BAN files... how to create them?

[GreatNortherner]

Colleagues,

I've been running around in circles for hours now, trying to figure out what on earth I have to do to get an animation up and running. I have completely forgotten what is necessary to turn an exported animation IA file into a BAN file so the sim will read it. I'm quite sure I already did that, a while ago. If only I could remember how. I thought I did it all in the blueprint editor, but it won't let me click the IA, I cannot do anything with it.


Can somebody please help me? I tried searching the various forums and it must be a VERY basic step I'm missing here, as I could not find anything. Everybody seems to be getting their BAN files just fine.

Thank you!
Michael

[dick8299]

Great Northerner, I am trying to figure out exactly what it is that isn't working.

The way I read your post, it sounds like you are using the Asset Editor and have created a blueprint for an animated object. However when you preview the model, the animation name appears in the flyout, but you can not select it. Is that correct?

[rgarber]

You think you got it bad? Well I'm looking around for what guy named Files did what in the forum that was so bad he needed to be banned...

[GreatNortherner]

Ban-files. I think there are a couple of guys at t-s.com who most likely possess some files they shouldn't legally posses in the first place, and which would get them banned immediately if they tried to distribute them. Yeah, also I sort of feel like the sim banned me from seeing animated stuff.

So what am I doing wrong with the animated files? What I would like to do is to add an cargo loading animation to a freight car. Looking at the default coal hopper for reference, I found no extra shape nor blueprint for the coal, so I suppose it's actually a part of the main shape, animated (in two keyframes, as per the techdocs). So I did all that in 3DC, the freight part is a child of the main part, named "freight" (also in the RS_Custom field), then I exported the animation to freight.IA, the main shape to IGS. And now I'm stuck, the main shape runs through the Asset editor just fine, however I found no way to get the freight.ia to be converted into ban and show up in the assets folder. And I'm so sure I already did this successfully a couple of times. What am I doing wrong this time?

Thanks!
Michael

[dick8299]

In the blue print there is an entry for "anim set". That is where you put the information for the ia file.

In my source folder there is a folder named "sample_freight". It shows you how to do what you want. Hopefully you have the same example. I do not remember how I got it, but I am sure I downloaded it from Rail Simulator, possibley when I installed the dev documents.

[dick8299]

I just took another look at the blueprint and there is a reference to the anim name in the bulk cargo definition entry.

[GreatNortherner]

...ah! And here I am trying to click on the IA file in the Blueprint editor all day long, and it just wouldn't do anything. So I do need to include it in the main car's blueprint in the asset editor! Well, actually makes a lot of sense and I'm feeling quite stupid now. Wonder how come all that stupidity.

THANK YOU!!! Dick, I really appreciate your help.

I think I'm beginning to understand the process and where I went wrong. The blueprint editor really is not my strongest side in RS yet. I really need to be working more with exporting entire blueprints from the editor rather doing only once and then adapting every future change with Bin_Convert or RS_Tools.

I'll try it when I get back home, and maybe I'll have a working animated cargo for my cars ready in no time.

Cheers!
Michael