The Mechanics of getting started with TS Repainting

[buzz456]

The purpose of this is to give beginners or actually anyone of the various ways to manipulate the various files through the different utility programs available to us. Most of us use one of the best of the best of our utility programs which is TWTools by Mike Simpson. It is free and available from:http://www.rstools.info/rw_tools.html
We will discuss several different uses for RWTools but in my first section I'm going to discuss how to take a locomotive that you want to re-paint and set up the new .bin file for your project. One of the great things about using RWTools is that you don't need to mess around with the serz tool since RWTools does all the conversion for you and automatically makes a backup to the bin so that if you do a oops you always have a backup to go back to. Stand by for my or QCRail's post on this whole topic.

[buzz456]

Making a new loco.jpg

opening screen.jpg

Bin file example.jpg

Bin file example_2.jpg

Bin file example_3.jpg

You should now be ready to be able to look at your new loco in the game which of course will have the old texture on it. Next we will be ready to start working with the actual texture files.

[minerman146]

I am paying attention (and glad I checked for unread posts!)

[jalsina]

I am paying attention (and glad I checked for unread posts!)

I agree.
This goes very nicely and I have the first question about what Buzz has already exposed. It is about:
<Key d:type="cDeltaString">RS_TXT_GP9_NE</Key>

In many new repaints, authors do not change this Key. What does exactly do that name?
What if I leave it as the default?:
<Key d:type="cDeltaString">RS_TXT_GP9_UP</Key>

If we should not ask questions here or doing comments, just feel free to delete the post.

[buzz456]

No it's fine to ask questions.

[Chacal]

In the same topic, I've always wondered why there are several fileds for <Name> and <Displayname> and why they often have different values. Wouldm't it be simpler to put the same name all over?

[jalsina]

In the same topic, I've always wondered why there are several fileds for <Name> and <Displayname> and why they often have different values. Wouldm't it be simpler to put the same name all over?

You wonder why there are four different names in the engine xml.
I wonder why DTG designed the Quick Drive locos roster, ordered alphabetically, not by their name, but by the consist name in the Preload bin files (as well as those Custom Consist editor names).

[BoostedFridge]

Thanks for making this Buzz. I'm eager for part two, and to start messing around with repainting.

[ozinoz]

I want to jump in here; a bit further along in the process, but I am stuck at this point.

My BLE Connie's are finished, apart from re-numbering into a more appropriate road number series - this is where I am stuck. I have created a new csv file with the road numbers, but that is it! Mike said to open it in the blueprint editor and export it as a dcsv. That does nothing. My blueprint editor doesn't seem to do much of anything with anything! RWTools doesnt seem to deal with this either. I am probably being as thick as a whale omelette in not grasping this, but even my "Google-Fu" has failed me. Once I get past this stage, I want to move onto some other things for the B&LE... Just don't want to bother Mike again with him being in the middle of his own project

[buzz456]

Is the dscv showing a update or no action there? Sure it's not a read only file? Answer these and if that doesn't solve your puzzle let's see what we need to try next.

[QcRail]

A quick update for this future tutorial.

I'm in the writing phase of the ''Conversion of .TgPcDx to .dds format'' with RW-Tools. So far the text is highly illustrated with 15 screengrabs, leading to firing up the .dds file in your favorite graphics editor. It is aimed at anyone wanting to jump in this fun activity and was little informed with the jargon or seemed to be overwhelmed.

A Bientot, QcRail

[buzz456]

This series is about the use of RSBinTool to open TgPcDx files export them as .dds files for use in DXTBmp and then on to paint.net in a condition ready to edit.

1-RSBin open serz.jpg

2-RSBin drill down to texture file.jpg

3-RSBin export dds data.jpg

4-DXTBmp open and select editor.jpg

5-DXTBmp Open .dds file.jpg

[buzz456]

6-DXTBmp export alpha.jpg

7-DXTBmp editor button and Shazzam.jpg

[jalsina]

The method nicely described in a graphical way here, is similar to the text in the tutorial in RWA.

However during my few recent attempts at repainting, I skipped DXTBmp.
I open RSBinTool, load the TgPcDx, export the dds to my desktop.Then I load that dds with Paint.net (keeping DXTBmp open), do the paint job, save the result as dds.
Import that dds with RSBinTool and save, overwriting the old TgPcDx. Then I test in TS2018.
And it works fine.
I even didn´t use the Serz menu item with DXTBmp, but entered directly the path where the texture was located.

[PNWR1854]

How to convert back into TgPcDx? RWtools doesnt work and I would like to know if you can do it in rsbintool.