Help on placing tracks and start of placing objects down

[TrainGuy17]

Go for TSRE v8.004 -- it's the most current.

The texture files for all of your scenery objects and your track belong in that [your route]\Textures folder.

Ah, okay I see makes sense

[TrainGuy17]

Go for TSRE v8.004 -- it's the most current.

The texture files for all of your scenery objects and your track belong in that [your route]\Textures folder.

So, two questions. First, so the routes that I have installed - the monon, Pocahontas, pacific surfliner, and then some of the routes from TrainSimulations, I can basically just move whatever files that are in the textures folder of them and move them into my route textures or? And should I be doing that before I make my route? or do it once I go into the editor to start creating my route?
Second question, for the TSRE updated version, I don't need to do anything with the old version, like change or delete anything pr files containing tsre? I can just install the new version right away?

[rdayt]

You can add shapes and or textures to a route at anytime.
You can get them via download or you can copy them from another route.
In order to use them in your route you'll need to add them to your route's .ref file.

Typical .ref entry,
Static (
FileName ( RIL-Old-Store.s)
Class ("RIL-Businesses")
Description ("RIL-Henry's")
Shadow (DYNAMIC)
)

TSRE uses the .ref file as a reference (hence the name) as to what's supposed to be in the route's shapes folder.
Once you've placed a shape the shape will call for the textures it needs from the textures folder. Textures can be .ace or .dds. TSRE will default to show .ace and OR will default to .dds if you have both.
You can place a shape without a corresponding texture but since there isn't a texture it shows as gray in OR and will trip an error for a missing texture but the shape will remain where you put it.
The track and road shapes will be in the Global folder. They are used across the routes that share the Global folder.
The track and road textures go in the route's textures folder as they are specific to that route. These textures can be changed out at any time but it will effect all of the shapes.
TSRE can be placed anywhere but it's a good idea to put it where it can be easily found. C:\TSREv8 will work.
You can have more than one instance of TSRE if they use distinct folders. I have G:\TSREv0.698 and G\TSREv0.704 that I use both of.
Download Eric's TSRE V8.04 and install it in it's own folder. You don't need to uninstall anything.
With TSRE you have everything you'll need to lay track and road. Anything else you want will have to be manually added to the route's shapes and textures folders and the .ref file.

Randy

[TrainGuy17]

You can add shapes and or textures to a route at anytime.
You can get them via download or you can copy them from another route.
In order to use them in your route you'll need to add them to your route's .ref file.

Typical .ref entry,
Static (
FileName ( RIL-Old-Store.s)
Class ("RIL-Businesses")
Description ("RIL-Henry's")
Shadow (DYNAMIC)
)

TSRE uses the .ref file as a reference (hence the name) as to what's supposed to be in the route's shapes folder.
Once you've placed a shape the shape will call for the textures it needs from the textures folder. Textures can be .ace or .dds. TSRE will default to show .ace and OR will default to .dds if you have both.
You can place a shape without a corresponding texture but since there isn't a texture it shows as gray in OR and will trip an error for a missing texture but the shape will remain where you put it.
The track and road shapes will be in the Global folder. They are used across the routes that share the Global folder.
The track and road textures go in the route's textures folder as they are specific to that route. These textures can be changed out at any time but it will effect all of the shapes.
TSRE can be placed anywhere but it's a good idea to put it where it can be easily found. C:\TSREv8 will work.
You can have more than one instance of TSRE if they use distinct folders. I have G:\TSREv0.698 and G\TSREv0.704 that I use both of.
Download Eric's TSRE V8.04 and install it in it's own folder. You don't need to uninstall anything.
With TSRE you have everything you'll need to lay track and road. Anything else you want will have to be manually added to the route's shapes and textures folders and the .ref file.

Randy

Ah, so this is what I was missing. Okay, I see thank you so much!

[TrainGuy17]

You can add shapes and or textures to a route at anytime.
You can get them via download or you can copy them from another route.
In order to use them in your route you'll need to add them to your route's .ref file.

Typical .ref entry,
Static (
FileName ( RIL-Old-Store.s)
Class ("RIL-Businesses")
Description ("RIL-Henry's")
Shadow (DYNAMIC)
)

TSRE uses the .ref file as a reference (hence the name) as to what's supposed to be in the route's shapes folder.
Once you've placed a shape the shape will call for the textures it needs from the textures folder. Textures can be .ace or .dds. TSRE will default to show .ace and OR will default to .dds if you have both.
You can place a shape without a corresponding texture but since there isn't a texture it shows as gray in OR and will trip an error for a missing texture but the shape will remain where you put it.
The track and road shapes will be in the Global folder. They are used across the routes that share the Global folder.
The track and road textures go in the route's textures folder as they are specific to that route. These textures can be changed out at any time but it will effect all of the shapes.
TSRE can be placed anywhere but it's a good idea to put it where it can be easily found. C:\TSREv8 will work.
You can have more than one instance of TSRE if they use distinct folders. I have G:\TSREv0.698 and G\TSREv0.704 that I use both of.
Download Eric's TSRE V8.04 and install it in it's own folder. You don't need to uninstall anything.
With TSRE you have everything you'll need to lay track and road. Anything else you want will have to be manually added to the route's shapes and textures folders and the .ref file.

Randy

So question then, how and where do I locate this .ref file? so for example if I were to copy the shapes and textures (for the scenery objects) from another route and paste them into my route folder, where would I see the .ref file so that I could add the textures and shapes there? and then Im guessing for the tracks and roads, I could just move them into my global folder of my route and not the .ref file? Also, would I need to go into TSRE first and then save it and once I exit out, thats where I then go and add the shapes and textures for scenery and the tracks and roads for global?

Also second question, for the monon route, I was able to download it and everything but the files that show the.DO1 at the end, what am I suppose to do with them? Do I just move them into the route folder or in the textures folder of the route or where exactly?

[slipperman]

Hi,
If you see any files ending in D0n they are part of a spanned zip file. You don't use them separately. There should be either a .exe or .zip file in the same folder as the .Don files and when you run that .exe or .zip file, it will read all those .D0n files and unpack them to wherever you've 'told' it to.

A .ref file is a list of commands - you don't copy the shapes/textures into it. I suggest that you look at an existing .ref file to see its format.

You should put the route-specific shapes and textures into the route's own SHAPES and TEXTURES folders, respectively.

Cheers,
Ged

[TrainGuy17]

Hi,
If you see any files ending in D0n they are part of a spanned zip file. You don't use them separately. There should be either a .exe or .zip file in the same folder as the .Don files and when you run that .exe or .zip file, it will read all those .D0n files and unpack them to wherever you've 'told' it to.

A .ref file is a list of commands - you don't copy the shapes/textures into it. I suggest that you look at an existing .ref file to see its format.

You should put the route-specific shapes and textures into the route's own SHAPES and TEXTURES folders, respectively.

Cheers,
Ged

Hello,
Ah, okay makes sense. Thank you so much!

[TrainGuy17]

Hello, so update on the issue, I was able to get the tracks to be visible in tsre by making sure I had the acleantracks files into my route textures folder and it worked, but now I just need the roads and scenery objects to be visible in tsre as well. So, therefore how exactly do I get the roads and the scenery objects to be visible? Do I put the files for the scenery objects in the Global folder under either shapes or textures? and for the roads, they just remain in the main route textures folder or? If so, are the file names for both the roads and scenery objects fall under .ace or .s or .dds or something to that nature?

Also objects such as railroad crossings and traffic lights, are they considered being in the main route textures folder or in the Global folder of either the shapes or textures?

Any advice on this next step would be appreciated

[rdayt]

Everything you you've mentioned is specific to the route.
Road textures? Some routes use new style roads with yellow centerline, others (older) white. Specific to the route. The shapes are used by every route so they are in the global.
Same with track.
The only thing you'll want in the global is the shapes for the track and roads.
Everything else is route specific.

Randy

[TrainGuy17]

Everything you you've mentioned is specific to the route.
Road textures? Some routes use new style roads with yellow centerline, others (older) white. Specific to the route. The shapes are used by every route so they are in the global.
Same with track.
The only thing you'll want in the global is the shapes for the track and roads.
Everything else is route specific.

Randy

Oh, okay I see. So basically whatever file falls under .s or .ace that are for the scenery objects in the main route textures folder from a route (Monon 2 Route), I should let them remain in my route textures folder except for the shapes for the track and roads which goes in the global folder, if there's any shapes for them? Because when I moved the acleantracks from that route and put it under textures under my route, it was shown visible in tsre and I didn't have the global folder that contained the shapes and textures, but for the scenery objects, I did the same thing and they were not shown visible. But also, how do you locate the scenery objects in tsre though?

[rdayt]

The .s and .sd files are the shapes and shape definitions and they go in the route's shapes folder. The route's shapes folder will only have the .s and .sd files.
The only things you want in the route's textures folder are the textures. They will be .ace and/or .dds.
All scenery objects must have an entry in the route's .ref file for TSRE to know they're there and allow them to be placed.

Randy

[R. Steele]

...and after all this explanation, there had better be a route comin' or the peasant mob will storm your lair and .... well you know the rest of the story.😜
[ I know, I know, gotta learn]

[TrainGuy17]

The .s and .sd files are the shapes and shape definitions and they go in the route's shapes folder. The route's shapes folder will only have the .s and .sd files.
The only things you want in the route's textures folder are the textures. They will be .ace and/or .dds.
All scenery objects must have an entry in the route's .ref file for TSRE to know they're there and allow them to be placed.

Randy

Ohh, okay I see now. Alright, thanks!

[TrainGuy17]

...and after all this explanation, there had better be a route comin' or the peasant mob will storm your lair and .... well you know the rest of the story.😜
[ I know, I know, gotta learn]

Lol, at this point since I am just beginning and I am new to all this stuff, I would say that I could probably relate to that

[R. Steele]

My respects, route building requires quite a few skills, and even the experienced route builders are always finding some new problem to solve. Although, with TSRE ( and Eric developing new code ) it will make the task easier....but that's a relative term.