What is the best way to get Slugs out of the garden?

[arizonachris]

I use the old remedy of coffee grounds in the garden to get rid of slugs and snails (guess we don't have snails in RW, LOL)

As usual, great work Jerry! Can't wait to see it in game! Yeeeeeee Hawwwwwwwww!

[TVRRMAN]

[quote="arizonachris"]I use the old remedy of coffee grounds in the garden to get rid of slugs and snails (guess we don't have snails in RW, LOL)

Personally, I typically like to go with the Postal 2 technique: Napalm... Sorry, I just couldn't resist

Seriously though, the slug unit looks good so far though...

[SMMDigital]

I've been spinning my wheels on this for about the last three hours.

I'm almost finished with painting (blech), but i've run into a problem. My understanding of how to put gloss on an asset is as follow:

1. Diffuse texture with Alpha. Alpha is used to control level of glossiness.
2. Bump texture. Gives the asset roughened texture.
3. Dummy texture. In the Environmental slot, activates glossiness.
4. TrainBumpEnvMask.fx. Shader that ties this together.

Unfortunately, this is the result i'm getting:

Capture14.JPG

I have tried varying the Alpha level, and even removing the bump and env textures, and this is still what I get. It seems to be that the Shader alone is enough to make the model super glossy ( i've also tried the non-mask shader and the TrainBumpSPECEnv versions ). The model is pretty, but unrealistic. Locomotives are dirty, grimy, rusty beasts, and I only need enough gloss to highlight a small glint of sunlight.

Is there an argument that I should be putting in the RailSimX slot to control this?

Modeling in 3DC 8.2

[railbard]

I use the old remedy of coffee grounds in the garden to get rid of slugs and snails (guess we don't have snails in RW, LOL)

I don't know about that. Some of those switching scenarios can move at a snails pace!

[SMMDigital]

If you can send it over to me I can mess with it a bit and fix it, probably have it back to you in about a day or two

Thanks for the offer! However, and I mean no offense by this, if you do it for me, how will I learn to do it? Also, it would be nice to have the solution posted here for future reference by the masses. :)

Still doing research on this through various forums and sites. I have some good leads as to the problems, and some ideas to fix them when I work on the model again in the morning.

[PapaXpress]

Ah clouds... this usually meant that you need to darken the alpha on the texture file. Unfortunately that's about as far as I can help since my models are small and don't use the alpha to gloss them up.

[PapaXpress]

You don't want to flatten them. I think RW would default the alpha to white automatically.

[SMMDigital]

I do not think at this time it's an issue with the textures. They are built in layers from a Photoshop PSD file, given alpha, then layer-flattened to a 32- bit Targa file. That file is then converted to a 32-bit Ace file with the photoshop plug in.

I've done a lot of research today, and upon thinking back, i've had this problem once before. I'll have to wait until I get home to see if the solution I used last time is still valid.

[GreatNortherner]

Hi,

Two more things you could check:

1) re-convert the TGPCDX file and see how the alpha channel looks like, maybe something went wrong and it ended up all white. It should be pretty dark grey when you use the standard 3DC exporter settings for Customparam and/or Specularpower

2) or you can also play around with these values. They are quite powerful and can be set with the TrainSimX custom field in 3DC -- see here for more details: http://amabilis.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4130

A good point to start may be to load one of the default rail vehicles' Geo files into RW_Tools and compare these four settings on a material with TrainBumpSpecEnvMask with the ones in your model.

Cheers,
Michael

[SMMDigital]

Finally got what I want. Just a hint of reflection, really only visible up close to the unit.

Capture15.JPG

I don't know why, it doesn't make sense (add that to the long list of things about Railworks and 3DCanvas that doesn't make sense), but the exporter in 3DC apparently didn't like it that I was using .BMP's instead of Targa files for my Bump and Environment slots. Once I changed those files to Targa, the exporter was cool with that and the slug shows up as it's supposed to. This baffles me as the BMP/TGA's are just a stand-in for the Ace file, which is then converted to TgPcDx.
TrainBumpEnvMask.fx seems to be the correct shader for this effect (you can use the Spec version as well).

Now, i've got a few paint anomalies that i've got to fix, and then it's on to the fun of making couplers (the ones shown are just dummy stand-ins) and then trying to get some Blueprints started.

[eyein12]

out of curiousity are you using a normal map with your textures under that shader?

also you can see that theres a couple of glare edge lines that are running down an angle on the side there. its sort of breaking up the continuity of your side as a whole. You probably already know this but just a quick tip for those who dont, select all of those faces again in canvas or max and under the same smoothing group you have already just lower the angle threshold to a value that causes those edge lines to relax, and you will get a nice smooth surface with no broken angles.

[SMMDigital]

out of curiousity are you using a normal map with your textures under that shader?

also you can see that theres a couple of glare edge lines that are running down an angle on the side there. its sort of breaking up the continuity of your side as a whole. You probably already know this but just a quick tip for those who dont, select all of those faces again in canvas or max and under the same smoothing group you have already just lower the angle threshold to a value that causes those edge lines to relax, and you will get a nice smooth surface with no broken angles.

If the "normal" map you are referring to is the main texture map (body), then yes, that is the one i'm using that shader with.

The diagonal line under the DB blister is the result of a gimped up fin that joins the top of the DB to the top of the low hood. I've already fixed the one on the other side, I just didnt have time to fix the one on this side before work this morning.

[eyein12]

that is a normal map. If you have it then great! when you use a bump.fx you will have 3 channels. your normal map goes into the middle channel. all channels have the same UV channel. If you dont have it, probably not a big deal.

[SMMDigital]

Ummm k. We are not on the same channel, and we aren't talking the same language. I'm using 3DCanvas. The main texture (the one paints the locomotive all its various colors and emblems) with an Alpha channel for gloss is in Slot 1. Slot 2, for a second texture, is empty. Slot 3, the translucency slot, is empty. Slot 4, the bumpmap slot, has a bumpmap in it, what you are calling a normal texture. Slot 5, the specular slot, is empty. Slot 6, the Environment slot, has a dummy texture for gloss. The Rail Sim box has TrainBumpEnvMask.fx shader in it.

Seems like a good time to ask, but what exactly is a bumpmap for? What size should it be, what color should it be? I have seen some who make a 512x512 plain blue texture with noise added in photoshop. I've seen others that trace the contours of the main diffuse texture. I need clarification on this so I can utilize it better.

[eyein12]

Ummm k. We are not on the same channel, and we aren't talking the same language. I'm using 3DCanvas. The main texture (the one paints the locomotive all its various colors and emblems) with an Alpha channel for gloss is in Slot 1. Slot 2, for a second texture, is empty. Slot 3, the translucency slot, is empty. Slot 4, the bumpmap slot, has a bumpmap in it, what you are calling a normal texture. Slot 5, the specular slot, is empty. Slot 6, the Environment slot, has a dummy texture for gloss. The Rail Sim box has TrainBumpEnvMask.fx shader in it.

Seems like a good time to ask, but what exactly is a bumpmap for? What size should it be, what color should it be? I have seen some who make a 512x512 plain blue texture with noise added in photoshop. I've seen others that trace the contours of the main diffuse texture. I need clarification on this so I can utilize it better.

http://www.gtraxsims.com/tut/normalmap.htm will tell you EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. I have max, and the shader you mention only has 3 slots in max. all must be occupied or it will create an error. and in order for the bump to project, it needs to be linked to the same UV channel as your other textures, because thats where it came from. by default in max everytime you enter a texture into a slot the UV channel increases a level . generally black colors cause your desired shapes to pop out, and white or light colors to pop in. I like normal maps because you can get small details like rivets, panels, compartments, etc.. to popout without adding more geometry.