Textures (Working with Patterns) Patterns offer all the benefits of working with templates but with the added bonus of being able to use textures from more than one track. You can open the patterns dialog box by using one of the following methods:
At any time, select View/Patterns from the Traxx main menu. | In texture edit mode right click anywhere in the terrain and select Display Patterns Box from the pop up menu
Following either of these procedures will bring up the patterns box.
Notice that Traxx installs with Voodoo Island patterns already loaded. Also note, however, that you must extract the models and art for Voodoo Island before you can use these patterns.
The Patterns Toolbar
It is important that you understand that even though the icons on the patterns toolbar resemble standard windows File, Cut, Copy and Paste features, these Traxx pattern tools do NOT interact with the windows clipboard. In fact, in a loose sort of way, the patterns box can be thought of as the "Traxx clipboard." It is here that you can store sections of textures that you've copied from a track, and, again, it is from here that you can paste those stored patterns back into your track. Adding Patterns to the Patterns Box The first step to adding a pattern to the patterns box is exactly the same as if you were preparing to use a template. That is, in texture mode adjust the values in the paint mode box to 5x5, for example. The maximum size is 16x16. Then fit the magenta box around the area you want to create a pattern for, right click and select "copy area" from the pop up menu.
Now, instead of going to somewhere in the terrain to paste the area for your track, click the paste button on the patterns toolbar. You will be prompted to give the new pattern a name.
Type in a descriptive name and click OK. Your pattern will appear at the bottom of the list. Notice, the name you give it appears just below the patterns toolbar.
And the size of the pattern (measured by grid squares) appears in the bottom left hand corner of the patterns box.
Repeat this procedure for as many patterns as you would like to make.
Traxx stores patterns on the hard drive, not in memory. These patterns will be stored permanently, or until you decide to delete them.
Pasting Patterns into the Terrain Assuming, that you have all the patterns you want to use loaded into the Traxx patterns box, you are now ready to begin building your track with the help of patterns. The first thing you need to do is use the scroll bar to bring the pattern you want to use into the main viewing area of the patterns box. For example:
Now, use the copy button to copy the pattern for pasting into your track. Notice that the paint mode height and width values automatically adujst to the size of the pattern to be pasted. Next, goto the location in the terrain where you want to build your track. Place the magenta square where you want the pattern to appear, right click and select "paste area" from the pop up menu.
If the textures are not already loaded into Traxx, you will be prompted to load them.
Selecting 'yes" loads the required textures and pastes the pattern into the terrain. You're done.
Note: you may skip this prompt by placing a check mark beside "Always load textures" in the bottom right hand corner of the patterns box.
You may repeat this procedure for your entire track. Yes, it is amazingly similar to building a track using templates but has these few advantages. You may copy areas of the terrain from View Pod file mode and paste them into the patterns box. You do not have to continually move back and forth between the template area and the track area while constructing your track (F2 & F3 become unnecessary). And, you may use patterns from more than one track at a time (provided you have extracted the models and art for each track). Patterns Tip Sir James has been busy working to make our track making tasks even easier. Traxx patterns are stored in files appended with the TXP file extension, and Sir James has made a patterns file for many of the stock MTM2 tracks. They are available in zipped format and are here described by him:
"Traxx .TXP Files" While setting the textures and grip depth to the templates, I made a matching Traxx .txp file for each track. This handy feature of Traxx lets you save popular patterns and bring them up in a patterns window. For ease of use and best results use both the .txp and matching template file. Click to DOWNLOAD (290k) txp files.
To use these pattern TXPs, unzip to the Traxx folder. Then, in the patterns box, select the open file button to open a standard windows dialog box.
Choose the txp file that corresponds to the track for which you have extracted the models and art. Now, instead of the default Voodoo Island patterns created by Guitar Bill, you will see the new patterns created by Sir James for the track you want to use. Should you ever want to make a track using Voodoo Island textures, simply click the open file button and re-select the default "patterns.txp" file.
<< Templates << | >> Custom >>