TrainzOnline - User contributions [en]

HowTo/Export from Blender

2025-05-28T01:01:18Z

Orangeengine69: /* The Export Log */

{{FUN-beg}}

''Please note that this document is obsolete as of trainz-build 4.5. See [[HowTo/Export from Blender using FBX]] instead.''

== Blender ==

{{plain link|http://www.blender.org |Blender}} is an open source free {{Wp|3D graphics|3D modelling}} application supported by the user community. For more information on Blender and its capabilities, please visit the {{plain link|http://www.blender.org |Blender website}}.

=== Exporting Models from Blender to Trainz ===

You can export model from Blender to Trainz in either Indexed Mesh (IM) or FilmBoX (FBX) format. The FBX format was introduced to Trainz from trainz-build 4.5. IM files are obsolete although still acceptable and content creators are encouraged to use FBX. See [[HowTo/Export from Blender using FBX]].

This tutorial is also obsolete and may not be maintained.

IM meshes can be exported from Blender using a Blender addon developed by USCHI0815 (Torsten). This addon was available on the BitBucket site but has been removed after a re-organisation of the site. If you want a copy of the exporter you may be able to obtain one from another Trainz Blender user by asking on the Trainz forums. The current and probably last version of the Blender exporter is V0.96.
{{TOCright}}
===Caveat===
[http://www.blender.org Blender] is not currently supported by N3V as an officially sanctioned modeling platform for producing Trainz assets.

=== About This Tutorial ===

The scope of this tutorial has been extended to include installation of Blender and installation of the Blender Exporter since this has been an issue discussed several times in the N3V Content Creation forum.

=== Requirements ===

To export to Trainz you need the following:

:* Trainz (TS09 or later preferred)
:* [[Downloads|TrainzMeshImporter.exe]]. This is provided by N3V.
:* [http://www.blender.org/download/ Blender] Version 2.79 or earlier. The exporter will not work for Blender 2.80 and later.
:* A copy of the Blender Trainz XML exporter.
:* Windows - most modern versions.

== Installing the Exporter ==

The Blender exporter add-on must be installed in the "scripts\addons" area of the Blender data space. The following process will install it in the correct location.

=== Install Blender Exporter for Trainz ===

:* Obtain a copy of the exporter from another Trainz content developer. The file is written in the Python language and the filename is called "export_trainz.py".
:* Start Blender.
:* Open a new project(File -> New).
:* Open User Preferences(File -> User Preferences...).
:* Select Add-Ons panel and press button "Install from file..." down at the panel button bar.
:* Select and install downloaded file: you don't need to extract it.
:* Enable "TRAINZ Exporter" in Add-On list and press button "Save As Default" to keep it enabled for all subsequent Blender starts.

=== Install the N3V TrainzMeshImporter ===

:* Download the [http://online.ts2009.com/mediaWiki/index.php5/Downloads TrainzMeshImporter.exe]. The file is in the RAR format that can be extracted by most zip file management programs.
:* Before using the exporter you must copy the TrainzMeshExporter.exe to the same location as the Blender Exporter add-on. The following will help find that location:

:* Start Blender and leave the default cube mesh in place.
:* Go to File->Export and select "Trainz Mesh and Animation". Use the default settings but make sure that the save location is a temporary or working space.
:* The Exporter will complain about a missing file in a specific folder. The missing file is TrainzMeshImporter and the folder name is the location you need.
:* The location is usually in the form of "ERROR" file "C:Users\your name\AppData\Roaming\Blender Foundation\Blender\2.79\scripts\addons\TrainzMeshExporter.exe" not found". This example is typical of using the default Blender Installer. If you chose to install Blender using the zip archive then the location will be different.
:* Copy TrainzMeshExporter.exe to the location provided. If you cannot access the AppData folder see the [http://online.ts2009.com/mediaWiki/index.php5?title=HowTo/Export_from_Blender&action=submit#Additional_Notes Additional Notes] section for help.
:* Once you have copied TrainzMeshExporter.exe to the correct location retry the export.

== Exporting an Asset ==

The creation of an asset suitable for Trainz is a long and complex process. For the purposes of this tutorial we will only export the standard Blender cube. Some knowledge of Blender and creation of assets for Trainz purposes is assumed.

:* Start Blender and save the default cube as "cube.blend" in your preferred working location.
:* Create a simple material such as "cube.m.onetex" and allocate a simple colour texture file. For the purpose of this tutorial leave the default mapping technique to "generated". This will cause an error.
:* UV map the cube to the texture.
:* Save the Blender file.
:* Go to File->Export and select Trainz Mesh and Animation.
:* The dialog box that appears gives a output save location for the XML, log, texture description and other files produced by the process. Select your preferred location.
:* All the other options can be left as default. If you were exporting a mesh that included animation, then you would also select "Export Animation Data".
:* When you are ready, select "Export Trainz" in the top right hand corner.
:* This export process will fail with an error since the "generated" mapping option for textures is not supported when using an image file. Go back to the Texture section and change the mapping option to UV and then export again. This time it should export correctly.

== Exporter Output ==

=== Files Created ===
The Exporter produces:

:* An XML file. This is used by TrainzMeshImporter.
:* The IM mesh file required by Trainz.
:* The texture description files (nnn.texture.txt) required by Trainz.
:* The KIN animation file required by Trainz if animation is used.
:* A log of the export process.

=== Error Reporting ===
Errors are reported in the Blender System Console and the Exporter log. Errors will prevent the production of the target IM file and therefore must be addressed.
Typical errors are:

==== Mesh Errors ====

:*Objects without a parent where a root bone exists.

==== Material Related Errors ====

:* No UV layer for UV mapped objects. Blender usually creates a default.
:* Use of the same material for both single and double sided meshes. Recommend only using single sided meshes.
:* Objects without an assigned material. Recommend assigning a material for each object.
:* Faces without a material in an object. The faces will have been collected into a Vertex Group to enable correction. This error can also be caused by material slots in blender to which no material is assigned.
:* Use of similar material names if character case is ignored. i.e. "Black" and "black" are considered the same by Trainz.
:* Not using UV mapping for textures that are either using alpha, normal or specular.
:* Not using UV or reflect mapping for diffuse textures.

==== Animation Errors ====

:* More than one root bone

=== Warnings ===
Warnings are basically flaws or possible flaws that the user may wish to address. Warnings do not prevent production of the IM output files. Some typicals warnings include:

==== Animation Warnings ====

:* Possible incorrect location and rotation of root bone.
:* Bones not found or no animation data found.
:* Events not found or unrecognised.
:* Event frame numbers in wrong positions.

==== Mesh Warnings ====

:* Vertices influenced by more than four vertex groups.

==== Name Warnings ====

:* Unrecommended characters. Material, texture, object and path names should only be composed of a-z, A-Z, 0-9 or -_./\ characters. A typical error is use of a space character in a path name. The Exporter will change Blender file names that include upper case letters to lower case letters. Generally, it is recommended you avoid the use of upper case characters in names.

==== Material Warnings ====

:* Surfaceless faces in an object. The Exporter will gather these faces and put them into a Vertex Group to aid identification. The Vertex Group can be found in the triangle panel associated with the Safety Valve object.
:* Objects exported with double sided faces. This will become an error if a material is used for both single and double sided objects.
:* Material renamed. If the name does not match one of the standard Trainz material names then the Exporter will try and effect a solution. Typically a name such as "black" will be renamed "blackm.onetex".

=== The Export Log ===

The Exporter Log contains a record of events during the export process including errors and warnings. The numTriangles report is the number of polygons (aka polys) in the mesh.

(see more on how to fix error during exporting here [https://online.ts2009.com/mediaWiki/index.php/HowTo/Solve_Blender_Modelling_Problems#Using_Blender_for_Making_Trainz_Content])

== Material Recognition by the Exporter ==

The Exporter tries to identify materials in use by the asset mesh and will provide a warning if the detected material decoration varies from that declared in the Blender file. The term "material decoration" is one of the standard Trainz material names such as "m.onetext" or "m.tbumptex". The following decision process, provided by Torsten, may be useful for developers.

The decision which material name is used is made by the texturing schema used for the material:

: no texture used -> '''m.onetex'''

: one texture used:
:: invalid texture -> '''m.onetex'''
:: diffuse texture -> '''m.onetex'''
:: reflection texture -> '''m.reflect'''

: two textures used:
:: diffuse & alpha -> '''m.onetex'''
:: diffuse & reflection -> '''m.reflect'''

: three textures used:
:: diffuse & alpha & reflection ->''' m.gloss'''

: normal texture used:
:: normal & diffuse & alpha & no reflection -> '''m.tbumptex'''
:: normal & diffuse & reflection & no alpha -> '''m.tbumpgloss'''
:: normal & diffuse & no alpha & no reflection-> '''m.tbumpenv'''

As material '''m.notex''' can cause problems with some assets''', m.onetex''' is used instead. It also works perfectly without any texture.
The problem with '''m.tbumptex''' and '''m.tbumpenv''' is that, besides the usage of an alpha texture (which is not used for '''m.tbumpenv'''), both use a diffuse and normal texture. In this case '''m.tbumpenv''' is chosen.

Generally, you can use any material name you want. The script does not change a syntactically correct material name (e.g. Material'''m.billboard''' would pass unchanged). It only drops a message to remind you that you either use an unsupported material (as warning) or that it had chosen another material (as info).

If you check the issue and find it to be OK than you can safely ignore those messages.

Blenders texture influences are nearly equivalent to MAX material maps. Because diffuse textures and reflection textures both influence diffuse color, the decision between them is made by checking texture mapping coordinates to:

: '''MAX map -> Blender texture influence'''
: Ambient Color -> Shading Ambient
: Diffuse Color -> Diffuse Color & UV mapping
: Specular Color -> Specular Color
: Specular Level -> Specular Intensity
: Glossiness -> Specular Hardness
: Self-Illumination -> Shading Emit
: Opacity -> Diffuse Alpha
: Filter Color -> Diffuse Translucency
: Bump -> Geometry Normal
: Reflection -> Diffuse Color & Reflection mapping
: Refraction -> not available(not found?)
: Displacement -> Geometry Displacement

== Torsten's Hints ==

''These hints are reproduced from the Exporter script since many will not want to edit or view the actual script contents.''

In Trainz models you can have two kinds of special objects: attachment points and bones. For attachment points, the exporter expects objects of type "Empty". For bones, objects of type "Lattice" and "Armature" will be accepted. All of them need to be named according the naming conventions in effect for attachements( a.* ) and bones( b.r.* ). Objects of other type and objects with proper type but names not matching this conventions will be ignored as attachment points or bones.

If you want to export animations with events, than you have to create a Blender TX object and enter the lines as you would do to create an event file. By renaming this object to "events" you ensure the exporter will not ignore your event list.

It is possible to make parent-child-relations between meshes to simplify the design process. However, the chain must be end with a valid parent bone.

==Additional Notes ==

=== Blender Data Files ===

Blender keeps certain data files, such as add-on utilities, in a special location. This has given Trainz content creators some difficulties due to access rights. If you used the Blender Installer then this is usually in the Windows logged on user space.

Say, for example, your user name is Patrick, then the location is likely to be similiar to "C:\Users\Patrick\AppData\Roaming\Blender Foundation\Blender\2.59\scripts\addons".

If you cannot see this folder in the user folder then it is likely the folder has been hidden by Windows. You can unhide folders in the Windows Explorer by going to Tools->Folder Options->View and selecting "Show hidden files, folders and drives".

== Under The Hood or, How the Exporter Works ==

Basically the Blender export process works in three phases:

:* Phase 1 is the checking process where the Exporter does some validation. Where it can, the Exporter will make minor corrections and just issue a warning. Warnings do not stop the process but an error will. The warnings and errors should provide enough information to enable correction.
:* Phase 2 is the creation of the XML file required by the TrainzMeshImporter. The XML file is a text file using a common language used by many applications. It is also N3V's preferred import format.
:* On succession completion of the first two phases, the Exporter passes control to the TrainzMeshImport program which takes the XML file plus other information and produces the IM mesh file used by Trainz.

== Acknowledgements ==

Many thanks to USCHI0815 (Torsten) for his time and effort that went into producing and supporting the Blender Exporter. Without it there would be no Blender models in Trainz.

Thanks to Mick_Berg and Jananton for their comments, and to Mick_Berg for his [http://www.mickberg.com/blenderexport1.html Blender installation tutorial].

== References ==
[[Material Types]]

[[Category:Blender]]
[[Category:How-to guides]]
{{FUN-bot}}

HowTo/Solve Blender Modelling Problems

2025-04-23T06:08:07Z

Orangeengine69: /* Exporting */

== Using Blender for Making Trainz Content ==

The Blender 3D modelling software is ideal for making content for Trainz and many 3rd party add-ons, tutorials, and documentation may be found online. Examples include the main {{plain link|http://www.blender.org |Blender}} site, {{plain link|http:www.blendernation.com/ |BlenderNation}} and {{plain link|http://blenderartists.org/ |Blender Artists}}. A search of the web will reveal many others.

Help specifically for Trainz purposes is harder to find. There are the "How/Tos" on this site, some on {{plain link|http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Trainz/Tutorial_for_Blender |WiKi Books}}, Ian Cayden's {{plain link|http://www.doug56.net/MBC/ |Blender Notes}} and Paul Hobbs' {{plain link|http://44090digitalmodels.co.uk/tutorials/index.htmltutorials Tutorials}}. Paul Hobbs' site hosts tutorials for Blender using both pre 2.5 versions of Blender, and others converted to the current user interface (v. 2.50 and later).

== Purpose ==

This page contains answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) relating specifically to Trainz modelling and should be useful for both beginner and more experienced creators. The Trainz Blender community is encouraged to add their own submissions.

== Asking for Assistance ==

When asking for help in the Trainz forums on issues related to using Blender for content creation, the following suggestions will help other members of the Trainz community assist you better.

1) Get an account with a hosting service such as dropbox, where you can upload files about which you have questions.

2) When seeking help with an issue related to Blender for content creation, upload a copy of your Blend file, and any other supporting files (textures, animations, screenshots, &c) to the dropbox file so that those who would wish to offer help can see the material with which you are working, and better understand the problems.

3) For questions related to ''internal'' Blender functionality, where queries in the Trainz forums have not produced usable answers, {{plain link|http://blender.stackexchange.com/ |Blender Stack Exchange}} might prove to be a useful resource. Note that most people on the blender.stackexchange site are not knowledgeable about Trainz, and those who might be probably have already seen it in the Trainz forums.

== Exporting ==

=== Surfaceless Polygons ===

:'''Symptom''': The exporter log contains a message like this:

15:33:10 WARNING: surfaceless Polygon(s) in Object "rdc12349end.001", Mesh "Cube.097" detected
15:33:10 INFO: Vertices of surfaceless Polygon(s) gathered in Vertex Group "ERROR_surfaceless_Polygons"

:'''Comment''': Surfaceless polygons (aka faceless faces) are polygons which cannot form a plane (face) between the polygons vertices. This problem often arises when an extrusion is initiated but not completed. In this case two or more vertices may occupy the same location. Here is another explanation by Torsten:

:''Let's call the corner points (vertices) of a triangle (the simplest possible face) A, B and C. As long as all three corners have different locations they define a plane, a two dimensional object. The part of the plane inside all three vertices is what we call surface or face. So far for the "good" case. Now the "bad" case. Imagine point B moves to the location of A: suddenly we can no longer tell if what we see is a triangle or a line. We can no longer define a plane because all three vertices now only form a line (of course a line with three points instead the necessary two points). As our triangle (aka polygon) now has no surface (we need a plane -> 2D and have a line -> 1D) we have created a "surfaceless polygon".''

:''The exporter itself needs a plane because for every exported triangle Trainz want to know its normal (to calculate the color of that face for example), and a 3D normal needs a 2D plane. Try to calculate the normal for a surfaceless polygon will end in a division by zero.''

:'''Solution''': This can be cured by selecting the mesh and using the "Remove doubles" command. You can identify the problem vertices by selecting the problem mesh and then going into the Properties Browser and the Object Data (the triangle) tab. There is a section called Vertex Groups and the newly created vertex group with the problem should be listed. There are options to highlight the vertices in the group.

:'''Comment''': Another cause of surfaceless polygons is when there are two edges that seem to join, but where the edge on one side does not have the same number of vertices as the edge on the other. As an example, if one starts with the default Blender cube, and extrudes the top face of the cube to create a first story. and extrudes the top face again to create a second story, the result is a stack of 3 "cubes". Now, if one decides to add a door, or a window, in one face of the center cube of the stack by deleting the center face one side, and extrudes both vertical edges towards the center, and then makes a face from the two resulting extruded edges, one has created two surfaceless polygons, one from the four vertices that lie in a line at the top of the door, and one from the four vertices which lie at the bottom.

:'''Solution''': A modificaton of the work flow. If one decides to add a opening, instead of deleting the face, and creating the opening by extruding edges or vertices, either make loop cuts around the object as needed, and delete the necessary face, or subdivide the face

:'''Fix''': If in situations that it does happened, here's a fix that works 100%.
- select your mesh that has the Surfaceless Polygon (it should be specified in the log)
- go into "Edit Mode"
- make sure all the vertices are selected (Short-cut Ctrl + A)
- Press "Mesh"
- "Clean Up"
- "Degenerate Dissolve"
- Recommend you do this multiple times until you see "Removed: 0 vertices, 0 edges, 0 faces" meaning it all clear
(this fix was discovered and documented by "orangeengine69" who add this section so '''hi''' i guess, you can find more detail on my original documentation thread here https://forums.auran.com/threads/blender-tips.148854/post-2051168)

:'''See Also''': This Trainz forum [http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?111191-Trying-to-Get-Back-into-the-Blender-Game&p=1281909#post1281909 thread]

== Making updating updating from one version of Blender to the next easier ==

Blender updates every couple of months, on the average. One way to make the updating process easier is to store any Blender add-ons you use that are not included in the ordinary Blender distribution in a convenient place on your computer. Among the things to store in this folder are the latest version of the Trainz mesh exporter, and the Trainz mesh importer. This makes it easy to make the new version have all of the material of the old one, as it is simply necessary to copy the contents of the update folder into the appropriate locations of the Blender installation.

== Next major topic ==

=== Next FAQ ===

==Return to Index==

[[HowToGuides|<< How To Guides]]

== Categories ==

[[Category:Modeling]]
[[Category:Blender]]
[[Category:How-to guides]]

HowTo/Solve Blender Modelling Problems

2025-04-23T06:07:30Z

Orangeengine69: /* Exporting */

== Using Blender for Making Trainz Content ==

The Blender 3D modelling software is ideal for making content for Trainz and many 3rd party add-ons, tutorials, and documentation may be found online. Examples include the main {{plain link|http://www.blender.org |Blender}} site, {{plain link|http:www.blendernation.com/ |BlenderNation}} and {{plain link|http://blenderartists.org/ |Blender Artists}}. A search of the web will reveal many others.

Help specifically for Trainz purposes is harder to find. There are the "How/Tos" on this site, some on {{plain link|http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Trainz/Tutorial_for_Blender |WiKi Books}}, Ian Cayden's {{plain link|http://www.doug56.net/MBC/ |Blender Notes}} and Paul Hobbs' {{plain link|http://44090digitalmodels.co.uk/tutorials/index.htmltutorials Tutorials}}. Paul Hobbs' site hosts tutorials for Blender using both pre 2.5 versions of Blender, and others converted to the current user interface (v. 2.50 and later).

== Purpose ==

This page contains answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) relating specifically to Trainz modelling and should be useful for both beginner and more experienced creators. The Trainz Blender community is encouraged to add their own submissions.

== Asking for Assistance ==

When asking for help in the Trainz forums on issues related to using Blender for content creation, the following suggestions will help other members of the Trainz community assist you better.

1) Get an account with a hosting service such as dropbox, where you can upload files about which you have questions.

2) When seeking help with an issue related to Blender for content creation, upload a copy of your Blend file, and any other supporting files (textures, animations, screenshots, &c) to the dropbox file so that those who would wish to offer help can see the material with which you are working, and better understand the problems.

3) For questions related to ''internal'' Blender functionality, where queries in the Trainz forums have not produced usable answers, {{plain link|http://blender.stackexchange.com/ |Blender Stack Exchange}} might prove to be a useful resource. Note that most people on the blender.stackexchange site are not knowledgeable about Trainz, and those who might be probably have already seen it in the Trainz forums.

== Exporting ==

=== Surfaceless Polygons ===

:'''Symptom''': The exporter log contains a message like this:

15:33:10 WARNING: surfaceless Polygon(s) in Object "rdc12349end.001", Mesh "Cube.097" detected
15:33:10 INFO: Vertices of surfaceless Polygon(s) gathered in Vertex Group "ERROR_surfaceless_Polygons"

:'''Comment''': Surfaceless polygons (aka faceless faces) are polygons which cannot form a plane (face) between the polygons vertices. This problem often arises when an extrusion is initiated but not completed. In this case two or more vertices may occupy the same location. Here is another explanation by Torsten:

:''Let's call the corner points (vertices) of a triangle (the simplest possible face) A, B and C. As long as all three corners have different locations they define a plane, a two dimensional object. The part of the plane inside all three vertices is what we call surface or face. So far for the "good" case. Now the "bad" case. Imagine point B moves to the location of A: suddenly we can no longer tell if what we see is a triangle or a line. We can no longer define a plane because all three vertices now only form a line (of course a line with three points instead the necessary two points). As our triangle (aka polygon) now has no surface (we need a plane -> 2D and have a line -> 1D) we have created a "surfaceless polygon".''

:''The exporter itself needs a plane because for every exported triangle Trainz want to know its normal (to calculate the color of that face for example), and a 3D normal needs a 2D plane. Try to calculate the normal for a surfaceless polygon will end in a division by zero.''

:'''Solution''': This can be cured by selecting the mesh and using the "Remove doubles" command. You can identify the problem vertices by selecting the problem mesh and then going into the Properties Browser and the Object Data (the triangle) tab. There is a section called Vertex Groups and the newly created vertex group with the problem should be listed. There are options to highlight the vertices in the group.

:'''Comment''': Another cause of surfaceless polygons is when there are two edges that seem to join, but where the edge on one side does not have the same number of vertices as the edge on the other. As an example, if one starts with the default Blender cube, and extrudes the top face of the cube to create a first story. and extrudes the top face again to create a second story, the result is a stack of 3 "cubes". Now, if one decides to add a door, or a window, in one face of the center cube of the stack by deleting the center face one side, and extrudes both vertical edges towards the center, and then makes a face from the two resulting extruded edges, one has created two surfaceless polygons, one from the four vertices that lie in a line at the top of the door, and one from the four vertices which lie at the bottom.

:'''Solution''': A modificaton of the work flow. If one decides to add a opening, instead of deleting the face, and creating the opening by extruding edges or vertices, either make loop cuts around the object as needed, and delete the necessary face, or subdivide the face

:'''Fix''': If in situations that it does happened, here's a fix that works 100%.
- select your mesh that has the Surfaceless Polygon (it should be specified in the log)
- go into "Edit Mode"
- make sure all the vertices are selected (Short-cut Ctrl + A)
- Press "Mesh"
- "Clean Up"
- "Degenerate Dissolve"
- Recommend you do this multiple times until you see "Removed: 0 vertices, 0 edges, 0 faces" meaning it all clear
(this fix was discovered and documented by "orangeengine69" who add this section so '''hi''' i guess, you can find more detail on my original documentation thread here [https://forums.auran.com/threads/blender-tips.148854/post-2051168])

:'''See Also''': This Trainz forum [http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?111191-Trying-to-Get-Back-into-the-Blender-Game&p=1281909#post1281909 thread]

== Making updating updating from one version of Blender to the next easier ==

Blender updates every couple of months, on the average. One way to make the updating process easier is to store any Blender add-ons you use that are not included in the ordinary Blender distribution in a convenient place on your computer. Among the things to store in this folder are the latest version of the Trainz mesh exporter, and the Trainz mesh importer. This makes it easy to make the new version have all of the material of the old one, as it is simply necessary to copy the contents of the update folder into the appropriate locations of the Blender installation.

== Next major topic ==

=== Next FAQ ===

==Return to Index==

[[HowToGuides|<< How To Guides]]

== Categories ==

[[Category:Modeling]]
[[Category:Blender]]
[[Category:How-to guides]]

HowTo/Solve Blender Modelling Problems

2025-04-23T06:06:54Z

Orangeengine69: /* Exporting */

HowTo/Solve Blender Modelling Problems

2025-04-23T05:44:13Z

Orangeengine69: /* Exporting */

== Using Blender for Making Trainz Content ==

The Blender 3D modelling software is ideal for making content for Trainz and many 3rd party add-ons, tutorials, and documentation may be found online. Examples include the main {{plain link|http://www.blender.org |Blender}} site, {{plain link|http:www.blendernation.com/ |BlenderNation}} and {{plain link|http://blenderartists.org/ |Blender Artists}}. A search of the web will reveal many others.

Help specifically for Trainz purposes is harder to find. There are the "How/Tos" on this site, some on {{plain link|http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Trainz/Tutorial_for_Blender |WiKi Books}}, Ian Cayden's {{plain link|http://www.doug56.net/MBC/ |Blender Notes}} and Paul Hobbs' {{plain link|http://44090digitalmodels.co.uk/tutorials/index.htmltutorials Tutorials}}. Paul Hobbs' site hosts tutorials for Blender using both pre 2.5 versions of Blender, and others converted to the current user interface (v. 2.50 and later).

== Purpose ==

This page contains answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) relating specifically to Trainz modelling and should be useful for both beginner and more experienced creators. The Trainz Blender community is encouraged to add their own submissions.

== Asking for Assistance ==

When asking for help in the Trainz forums on issues related to using Blender for content creation, the following suggestions will help other members of the Trainz community assist you better.

1) Get an account with a hosting service such as dropbox, where you can upload files about which you have questions.

2) When seeking help with an issue related to Blender for content creation, upload a copy of your Blend file, and any other supporting files (textures, animations, screenshots, &c) to the dropbox file so that those who would wish to offer help can see the material with which you are working, and better understand the problems.

3) For questions related to ''internal'' Blender functionality, where queries in the Trainz forums have not produced usable answers, {{plain link|http://blender.stackexchange.com/ |Blender Stack Exchange}} might prove to be a useful resource. Note that most people on the blender.stackexchange site are not knowledgeable about Trainz, and those who might be probably have already seen it in the Trainz forums.

== Exporting ==

=== Surfaceless Polygons ===

:'''Symptom''': The exporter log contains a message like this:

15:33:10 WARNING: surfaceless Polygon(s) in Object "rdc12349end.001", Mesh "Cube.097" detected
15:33:10 INFO: Vertices of surfaceless Polygon(s) gathered in Vertex Group "ERROR_surfaceless_Polygons"

:'''Comment''': Surfaceless polygons (aka faceless faces) are polygons which cannot form a plane (face) between the polygons vertices. This problem often arises when an extrusion is initiated but not completed. In this case two or more vertices may occupy the same location. Here is another explanation by Torsten:

:''Let's call the corner points (vertices) of a triangle (the simplest possible face) A, B and C. As long as all three corners have different locations they define a plane, a two dimensional object. The part of the plane inside all three vertices is what we call surface or face. So far for the "good" case. Now the "bad" case. Imagine point B moves to the location of A: suddenly we can no longer tell if what we see is a triangle or a line. We can no longer define a plane because all three vertices now only form a line (of course a line with three points instead the necessary two points). As our triangle (aka polygon) now has no surface (we need a plane -> 2D and have a line -> 1D) we have created a "surfaceless polygon".''

:''The exporter itself needs a plane because for every exported triangle Trainz want to know its normal (to calculate the color of that face for example), and a 3D normal needs a 2D plane. Try to calculate the normal for a surfaceless polygon will end in a division by zero.''

:'''Solution''': This can be cured by selecting the mesh and using the "Remove doubles" command. You can identify the problem vertices by selecting the problem mesh and then going into the Properties Browser and the Object Data (the triangle) tab. There is a section called Vertex Groups and the newly created vertex group with the problem should be listed. There are options to highlight the vertices in the group.

:'''Comment''': Another cause of surfaceless polygons is when there are two edges that seem to join, but where the edge on one side does not have the same number of vertices as the edge on the other. As an example, if one starts with the default Blender cube, and extrudes the top face of the cube to create a first story. and extrudes the top face again to create a second story, the result is a stack of 3 "cubes". Now, if one decides to add a door, or a window, in one face of the center cube of the stack by deleting the center face one side, and extrudes both vertical edges towards the center, and then makes a face from the two resulting extruded edges, one has created two surfaceless polygons, one from the four vertices that lie in a line at the top of the door, and one from the four vertices which lie at the bottom.

:'''Solution''': A modificaton of the work flow. If one decides to add a opening, instead of deleting the face, and creating the opening by extruding edges or vertices, either make loop cuts around the object as needed, and delete the necessary face, or subdivide the face

:'''Fix''': If in situations that it does happened, here's a fix that works 100%.
- select your mesh that has the Surfaceless Polygon (it should be specified in the log)
- go into "Edit Mode"
- make sure all the vertices are selected (Short-cut Ctrl + A)
- Press "Mesh"
- "Clean Up"
- "Degenerate Dissolve"
- Recommend you do this multiple times until you see "Removed: 0 vertices, 0 edges, 0 faces" meaning it all clear
(this fix was discovered and documented by "orangeengine69", you can find more detail of the original documentation here https://forums.auran.com/threads/blender-tips.148854/post-2051168)

:'''See Also''': This Trainz forum [http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?111191-Trying-to-Get-Back-into-the-Blender-Game&p=1281909#post1281909 thread]

== Making updating updating from one version of Blender to the next easier ==

Blender updates every couple of months, on the average. One way to make the updating process easier is to store any Blender add-ons you use that are not included in the ordinary Blender distribution in a convenient place on your computer. Among the things to store in this folder are the latest version of the Trainz mesh exporter, and the Trainz mesh importer. This makes it easy to make the new version have all of the material of the old one, as it is simply necessary to copy the contents of the update folder into the appropriate locations of the Blender installation.

== Next major topic ==

=== Next FAQ ===

==Return to Index==

[[HowToGuides|<< How To Guides]]

== Categories ==

[[Category:Modeling]]
[[Category:Blender]]
[[Category:How-to guides]]

HowTo/Export from Blender

2025-04-23T05:43:40Z

Orangeengine69: /* Exporter Output */

{{FUN-beg}}

''Please note that this document is obsolete as of trainz-build 4.5. See [[HowTo/Export from Blender using FBX]] instead.''

== Blender ==

{{plain link|http://www.blender.org |Blender}} is an open source free {{Wp|3D graphics|3D modelling}} application supported by the user community. For more information on Blender and its capabilities, please visit the {{plain link|http://www.blender.org |Blender website}}.

=== Exporting Models from Blender to Trainz ===

You can export model from Blender to Trainz in either Indexed Mesh (IM) or FilmBoX (FBX) format. The FBX format was introduced to Trainz from trainz-build 4.5. IM files are obsolete although still acceptable and content creators are encouraged to use FBX. See [[HowTo/Export from Blender using FBX]].

This tutorial is also obsolete and may not be maintained.

IM meshes can be exported from Blender using a Blender addon developed by USCHI0815 (Torsten). This addon was available on the BitBucket site but has been removed after a re-organisation of the site. If you want a copy of the exporter you may be able to obtain one from another Trainz Blender user by asking on the Trainz forums. The current and probably last version of the Blender exporter is V0.96.
{{TOCright}}
===Caveat===
[http://www.blender.org Blender] is not currently supported by N3V as an officially sanctioned modeling platform for producing Trainz assets.

=== About This Tutorial ===

The scope of this tutorial has been extended to include installation of Blender and installation of the Blender Exporter since this has been an issue discussed several times in the N3V Content Creation forum.

=== Requirements ===

To export to Trainz you need the following:

:* Trainz (TS09 or later preferred)
:* [[Downloads|TrainzMeshImporter.exe]]. This is provided by N3V.
:* [http://www.blender.org/download/ Blender] Version 2.79 or earlier. The exporter will not work for Blender 2.80 and later.
:* A copy of the Blender Trainz XML exporter.
:* Windows - most modern versions.

== Installing the Exporter ==

The Blender exporter add-on must be installed in the "scripts\addons" area of the Blender data space. The following process will install it in the correct location.

=== Install Blender Exporter for Trainz ===

:* Obtain a copy of the exporter from another Trainz content developer. The file is written in the Python language and the filename is called "export_trainz.py".
:* Start Blender.
:* Open a new project(File -> New).
:* Open User Preferences(File -> User Preferences...).
:* Select Add-Ons panel and press button "Install from file..." down at the panel button bar.
:* Select and install downloaded file: you don't need to extract it.
:* Enable "TRAINZ Exporter" in Add-On list and press button "Save As Default" to keep it enabled for all subsequent Blender starts.

=== Install the N3V TrainzMeshImporter ===

:* Download the [http://online.ts2009.com/mediaWiki/index.php5/Downloads TrainzMeshImporter.exe]. The file is in the RAR format that can be extracted by most zip file management programs.
:* Before using the exporter you must copy the TrainzMeshExporter.exe to the same location as the Blender Exporter add-on. The following will help find that location:

:* Start Blender and leave the default cube mesh in place.
:* Go to File->Export and select "Trainz Mesh and Animation". Use the default settings but make sure that the save location is a temporary or working space.
:* The Exporter will complain about a missing file in a specific folder. The missing file is TrainzMeshImporter and the folder name is the location you need.
:* The location is usually in the form of "ERROR" file "C:Users\your name\AppData\Roaming\Blender Foundation\Blender\2.79\scripts\addons\TrainzMeshExporter.exe" not found". This example is typical of using the default Blender Installer. If you chose to install Blender using the zip archive then the location will be different.
:* Copy TrainzMeshExporter.exe to the location provided. If you cannot access the AppData folder see the [http://online.ts2009.com/mediaWiki/index.php5?title=HowTo/Export_from_Blender&action=submit#Additional_Notes Additional Notes] section for help.
:* Once you have copied TrainzMeshExporter.exe to the correct location retry the export.

== Exporting an Asset ==

The creation of an asset suitable for Trainz is a long and complex process. For the purposes of this tutorial we will only export the standard Blender cube. Some knowledge of Blender and creation of assets for Trainz purposes is assumed.

:* Start Blender and save the default cube as "cube.blend" in your preferred working location.
:* Create a simple material such as "cube.m.onetex" and allocate a simple colour texture file. For the purpose of this tutorial leave the default mapping technique to "generated". This will cause an error.
:* UV map the cube to the texture.
:* Save the Blender file.
:* Go to File->Export and select Trainz Mesh and Animation.
:* The dialog box that appears gives a output save location for the XML, log, texture description and other files produced by the process. Select your preferred location.
:* All the other options can be left as default. If you were exporting a mesh that included animation, then you would also select "Export Animation Data".
:* When you are ready, select "Export Trainz" in the top right hand corner.
:* This export process will fail with an error since the "generated" mapping option for textures is not supported when using an image file. Go back to the Texture section and change the mapping option to UV and then export again. This time it should export correctly.

== Exporter Output ==

=== Files Created ===
The Exporter produces:

:* An XML file. This is used by TrainzMeshImporter.
:* The IM mesh file required by Trainz.
:* The texture description files (nnn.texture.txt) required by Trainz.
:* The KIN animation file required by Trainz if animation is used.
:* A log of the export process.

=== Error Reporting ===
Errors are reported in the Blender System Console and the Exporter log. Errors will prevent the production of the target IM file and therefore must be addressed.
Typical errors are:

==== Mesh Errors ====

:*Objects without a parent where a root bone exists.

==== Material Related Errors ====

:* No UV layer for UV mapped objects. Blender usually creates a default.
:* Use of the same material for both single and double sided meshes. Recommend only using single sided meshes.
:* Objects without an assigned material. Recommend assigning a material for each object.
:* Faces without a material in an object. The faces will have been collected into a Vertex Group to enable correction. This error can also be caused by material slots in blender to which no material is assigned.
:* Use of similar material names if character case is ignored. i.e. "Black" and "black" are considered the same by Trainz.
:* Not using UV mapping for textures that are either using alpha, normal or specular.
:* Not using UV or reflect mapping for diffuse textures.

==== Animation Errors ====

:* More than one root bone

=== Warnings ===
Warnings are basically flaws or possible flaws that the user may wish to address. Warnings do not prevent production of the IM output files. Some typicals warnings include:

==== Animation Warnings ====

:* Possible incorrect location and rotation of root bone.
:* Bones not found or no animation data found.
:* Events not found or unrecognised.
:* Event frame numbers in wrong positions.

==== Mesh Warnings ====

:* Vertices influenced by more than four vertex groups.

==== Name Warnings ====

:* Unrecommended characters. Material, texture, object and path names should only be composed of a-z, A-Z, 0-9 or -_./\ characters. A typical error is use of a space character in a path name. The Exporter will change Blender file names that include upper case letters to lower case letters. Generally, it is recommended you avoid the use of upper case characters in names.

==== Material Warnings ====

:* Surfaceless faces in an object. The Exporter will gather these faces and put them into a Vertex Group to aid identification. The Vertex Group can be found in the triangle panel associated with the Safety Valve object.
:* Objects exported with double sided faces. This will become an error if a material is used for both single and double sided objects.
:* Material renamed. If the name does not match one of the standard Trainz material names then the Exporter will try and effect a solution. Typically a name such as "black" will be renamed "blackm.onetex".

=== The Export Log ===

The Exporter Log contains a record of events during the export process including errors and warnings. The numTriangles report is the number of polygons (aka polys) in the mesh.

(see more on how to fix error during exporting here https://online.ts2009.com/mediaWiki/index.php/HowTo/Solve_Blender_Modelling_Problems#Using_Blender_for_Making_Trainz_Content)

== Material Recognition by the Exporter ==

The Exporter tries to identify materials in use by the asset mesh and will provide a warning if the detected material decoration varies from that declared in the Blender file. The term "material decoration" is one of the standard Trainz material names such as "m.onetext" or "m.tbumptex". The following decision process, provided by Torsten, may be useful for developers.

The decision which material name is used is made by the texturing schema used for the material:

: no texture used -> '''m.onetex'''

: one texture used:
:: invalid texture -> '''m.onetex'''
:: diffuse texture -> '''m.onetex'''
:: reflection texture -> '''m.reflect'''

: two textures used:
:: diffuse & alpha -> '''m.onetex'''
:: diffuse & reflection -> '''m.reflect'''

: three textures used:
:: diffuse & alpha & reflection ->''' m.gloss'''

: normal texture used:
:: normal & diffuse & alpha & no reflection -> '''m.tbumptex'''
:: normal & diffuse & reflection & no alpha -> '''m.tbumpgloss'''
:: normal & diffuse & no alpha & no reflection-> '''m.tbumpenv'''

As material '''m.notex''' can cause problems with some assets''', m.onetex''' is used instead. It also works perfectly without any texture.
The problem with '''m.tbumptex''' and '''m.tbumpenv''' is that, besides the usage of an alpha texture (which is not used for '''m.tbumpenv'''), both use a diffuse and normal texture. In this case '''m.tbumpenv''' is chosen.

Generally, you can use any material name you want. The script does not change a syntactically correct material name (e.g. Material'''m.billboard''' would pass unchanged). It only drops a message to remind you that you either use an unsupported material (as warning) or that it had chosen another material (as info).

If you check the issue and find it to be OK than you can safely ignore those messages.

Blenders texture influences are nearly equivalent to MAX material maps. Because diffuse textures and reflection textures both influence diffuse color, the decision between them is made by checking texture mapping coordinates to:

: '''MAX map -> Blender texture influence'''
: Ambient Color -> Shading Ambient
: Diffuse Color -> Diffuse Color & UV mapping
: Specular Color -> Specular Color
: Specular Level -> Specular Intensity
: Glossiness -> Specular Hardness
: Self-Illumination -> Shading Emit
: Opacity -> Diffuse Alpha
: Filter Color -> Diffuse Translucency
: Bump -> Geometry Normal
: Reflection -> Diffuse Color & Reflection mapping
: Refraction -> not available(not found?)
: Displacement -> Geometry Displacement

== Torsten's Hints ==

''These hints are reproduced from the Exporter script since many will not want to edit or view the actual script contents.''

In Trainz models you can have two kinds of special objects: attachment points and bones. For attachment points, the exporter expects objects of type "Empty". For bones, objects of type "Lattice" and "Armature" will be accepted. All of them need to be named according the naming conventions in effect for attachements( a.* ) and bones( b.r.* ). Objects of other type and objects with proper type but names not matching this conventions will be ignored as attachment points or bones.

If you want to export animations with events, than you have to create a Blender TX object and enter the lines as you would do to create an event file. By renaming this object to "events" you ensure the exporter will not ignore your event list.

It is possible to make parent-child-relations between meshes to simplify the design process. However, the chain must be end with a valid parent bone.

==Additional Notes ==

=== Blender Data Files ===

Blender keeps certain data files, such as add-on utilities, in a special location. This has given Trainz content creators some difficulties due to access rights. If you used the Blender Installer then this is usually in the Windows logged on user space.

Say, for example, your user name is Patrick, then the location is likely to be similiar to "C:\Users\Patrick\AppData\Roaming\Blender Foundation\Blender\2.59\scripts\addons".

If you cannot see this folder in the user folder then it is likely the folder has been hidden by Windows. You can unhide folders in the Windows Explorer by going to Tools->Folder Options->View and selecting "Show hidden files, folders and drives".

== Under The Hood or, How the Exporter Works ==

Basically the Blender export process works in three phases:

:* Phase 1 is the checking process where the Exporter does some validation. Where it can, the Exporter will make minor corrections and just issue a warning. Warnings do not stop the process but an error will. The warnings and errors should provide enough information to enable correction.
:* Phase 2 is the creation of the XML file required by the TrainzMeshImporter. The XML file is a text file using a common language used by many applications. It is also N3V's preferred import format.
:* On succession completion of the first two phases, the Exporter passes control to the TrainzMeshImport program which takes the XML file plus other information and produces the IM mesh file used by Trainz.

== Acknowledgements ==

Many thanks to USCHI0815 (Torsten) for his time and effort that went into producing and supporting the Blender Exporter. Without it there would be no Blender models in Trainz.

Thanks to Mick_Berg and Jananton for their comments, and to Mick_Berg for his [http://www.mickberg.com/blenderexport1.html Blender installation tutorial].

== References ==
[[Material Types]]

[[Category:Blender]]
[[Category:How-to guides]]
{{FUN-bot}}

HowTo/Solve Blender Modelling Problems

2025-04-23T05:36:21Z

Orangeengine69: /* Surfaceless Polygons */

== Using Blender for Making Trainz Content ==

The Blender 3D modelling software is ideal for making content for Trainz and many 3rd party add-ons, tutorials, and documentation may be found online. Examples include the main {{plain link|http://www.blender.org |Blender}} site, {{plain link|http:www.blendernation.com/ |BlenderNation}} and {{plain link|http://blenderartists.org/ |Blender Artists}}. A search of the web will reveal many others.

Help specifically for Trainz purposes is harder to find. There are the "How/Tos" on this site, some on {{plain link|http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Trainz/Tutorial_for_Blender |WiKi Books}}, Ian Cayden's {{plain link|http://www.doug56.net/MBC/ |Blender Notes}} and Paul Hobbs' {{plain link|http://44090digitalmodels.co.uk/tutorials/index.htmltutorials Tutorials}}. Paul Hobbs' site hosts tutorials for Blender using both pre 2.5 versions of Blender, and others converted to the current user interface (v. 2.50 and later).

== Purpose ==

This page contains answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) relating specifically to Trainz modelling and should be useful for both beginner and more experienced creators. The Trainz Blender community is encouraged to add their own submissions.

== Asking for Assistance ==

When asking for help in the Trainz forums on issues related to using Blender for content creation, the following suggestions will help other members of the Trainz community assist you better.

1) Get an account with a hosting service such as dropbox, where you can upload files about which you have questions.

2) When seeking help with an issue related to Blender for content creation, upload a copy of your Blend file, and any other supporting files (textures, animations, screenshots, &c) to the dropbox file so that those who would wish to offer help can see the material with which you are working, and better understand the problems.

3) For questions related to ''internal'' Blender functionality, where queries in the Trainz forums have not produced usable answers, {{plain link|http://blender.stackexchange.com/ |Blender Stack Exchange}} might prove to be a useful resource. Note that most people on the blender.stackexchange site are not knowledgeable about Trainz, and those who might be probably have already seen it in the Trainz forums.

== Exporting ==

=== Surfaceless Polygons ===

:'''Symptom''': The exporter log contains a message like this:

15:33:10 WARNING: surfaceless Polygon(s) in Object "rdc12349end.001", Mesh "Cube.097" detected
15:33:10 INFO: Vertices of surfaceless Polygon(s) gathered in Vertex Group "ERROR_surfaceless_Polygons"

:'''Comment''': Surfaceless polygons (aka faceless faces) are polygons which cannot form a plane (face) between the polygons vertices. This problem often arises when an extrusion is initiated but not completed. In this case two or more vertices may occupy the same location. Here is another explanation by Torsten:

:''Let's call the corner points (vertices) of a triangle (the simplest possible face) A, B and C. As long as all three corners have different locations they define a plane, a two dimensional object. The part of the plane inside all three vertices is what we call surface or face. So far for the "good" case. Now the "bad" case. Imagine point B moves to the location of A: suddenly we can no longer tell if what we see is a triangle or a line. We can no longer define a plane because all three vertices now only form a line (of course a line with three points instead the necessary two points). As our triangle (aka polygon) now has no surface (we need a plane -> 2D and have a line -> 1D) we have created a "surfaceless polygon".''

:''The exporter itself needs a plane because for every exported triangle Trainz want to know its normal (to calculate the color of that face for example), and a 3D normal needs a 2D plane. Try to calculate the normal for a surfaceless polygon will end in a division by zero.''

:'''Solution''': This can be cured by selecting the mesh and using the "Remove doubles" command. You can identify the problem vertices by selecting the problem mesh and then going into the Properties Browser and the Object Data (the triangle) tab. There is a section called Vertex Groups and the newly created vertex group with the problem should be listed. There are options to highlight the vertices in the group.

:'''Comment''': Another cause of surfaceless polygons is when there are two edges that seem to join, but where the edge on one side does not have the same number of vertices as the edge on the other. As an example, if one starts with the default Blender cube, and extrudes the top face of the cube to create a first story. and extrudes the top face again to create a second story, the result is a stack of 3 "cubes". Now, if one decides to add a door, or a window, in one face of the center cube of the stack by deleting the center face one side, and extrudes both vertical edges towards the center, and then makes a face from the two resulting extruded edges, one has created two surfaceless polygons, one from the four vertices that lie in a line at the top of the door, and one from the four vertices which lie at the bottom.

:'''Solution''': A modificaton of the work flow. If one decides to add a opening, instead of deleting the face, and creating the opening by extruding edges or vertices, either make loop cuts around the object as needed, and delete the necessary face, or subdivide the face

:'''Fix''': If in situations that it does happened, here's a fix that works 100%.
- select your mesh that has the Surfaceless Polygon (it should be specified in the log)
- go into "Edit Mode"
- make sure all the vertices are selected (Short-cut Ctrl + A)
- Press "Mesh"
- "Clean Up"
- "Degenerate Dissolve"
- Recommend you do this multiple times until you see "Removed: 0 vertices, 0 edges, 0 faces" meaning it all clear
(this fix was discovered and documented by "orangeengine69", you can find more detail of the original documentation here https://forums.auran.com/threads/blender-tips.148854/post-2051168 )

:'''See Also''': This Trainz forum [http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?111191-Trying-to-Get-Back-into-the-Blender-Game&p=1281909#post1281909 thread]

== Making updating updating from one version of Blender to the next easier ==

Blender updates every couple of months, on the average. One way to make the updating process easier is to store any Blender add-ons you use that are not included in the ordinary Blender distribution in a convenient place on your computer. Among the things to store in this folder are the latest version of the Trainz mesh exporter, and the Trainz mesh importer. This makes it easy to make the new version have all of the material of the old one, as it is simply necessary to copy the contents of the update folder into the appropriate locations of the Blender installation.

== Next major topic ==

=== Next FAQ ===

==Return to Index==

[[HowToGuides|<< How To Guides]]

== Categories ==

[[Category:Modeling]]
[[Category:Blender]]
[[Category:How-to guides]]

HowTo/Solve Blender Modelling Problems

2025-04-23T05:32:30Z

Orangeengine69: /* Surfaceless Polygons */

== Using Blender for Making Trainz Content ==

The Blender 3D modelling software is ideal for making content for Trainz and many 3rd party add-ons, tutorials, and documentation may be found online. Examples include the main {{plain link|http://www.blender.org |Blender}} site, {{plain link|http:www.blendernation.com/ |BlenderNation}} and {{plain link|http://blenderartists.org/ |Blender Artists}}. A search of the web will reveal many others.

Help specifically for Trainz purposes is harder to find. There are the "How/Tos" on this site, some on {{plain link|http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Trainz/Tutorial_for_Blender |WiKi Books}}, Ian Cayden's {{plain link|http://www.doug56.net/MBC/ |Blender Notes}} and Paul Hobbs' {{plain link|http://44090digitalmodels.co.uk/tutorials/index.htmltutorials Tutorials}}. Paul Hobbs' site hosts tutorials for Blender using both pre 2.5 versions of Blender, and others converted to the current user interface (v. 2.50 and later).

== Purpose ==

This page contains answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) relating specifically to Trainz modelling and should be useful for both beginner and more experienced creators. The Trainz Blender community is encouraged to add their own submissions.

== Asking for Assistance ==

When asking for help in the Trainz forums on issues related to using Blender for content creation, the following suggestions will help other members of the Trainz community assist you better.

1) Get an account with a hosting service such as dropbox, where you can upload files about which you have questions.

2) When seeking help with an issue related to Blender for content creation, upload a copy of your Blend file, and any other supporting files (textures, animations, screenshots, &c) to the dropbox file so that those who would wish to offer help can see the material with which you are working, and better understand the problems.

3) For questions related to ''internal'' Blender functionality, where queries in the Trainz forums have not produced usable answers, {{plain link|http://blender.stackexchange.com/ |Blender Stack Exchange}} might prove to be a useful resource. Note that most people on the blender.stackexchange site are not knowledgeable about Trainz, and those who might be probably have already seen it in the Trainz forums.

== Exporting ==

=== Surfaceless Polygons ===

:'''Symptom''': The exporter log contains a message like this:

15:33:10 WARNING: surfaceless Polygon(s) in Object "rdc12349end.001", Mesh "Cube.097" detected
15:33:10 INFO: Vertices of surfaceless Polygon(s) gathered in Vertex Group "ERROR_surfaceless_Polygons"

:'''Comment''': Surfaceless polygons (aka faceless faces) are polygons which cannot form a plane (face) between the polygons vertices. This problem often arises when an extrusion is initiated but not completed. In this case two or more vertices may occupy the same location. Here is another explanation by Torsten:

:''Let's call the corner points (vertices) of a triangle (the simplest possible face) A, B and C. As long as all three corners have different locations they define a plane, a two dimensional object. The part of the plane inside all three vertices is what we call surface or face. So far for the "good" case. Now the "bad" case. Imagine point B moves to the location of A: suddenly we can no longer tell if what we see is a triangle or a line. We can no longer define a plane because all three vertices now only form a line (of course a line with three points instead the necessary two points). As our triangle (aka polygon) now has no surface (we need a plane -> 2D and have a line -> 1D) we have created a "surfaceless polygon".''

:''The exporter itself needs a plane because for every exported triangle Trainz want to know its normal (to calculate the color of that face for example), and a 3D normal needs a 2D plane. Try to calculate the normal for a surfaceless polygon will end in a division by zero.''

:'''Solution''': This can be cured by selecting the mesh and using the "Remove doubles" command. You can identify the problem vertices by selecting the problem mesh and then going into the Properties Browser and the Object Data (the triangle) tab. There is a section called Vertex Groups and the newly created vertex group with the problem should be listed. There are options to highlight the vertices in the group.

:'''Comment''': Another cause of surfaceless polygons is when there are two edges that seem to join, but where the edge on one side does not have the same number of vertices as the edge on the other. As an example, if one starts with the default Blender cube, and extrudes the top face of the cube to create a first story. and extrudes the top face again to create a second story, the result is a stack of 3 "cubes". Now, if one decides to add a door, or a window, in one face of the center cube of the stack by deleting the center face one side, and extrudes both vertical edges towards the center, and then makes a face from the two resulting extruded edges, one has created two surfaceless polygons, one from the four vertices that lie in a line at the top of the door, and one from the four vertices which lie at the bottom.

:'''Solution''': A modificaton of the work flow. If one decides to add a opening, instead of deleting the face, and creating the opening by extruding edges or vertices, either make loop cuts around the object as needed, and delete the necessary face, or subdivide the face

:'''Fix''': If in situations that it does happened, here's a fix that works 100%.
- select your mesh that has the Surfaceless Polygon (it should be specified in the log)
- go into "Edit Mode"
- make sure all the vertices are selected (Short-cut Ctrl + A)
- Press "Mesh"
- "Clean Up"
- "Degenerate Dissolve"
(this fix was discovered and documented by "orangeengine69", you can find more detail of the original documentation here https://forums.auran.com/threads/blender-tips.148854/post-2051168 )

:'''See Also''': This Trainz forum [http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?111191-Trying-to-Get-Back-into-the-Blender-Game&p=1281909#post1281909 thread]

== Making updating updating from one version of Blender to the next easier ==

Blender updates every couple of months, on the average. One way to make the updating process easier is to store any Blender add-ons you use that are not included in the ordinary Blender distribution in a convenient place on your computer. Among the things to store in this folder are the latest version of the Trainz mesh exporter, and the Trainz mesh importer. This makes it easy to make the new version have all of the material of the old one, as it is simply necessary to copy the contents of the update folder into the appropriate locations of the Blender installation.

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