Blender and MSTS

[lindsayts]

Dave Nelson asked (on another thread which I now can not find) if Blender could export to MSTS .s file format.
Blender can export to the 3DS file type which I am told there is a conversion program within MSTS to allow conversion to the .s format.

Also the export section of Blender is scriptable so it should not be to difficult to write an export script to the .s file format. I did spy a tutorial on writing such a script I shall see if I can dig it up as blender exporting to .s file format would likely be usefull.

Lindsay

[bs rr co]

Blender was used some people in the beginning of RS/RW to build models woth some success, but because the program has such a steep learning curve & the exporter was so buggy,
most if not all the modelers that used blender have switched over to 3DCanvas. Don't get me wrong Blender is a very powerful program "in the right hands" but it will need a bullett proof exporter for it to work correctly.

[muskokaandtahoe]

Thanks for the info Lindsay.

I was curious about Blender because it can import/export Collada formatted files. So can Sketchup. That had me wondering about the possibility of doing preliminary model work in SU, say, most of a freight car, export / import to Blender, and do the UV and animation steps there. Sounds like the creation of the .s file is still an issue for Blender.

[danthecpman]

I use sketchup/gmax for my models. I have a OBJ exporter/importer for SU and a OBJ importer for Gmax.
SU: http://sketchuptips.blogspot.com/200...materials.html
Gmax: http://www.turbosquid.com/Forum/Inde...ThreadID/16045

[lindsayts]

Thanks for the info Lindsay.

I was curious about Blender because it can import/export Collada formatted files. So can Sketchup. That had me wondering about the possibility of doing preliminary model work in SU, say, most of a freight car, export / import to Blender, and do the UV and animation steps there. Sounds like the creation of the .s file is still an issue for Blender.

Is there any description of the .s file format anywhere say maybe in the header files for OR?
Lindsay

[lindsayts]

The main problem I found in learning blender is the interface, it is not in any intuitive. A couple of sessions with one of the blender tutorials say the first wiki "Noob to Pro" book I found paid off big in a major way. I found no one describing how to use blender tells you that the space bar brings up the menu system without that knowledge you have no steam at all. A search around the web produced plenty of good tutorials on the use of the program.

Lindsay

[bs rr co]

]You need python located in the correct place for the DAE importers to work correctly. In the 2 years i have been working with blender i have never figured out where to put it, but i have been able to import many 3ds files but the problem with them is you never know how they are going to iimport for example the SD60 imported with the correct orientation while PCC car didn't, this is the side view.streetcar.jpg[ATTACH=CONFIG]38234[/ATTACH

[lindsayts]

It might be worth pointing out here that blender is an open source project copyrighted by the "Blender Foundation" using the Gnu Public Licence. This licence allows anyone to contribute bug fixes or code to the project. Main development would likely be done under the Linux operating system. One of the effects of this is that Blender changes VERY rapidily which most people are not real comfortable with. So features changed, improved and specially bugs are usually fixed very quickly. It also means if you can easily and reliably reproduce a bug and send in a decent bug report there will be a very good chance it will be fixed. Remember also that the developers are volunteers as is the devs for OR so one must treat them with respect.

Lindsay