Does anyone know how to contact Mr. Cornell?

[MadMike1024]

I've done a repaint of his fine GP38-2 model and am having issues with the number boards. I need turn off the auto numbering, because the numbers are placed wrong for the Missouri Pacific. The problem is that it puts a default number (3210) in the number boards when numbering is off. I'd like to find out where the default number board text is set up and what I need to do to change it.

Thanks!

[Kali]

Usually if you set the engine number to one with an incorrect number of digits, it will go blank. To do this automatically you can just rewrite the numbering .dcsv ( GP38-2_numbers.dcsv for the GP38 ) to just put a wrong number in. Alternatively the quickest way would be to make a blank digit texture and name it number_#, and then edit GP38-2_digits.bin to add that as the digit to display for the # symbol. Then you just throw "####" in to your numbering dcsv.

If you're looking to move the autonumber boards, well... you can't. They're part of the main model, not an end-user movable child object. If you just want to change the autonumber series, they will be in the .dcsv file I've mentioned.

[MadMike1024]

Usually if you set the engine number to one with an incorrect number of digits, it will go blank. To do this automatically you can just rewrite the numbering .dcsv ( GP38-2_numbers.dcsv for the GP38 ) to just put a wrong number in. Alternatively the quickest way would be to make a blank digit texture and name it number_#, and then edit GP38-2_digits.bin to add that as the digit to display for the # symbol. Then you just throw "####" in to your numbering dcsv.

If you're looking to move the autonumber boards, well... you can't. They're part of the main model, not an end-user movable child object. If you just want to change the autonumber series, they will be in the .dcsv file I've mentioned.

It is also possible to shut off the auto-numbering by changing the .dscv file to an empty list. The issue I'm having, is that Mr. Cornell decided that the blank number board isn't, it has the digits 3210 in it when the auto-numbering is off. Obviously the "blank" number board graphic has the number embedded in it. What I'm trying to find out, is which of the graphic source files has this graphic, and if it is editable. The numboard.tgpcdx is the lens file.

[Trainguy76]

Can't you just alpha out the numbers? I think that is the best way to do it.

[MadMike1024]

Can't you just alpha out the numbers? I think that is the best way to do it.

I tried that, edited the lens (numboard.TgPcDx) and removed the alpha layer. Wound up with a Missing texture error. I also tried a solid white and a solid black lens and that didn't work either, the Geo does some sort of alpha editing. The puzzle still is; where is the graphic the number board is drawn from?

http://railworksamerica.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1875

In this thread, you can see the Brindley GP-7s, and they have the number board right in the open so you can add numbers if you don't want the auto numbers. There also is a picture of the MoPac GP-38-2 Locos I'm repainting. Look at the prototype number positions, and that will tell you why auto numbers are off. If you'll look the number board isn't blank even though the auto-numbering is off.

[Kali]

It is also possible to shut off the auto-numbering by changing the .dscv file to an empty list. The issue I'm having, is that Mr. Cornell decided that the blank number board isn't, it has the digits 3210 in it when the auto-numbering is off. Obviously the "blank" number board graphic has the number embedded in it. What I'm trying to find out, is which of the graphic source files has this graphic, and if it is editable. The numboard.tgpcdx is the lens file.

If you do that I am pretty sure the game picks a default suitable number from the available digits, which is why I put a wrong number/#### in when I do it. The game overlays the numbers from the digits.bin on the autonumber areas, which is how using a blank number texture works ( just making the alpha channel entirely black will do the same ). Removing the alpha channel from a texture that is set up with one is a bad idea, because it will break it.

I ( obviously ) have the gp38s, I'll go look at them.

--- some time passes ---

Yeah, here we go:



The cabside autonumbers don't fill a default in if you put a wrong number in, but the number boards do, so I just threw a blank texture into the numbers blueprint & used #### for the number.

I'm not familiar with the prototype you're painting, but I assume they do actually have number boards above the window? if you want to just put numbers there & not the cabside, then you can just edit all the number textures so the cabside numbers don't show up.

[MadMike1024]

I finally just blanked the number boards for now. The prototypes had a logo on the cabside under the windows, so the auto-number system doesn't work. Also, one of them has a 3 digit identifier which chokes the auto system. What I want to do is just put a fixed number on the numberboards and be done. Doesn't appear to be possible. I did find out that the number created by the auto system is actually printed on the back of the numberboard glass lens, as is the default 3210.

[Kali]

I have no idea which base model you're using, but the default number isn't on any texture I've got, and I did check every alpha channel. The default number is imprinted in the geo file as the default texture for each of the autonumber slots; if you open the geo file in RWTools you can find it, the texture itself is "..\..\..\..\..\system\textures\[00]primarynumber_0" for the last slot, and so on for the others.

Probably not lined up right, but you can do 3 ( or any number ) digit numbers in the autonumber system:



Ditching the cabside numbers is simple, just remove the numbers from their side of the autonumber textures. I'm not editing my default ones to prove a point though.

[MadMike1024]

I found one solution;



If you change the graphic from a null to a text box (right panel) in the primarynumber_x.TgPcDx file and remember that the default sequence is 3210 you can set the auto-number to #### and display anything on the number boards. Only problem is that it effects all the locos in the folder without a .Geo edit to move the primarynumber_x files to the engine textures.

Secondly: Is there a file size limit for Serz.exe? For some reason it won't recompile the GP38-2.geo edit for RW_Tools.

[Kali]

Never found a limit in RW_Tools or the standalone serz.exe, I suspect you've made an error in the Geo and it can't recompile it. You really do like to overcomplicate things though :) if you edit your numbers.bin ( the one in the texture folder, at the wrong PC so I don' t remember the exact name ) file to bind the x texture to well... "x" would be a sensible letter, you can just set the engine number in the scenario flyout to include the x just like I did with blanks.

[MadMike1024]

Never found a limit in RW_Tools or the standalone serz.exe, I suspect you've made an error in the Geo and it can't recompile it. You really do like to overcomplicate things though :) if you edit your numbers.bin ( the one in the texture folder, at the wrong PC so I don' t remember the exact name ) file to bind the x texture to well... "x" would be a sensible letter, you can just set the engine number in the scenario flyout to include the x just like I did with blanks.

Not an error in edit, I can't open it and then immediately save it. Serz crashes.

You apparently have some magic tool that makes stuff go away. Everything I've tried with the numbers files generates a "Missing Texture' error. Not very useful. What trick do you use, and what editor? Remember, I'm a retired fellow and can't afford anything but Gimp.

[Kali]

For texture edits, I open the file in RSBintool, save it as dds, and then import it into photoshop, however there's no magic photoshop trick to it. To get a blank texture all you actually need to do is make the alpha channel completely white or black, depending on which side of the number texture you're trying to get rid of, it's fairly obvious when you look at the texture itself. So, I just cleared the number from the alpha channel, saved as dds with the tools ( I'm pretty sure there's gimp tools, if not you can use paint.net which is also totally free ) and then imported back into rsbintool. Given you've made an x texture I'm pretty sure you already know how to do this bit.

To make new textures appear/let them be chosen in the number flyout/autonumber files, you have to add them to the BP38-2_digits.bin file in the texture folder or the engine won't ever be able to find them. That was the "magic ability to make things go away", I made a texture with blanked out alpha channel, called it "number_#.tgpcdx" and added it to the digits bin file, associated with the # character; that way when I set the engine number to "####" the number was actually four blank spaces. Likewise the number entry for the second pic was "#895". That bin file is just a compiled dcsv, it's easy to add to once you look at it. You could add whatever you wanted in there, you could make every digit come out as a 0 if you wanted, or some random symbol you've made a texture for.

I think the only RWTools issues I've had with serz are when I didn't regularily clear the temp files. It was rather unstable though, so I started using RSBintool for textures. RSBintool will also make sure you have the right type of texture, because it won't import a dds file with a different size, or a different compression method, or the wrong number of mipmaps. Open existing texture, export as dds, edit in gimp/whatever, export to dds from that, import into RSBintool, save as new filename.

[MadMike1024]

Thank you. I'd never heard of RSBin tool, and was using the Gimp > .tga > .ace > Blueprint editor method to compile the .TgPcDx files. This may resolve a few other issues that I have as well.

[MadMike1024]

All taken care of, thanks! I uploaded the fixed files and gave you credit for the help. I can now do some scenery edits that I wasn't able to do before as well.

[Kali]

No worries mate, glad to help :)