Asset Groups

[DennR]

I am trying to create groups of assets, in this case trees. I see there are two possible methods: one is to use a mesh library (I am sure that method is too difficult for me), the second is called "Kind Asset Group" and I thought it might be simple enough for me to manage.

 

I opened <kuid:30501:100045> Road Spline Group that is supposed to contain parked cars but the asset has only a config file and the contents are no help to me. Can anyone help me to understand how to use this method to create groups of trees that I can then use the bulk asset replacement tool to substitute my group for the original one.

 

Bob

[UP844]

Hello Bob,

 

if my single working brain cell is still working, there are some tree groups made by Auran, and Ettore and I also made some a few years ago.

 

I am not positively sure (I will try to recover those assets), but if I remember correctly such assets have a primary mesh (which can be either transparent or a Surveyor-only mesh) and a series of entries in the mesh-table referencing the tree meshes. Something like this:

 

mesh-table
{
  default
  {
    mesh "base.im"
    auto-create 1
  }
  tree1
  {
    mesh "mesh_name.im"
    mesh-asset <kuid:1234:5678>
    auto-create 1
    position 0,10,0
  }
  tree2
  {
    mesh "mesh_name.im"
    mesh-asset <kuid:1234:5678>
    auto-create 1
    position 0,20,0
  }
  tree3
  {
    mesh "mesh_name.im"
    mesh-asset <kuid:1234:5678>
    auto-create 1
    position 0,30,0
  }
}

 

Where:

"base.im" is the invisible/Surveyor-only mesh (you can take the mesh generated by QuickShadows)

"mesh_name" is the name of the mesh contained in the folder of the <kuid:1234:5678> asset

the "mesh-asset" tag tells Trainz which asset contains the desired mesh

the "position tag" specifies how many metres the mesh must be offset in the x,y,z coordinates (in this case, we should have a row of tree identical trees, spaced by 10 metres). 

 

We made several such assets using Pofig trees, and Ettore also made some using RMM trees suitable for T:ANE and later versions.

 

[UP844]

P.S. Can you post the config file of <kuid:30501:100045> Road Spline Group and a screenshot showing the contents of this asset?

 

 

[DennR]

Hello Carlo,

 

I think I have just about reached the same point you have explained to me but I still struggle to  know how to create or interrogate the mesh.

 

The config file is a typical Auran file:-

kuid                                    <kuid:30501:100045>
kind                                    "asset-group"
username                                "Road Spline Group"
username-pl                             "Grupa dróg typu spline"
username-nl                             "Wegtrajectgroep"
username-jp                             "''"
username-cz                             "Cesta, skupina křivek"
username-es                             "Grupo de Splines de Carretera"
username-it                             "Gruppo Spline Strada"
username-de                             "Straßen-Spline-Gruppe"
username-fr                             "Groupe spline des routes"
username-pt                             "Grupo de Estradas 'Spline'"
asset-filename                          "road spline group"

kuid-table
{
}
 

I cannot offer a screen shot because the asset cannot be found in either objects or splines and so it cannot be added to a route or session.

 

What I have found is the mesh for one of the groups I want to recreate with better tree:-

 

The config is very clear:-

 

username                                "Tannen am Hang2"
trainz-build                            2.9
category-class                          "FT"
kind                                    "scenery"
author                                  "Lothar Hake"
organisation                            "HP-Trainz"
contact-email                           "Lotharhake@Hotmail.com"
contact-website                         "www.Hp-Trainz.de"
category-keyword                        "hptrainz;foliage;bäume;marias pass"
category-region                         "US"
category-era                            "1930s;1940s;1950s;1960s;1970s;1980s;1990s;2000s;2010s"

obsolete-table
{
}

mesh-table
{
  default
  {
    mesh                                "Tannen1.IM"
    auto-create                         1
  }
}

thumbnails
{
  0
  {
    image                               "thumbnail.jpg"
    width                               240
    height                              180
  }
}
kuid                                    <kuid2:68787:22054:4>

 

 

The trees I want to use for high mountains in Montana are typically:-

 

 

I am guessing to create the im file it needs 3DS max or blender and even with my two remaining brain cells that is a step too far for me.

 

[UP844]

Bob, I'm sorry but I am very busy...

 

I have read the Wiki entry about asset-groups and I admit I have not understand the reason for such a tag  .

 

I pasted below the config file of a group of SpeedTrees made by Auran back in TS12 (this PC cannot run TRS19). I don't know whether this technique still works in TRS19: if I remember correctly Ettore made some poplar groups: unfortunately, I have not managed to find them now.

 

The "position" tag indicates where the individual tree is placed in relationship to the object "center" (position 0,0,0).

 

The "mesh-scale" tag indicates the scale value for that tree/shrub. Where two values are present (e.g. 0.2, 0,4) the object will be randomly scaled with a value ranging from the lower to the higher value (e.g. a 10-m tree will be scaled from 2 to 4 metres).

 

The dependencies include the individual trees/shrubs, plus the SpeedTree library:

 

Tree AmericanBoxwood 01,<kuid2:523:1086:1>
Plant Shrub 02,<kuid2:523:1112:1>
Plant Shrub 04,<kuid2:523:1574:1>
SpeedTree Library,<kuid:401543:1077>
 

 

kind                                    "scenery"
username                                "SpeedTreeGroup_09"
visibility-radius                       5
trainz-build                            3.2

mesh-table
{
  1
  {
    mesh-asset                          <kuid:523:1574>
    mesh                                "summer/shrub_04.srt"
    custom-render-plugin                <kuid:401543:1077>
    auto-create                         1
    mesh-scale                          0.1
    position                            -8,7,0
  }
  
  2
  {
    mesh-asset                          <kuid:523:1086>
    mesh                                "summer/americanboxwood_rt.srt"
    custom-render-plugin                <kuid:401543:1077>
    auto-create                         1
    mesh-scale                          0.2,0.3
    position                            -5,8,0
  }
  
  3
  {
    mesh-asset                          <kuid:523:1086>
    mesh                                "summer/americanboxwood_rt.srt"
    custom-render-plugin                <kuid:401543:1077>
    auto-create                         1
    mesh-scale                          0.1,0.15
    position                            7,7,0
  }
  
  4
  {
    mesh-asset                          <kuid:523:1574>
    mesh                                "summer/shrub_04.srt"
    custom-render-plugin                <kuid:401543:1077>
    auto-create                         1
    mesh-scale                          0.3,0.5
    position                            15,5,0
  }
  
  5
  {
    mesh-asset                          <kuid:523:1112>
    mesh                                "summer/shrub_02.srt"
    custom-render-plugin                <kuid:401543:1077>
    auto-create                         1
    mesh-scale                          0.2,0.5
    position                            -10,5,0
  }
  
  6
  {
    mesh-asset                          <kuid:523:1574>
    mesh                                "summer/shrub_04.srt"
    custom-render-plugin                <kuid:401543:1077>
    auto-create                         1
    mesh-scale                          0.3,0.5
    position                            1,1,0
  }
  
  7
  {
    mesh-asset                          <kuid:523:1086>
    mesh                                "summer/americanboxwood_rt.srt"
    custom-render-plugin                <kuid:401543:1077>
    auto-create                         1
    mesh-scale                          0.1,0.15
    position                            -15,-6,0
  }
  
  8
  {
    mesh-asset                          <kuid:523:1574>
    mesh                                "summer/shrub_04.srt"
    custom-render-plugin                <kuid:401543:1077>
    auto-create                         1
    mesh-scale                          0.3,0.5
    position                            -5,-6,0
  }
  
  9
  {
    mesh-asset                          <kuid:523:1112>
    mesh                                "summer/shrub_02.srt"
    custom-render-plugin                <kuid:401543:1077>
    auto-create                         1
    mesh-scale                          0.2,0.5
    position                            10,-6,0
  }
}
kuid                                    <kuid2:523:1001:1>
username-pl                             "SpeedTreeGrupa_09"
username-cz                             "SkupinaStromůRychlá_09"
username-es                             "GrupoÁrbolVelocidad_09"
username-jp                             "速度木グループ_09"

kuid-table
{
  0                                     <kuid:523:1574>
  1                                     <kuid:401543:1077>
  2                                     <kuid:523:1086>
  3                                     <kuid:523:1112>
}

 

[DennR]

Thanks for your support Carlo, I have been following many threads and links which have convinced me that all efforts to work with mesh and asset groups will soon become an historical method of working. The future of Trainz will use Surveyor 2 as the only surveyor and in that a tool called Scrap Book will be the way to create mesh groups. The group becomes an asset with a kuid number and can be saved, uploaded to the DLS or held as part of a library of the creator.

 

This means that no third party software is required to build those asset groups. I have seen a utube video made by someone from N3V and he confirmed that in the ne’er future Surveyor 2 will replace the classic  surveyor. I have also done some tests and the kuid created by a scrap book entry is not backward compatible, I will make a test route and try setting it as version 4.5 to see if the groups can be used in TRS 19 as individual assets, I am not hopeful.

 

[DennR]

I have created a single base board in TRS22 and placed 3 scrap book tree groups on the route.

 

 

I saved it as v4.5 and exported it to TRS19 and in CM it showed no errors or warnings but when the route was opened for editing it showed only the trees, no baseboard, no ground textures and the trees were in space. I had replaced the default TRS22 ground texture with TRS12 ground texture over the entire baseboard.

 

 

In Conclusion the the scrap book asset groups are not backwards compatible to TRS19.