how to copy and paste part of a route onto another?

[class1987]

Hi everyone quick question I'm currently in the works on a 2nd route for TS2017 I'm creating the Manchester Piccadilly line and Liverpool Lime Street line to join onto Stafford via Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent. Does anybody know if it's at all possible to copy a piece of route (Stafford area) and place it onto another route to save rebuilding something that has already been built or is it not possible, if it is possible could somebody tell me how to do it? As it would save time while in construction of the rest of the route.

Cheers, Ian.

[shinymac]

Hi,,,I cant answer your technical question but I hope someone does.

However I am delighted than someone is building a route between Manchester Picc and Crewe ! I am really looking forward to this route. How far off are you from finishing it ?

Thanks

Derek

[gptech]

Yes, it's possible--we managed it in South West Wales, adding the Bridgend bit from an earlier version to the more northerly (main) route, but it ain't as simple as a copy and paste. Both routes must have the same origin so is that the case in this instance?

[class1987]

Brilliant so how is it done any advice?

[gptech]

It's only brilliant if both routes have the same origin---is this the case?

[brysonman46]

Hi everyone quick question I'm currently in the works on a 2nd route for TS2017 I'm creating the Manchester Piccadilly line and Liverpool Lime Street line to join onto Stafford via Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent. Does anybody know if it's at all possible to copy a piece of route (Stafford area) and place it onto another route to save rebuilding something that has already been built or is it not possible, if it is possible could somebody tell me how to do it? As it would save time while in construction of the rest of the route.

Cheers, Ian.

Not possible, as the routes do not have the same origins (as gptech has asked about twice). There is a method of copying scenery/lofts/roads tiles from one route to another (and moving them horizontally and vertically to sit in the same place after renumbering the tile coordinates), but it is very "fiddly".
You may or may not be aware that Andy Freeman and I are already working on this route (http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic. ... 5&t=146383), though will not be working on the Piccadilly to Crewe part for some time.

Nick

[rkk01]

There is a method of copying scenery/lofts/roads tiles from one route to another (and moving them horizontally and vertically to sit in the same place after renumbering the tile coordinates), but it is very "fiddly".

Is there any info available anywhere to help with this???

I have some route tiles that were developed as an add-on to one route, but I may want to transfer to another with a different origin.

At this stage I'd be happy to just transfer the modified terrain, platforms and bridges

[class1987]

Hi,,,I cant answer your technical question but I hope someone does.

However I am delighted than someone is building a route between Manchester Picc and Crewe ! I am really looking forward to this route. How far off are you from finishing it ?

Thanks

Derek

Quite a long way off yet

[class1987]

Yes, it's possible--we managed it in South West Wales, adding the Bridgend bit from an earlier version to the more northerly (main) route, but it ain't as simple as a copy and paste. Both routes must have the same origin so is that the case in this instance?

I'm not sure about the origins so I'll take a look and get back to you.

[class1987]

Hi everyone quick question I'm currently in the works on a 2nd route for TS2017 I'm creating the Manchester Piccadilly line and Liverpool Lime Street line to join onto Stafford via Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent. Does anybody know if it's at all possible to copy a piece of route (Stafford area) and place it onto another route to save rebuilding something that has already been built or is it not possible, if it is possible could somebody tell me how to do it? As it would save time while in construction of the rest of the route.

Cheers, Ian.

Not possible, as the routes do not have the same origins (as gptech has asked about twice). There is a method of copying scenery/lofts/roads tiles from one route to another (and moving them horizontally and vertically to sit in the same place after renumbering the tile coordinates), but it is very "fiddly".
You may or may not be aware that Andy Freeman and I are already working on this route (http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic. ... 5&t=146383), though will not be working on the Piccadilly to Crewe part for some time.

Nick

Just had a look at you pictures they look really good. Looks like you have beaten me to to it lol. Do you use 3ds max for you 3D models?

[brysonman46]

There is a method of copying scenery/lofts/roads tiles from one route to another (and moving them horizontally and vertically to sit in the same place after renumbering the tile coordinates), but it is very "fiddly".

Is there any info available anywhere to help with this???

I have some route tiles that were developed as an add-on to one route, but I may want to transfer to another with a different origin.

At this stage I'd be happy to just transfer the modified terrain, platforms and bridges

Not as far as I am aware - I just did it for one route that is still WIP, and I may do it for the Preston Tiles when I reach there on our SLANC route.

[brysonman46]

Just had a look at you pictures they look really good. Looks like you have beaten me to to it lol. Do you use 3ds max for you 3D models?

We have not used any new models, all assets are from the 3 DLC mentioned (LivMan, WCMLoS, and UKLed signals), plus UKTS freeware packs.

Nick

[gptech]

Rick, when I get home I'll relate the procedure used on SWW, but to answer part of your question---scenery, road and loft tiles are't just a straight copy & paste unless the routes have the same origin. When that condition is met the fly in the ointment is Tracks.bin

[gptech]

Firstly, as you need the right tools to do any job pop over to http://www.mcs-software.it/rs/MergeRoute_en/index.htm and download RW Merge Route. There's no installation needed, just shove it in a directory of your choice (I made a new one named "RW Route Merge" ) and forget about it for a while.

The tool wasn't written to enable us to merge any old pair of routes together, and it cannot be emphasised enough that if the origins of the routes differ, forget it. Whilst Nick is correct in saying you can juggle the tile names/co-ordinates it really is more bother than it's worth; certainly in the wee merge I was involved in it would have been quicker to relay track/add scenery than to mess about with renaming and editing the .bin files for tiles.
The whole idea of the tool is to enable collaborative route building, or more specifically collaborative track laying, Scenery, roads and lofts are easy to share about with others as those items are only referenced in their respective tiles but track throws a spanner in the works by having, in addition to track tiles, Tracks.bin---think of it as a master index of the track and track linked objects such as signals and speed limit signs. Because of this 'index' one guy cant lay track at the northern end of a route and his mate plod on with track in the south because they'd both have different Tracks.bin files.
Essentially this piece of software combines those two files into one.

Those of you who have South West Wales will no doubt be full of awe and praise for it, and until now blissfully unaware that the section from Pyle to Bridgend wasn't built as a progression of the current route but ripped out of an older version and merged to the 'guts' of what you can download. Those of you who don't have the route, HANG YOUR HEADS IN SHAME! and pop over to http://www.oakwood-shed.co.uk/sww5/sww_route5.html immediately!

This short, and admittedly not very detailed stretch of the route became merged more by accident than intent--Peter passed the route over to me to sort out a unified track rule and odds and sods relating to track and being the impatient old-so-and-so he is got bored whilst waiting, and laid track and some scenery down to Bridgend. Obviously this meant there were two versions of the route on the go, neither being compatible with the other. After reviewing just what would be entailed for either of us to re-do depending on which version became the 'master copy' we decided that there was less work involved by going with the revision I'd worked through and that the stretch to Bridgend would have to be done again. Peter had turned his attention to the northern part though, so the Bridgend bit became something 'to do later'
I know, I'm waffling...but if you understand the rationale it becomes a lot clearer.
More out of interest than as a full blown project we decided to give this merging tool a go.....worked great at merging the track and scenery etc but broke loads of stuff all over the route---badly rendered pointwork, buffers appearing in main lines etc so that was shelved. We don't like being beaten though, so had another go---this time looking at it from the collaborative building angle, and only merging the bit that wasn't common to both. The version that had the Bridgend stretch was edited so that the Bridgend stretch was all it had, and the scenery, lofts and road tiles cut out of the Bridgend version as they would be simply pasted into the merged version.
This worked...worked very well with nothing more needing to be done to the track---no break around the jointing area or issues elsewhere. Letting the software do just what it was designed to do (or at least seemed to be designed to do) tipped the scales in our favour.

Download it, have a play with a new route,just a mile or so of track to start with. Clone that route and extend the track another mile or so and then delete the original track from that clone.
Then merge the original and the extension---see if it works for you.

One more time though, and it really is important:

The routes to be merged together must have the same origin!!

[mikesimpson]

I spent a great deal of time trying to merge routes when the original Rail Simulator (predecessor to TS20..) came out by trying to calculate the different positions on each tile of the objects there and converting them mathematically to their position on new blank tiles added to the original route.

Unfortunately due to lines of longitude not being parallel but merging towards the poles, the distances within tiles changes as they head north/south, and the math involved was way beyond me.

However if you believe the earth is really flat, then lines of longitude will be parallel and route merging should then be possible?

Mike