Help with MakeAceWin

Can someone advise me how to use MakeAceWin?
I have been trying to create new, repainted
locos based on the advice from the FAQs, 11.7
and 11.8 here.
I've copied and renamed the various files, edited
the appropriate lines in the .eng file and altered
the .sd file to point to the name of the new .s file
(even tho the FAQs omit to mention that).
MakeAceWin says it has converted my .bmp and .tga files,
but when I try to restart any part of Train Simulator
with the new loco file in situ, it crashes with a send/don't
send error. As soon as I delete the new loco file, everything
runs fine, so either the files are corrupt, or I'm missing a step
somewhere. I'm at a loss to understand what I'm doing wrong.
I recoloured the .bmp and .tga files in Photoshop and made sure
I saved both as 32-bit files.Some assumptions:
1) I have to do two conversions in MakeAceWin, one for the .tga file
and one for the .bmp, right?
What checkboxes etc should I check or fill in when doing
the .tga conversion? The FAQs aren't much help there.2) Should I save the new .ace files into the same filenames
as the original .aces, or rename them to match the new loco name?

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RE: Help with MakeAceWin, yellowdog, Jun-03-03, 12:36 PM, (1) RE: Help with MakeAceWin, sooner, Jun-04-03, 00:59 AM, (2) RE: Help with MakeAceWin, garyn, Jun-04-03, 09:06 AM, (3) RE: Help with MakeAceWin, yellowdog, Jun-04-03, 11:00 PM, (4) RE: Help with MakeAceWin, sooner, Jun-05-03, 00:43 AM, (5) RE: Help with MakeAceWin, yellowdog, Jun-05-03, 06:17 PM, (6) RE: Help with MakeAceWin, sooner, Jun-05-03, 09:18 PM, (7) RE: Help with MakeAceWin, yellowdog, Jun-05-03, 11:15 PM, (8) RE: Help with MakeAceWin, sniper297, Jun-06-03, 00:15 AM, (9) RE: Help with MakeAceWin, sooner, Jun-06-03, 00:45 AM, (10) RE: Help with MakeAceWin, yellowdog, Jun-06-03, 12:05 PM, (11)

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Sounds like something went awry with the .s, .sd, or .eng files. Here's what I do to make a "new" loco.
1) Copy/paste the original to a new folder ("Copy of . . .")
2) Rename the new folder to reflect the name of the new loco.
3) Rename the .s, .sd, and .eng files to reflect the name of my new loco (the same name for each, except, of course, the extension).
4) Open the .sd file in Wordpad and point it to the new .s file
5) Open the .eng file in Wordpad and change the Wagon, Wagonshape, Engine, and Name files to reflect the name of the new loco (the first three are usually the exact same as the eng, sd, and s files while I usually am more specific in the Name section).
6) Create a consist with 2 of my "new" locos facing back to back
7) Use TGATool2 to send the decompress the ace files and send them and the alpha channels to my editor (PhotoShop).
8) Save the image map files in either TGA or BMP format as required.
9) Edit the image files and re-save.
10) Load the image file in TGATool2
11) Export to ace file (with alpha as required).
12) Fire up the sim and check out the results.
13) Redo steps 9 - 12 as required. Now for you questions, you have to do a conversion with MakeAceWin for as many image files as you have edited. TGA files are used for those image maps that have alpha channels while BMPs are used for those that don't. When you decompress an ACE file, you should save it as either a TGA or a BMP, not both. I haven't used MakeAceWin in a while, but I believe the image file goes in the top box and the file you want to export the image to goes into the bottom box. I can't remember what check boxes are there, so I'm no help. You'll want to make sure you have the most current versions of MakeAce and MakeAceWin, which were provided by Microsoft at the official MSTS website. You have two options about naming the saved ace file. You can simply keep the same name and overwrite the current ace file (which is easiest). If you're going to try to change the name of the ace file, you'll have to decompress the .s file and tell it to point to the newly named ace files (a process that is loosely similar to the way you edited the .sd file to point to the newly named .s file). Unfortunately, it's a lot harder to do with a .s file since it can't be edited in wordpad. You'll have to decompress it with FFEdit (which is confusing for me, so I won't go into it) or Shape File Manager. If you change the name of the ace files, open the .s file and change the name of the .ace files to match the names you gave your custom ones. This may be another cause of the problem you're having- -you renamed the .ace files without changing them in the .s and that's causing the crash. Anyway, I hope this was useful. Good luck with your skins!

---------Clayton---------

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LAST EDITED ON Jun-04-03 AT 01:13 AM (EDT)

Well, I'll sneak this query in on this string, because I feel I ought to know this, but I can't figure it out. I renamed a loco, for consistency, then renumbered and renamed the same loco - resulting in (let's say) locos ABC_SD402_1234 and ABC_SD402_5678. I edited the .s, .sd and .eng file names and the internal lines in the .sd and .eng file appropriately. But now with the two locos in a consist, I get the error messages "Can't add car ABC_SD402_1234(uid:2000000)to world" and "Can't add car ABC_SD402_5678(uid:2000001) to world." What the heck is wrong here? FWIW, the new names display in ConBuilder, as well as the AE; but in the AE the loco profiles do not show. And the check functions of RouteRiter and Route Control indicate no faulty files in either folder.

bud

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To Yellowdog: Thanks for the prompt advice.Okay, I've discovered the problem must be somewhere in the conversion to ACE files.
AE no longer crashes when I start it but my "new" locos still show up in the original skins. Trying to run any consist with them in MSTS does still cause a crash, but at least the program opens now.I have been repainting the BMP and TGA files for the BNSF Dash9 from the samples directory of MSTS, since I read somewhere that was what to do. Are you saying this won't work and I HAVE to decompress the existing ACE files?I don't have TGATool2, so it looks like I'll have to download it --
I assume it's in the file library?Gary Newton
Dunedin, New Zealand
garyn@xtra.co.nz

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TGATool2 is found here: http://fly.to/mwgfxI assumed you were decompressing the ace files of a loco to get your TGA and BMP files, but you don't need to decompress them if you're using the ones provided in the samples folder. Only decompress the ace files for locos you don't already have TGA and BMP files for. I don't know what's causing the problems you describe. Do you get any error messages? Sooner: I don't know what's causing your problems either. Have you tried to search the forum for that error message?

---------Clayton---------

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Thanks. I did review the forum posts on the uid error, and couldn't get a clue how a simple renumber, much less a simple rename, could possibly cause it. The most likely mistake would be something like failure to properly edit the .s line in the .sd file, but I've re-checked that and the other obvious possibilities a dozen times; plus a mis-labeled file or editing mistake would show up in a files check, I'd think.

bud

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Maybe your folder names are too long? Looks like you've got a pretty elaborate naming scheme and maybe some of them went over the limit (there is a limit, but I don't know what it is.)

---------Clayton---------

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That's a good suggestion, I noted that as a possible problem. But I'm only using 14 characters there, including livery abbreviation, model, and road number - pretty straightforward, and well below some in length. The 3DTrain Stuff cement hoppers run to 23, and the longest in my trainset is US_100T_ChessieCSX_COALCAR, which runs to 26!

bud

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Don't know what else to tell ya. Sorry.

---------Clayton---------

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" but my "new" locos still show up in the original skins. "Tipoff there, you probably have the old and new ace files together, the shape file is still looking for the old ace file name. Try opening the .s file in wordpad, if it's gobbledygook close it again. If you don't already have it, download and install Route Riter from the file library, and use the MSTS file utilities to select that .s file and "decompress S".Now open in wordpad, do an edit, find, "ace", and replace those ace file names with your new ones. At this point it's best to save the .s file with a new name, then edit the line in the .eng or .wag file so it matches the .s file name, pluse edit and rename the .sd file to match.After testing that it works, use Route Riter to recompress the .s file.

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But if you have the new loco in a separate folder there's no need to change the names of the .ace files in the first place, right?

bud

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Correct. Renaming the ace files and then changing the .s file as Sniper suggests are "personal preference techniques." Sometimes this is a useful practice, but it isn't necessary and it doesn't sound like NOT doing it is your problem in this case (intentional double-negative there).

---------Clayton---------

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