Cabviews not Showing

[petermakosch]

Hello!

After testing a few items out, it seems I cannot display cabviews. Now this is where I don't remember what MSTS likes, so I'll give it a go at explaining:

I have the HST cab in common.cab. In (for example) the train's ENG file I have this:

"..\\..\\common.cab\\HST\\HSTcab.cvf"

But no cabview is displayed. It's a shame as I have done this with hundreds of items of stock, all of which do not show the cabview. I tried alternatives such as:

"..\\common.cab\\HST\\HSTcab.cvf" (cannot create cabview) and "../../common.cab/HST/HSTcab.cvf" (no cab displayed).

I have checked the file in common.cab is pointing to the correct items, it is, so the problem seems to be that MSTS doesn't like a common cabview straight from the ENG file. Testing away, I set the ENG file back to "Cabview ( HSTcabC.cvf )" and put the CVF that links back to the HST common.cab in the CABVIEW folder. The cab now displays in MSTS.

In the loco's that link from the ENG file to the cabview (in common.cab) I have deleted the cabview folder all together. I did think I had the file linked wrong as "..\\..\\" would suggest that the system needs to go back two folder sets (which would end up looking in the TRAINSET folder!) but as above, taking out one of the sets simply tells me it cannot create a cabview at all, so I know it likes to be linked like that.

Can anyone shed any light on this as to what is happening?
I just don't understand why MSTS can't read the cabview from the ENG file linking directly to the common.cab folder, why it needs a local file linking it. Is there anything I can do to force the ENG file to read properly or do I have to go back and locally link all the cabs in their own CABVIEW folder (linking to the common.cab)?

The last thing I don't understand is why sounds are fine linking straight to the common.sound folder, but when it comes to cabs, there's a big problem

Thanks

[JasVick]

MSTS can be fussy with anything to do with either sound or cab views. It may be the double slash thats doing it - I thought MSTS only liked single ones (one \ instead of \\). Not 100% sure on that one though. Also the path has to be specific and exact otherwise it will through it out. Trial and error is usually the norm form things like that, the best thing I can sudgest is that you use a file that is to use a similar one that works and copy that, changing it to the name that suits what you use.

[Lad491]

Mine look like this :

CabView ( "..\\..\\common.cab\\Steam_678P\\678P.cvf" )

which looks the same as your none working version
Are you sure the names are exactly right?

"..\\common.cab\\HST\\HSTcab.cvf"
I set the ENG file back to "Cabview ( HSTcabC.cvf )"

There is an extra C in the second version, or is that just a typo

[petermakosch]

Typo. I got confused as when I link directly to the common.cab then I need the "HSTcab.cvf" but if I have a file in a local CABVIEW folder, then it will have to be the "HSTcabC.cvf" - C for common.
Well, I changed the files as so:

HST's ENG file points to:

CabView ( "..\\..\\common.cab\\HST\\HSTcab.cvf" )

That cabview file is actually the common.cab version, so all placement items are formatted:

CabViewFile ( ../../Common.Cab/HST/43HSTfront1024.ace )

even though it is in the same folder. I guess this would also work for other cabs such as the 170 and 158 that don't want to show. Strange, but glad I tricked it into working!

Thanks

[alanch]

Strange, but glad I tricked it into working!

Hi Peter

MSTS doesn't yield to tricks - this is the way it has always worked. Any cvf file pointing to an alias, whether in the engines Cabview folder or in the aliased folder, must have relative references to all the graphics files like this:

CabViewFile ( "../../Common.Cab/HSTcab/43HSTfront1024.ace" )

and not like this:

CabViewFile ( "43HSTfront1024.ace" )

However, sms files pointing to an alias folder don't need these relative references, as long as the .wav file is in the same folder as the .sms file.

All you need to do to make sure it will work is to check that the .cvf file the engine points to is in the referenced folder, and that all the graphics files have relative references. Conbuilder will check that cabviews and sounds will work, and can change the aliases, as can Routeriter.

[petermakosch]

Hello

I agree with what you say but the:

"CabViewFile ( "43HSTfront1024.ace" )" is in the same folder as the ace images.

TRAINSET/COMMON.CAB/HST/
TRAINSET/EMT_HST/

So I have the HST cab view in common.cab. Inside that folder there is a cvf file with references such as the above, pointing to files in the same directory. If I link a train (such as the EMT HST) then I would open the eng file and point it to something like "../../COMMON.CAB/HST/hst.cvf" where that cvf file would read the files in the same folder, but it doesn't.

My MSTS wants me to link to a hst.cvf file, where inside references to things like "../../COMMON.CAB/HST/blah blah" <-- in essance, creating a loop where the simulator then has to go back two directories, then forward to the same place again. After all the fiddling about changing files, locations and such, this is the only way it will display the cab, rather than a large blue banner across the screen. Both cvf files point to the same place, but if I choose the cvf file that is in the cabview folder (in the common.cab folder where the ace's are) then it doesn't read the pictures. Only when I choose the common.cab version will it work.

Remember though, I am linking directly from the train's eng file to the common.cab folder (and the cvf files inside). Most of my trains do not have a SOUND or CABVIEW folder as everything is linked straight from the ENG file MSTS isn't new to me - it is just remembering the way it decides to work.

[BobLatimer]

Peter,

You have to remember that MSTS works in mysterious ways. Cab aliasing and Sound aliasing operate quite differently.

When trying to figure out the correct aliasing, I think of it as "standing" in the .sms file if I'm aliasing sounds and "standing" in the loco file if I'm aliasing cabs.

So if you're aliasing sounds and the .wav files are in the same folder as the .sms file, you don't need any paths. If they're somewhere else, you need a path from the .sms file to the folder they're in.

If you're aliasing cabs and your .cvf and .ace files are in the Cabview folder in the loco's folder, you don't need paths because that's where MSTS expects to find them. If your .cvf and .ace files are in a common cabs folder, you have to have the path (from the .eng file to the .cvf file) in the Cabview line in the .eng file and you have to also have paths in the .cvf file from the .eng file to the .ace files.

Not very logical, but that's how it works.

Bob.

[ianmacmillan]

I believe that MSTS keeps an internal list of values for the current state of physics of a loco.

Thus when a sound is played the sim looks at the list to find the speed and plays the appropriate wav file.
The sim only needs to be told once where the sms file is and then all sound is controlled by the sms file.

The cabview does not need to refer the physics and only needs to know which which control position graphic to display. this information is in the .eng file.

So when the sim reads the Cabview line it jumps to the cvf and then jumps back. It then needs to know where the next ace file is and so each file needs to be aliased.
When it reads the Sound line it jumps to the sms file and remains there. thus no aliasing is required.

A grossly over simplified explaination but I'm sure you get the idea.