do I have this completely wrong? :O


    I don't want to break anyone's anything but I have some things I'd like to change in future. Including updates to the meshs, for instance scaling the windows on the RS-1 down a smidge. ( since I've learned a LOT about Blender since then! ) :D


    Cheers all!


    Thanks as always. :)

    The usual answer to such questions is a clear: "It depends".


    What is generally required, no matter where You upload the model, is to update the game-readable version number. It generally comes in the well known format x.y, with x being read from the mod directory (in Your case Bhaal_modname_x) and y from the mod.lua that contains a line "minorVersion = y,".


    So in order to tell the game that this is the newest version and supersedes all previous ones, just increase y by one and save the mod.lua before crating the model up in a compressed file.


    If You upload Your model to the download section on this site (which I do encourage You to do), You´ll just edit the entry, delete the previous version, upload the updated variant, write a line or two as required in the version history and finally click on "Save - that´s it.


    For Steam, if You are prepared to give up Your rights to Valve as stipulated by their EULA, updating the model version number as described earlier and then publishing in the known manner ought to do.

    As long as the mld and construction files are all in the same place and have the same name nothing should break.


    And a little additional advice, you can reuse threads. No need to do every question in a new one. That way you can get help a bit faster when it pops up in the notification ;)

  • Bhaal

    Hat den Titel des Themas von „Updating Mods“ zu „Bhaals Question Thread - Updating/Mod/Texture QandAs“ geändert.

    Will do! Thank you all for being so willing to help. :)


    Alright then, I'm working on a CLC louvered wagon at the moment, I want to create the louvered look using normal maps rather than actually modelling them. What's your preferred technique here? I've been fiddling with substance painter but it doesn't have anything quite right for the job. I could draw them in Paintshop and use crazybump on them I suppose. I'm just not quite sure how to approach this to get a decent look.


    (My image, took it a few days ago at the museum for referencing.)

    You may prepare a mask in Paintshop and then import it in Substance Painter to apply it onto the model :)


    I do not know the resolution of the face on your mapping. However I'd take an attempt by creating a tiny gradient from black to white that is repeated several times above eachother to form these parts.

    Fairly happy with how it came out so far, thank you! :)


    What I can't figure out, is why it doesn't work on the ends? It's mapped properly onto the right area, shows up fine in Substance Painter but not in game or the model viewer.



    The end in model viewer and the normal map overlaid on the textures to make sure they line up, which they do. It works fine on the sides, just not the ends. Textures display fine. Weirded me out.


    Looks great and I like this used look. :thumbup:


    Do I get you right that the normal effect (3D effect) is shown correctly on the sides in the model editor? In that case, can it be that the end-faces are assigned to a different material then the sides (and this material has no normal map definition)?

    Why thank you! :) I've been working on creating better textures, it's a bit of a weak spot for me. I'm not an amazing artist haha


    Yes. It works just fine on both sides but not the ends. it appears to have only the one material. Checked the Blender and re-exported and converted it, replaced the old blob and it still wont show on the ends. :/


    Has me stumped.

    Yea the colour comes through fine, I can paint away to my hearts content. Normals just won't show for that section. The object only has a single material file, it *should* work. :/

    What's weird is the side displays just fine...

    I have to say that I appreciate your tris count. For it being one of your first models, it is in a good range (and not over the top) :thumbup:


    If you send us the current files, we may find a cause. It is hard to say from the outside.

    I hope this is how it should look like:




    What I did is changing the orientation in Blender. The x axis was a little bit below 0. The "correct" orientation would be 90 degrees for the x axis (I refere to my experience and the fbx export manual from themeatballhero on steam). Have you already tested it ingame? I would have expected it to drive sideways :/. I changed the value in object mode and then fixed the orientation in edit mode until the model is aligned to the x axis. It should like this in blender (object mode):



    Then I exchanced the msh files and changed the transf values in your mdl for that mesh. For my test I got this values:

    Code
    transf = { 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, -1.6292068494295e-07, 1, 0, 0, -1, -1.6292068494295e-07, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, },

    I also had to mirror your the tga files vertically. I don't know if this has always to be done for the model editor...I don't use tga-files at all.


    To match the orientation I guess you have to look at the orientation of the boogies and wheelparts too.


    I am also new to this stuff so maybe there are different ways to fix that but it looks like this way works. :)

    Interesting, I'll have a fiddle with it when I get the chance :D The importer I use to convert things from Blender OBJ into blob mesh files lets me change the orientation of it if I need too so it was rotated 90 degrees before it was converted from OBJ into blob. I should probably fix it in Blender to be honest. xD


    Thank you so much for having a look at it! :)


    Much appreciated. :)

    Spot on the money. Rotating it 90 degrees in Blender and reconverting it did the trick. Apparently it doesn't like being rotated by the converter. haha


    Thanks again, all of you. :)

    Oh interresting, there a so many ways to do this stuff. I hope this solution works for your way too (I use the blender fbx-Export and the fbx-Import of the model editor and then create the msh-files with the model editor.)


    EDIT: Oh, you were quicker. Congratulation :)

    Greetings all,


    Firstly, I'd like to thank all of you for your endless help, it's much appreciated! :)


    Next, which line of this code makes the damn thing shorter, it's eluding my 2am brain at the moment. :/


    {

    type = "LINE_NAME",

    transf = {

    0, 1, 0, 0,

    0, 0, 1, 0,

    1, 0, 0, 0,

    8.767, -1.0, 2.21, 1,

    },

    size = { 2, 0.13 },

    color = {255 / 255, 255 / 255, 255 /255},

    fitting = "CUT",

    alignment = "CENTER",

    renderMode = "STD",

    childId = "RootNode",

    },


    It's spilling off the end in a way that's really rather bugging me. But the obvious is just slipping my mind right now.


    Cheers

    Awesome, the 'size' option needed some tweaking and Cut changed to scale. Was just a matter of tweaking it until it scales into the right area when the name gets longer. :D


    Another question, is it possible to add new driver models/textures? I want to replace 'casual steve' style crew with something more... appropriate, for the more modern locos.


    Cheers all.

BlueBrixx