openBVE/7Z

[Mintona]

This is quite a broad question which I'm sure has been asked before.

But what exactly is openBVE? How does it improve on BVE4?

And also, what the hell are 7Z files? I've never encountered them before, and my computer doesn't recognise them so I'm unable to extract the routes (I was following the guide on railsimroutes exactly). Anyone help?

I've just got a new computer so I'm starting from scratch with BVE on it. I've just spent ages installing all the trains for BVE4 again. Would there be any advantages to doing openBVE as well, if I can get the 7Z thingies to work?

Cheers.

EDIT: Now I can't get BVE4 to work either. Stupid thing. It opens (after a bit of a fashion) but just get a box saying various things failed to load, and then a white screen. So I've deleted absolutely everything off the computer again. Can someone please give me an idiot-proof step by step instruction of how to do all this, either with BVE4 or openBVE. I'll owe you so much. Thanks.

 

[MCR247]

OpenBVE comes with exterior views and animated objects, making BVE a bit similar to MSTS. if I'm honest right now, external views on openBVE are not brilliant at the moment, but it is like with MSTS; if you look at original models and compare them to current ones, there is a big difference. So bear with oBVE as more people will master it.

7z is a way of uncompressing .zip files. The .zip files aren't used because .7z is compatible for other PCs, like linux and mac. I THINK. google .7z and it is a program that unzips it I think

 

[generalvegitable]

7z is a way of uncompressing .zip files. The .zip files aren't used because .7z is compatible for other PCs, like linux and mac. I THINK. google .7z and it is a program that unzips it I think

.zip is compatible on all platforms aswell, I believe 7z is used because it has a higher compression ratio than a zip

 

[MCR247]

Ok then, didn't know that

Mintona: Just follow everything here http://openbve.trainsimcentral.co.uk/use/download_windows.html and it should be quite easy

 

[hkmtrhah]

But what exactly is openBVE? How does it improve on BVE4?

All the CSVs, RWs, B3Ds are just files which contains data of objects, or the scene of the route. To process and represent them as information, you have to use parsers. BVE & openBVE are parsers of these data files. Since the files are written in an order, the openBVE developer(s) just have to write some methods to parse them, and represent as what it looks like in BVE2/4.
Improve? Some new functions, effects, rendering method, etc. It's quite difficult to explain it to you specifically.

And also, what the hell are 7Z files? I've never encountered them before, and my computer doesn't recognise them so I'm unable to extract the routes (I was following the guide on railsimroutes exactly). Anyone help?

7z, or "7-zip" is technology to compress files. Michelle suggests developer to use 7z is because it does support Unicode file names.
Some Windows softwares like WinRAR, 7-Zip can extract the *.7z files.

Now I can't get BVE4 to work either. Stupid thing. It opens (after a bit of a fashion) but just get a box saying various things failed to load, and then a white screen. So I've deleted absolutely everything off the computer again. Can someone please give me an idiot-proof step by step instruction of how to do all this, either with BVE4 or openBVE. I'll owe you so much. Thanks.

Have you installed .net Framework 1.1(for BVE4) and 2.0(for openBVE) properly?
(Not 3.0, 4.0 or any other versions else. If an application is compiled by specified version of .net compiler, it can only use the specified version of assemblies.)

 

[fgwrich]

OpenBVE comes with exterior views and animated objects, making BVE a bit similar to MSTS. if I'm honest right now, external views on openBVE are not brilliant at the moment, but it is like with MSTS; if you look at original models and compare them to current ones, there is a big difference. So bear with oBVE as more people will master it.

Ehmmm?

https://sites.google.com/a/bve4trains.com/bve-4-trains/Home

http://www.bvelibrary.bve-terminus.org/index.htm

Id hardly say any of that lot isnt brilliant at the moment - like MSTS...

:roll:

 

[MCR247]

Sorry, I didn't mean to cause offence. There is nothing wrong with them or anything, but I was saying, that like MSTS, the models do get better as time goes on

 

[Wim G.P.R]

I must try harder!

 

[mbonwick]

I don't think he meant that your work was flawed Steve, more that there are limitations with the rendering engine.

The lack of shadows currently spring to mind.