Railworks America

I'm having issues trying to get my cameras working on the caboose I designed.

I understand the blueprinting for the camera. I have a interior .igs and a .xml file for it and I think I did those correctly. Key word THINK

My folder structure could be whacked..... Things in the wrong order.

Enclosed are my .xml files for the interior and the main model. ( I don't do auto numbering so no need to point out it's not there)

I don't remember the specifics, but I published this add-on that adds passenger views to the HSC caboose. Maybe you can use this to compare with your files.
Passenger views for the HSC P70 and caboose

You don't explain what your problem is, but if it has anything to do with positioning the cameras, here are 2 helpful tutorials:

Changing and adding cab cameras in an engine

Manually editing an object's position

The issue is I apparently don't have a camera within the interior..... I press 1-8 on the keyboard and nothing shows the interior. I want a type 5 cam and the issue with that is with the exception of a blueprint for a cab camera, I can't set the camera type. I think that is the main problem. Also, I use Sketchup to make the model and then make the .igs file with 3DC. My friend thinks the cam needs to to be set up in either SketchUp or 3DC, maybe both. I can't find a thing on weather I need to or not....

I've looked at bin files on other cabooses and none show a entry for the cam type. My x, y, z coordinates are from a bin file for the DTM DRGW caboose. I think desired coordinates need to be set in 3DC.

I did find a app that does the math and so on for a cam view, but it's for use modifying a existing bin file, not making one from scratch.

Hi,

I've looked at the two blueprints and nothing stood out to me as a potential issue in them (but of course it's easy to miss something among all that code).

thinks the cam needs to to be set up in either SketchUp or 3DC, maybe both ... I think desired coordinates need to be set in 3DC.

This is not correct. There is no special treatment necessary on the 3D side apart from a few minor hard requirements:
- the cabview model and the wagon/engine model sit at the exact same coordinates
- and in case of an animated (loco) cabview, that it has correct node names (1_####_cabview for the main group)
That 2nd prerequisite isn't needed for carriage interiors though. In fact, you could even use your exterior model if you were to place the camera positions on the porches.

To get the desired offset data for the cab cam blueprint, just measure them from 3DC's grid. The model is centered at 0,rail height,0 so you can easily estimate where the camera's positions ought to be (see example below)

Hope this all makes sense.

Cheers
Michael

GreatNortherner wrote:Hi,

I've looked at the two blueprints and nothing stood out to me as a potential issue in them (but of course it's easy to miss something among all that code).

thinks the cam needs to to be set up in either SketchUp or 3DC, maybe both ... I think desired coordinates need to be set in 3DC.

This is not correct. There is no special treatment necessary on the 3D side apart from a few minor hard requirements:
- the cabview model and the wagon/engine model sit at the exact same coordinates
- and in case of an animated (loco) cabview, that it has correct node names (1_####_cabview for the main group)
That 2nd prerequisite isn't needed for carriage interiors though. In fact, you could even use your exterior model if you were to place the camera positions on the porches.

To get the desired offset data for the cab cam blueprint, just measure them from 3DC's grid. The model is centered at 0,rail height,0 so you can easily estimate where the camera's positions ought to be (see example below)

Hope this all makes sense.

Cheers
Michael

Image1.jpg

Good to know it looks like the cam blueprint was done correctly and adding it to the main xml is OK. Thanks for the info on how to determine the x y z cords. I was using info from another bin file namely to see if I did the cam right. Once I get a working cam(s) I'll place them where I really want them. I'm now thinking it's the tree for the folders. I've done it in the wrong order or didn't add a files(s) required. I exported my interior as a scenery object but I don't think that's the problem.

Also as a general rule for TS tinkering, make sure the .xml and the .bin versions of any blueprint are always in sync.

The easiest way is to use TS Tools. I associated .bin files with TS Tools, so that when I double-click on a .bin file it opens it in the TS Tools editor in xml format. When I save changes and exit, it compiles a new .bin file automatically. This way I don't even need .xml files. that's one less thing to worry about.

Chacal wrote:Also as a general rule for TS tinkering, make sure the .xml and the .bin versions of any blueprint are always in sync.

The easiest way is to use TS Tools. I associated .bin files with TS Tools, so that when I double-click on a .bin file it opens it in the TS Tools editor in xml format. When I save changes and exit, it compiles a new .bin file automatically. This way I don't even need .xml files. that's one less thing to worry about.

I've been doing this. I put this aside for a bit, will get back to it today. I'll compere a bin file from a different caboose to mine again and really go over things with a magnifying glass. From what I've read last few days it should be working which might mean the error is in the blueprint. In my case, it almost always is these day.

We all share your pain.

Well.....Some progress to report. I got a interior view, but no caboose when pressing the 5 key. The interior is way too low and not centered. That is the X Y Z settings. Easy to adjust. But what is causing the caboose to disappear?

EDIT 2-24-2022 450 PM

Instead of a interior .igs, can I put my caboose .igs for the blueprint ID for the Carriage Interior Interface interior camera in the wagon .xml? The entire model of the caboose has the interior. Maybe I don't need a model of the interior?

Yes.
It's just a question of detailing vs performance hit.
If the interior of your caboose model is detailed enough for close view, but optimized enough to avoid causing a performance hit, then it's good.
Of course, if your interior camera is actually outside the caboose (like the example I provided), then you have no choice, you must use the caboose model.

TheKman wrote:Well.....Some progress to report. I got a interior view, but no caboose when pressing the 5 key. The interior is way too low and not centered. That is the X Y Z settings. Easy to adjust. But what is causing the caboose to disappear?

EDIT 2-24-2022 450 PM

Instead of a interior .igs, can I put my caboose .igs for the blueprint ID for the Carriage Interior Interface interior camera in the wagon .xml? The entire model of the caboose has the interior. Maybe I don't need a model of the interior?

The caboose has uncloaked using the .igs for the main model, but I think the interior is now buried in the ground..... I messed with the x y z cords and made it worse.

The x y z axis is confusing me. z is up and down. If I go up a number for instance is 4.00, going down it would be -4.0? Now, y and z. In Sketchup, the length of the model sits on the y axis. If this didn't change in 3DC, then say the front end of the caboose would a positive number such 4.0, and the back end would be -4.0? that leaves X which would be left to right, right to left. Which way is positive and which way is negative?

Keep in mind that for the purposes of blueprints in TS, the Z and Y axes will be switched from your modeling program; that is, Y in TS is up/down and Z is front/back when setting up blueprints. For positive and negative values, my understanding is that they work like this:

Railfan722 wrote:Keep in mind that for the purposes of blueprints in TS, the Z and Y axes will be switched from your modeling program; that is, Y in TS is up/down and Z is front/back when setting up blueprints. For positive and negative values, my understanding is that they work like this:

coordinates.jpg

Thanks. That explains a whole lot of my problem. Well, back to the drawing board. Still success in that first time out of the chute on this I didn't have a visible interior model. I think it was there, but with me not grasping the x y z stuff, the model ended up in no mans land and not near the caboose.

To add to the confusion of Axis orientation: 3DCrafter uses the same as the game: x (red) = left/right, y (green) = up/down, z (blue) = front/back
Also worth noting is that the front or forward side of the model is the one facing away from you on the z-axis in the 3D viewport when you load it. Not important for a caboose of course, but very much for a locomotive with one cab at the F-end.

But what is causing the caboose to disappear?

There is only one interior model (shape file) available to you; the exterior model (the "wagon" shape) will NOT be rendered when you switch to the #5 cam. Instead, you must copy all parts of the exterior caboose model that should be visible into your cab cam model.

Also, don't worry about performance constraints of the cab cam model as this only gets rendered when you actually switch to the #5 cam, so it can be rather hefty. Just make sure that you're using separate, a much "lighter" model for the interior that you can see in exterior cams and all should be good.

Cheers,
Michael

GreatNortherner wrote:There is only one interior model (shape file) available to you; the exterior model (the "wagon" shape) will NOT be rendered when you switch to the #5 cam. Instead, you must copy all parts of the exterior caboose model that should be visible into your cab cam model.

What if you explicitly enter the exterior model's shape file in the blueprint instead of the interior shape file?