Portable autonumbering - with example!

[harryadkins]

Would it be possible to create a "roadname" child object for the 4-4-0 tender in the RWA file library? This would be something similar to the roadnames Dick Cowan designed for his steam tenders. If so, we could replace the existing tender numbers with transparent textures and have roadnames, such as the Cimarron & Pacific. I don't begin to have the expertise necessary to produce this and most of what this thread has discussed has been "greek" to me. However, with the increased interest in the C&P, I think a lot of users would love to have something similar. Maybe someone creative would be willing to share it through the RWA library.

Harry

[Kali]

There's two possibles here:

* You want a dedicated decal for a tender to match a particular repaint
* You want one version of the tender which will be able to pick it's roadname at runtime - presumably from the vehicle number.

First is by far the easiest, no need for fancy scripting - just create a child object and replace it's texture for each repaint ( in fact you might as well map it onto the tender texture then ). The second is also perfectly doable, but someone would have to manage the list of roadnames because the tender would pick them *all* up from one single file, and you would very easily end up with version control issues where someone includes an older version in their repaint. It's the same reason I didn't want people including the script package in their repaints while it was in development.

[harryadkins]

Either option works for me.

[nosloptrianman]

Thank you!
It looks like "GREEK" to me.
It doesn't really click with me, although, I will keep reading it.
I have added a child object in the past and surely got it right by someone's step by step instruction.
Thanks again!

[PapaXpress]

I didn't find it too hard to figure out, but the more you understand how child objects work the easier it will be.

Here are some examples of how I used Kali's script:
http://thegradecrossing.blogspot.com/20 ... ights.html
http://thegradecrossing.blogspot.com/20 ... boose.html

[nosloptrianman]

Try as I might, it just doesn't "click" with me.
I can add a child object by the cut and paste method, but I don't understand how to "place" the numbering where I want it to show up.
I always understood that was part of the GeoPdx file and could not be altered.
My old brain just comes to a halt on this.
I can reskin pretty much any texture file, but, only if the numbers appear where they need to be to start off so that the repaint is as close to REAL as possible.
Thanks!

[Kali]

• The new numbers are a seperate child object, which you position like any other child object - all you need to worry about is making one that works how it's supposed to, it's like adding a speed sign to the side of the vehicle if you want an example from the dev docs.
• The built-in numbers ( optionally ) can be set not to show on the model itself, although they'll still appear in the coupling window & timetable views.
• You're free to make copies of the script libraries & move them to your own dev tree if you want to modify anything. I'm unlikely to be extending/modifying these given I've been working on proper class-based libraries but you never know ( if someone finds a bug I'll certainly fix it ), and it's not a good idea to add your own files to someone else's dev tree. You're also free to copy the engine-related ones from my GP9, although they're somewhat less finished. As long as the result stays freeware.

I need to point out that I was a bit mistaken about TrainDecal and transparency - you should NOT tell it to be transparent in some special way ( like the TRANS flag in Max ), it will do it by itself.

[nosloptrianman]

Thanks!
That info helps.
I am still teaching myself how to position child objects, all by trial and error.
I am familiar with not using the numbers that are already there, usually by just making them transparent.
I was just trying to reskin a coal hopper and "relocate" the numbers, as it were, to make it match the prototype.
I will keep working.
Thanks!

[Kali]

There's actually no need to make all the numbers transparent ( which is great, because it's really boring to do! ), you can just make one transparent texture and edit the xml file for the primary texture set - it's linked in the wagon blueprint in an obvious place so it's not hard to locate - so all the numbers use that same blank texture. There's a couple of other ways but that's the minimum-effort version.

If you want to use this system though you'll need to either make or borrow a child object that can have text written to it - like the one included in the boxcar, for instance. It's been a long time since I looked at that and I think it's material settings are wrong, but just to try it out I think it can handle 5 or 6 digit numbers.

[PapaXpress]

Its six numbers. One day soon I will make the number objects for my tank car (I need the curved with he body).

[Kali]

You can set them up to take 5 or 6 digits in the same model ( or any different length you want, actually ); just needs a primarydigits_6 object and a primarydigits_5 one. I'm sure there's some quirk I'm forgetting there, but it does sound right.

I've attached the panel from the CN Maple leaf boxcar paint which does have better material settings. One day I might get time to finish all this stuff if I can remember what it was I didn't finish...

[PapaXpress]

I should have said that six was the Max. I have used you library for both five and six.