.s to .obj converter?

[roblosin]

I've looked probably almost everywhere for a .s to .obj/fbx converter (I even asked Chat Got for some stupid reason.) and I just cant find one, I swear I remember finding a reddit post with a download link to one but now I cant find it.

[eric]

We don't have one here, but there is a utility called TSFV that might be able to do what you want.

https://koniec.org/TSFviewer/

[pwillard]

There still isn't an easy way to migrate your legacy GMAX files into something useful for editing by something else. (By design. For sure, but c'mon... It's been abandoned for YEARS!) It makes me still regret every doing anything with GMAX. Your only choice its to reinstall GMAX (Not going to happen) or convert your exports back to something editable.

It does appear that the OPENRAILS team is working in a .s to .obj converter but it doesn't look fully functional yet. It actually part of openrails mentioned in a pull request. https://github.com/openrails/openrails/pull/1013

An item discussed in the forum over the years is something called "ShapeConverter," but it only generates .3DS files, and those have their own issues, so this may not be helpful.

[rdayt]

Search google for ShapeConverter_R4.1_src
It's available from digital rails. Ran by He who shall not be mentioned but it's safe. I use it.
No mater what you end up using you'll have to uncompress the shape first.

[eric]

Goku's TSFV utility actually does most of what the OpenRails team needs. It reads the shape using the same underlying code as the TSRE shape viewer, presents it in a way that OpenGL can render it, and then exports that to the .OBJ format.

I've used TSFV for some models where I've lost source code to wanted to retexture. So far I haven't tried importing one with the OBJ and MTL file it generates for the textures, but the object export/import works.

Shape Converter is tricky. It reverses some of the numbers and may or may not scale correctly. Haven't had that problem with TSFV.

[rt35ge]

With regard to what Pete said about Shape Converter only converting to a .3ds format and the problems it presents. I take that .3ds file into 3DC and then export it as a .dae file. Then using Sketchup I import that.dae and it will be the correct size. From there one can export it to Blender or what ever 3D program suits your fancy.

[EldoradoRailroad]

Wow...when did this happen? A few short years ago, the person who asked this question would have been drawn and quartered, then his entrails would have been roasted on a open fire pit for the town to enjoy.

If we are ready to move on from the "old way" I applaud it. But I am wary of who/what will decide to become a "Senator McCarthy" about this and throw us back into the dark ages. Opening the door to issuing open hostility/threats to the person who dared to ask. With nobody seemingly able refute such an attitude, lest they be banned

So what is the guidance on this issue, exactly, now?

Thanks,
Steve

[superheatedsteam]

No guidance required, post and do as you like.

I suspect those doing the drawing and quartering are no longer here, have changed their opinion on the matter or realise it didn't make an iota of difference to those who don't respect the wishes of others in this hobby.

This is pure speculation but the user name roblosin appears to me as a combination of Roblox and sin. Draw your own conclusions but I doubt this request for information is for the benefit of our community.

[rt35ge]

Honestly, I was surptised to see a thread about shape converter. 5-10 years it was a dirty word to even suggest. And then to say where you could maybe get a download of it was even more of a surprise considering the website involved that has the download...... To be clear, the info I shared about the 3ds problem and how to get a corretly sized object, has been talked about elsehwere on the internet. It's not directly linked to Shape Converter.

[eric]

I've stated my opinion on this a few times. Almost two years ago, I thought I made it clear: https://www.trainsim.com/forums/foru...56#post2133156

To recap.... Exporters are just a tool. They exist. Pretending they don't is counter-productive.

It's the how and why those tools get used that can be beneficial or a problem.

I'm not going to support anyone wanting to steal someone else's work and claim it as their own, and it will indeed get you a quick ban should you do so.

[scottb613]

I suspect those doing the drawing and quartering are no longer here

Hi Folks,

Hah - anyone else kind of miss the days of Chuck from NALW (head cook and bottle washer) - and the daily beatings he would administer - as a fellow "bubblehead" - he must have been fun on the boats.

I've always supported open discussion - to think censorship would somehow prevent piracy - was absurd. Years back - Wayne offered the community a Blender Importer - much like his Blender Exporter - and even he wasn't immune from the vitriol from posing such a question - - - our loss.

Regards,
Scott

[pwillard]

Yeah, Eric, I think that is well established by now, and anyone who doesn't understand yet should be now informed by your brief 'soapbox' update on the concerns. These tools are not for 'stealing' but are invaluable to creators who lost their original designs to CD-ROM rot, hard disk failures, thumb drive deaths, etc. (Of which I have had my share. For example, I completely lost a multi-unit Schnabel car I was working on, and now I don't have the energy or the design PDFs or reference images that I collected to be able to restart a new attempt. Sometimes you must accept that things return to the 'ether' and you can do nothing about it.)

Honestly, the CHUCK tirades from the early days really got on my nerves, which is exactly why I avoided touching or installing anything "NALW".

For the life of me, I have not been able to figure out TSFV from GOKU, but I guess some people are having some luck with it. (So yeah, it's a me thing.)

[yellowdog]

For the life of me, I have not been able to figure out TSFV from GOKU, but I guess some people are having some luck with it. (So yeah, it's a me thing.)

It took me a while to figure out some small, but really important, steps/details. This is the process I use:

Step 1: Open the program
Step 2: Select the folder that contains the .s file (File-> Open Folder)
Step 3: Then CLICK on that folder that now appears on the box under "File." This will then populate the box under "Load" (This step is easily missed)
Step 4: Click on the .s file that you want to export, under "Load."
Step 5: Click "Load." The object should appear in the view box.
Step 6: Click the "Export" tab
Step 7: Click the Export to OBJ button
Step 8: Select the folder in which to export the obj. This must be DIFFERENT from the source folder. (This detail is easily missed)

From there, I can't be of any help. I can get the obj to load in Blender, but Blender has never made any sense to me and I immediately got lost in it.

[pschlik]

Having done some work with shape files under the hood, I'm surprised people ever freaked out about reverse engineering the .s file when we've always been able to decompress the darn things. Once you've decompressed it to plain text, it's very obvious that the file follows a bog-standard 3D architecture and since it's in plain text it is entirely trivial to scan through the file, collect the data, and morph it into a modern 3D format. The only reason that conversion step is needed is that .s isn't a standard file format, there is nothing special about .s that makes it sacred or otherwise non-convertible.

Being able to pop open a .s file in an actual 3D editor (no shade for the dedicated .s file utilities, but they generally don't give you information down to specific vertex positions) is super useful for things like figuring out the precise positioning of freight animations or light emitting points, even reskins can be facilitated by some programs. Saying that utility should be suppressed just because someone might plagiarize was silly nonsense. Besides, it would be very obvious if someone's .s file was mangled payware, and the person who's doing any 3D editing is very unlikely to be the same person who casually throws models out to the interwebs.

[mnowosad]

TSRE5_v0.7.014 and TSFV

Ruler and Track Shape Template from folder X:\TSRE5\tsre_appdata\0.697\procedural

https://koniec.org/tsre5/data/TSRE5_v0.7.014.exe

procedural1.jpg
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