Flatcars Hauling Trailers

[snoopy55]

You must be busy.... don't thank him CeeBee, I will......

THANK-YOU!!!!

I knew there was something, I just couldn't see it looking at the original file. I just now did it the way I usually do, copy the original branch, in this case 'steel beams', do a Paste Branch where it is supposed to connect and copy and paste over the NiTriShapeData. Most of the time I have to play with the Rotation of the NiTriShape, and always have to change the Translation numbers to get it placed correctly. I was looking for what was wrong or missing, but the NiAlphaController just didn't click. To many things around the house preventing a decent railroad of thought! (a train of thought is just not enough with this game....... ) Blender just makes to many changes in a NIF when you export it. I wish we could find someone to tell us how to avoid that, but alas this game is to old and I don't think anyone works in NIFs anymore......

Ah well, back to the real world.........

[slider38]

Well at least Blender is fairly consistent. It always strips out line 4 (extradata), line 5 (multitargetcontroller), any extra data attached to the sound or effects NiNodes and it strips out any NiAlphaContoller attached to the NiAlphaProperty. After a while, you just get used to looking for the same things. Some cars lose different stuff like boxcars and reefers, but anything with a visible load like flat cars lose these lines. I hope that change will get your car working CeeBee. If not, let me know. My wife left today to visit her Mother for a few days, so I have some time and will be glad to look at it. Last night was just a little hectic here. Good luck. Glad you are working on some cars.

[snoopy55]

Something was still not right. I compared it with the original Steel Car and all looked the same. I didn't go into opening each line and comparing details tho. I know there is another number in one of those Block Details that Blender changes now and then, but I didn't see it here. I had to take the Steel Car and change the things I mentioned in the above post to get it to work. I notice that the Steel cars load has a 0 for the Threshold in the NiAlphaProperty while the non-working Trailer has a 150. Not sure what exactly that number does, but maybe I should change it and find out........

OK, quick test shows that as 0 the load fads in and out fairly slowly. At 150 it just flashes into and out of sight. Another SMR programing puzzle solved.........