Help required to understand distance and polys!

My ignorance continues to rule my MSTS work! Having sorted the file "silly" error, I have come across something that severely perplexes me!
I have been testing my Class 126 repaints in MSTS and whilst units face the correct way and diesel exhaust is in the right location, the actual units are "incomplete". By this I mean that two of the 3 car set don't show their interior nor their corridor connection. They do not require any "FreightAnim".
However when viewed in Shape Viewer everything is correct, but I can recreate the "incomplete" MSTS Views, depending on which distance/polys combination is clicked.
In Shape Viewer the DMBSL combination is referenced as 1500m and 4048 polys and is as shown in MSTS. The TCK has 3 sets of distance /polys combinations namely 200/10414, 600/2684 and 1200/588 - the MSTS view with missing interior, etc. is 600/2684. The DMSLr has 3 sets of distance /polys combinations namely 400/10948, 600/2580 and 1200/562 - the MSTS view with missing interior, etc. is 600/2580.
The other significant fact may be that the DMBSL is a modified Class 101 DMBS whilst the other two are modified Class 124 units combined into one trainset, and are as created by Jon Bilton.
I would appreciate any help and/or advice?
Many thanks, Alec

Have you looked at the coaches in the sim?

At 600m the interiors should be almost invisible.
My LMS brake vans loose their interiors at 300m and it's not noticeably.

You can change the LOD distance in Shape File Manager if they are too close.

A way to test the LODs is to find a location on a route with a signal at the end of a long straight.
Make a consist with the test vehicle leading and a loco and make a path starting just before the signal.
Run in explore mode and uncouple the test vehicle.
Then reverse the loco away.

The Track Monitor will show the distance you are from the signal and thus the LOD distance.

Ian
In my case the coach interiors for the TCK and DMSLr are invisible at close range! I am therefore wondering whether it's a graphics card issue. Mine is part of the motherboard and doesn't show MSTS scenery always correctly!
I will check the original models for their appearance, and if they replicate the "problem" the this would suggest that it is the graphics card.
Alec

PS Sorry for late response but after a long day at work (11 hours) I did't even switch the home computer on yesterday evening.

I have "played about" with LODs but to no avail, and I am therefore of the opinion that it is my lack of stand alone graphics card.
Alec

Hi Alec,

It sounds more likely that this is the problem with TSM models where you have to do a "fix" from within TSM so that you can see other objects through the windows. Do the originals work? If not then the only way to sort them out is from TSM with the original model (and it isn't difficult).

Alpha channels can also make interiors appear differently, the 20s I have done the rear wall off the cab and interior doesn't show correctly

It sounds like the same problem. My experience of it is that the crew on a steam loco does not appear when looking through the cab windows unless you set things up to fix it within TSM.

I have never used Polymaster, but I believe fixing the transparency problem of things not showing through them is one of its functions. 

I have used Polymaster and I did once have an impression that this was the case but I'm fairly sure now that it isn't. The Polymaster manual (or was it a tutorial on S4ME?) does go through the method for removing the problems with not being able to see objects through windows.

Good morning everyone
OK firstly let me clarify the situation. The "models" I referred to in the help request were not built by me, but only repainted. The interior of the DMBSL probably showed up because it was a FreightAnim. The rear two units were based on Class 124 units amended by Jon Bilton.
His original sets also display the same problem or should I say don't display.
I then looked at the original Class 124 models and lo and behold no interior was visible, and it is therefore obvious to me at least that the graphics capability as part of the motherboard is not suitable for MSTS!  
(However to complicate the matter the Class 118 models built by Refman and repainted by me do show?????? Other stock also shows????)
A lot of my repaints, etc. were carried out with the old and now "dead" laptop, and a dearth of money led me to opt for a "cheap" desktop and hence no stand alone graphics card. It looks like I need to reconsider the make-up of my hardware.
Alec

Alec,

If some DMUs work correctly and some don't then logically it can't be anything to do with your on-board graphics card! If your graphics card didn't like MSTS then it probably wouldn't show any meaningful display at all.

Some of the Thames Trent steam locos display the problem in that the crew that I added can't be seen through the cab windows.
The problem is essentially a bug in TSM that requires a slightly obtuse work-around from within the program.

OK with the help of Ged I have found the solution to this problem - see this post

https://tsforum.forumotion.net/t6p100-rufuskins-workload#4207

Alec