AUS_Doug's WIP thread. (F1 Graphics Swapper 1.0 released)

Hi all,

This will, as the title suggests, be a place where I'll be linking a bunch of stuff on it's completion and posting WIP updates on various 'things'.

Current WIP List (1st April 2015):

- A Go-kart car shape.
- Lower LODs for some cars that don't have any.
- A 2001 CSM mod, made with all the Vanilla assets.
- GP4 Renamer Redux (Beta 1.0 - 1st April '15)
- Some.....alternative......helmet shapes.

Completed List (6th April 2015):

- F1 Graphics Swapper 1.0

Go-Kart car shape:

Credit for this model goes to a bloke by the name of Emmanuel Emissive, and I'm in the process of cutting it up and making additions to make it suitable for GP4.
(I'll also have to redo the texture to give it a more 'racey' feel, and make some alterations to the size of the game's wheels.)

Early Render, with the model cut up into pieces appropriate for the game and some poly-count reduction done.
(It's a fairly big render, so here's a link.)

Lower LODs:

Started on these when my poor computer got sad when I tried to play the 2007 Mod.

I'm currently focusing on the BMW and Williams (Paolo Capriosa & Mitsuro Sano, SkaningeN) of which I have done all the LODs of the first BMWs 'default' shape.

This project is very much an 'It's easy, but tedious' thing; I can do it quickly in 3D Browser + Polygon Cruncher, but I prefer doing it in 3DS Max mainly for the familiarity, but also because, I feel, it gives a nicer result.

But getting cars into 3DS Max is, at the moment, a bit of time consuming process for me.

2001 CSM Mod with Vanilla assets:

This started more as a way for me to better poke around with a 'barebones' CSM mod, just so that I could get a better feel for how all that stuff works.

I've lately been adding configurables for various GP4 Tweaker features and what-not, so it's almost looking like something now.

When I've worked a bit more on it, I'll upload it for people to download and play with, provided it doesn't breach the rule about uploading content copied or converted from the license holders.

At the very least, I find it handy to be able to do all the stuff allowed by CSM, but still using the nice low-poly models from the original game.

GP4 Renamer Redux

Version: Beta 1.0
(Not compatible with .gp4 files edited by the Alpha versions.)

What it does:
-----------------------------
- Uses a script for the free Hex Editor XVI32 to go through all .gp4 files in a
directory and rename the objects to a format compatible with .3ds

- Using another script, it can then process those files again so that object names are restored.

- At this point, it does the same job as Öggo's tool, except the names are much shorter,
all objects get done (his had issues with the mirrors if I recall), and it operates on multiple files at once.

What I plan on it being able to do:
-----------------------------
- Might add a GUI with pretty buttons or something.

Requirements:
-----------------------------
- XVI32 (A free Hex Editor - [www.chmaas.handshake.de])

Instructions:
------------------------------
1) Have the GP4 file(s) you wish to convert in the folder with the .bat and .xsc files.

2) Edit the .bat files (Right-click->Edit) so that 'c:\Users\Spangenberg\Documents\xvi32\xvi32.exe' is replaced with the path to your copy of XVI32.

3) Run (Double-click) the .bat file. ('To 3DS Names.bat' to get names compatible with the .3ds file format, 'To GP4 Names.bat' to restore names)

The script will then open (with XVI32), edit and close every .gp4 in the current directory.

Download: OneDrive

Full readme in the download.

F1 Graphics Swapper

Version: Release 1.0

What it does:
-----------------------------
- Allows the user to quickly and easily switch between different f1graphics.cfg files in
their GP4 directory.

Requirements:
-----------------------------
- .NET Framework 4

Instructions:
------------------------------
1) Have multiple f1graphics.cfg files in your GP4 directory. (Eg 'High.cfg', 'Normal.cfg' & 'Low.cfg'

2) Run 'F1 Graphics Swapper.exe' from anywhere on your PC (Being sure to have 'F1 Graphics Swapper.exe.config' in the same folder).

3) Find your GP4 Installation using the 'GP4 Location...' button.

4) Select the desired .cfg from the combo box.

5) Press 'Swap!'

Download: OneDrive

Full Readme in download.

---

F1 Graphics Swapper --- Lensdump - Renders and Screenshots --- GP4 Performance Generator



Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/2015 07:13AM by AUS_Doug.

Nice! All good ideas. For the lower lods, something I've wanted to do in the Central mods is reuse the original lod4 from the stock game (all 8kb of it) and map the textures roughly to that. I think that would effect a big reduction on the PO. You have any knowledge about mapping?

=====================================================


Intel NUC 8i3, 8GB RAM, MS Sidewinder Wheel

Yep I can do mapping.

I've got the most recent versions of your '12, '13 and '14 CSM mods; Do you just want me to use the textures from them?

---

F1 Graphics Swapper --- Lensdump - Renders and Screenshots --- GP4 Performance Generator

If you can just do one and show me how, that would be great!

=====================================================


Intel NUC 8i3, 8GB RAM, MS Sidewinder Wheel

I only know how to do it in 3DS Max, so that's probably of little use to you.

Just for the sake of experimenting, I just quickly through this one together, using the 'flip' and 'rotate' mapping options on each part in GP4 Builder until it looked half-way OK:



It ain't pretty, but it is most definitely recognisable as a Caterham.

Whether that will work for other cars, I don't know; Depends on how the texture is laid out I guess.

Out of curiosity, what modelling software do you use?

I could download it and work out how to do mapping in it and then show you?

---

F1 Graphics Swapper --- Lensdump - Renders and Screenshots --- GP4 Performance Generator

I just use GP4 Builder I don't know anything about 3D modelling at all. The only thing I've learnt how to do is create lower lods because I wanted them for the Central mods, but that doesn't really need any 3D knowledge.

I hadn't even thought to just throw some textures on to the lod4 shape and see what happens. It's not half bad! I'll do some experimenting... Thanks!

=====================================================


Intel NUC 8i3, 8GB RAM, MS Sidewinder Wheel

GP4 Renamer Redux Alpha 0.1 added to first post.

---

F1 Graphics Swapper --- Lensdump - Renders and Screenshots --- GP4 Performance Generator

Very cool, especially the 'does every file in the folder' part. That will help when making lower lods. Will test it soon. Thanks!

=====================================================


Intel NUC 8i3, 8GB RAM, MS Sidewinder Wheel

AUS_Doug Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I only know how to do it in 3DS Max, so that's
> probably of little use to you.
>
> Just for the sake of experimenting, I just quickly
> through this one together, using the 'flip' and
> 'rotate' mapping options on each part in GP4
> Builder until it looked half-way OK:
>
> [i.imgur.com]
>
> It ain't pretty, but it is most definitely
> recognisable as a Caterham.
>
> Whether that will work for other cars, I don't
> know; Depends on how the texture is laid out I
> guess.
>
> Out of curiosity, what modelling software do you
> use?
>
> I could download it and work out how to do mapping
> in it and then show you?

Box on wheels, pretty realistic if you ask me

---

GPGSL - Yakuza driver

GPGSL activity check app: Direct link - Source code - Have you posted?

miki2000milos Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Box on wheels, pretty realistic if you ask me

Funny thing is, they'd probably be ahead of McLaren if they were running this year!

---

GP4 Renamer Redux Beta 1.0 added to first post.

At this point, it does the same job as Öggo's tool, except the names are much shorter, all objects get done (his had issues with the mirrors if I recall), and it operates on multiple files at once.

If enough people need it, I'll look at doing up a GUI to select their XVI32 application.

---

F1 Graphics Swapper --- Lensdump - Renders and Screenshots --- GP4 Performance Generator

F1 Graphics Swapper 1.0 added to the first post.

I made this tool solely because I needed it.

I've got various versions of the f1graphics.cfg in my GP4 directory - One for when I'm playing with the vanilla cars, one for more demanding mods, one for screenshots/videos etc. - and was sick of manually renaming them when I wanted to swap.

This tool does the renaming for you.

---

F1 Graphics Swapper --- Lensdump - Renders and Screenshots --- GP4 Performance Generator