New ES44!!

[BNSF650]

Anybody going to paint the new model up?

http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails. ... oID=103839 BNSF

http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails. ... toID=20698 BNSF Yellow Swoosh

[MontanaRails]

Also, the working cab lights (via console switch) and the working step lights are a nice touch!

[hermit9153]

Would love to do some repaints for the ES44, but there is a problem here (maybe RS locked us out off doing skins for RW4 default stuff????)
I still have to find a way to open TgPCDX files that are tagged like this: HC_IMAGE_FORMAT_COMPRESSED_INTERP_ALPHA
Anybody out there that has an idea what they were up to this time around?!
Hans Wilms

[artimrj]

I was playing in RW Tools the other night and found the same problem. To get it decompressed to a DDS I opened another skin file and copied that same line out of it. Went back to the other skin with the new tag line you show (HC_IMAGE_FORMAT_COMPRESSED_INTERP_ALPHA ) and replaced it with the old one and RW Tools uncompressed it and sent it to Photoshop for me. I did not go any further than that though so I do not know how it will save the files or if they will work after that.

Hope you understand what I am saying. Mike needs to know about this.

[hermit9153]

Thanks Bob,
Was thinking along the same lines earlier today until work disturbed my think pattern
I'll give it a go on a clone and see what happens....
Will report back!
Hans

[BNSF650]

Sure hope we can paint this model some how.

[hermit9153]

OK, by replacing _INTERP_ with _EXPL_ in the XML opened with RW_tools one can generate the .dds format without an issue. In DXTBmp the texture shows up OK, with a funky alpha channel. I assume INTERP stands for interpolated and I'll have to read up on that or ask the guys ober at paint.net what this is all about... If it can be opened in DXTBmp or paint.net it means it can be edited/repainted.
There is another issue though: All the logos are separate textures and they do not seem to be added to the model as children, which indicates they are probably added in the modelling stage in Max. That could prove to be a problem for repainters.
I'll have to do some experimenting there, meanwhile maybe MadMike and Kali could shed some light on this.

[artimrj]

Were you able to save the DDS file to convert back to tcgpdx and see if it looks ok in the sim with out the INTERPOL thingy?

[hermit9153]

Nope, haven't tested that yet. I will over the weekend... I do not really expect any majors in the problem department. Re-applying the INTERP alpha channel in DXTBmp should do it, if not we can ask Martin Wright do adapt the program, maybe?!
Right now I want to 'play' around a litlle with RW4 and explore the new features. There's tons of new models that I'd like to check out.
Moreover, I want to fabricate a layered repaint kit for the ES44, so everybody can make up his/her mind on how clean or dirty and rusty the loco will be.

[_o_OOOO_oo-Kanawha]

Moreover, I want to fabricate a layered repaint kit for the ES44, so everybody can make up his/her mind on how clean or dirty and rusty the loco will be.

Myself and many other users would be most grateful for that: a simple repaint kit.

The other default engines, haven't been 'rebuilt' right?

[hermit9153]

Moreover, I want to fabricate a layered repaint kit for the ES44, so everybody can make up his/her mind on how clean or dirty and rusty the loco will be.

Myself and many other users would be most grateful for that: a simple repaint kit.

The other default engines, haven't been 'rebuilt' right?

Well, 'simple' is a bit of an understatement in that there's loads of work in making it simple. Simple means for instance that lines, etc. that need to be painted on various texture sheets will call for reference markers on the various sheets so everything joins up the way it should. Getting those reference markers in the right place is a tedious job that would take a bit to explain, suffice to say we're yalking pixel level editing here! I've done some repaints for Flight Simulator X and believe me, sometimes you get to the point where you wanna slam some chinaware against the wall It'll take a while to say the least.

I'm afraid that the 'problem' also exists for the SD40-2, the SD70M and the SW10 as featured in Sherman Hill! All the same funny files and logos and such on different texture sheets. There are so many sheets as a matter of fact that it is interesting to note the very decent frame rate. With that many draw calls one would expect the opposite. May be an interesting result, but a nightmare for repainters for sure. Why oh why RS?

[BNSF650]

I dont know why rsc does this. Well I guess back to email them for a bit

[hermit9153]

I dont know why rsc does this. Well I guess back to email them for a bit

Well, I have a hunge... With their new scheme that basically put them into bed with Steam, I would suspect that they will seek to max the profits.
Like in; make it (much) harder for the freeware geeks to create content (even like in repaint), and we (RSC) will have a much bigger chance to sell add-ons (like again also in simple repaints) through Steam.
Let's wait a few months and see what X-mas brings

[up_8677]

Well the SD75 cab was correct....for CN SD75i's.

[artimrj]

I might be able to agree on you with some of these things B737 excdept for 1 thing. When they go on sale, they go on sale! The price I have paid for the majority of the stuff I have I can overlook these things. I figured out how to paintin FS9 then FSx and MSTS to Railworks 1 to Railworks 3 and will figure this one out too. They are not going to stop me unless it is from an official stop and desist declaration. Until then I am doing just what I have been doing, having fun with what I got while I can.