GRFMaker User Guide

Part 1: Creating a train and carriage

By James Vassie
Welcome all, to the first part of my user guide for GRFMaker. In this
tutorial I will show you with screenshots, how to successfully get a train and
passenger coach up and running in TTDatch.
Firstly, in order to do this, you need se!eral things"
# copy of GRFMaker, ask $%appy in the TT&Forums.
# set of sprites
#n image editing program 'not re(uired )ut useful*
Right, once you ha!e all those things, its time to get started+
First $tep" ,pening and setting up GRFMaker"
,nce you-!e installed GRFMaker on your computer, )rowse to the
application in My .omputer and dou)le click on it to run it. If this is your
first time and it pro)a)ly is, then you will need to fill in the )o/es with your
preferences.
.hange the setting so that they point to where TTDatch is installed and to
another directory for the 0F, files, I would make a folder in your
GRFMaker folder called 10F, files- and choose that folder for 10F,
Directory-. Then input your name and whether you use D,$ or Windows.
The rest you can lea!e the same.
Normally, you dont need to check and set the NFO directory its for advanced users. It
outputs the NFO+B! files in the directory specified, to "e encoded #ith $rfcodec %this
is done upon encodin$&. It #as intended for users #ho #ant to manually edit their NFOs,
or manually encode them #ith $rfcodec %so its for "ack#ards compati"ility #ith
$rfcodec&. 'lso "e a#are, that it over#rites any same named nfo file there, #ithout
#arnin$ you.
#fter you-!e done this, you should ha!e something that looks like this"
To start off with, dou)le click on the first line in the main window, starting
GRF !23 456"7#"22"228. 0e/t up will )e a popup )o/ looking like this"
First thing is the 19ersion num)er-: I-ll assume you ha!e the latest #lpha
from www.ttdpatch.net;src so type 6. Right, where it says 1First GRF&ID-,
type in a random num)er less than 322, in this case <=, in the 1$econd GRF&
ID- input another one, 35 and then click on > )utton to the right of
1Description-. In here type whate!er you want, although limit it to a)out 5
words. In the > ne/t to 1.opyright-, you can input a longer description plus
any copyright you might want to add.
(he $rfI)s first and second "yte is not a random num"er, its your initials* (hats #hat
those +et "uttons do, they set the first , "ytes to your initials, and thats #hy you set
your name in the confi$ screen. (his ensures that the -.FI) is uni/ue %as lon$ as no
one else uses your initials&.
?ou should ha!e something that looks like this"
.ool, we are finished with the set info, now were going to add some train
stuff+
.lick on the capital )lue 1#- on the tool)ar, highlighted )elow"
?ou will get a popup )o/ like the one )elow"
Right, change the 1Road 9ehicle- to 1Train-. The language you can lea!e as
is. In ID lea!e it as 22 as well. In name you can input anything you want for
e/ample assenger @oco. It should like the one )elow, and then click on
,A"
0ou dont need this step, as youre also settin$ the vehicles name in the vehicle data
"lock, in the ne1t step. (hat does e1actly the same, so this is redundant. (his "lock is
needed, if you #ant to set different names for the different lan$ua$es. Other#ise, its
easier to 2ust use the "uilt3in function in the vehicle data "lock. +o either dont use this
"lock for a sin$le vehicle definition, or dont set the name field in the ne1t step.
Right, now on the main screen, click on the train sym)ol with < lines
underneath it, highlighted )elow"
?ou-ll get a popup like )elow, after clicking ,A with 1Bngine- highlighted
and then dou)le clicking on the row 'ID22* in the main screen."
lease carefully change the a)o!e details until you get it looking like )elow"
#ll doneC Good+ Right, now we ha!e finished filling in the details of the
loco, click on ,A and we are )ack on the main screen, it should now look
like )elow, if it doesn-t, then you need to go )ack o!er the a)o!e and make
sure you ha!e done e!erything right+
0e/t step is to add the graphics. To do this, !isit the thread a)out GRFMaker
on TT&Forums" http";;www.tt&forums.net;!iewtopic.phpCtD3236E and go to
page E where you will find some graphics made )y me which you can use
for this tutorial+ Ideally you-ll ha!e a program which can handle .0G
and .FM files. I suggest using Microsoft aint for this, supplied with most
computers. Right click on the picture and sa!e it to your GRFMaker
directory under the 1proGects- folder. 0ow, open the picture in aint, don-t
worry, there is no need to edit it at all, click $a!e #s under the file menu, in
the filename part, type grfpassengerloco and under type, choose H7&)it
)itmap. .ool, now )ack in GRFMaker, click on the sprite editor, shown
)elow>
?ou-ll get a window that looks like this"
.lick on 1File- then 1Import true&colour )itmap. 0ow, choose the )itmap
that we sa!ed earlier in the 1proGects- folder. .lick ,A on the popup. 0ow
we ha!e our graphics> .lick on 1File- then 1$a!e #s-, choose the proGects
folder again and keep the type the same, you may want to change the name
to passengerloco or something like that.
0e/t up is to choose our graphics> .lick on the little train sym)ol with the
white )o/es )elow it, picture )elow"
?ou-ll get a popup )o/ that looks like the one )elow"
Right, here we go. Aeep the 1Type- as Train 'engine;wagon* )ecause we are
making a locomoti!e. In 1Fitmap file name- e/pand it and select the one
called passengerloco. 0e/t up is 1alette type- ill assume your using
Windows if not change it to D,$. Method H in the 1$prite search mode- can
)e left as is. 1Graphic ID- is important )ecause if we change this later on
then other parts won-t work correctly unless you change them as well+ We
will keep this as 23, the 2 is important so keep it there+ #nd we want to keep
the Irel;?rel the same so keep it on 1?es-. .lick on ok.
0ow we ha!e a screen looking like so"
This is where we select the sprites we want to use, so, using your middle
mouse )utton 'MMF* click on one of the = !iews in the )o/ near the top. It
will change so that the = !iews are surrounded with a red )o/.
0ou can also select individual sprites #ith the ri$ht mouse "utton %.B& if you dont
have 43"uttoned mouse. 'lso there have "een pro"lems #ith the reco$nition of the 4
rd

"utton %may"e a )elphi "u$5&
0e/t step is to click on 1I?rel- on the tool)ar at the top and then choose
1$et default !alues-, this will setup the loco so it-s near enough to the track
to look accepta)le, we can change these !alues at a later time. ?ou will see
the num)ers )elow the picture change from &3-s into other num)ers. ,n the
mid&right we ha!e some options to set> We can lea!e the first lot up until
the greyed out 1#ction H- check)o/, click in the check)o/ to un&grey it, and
then select 1#utomatic- from the two types. lease click on ,A at the
)ottom to continue.
Be a#are, that the default values arent al#ays ri$ht, so pinpoint positionin$ is availa"le,
"y usin$ the arro#ed "uttons. 0ou #ill have to see your $raphics in $ame to determine
the needed displacement thou$h.
0ow we need to select the depot sprites the loco will use. $o now click on
the little train icon with the )lue )o/es )eneath it. $hown )elow"
# similar popup to the one )efore will appear> .hoose the same file from
the drop&down list and then type in 33 as the 1Graphic ID-. I normally use
the normal 1sprite ID- plus 32 as the 1depot ID-. .lick ,A. Dou)le click on
the line in the main window and select the sprite shown )elow"
Right, we are making good progress here+ .lick ,k to proceed.
?our main screen should now look like this"
If it doesn-t, you know what to do, go )ack o!er and make sure e!erything is
as says in the guide+
'$ain, this step mi$ht "e redundant. First, you dont really need this "lock, since you can
simply use vehiclelist sprite check"o1, in the previous step to tell #hich sprite to use
%from the selection&, and $ive it an I).
+econdly, since youre usin$ the normal en$ine sprite for the depot sprite, this step isnt
needed at all, since the patch automatically uses the 6
th
sprite as the depot sprite. (his
"lock is for custom depot sprite definition.
+ince this is an e1ample, its $ood to tell #hat this "lock is used for, "ut in this particular
case, its not needed.
@ast part for the passenger loco> .lick on the little train icon with the
yellow arrow )eneath it, shown )elow, this will link the ID we ga!e the
!ehicle and its stats with the in&game and depot sprites.
.lick ok on the popup: we don-t need to change it )ecause we are creating
an Bngine as shown. Dou)le click on the line on the main screen and you-ll
see the following popup"
Don-t worry, this may seem complicated )ut we aren-t doing much apart
from changing a few tiny little num)ers. Barlier if you remem)er, we ga!e
this loco the ID 22, as already highlighted a)o!e. We don-t need to change
this. 0e/t we ha!e the 1Default graphic ID- which is the num)er we ga!e to
the in&game sprites, 23, so type 23 in here. #lmost done here, in the first
section entitled 1Graphic IDs depending on cargo type- on the far right at the
)ottom you will see a greyed out )o/ called 19ehicle list-, click on it to un&
grey it. Then type 33 in the )o/, this is )ecause this is the num)er we ga!e
the depot sprites earlier> ?ou #@W#?$ need to set this so don-t forget+
0ow you can click on ,A. Right, last check )efore we mo!e on to the
passenger coach, make sure it looks like )elow, and then we-ll test it out+
When it does, we need to sa!e it so, click on 1File- then 1$a!e #s-, type
1e/ample- in the name )o/ and sa!e it in your proGects folder as normal.
0ow we need to make the actual .grf that can )e used in TTDatch. .lick on
the )lue GRF icon if you-re a windows user or the )lue GRF icon with D,$
underneath if you-re a D,$ user.
?ou-ll see some )lack )ars flying across a popup which will then disappear
when it-s finished. Right now you can do one of two things here"
?ou can click on the red GRF icon with a red line underneath to test
the GRF on its own without other graphics.
,r you can )rowse to your TTDatch directory and edit the
newgrf.cfg file in a te/t editor such as notepad, and the following to
the )ottom without the apostrophe-s"
1newgrf;e/ample.grf-
also, there is a ne#$rf.cf$ editor "uilt3in %top ro# 7
th
"utton, the one #ith the folder
icon #ith -.F #ritten under it&
$a!e the .cfg file and start up TTDatch and you should ha!e your in&
game graphics+
Thanks for looking at this user guide and hopefully you can )rowse my
ne/t user guide which will talk a)out Wagons and li!ery o!errides.
James 9assie K H225