1024x1024 with 8-bit alpha

[ctillier]

Is it possible?

Can you make a dirty windshield on a cab view (e.g. windshield wiper streaks), without being constrained to the 512x512 limit imposed on translucent ace files by what I believe to be the latest version of makeace.exe?

If it's possible, how do you do it?

Thanks :)

--
Clem
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http://www.tillier.net/speedworks/index.html

[jtr1962]

You can do that using the WinMakeAce utility that was included in the latest patch from Kuju. If you want to make more traditional 1024x768 cabviews you just make a 1024x1024 32-bit TGA(24-bit + 8-bit alpha) file, and have the 1024x768 cabview in the upper portion. You then use WinMakeAce to convert this to an .ace file with an 8-bit alpha channel(you check the boxes to limit the final .ace file to 1024x768). I've tried it, and it does work, but you have to start off with a 1024x1024 file for some reason. :) I can't do it with TGATool and the regular MakeAce, however. You can also do a cabview using the entire 1024x1024 format, but the way I suggested allows you to edit a nondistorted picture.

This should make for some interesting cabviews. :D

[ctillier]

Thanks for the tip Joe. Stay tuned :)

--
Clem
http://www.tillier.net/speedworks/images/logo_sig.jpg
http://www.tillier.net/speedworks/index.html

[samspade]

As with anything in life the possibilities are endless:

http://www.trainsim.com/dcforum/User...3447ec4225.jpg

However, as with everything else in life, there are trade-offs when dabbling in magic.
The colour definition is reduced quite a lot. Look at the top right for instance.

Need a closer look? This unit is still in the construction phase so the controls had to be 'borrowed' from another cab...
which explains why nothing is where it should be!
It is an actual in-game screenshot.

http://www.trainsim.com/dcforum/User...7d4c1cd84e.jpg

I have another with raindrops on the windshield - really cool; just didn't bring it to the party! Sorry!

-------SamSpade--------
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---"Power for You"---

[jtr1962]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Mar-26-02 AT 05:49AM (EST)[/font][p]A workaround that I used to compensate for the loss of color definition is to convert the original cab to dithered 256 color, and then back to true color afterwards so that can be saved in the 32-bit TGA. The number of different colors is now reduced to 256 but since they are dithered it looks better in the sim and avoids the "banded" appearance. Of course, true color looks best, but the sim reduces the color definition if there is an 8-bit alpha channed in the cab .ace file to (I believe) 8-bits. :(

The alpha channel is reduced from 8-bit(256 levels) to 4-bit(16 levels) in the sim, so I did a similar dithering technique also so that it looked better in the sim. If you have a shading gradient from the top of the windshield to the bottom it ends up looking banded in the sim, so once again the dithering technique improves the appearance. By changing the color in the windshield area in the main cab image, you can get different color windshield tints. Another possibility for more levels of windshield shading is to use several color shades for the windshield area in the main image. The possiblities are indeed endless. :)

[samspade]

Your workaround is the same as mine, so it must be the right thing to do! I have only just started playing with this so have not fixed any of the colour problems yet - too many other things to do. The results however may be good enough - perhaps a high colour cab, plus a lower definition dirty one, plus a rainy day cab, plus a night cab... the volume of work just increased exponentially.

http://www.trainsim.com/dcforum/User...dc16295007.jpg

The C-series still needs a lot of work but I had to test it out!
-------SamSpade--------
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---"Power for You"---

[kwk100]

Hi nice cabs!

So do you have to select the different cab files, or when you select rain in the sim, and then press start, will it automatically switch to the cab with rain drops on the window? Then when you play in the sun, without restarting the sim, once you select clear and press start, does it switch to the regular version of the cab or is that not possible?

Nice work!

[HR WIDTH="50%"]

Take care,

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[font size = "0"]Trains from http://tgs.railfan.net/[/font]

kwk100

[samspade]

>Hi nice cabs!
>
>So do you have to select
>the different cab files, or
>when you select rain in
>the sim, and then press
>start, will it automatically switch
>to the cab with rain
>drops on the window?
>Then when you play in
>the sun, without restarting the
>sim, once you select clear
>and press start, does it
>switch to the regular version
>of the cab or is
>that not possible?
At this stage I do not know of any way to link this to the the game programming, so the most probable solution would be to have an eng file for each variation and you choose the appropriate engine to suit the weather conditions; eg Engine FL9-Rain; Time 10:00am; Season Winter and so on. Maybe activities can be written to call a specific engine on demand but it is a once only choice per run at this stage.

>
>Nice work!

Thanks. Still needs a bit of tweaking yet though.
>kwk100

-------SamSpade--------
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---"Power for You"---