UKTS Terrain Textures

[kcs_fan]

Correct me if I'm mistaken but I thought the UKTS Terrain Textures were useable in TS2012. I installed this pack, went to the Object Set Filter and clicked, but none of the new terrain textures show up. Am I doing something wrong???

[kcs_fan]

Someone? ? ? Anyone? ? ?

[PapaXpress]

Its been awhile since I last looked at the UKTS textures, but there is a PDF under: 'railworks\Manuals\EN\UKTS Freeware Packs' which tells you how to use the pack, and has some links to YouTube tutorials.

[madoke]

I am having the exact same problem.. The entire installation went just fine, but the textures have not shown up in the paint menu. The asset is activated in the sim, both check marks were checked, and all the files are in the right place. I have posted requests for info on Trainsim, on UKTS, but so far no one seems to have come up with an answer. This should be a very popular add on for any route builders since it would increase the size of the paint menu by a large amount, with many new textures that would be very useful for those of us building US routes. Some have told me that this simply won't work on a route that has already been started, saying that the route template has to point to the new textures, but others aren't sure. I'm thinking that the way the installer is putting these into the asset file may be flawed, but not sure.

Since RWA is hosting the files, hopefully someone over here has actually had some success or knows what the issue is. I, for one, and obviously there are others with the same question, will appreciate any feedback or assistance anyone can provide.

Thanks folks,

Doug
Spokane Valley, WA USA

[PapaXpress]

So some of what you were told is correct. You will need to edit your route properties to point to the UKTS textures. Some time ago I wrote a series of articles about manipulating the ground textures for your route. Though I do not talk about the UKTS texture pack, it may help you understand how it all fits together. You can find part 1 here.

[madoke]

Thanks for the information. I'll read it over and see what I need to do next.

Doug

[madoke]

So, after reading over the excellent tutorial I see what is required and what possibilities are available. What became crystal clear is:

1. I am so buried in tasks in creating my route and doing as much as I can to keep it moving forward in a form that I can be proud of, this type of task (changing or adding textures) is just way to time consuming for right now. The process is not particularly complex, but it is intense and requires many hours of digging into the various elements of the files to make the changes, test the changes, tweak the changes, etc. I am in awe at the detail of the tutorial, and this is going to become a part of my RW Bible, but not right now. It looks like most of this could be done near the completion of the route, if necessary.

2. The RW Editor is sorely lacking in its tools, like adjusting textures, and several other areas that would make our job easier and less frustrating. Actually what may be the ultimate solution is a 3rd Party "Texture Changing" application that would do most of the bin editing for us after we input some of the key parameters, maybe selected from a menu of choices. CAD and Graphic designers have many such 3rd Party tools available to make their jobs easier, as do professional computer programmers. It is rare that users are always happy with the tools provided by the original application designer. We are no different. Any programmers interested? (the process flow is practically done for you already in this tutorial).

The act of route building is really, to my mind, an artistic endeavor more than anything else. I find route building to be highly satisfying as a way to express my visions and perceptions of the area I am modeling. Deciding how to create with a very limited set of tools, requiring frequent compromises, is filled with interesting challenges and puzzles to solve. I care about the color of soil, the color of grasses, the color of roads, the color of skies, etc. This is particularly true in modeling realistic routes in areas that we are familiar with. Frankly I don't care if anyone else ever runs my route when it is done, as it is first and foremost for me, and I need it to be "right". In talking with many other route builders over the years (early MSTS till now), I think it is fair to say that most others feel the same.

So, I will keep building and creating, and when I get to a point where I need a break or change of pace I will perhaps tackle the texture issue per the tutorial. BTW, I share your concern about the hills in the East Bay/Niles Canyon area, and from your pictures it appears you got it right. .I have a similar problem up here in Eastern Washington (Spokane), where earth colors are much darker and grayer, and track gravel is darker and oilier than anything in the default EU palette. Thanks again for the info, it is very much appreciated.

Doug

[gwgardner]

I haven't reviewed the tutorial, so let me just emphasize, if it has already been mentioned: when you edit the proper files to add the textures, make sure you APPEND the new textures to those that you have used already.

[PapaXpress]

I did mention that

[kcs_fan]

Sounds way more complicated than I had hoped.

[PapaXpress]

Sadly RW is more complicated than we hoped.

But it does allow us to do some very nice things.

[gwgardner]

Not really complicated. Follow PapaXpress's instructions and use RWTools to edit the appropriate bin file. You could probably do it all in 5 minutes.

[kcs_fan]

I went and read the instruction he did, then read them again. I may need some instructions for reading the instructions!

[PapaXpress]

I guess I should do a tutorial on how to best use the UK textures. Just don't hold your breath.

[kcs_fan]

It's just me PapaX, me and computers in general. I'm still learning.