Signal Problem, HEAD(s) are not Parenting

[charland]

Hope to get some help with this, I'm stuck.

I've drawn an NYC three searchlight signal on a mast for a gantry. The plan was to just replace the SL3abs_g shape with this one and then I wouldn't have to deal with the sigcfg or sigscr files. The problem I'm having is when I create the file for the route it shows up in sView as just three or four sets of polygons all parented to SIGNAL and HEAD1, 2, and 3 are not showing. The sim doesn't see any heads so the signal lights just sit below the surface at 0,0,0 of the drawing.

I've tried just about everything I can think of to get the parenting to work but nothing I've tried has worked.

A couple of years ago I tried to get a switchstand operating and the file did export properly with HEADs showing up in the hierarchy. Not this time.

Any ideas what's going wrong?

Paul :-)

[caldrail]

I had similar problems with TSM. I solved it using the original TSM version, not the later update. If you don't use TSM there's either an eror in the way you set up the model or a corrupted hierarchy.

Okay Paul, let's start with the obvious. Check the scripting for errors and don't assume anything is correct until you have.

Then check the model construction. If necessary, delete the extra heads, redraw, and redefine the hierarchy. I'd be well tempted to rebuild entirely afresh. luckily the signals aren't going to be that complex as models.

[charland]

I am using the original full version of TS Modeler.

Yesterday to make sure my drawing didn't get corrupted I made a simple drawing with three HEADs (1,2,and 3), parented to a SIGNAL, parented to MAIN, parented to NONE, when looking at it in sView it only showed HEAD3 with the two texters and the poly count. I then deleted the shape file from one of the SW-1s I just uploaded and exported it from TSM and had a look at that in sView and the hierarchy was correct. I now have a copy of my drawing on Elvas Tower and Sandy River Tom is going to see if he can get it to save properly.

Paul :-)

[caldrail]

You have to parent the all the child shapes specifically. Leaving it at NONE will fail.

[charland]

It's a bit more involved then naming and parenting in TSM, turns out you have to give each HEAD a blank animation, save the file without turning it into a binary, open it and change one of the values, then compress it.

Great explanation here pointed to me by Slipperman:

yss_sig1.zip

Paul :-)