*****GP4 Track editing*****

@Knuschel: first because it would need bezier lines and that I don't know how to draw/edit them in Delphi/openGL and second because anyway, I already don't have exact formula used for cc-line in GP4 and even with better metjods to create the cc-line, it will anyway still be half to completely wrong in game.

@Ali: How did you do with GP3 ? cc-line display wasn't perfect in Track Editor either. You have to create an approximatice cc-line segment, test in game, fix it if needed and create another segment etc... That's still the way with GP4 up when I know the exact formula used and the 3ded ccline was exactly game's one.

I don't know where comes the offset as I tested many tracks and all .dat ever fit perfectly .gp4. I'm not sure but I remind each .dat as an origin point set in initial track sector so if you change one of the coordinate of this origin, it could be the matter.

Lo2k Wrote:
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I'm not sure but I remind each .dat as an origin
> point set in initial track sector so if you change
> one of the coordinate of this origin, it could be
> the matter.
>

yeah, I found that out yesterday :p

Lo2k:

Seems I don't explain myself. I have changed the layout- ok
I test the track in the game - Loads ok, but when the car arrives to "La Caixa" turn has to trace the new one, the problem is that graphically, I still see the old track, I don't have any clue where the car has to go once I am testing the track in the game. I have done many CC-lines, I know that is always change and try, but I cannot try nything if I don't see the new turn.

what do you mean by 'layout'?

the track is made of many things - cc line, track sectors, 3d model, colission, more?.

my guide to track editing:
open the dat in 3d editor. play with the cc-line and test until i'm happy. then i'd do track sectors, then colission, then 3d model.
the 3d model has no influence on where/how the cars drive, so its the 'least' important


____
Tony

you said in the past its heavy to make a cc-line because there are problems with the objectsradius... so there can be a problem..

if it is so: why can't you makje a track without any other objects than the tarmac and then make a cc-line
after that you make the other objects.....

so you hafve not so many things can be wrong and make probs

why can't you makje a track without any other objects than the tarmac and then make a cc-line

3d model of tarmac? or track sectors?
if you be specific and stick to the 'official' names life will be easier.

____
Tony

i mean: make a new track
make only the track himslef.. every other detail : let it be...

so (my english is a crap) only make the tracksectors and the cc-line
afterwards you will see that every problem won't happen because of problems with other objects

@Ali: yep, I understand now what you mean.
It's obvious you can't see the track as you havn't updated either .gp4 or .bin files as you updated the .dat file.
So edit one of them and you will see your new track layout.
I think I will release my latest beta version that can generate .bin files from .dat or .gp4 files.

Lo2k, If you'll do in soon (but no pressure, ok? , I think I will wait til then. I will not invest that amount of time doing this if it can be done more automatically althogh could require corrections afterwards.
cheers

I think I will release my latest beta version that can generate .bin files from .dat or .gp4 files.

What about the other way round? It would be great to be able to generate a .gp4 file from a .dat file!

That will also generate grey hair on Lo2k's head

Sorry to post something irrelevant.. but I am always following the progress you all make, so when I can get my lappie online I'll start when I have time

@Xero, yep, I could generate a .gp4 track from a .dat but then you would only have track tarmac, banks and rails and nothing else, every scenery, buildings, roadsigns will need to be add later one by one...I'm not sure you will save time this way.

@GUimengo: You're close to reality because I discovered that I lost many hairs during my brainstorms creating my tools all along the 2 years I made them
Hopefully I'm not completely shaved anyhow :P

Lo2k Wrote:
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> @Xero, yep, I could generate a .gp4 track from a
> .dat but then you would only have track tarmac,
> banks and rails and nothing else, every scenery,
> buildings, roadsigns will need to be add later one
> by one...I'm not sure you will save time this
> way.
>

I think that would be a great time saver actually - if we could export this generated .gp4 in zm or max then we could just add the other objects in as necessary. During my experiments I've made a new track layout in zm, and imported it into 3ded and painstakingly lined it up with the initial track sector, needless to say this took a lot of time - generating this would save more time than you might imagine, at least for new tracks. Track updates may be a different matter, I don't if it would be possible to 'update' the .gp4 from changes made to the dat (say with tony's 88 montreal, or barcelona 04).

yes it sounds good here too - it would make a nice base, even if its minor changes only

____
Tony

Lo2k Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> @Xero, yep, I could generate a .gp4 track from a
> .dat but then you would only have track tarmac,
> banks and rails and nothing else, every scenery,
> buildings, roadsigns will need to be add later one
> by one...I'm not sure you will save time this
> way.
>

I think this would be very useful for heavily modified circuits. It's easier to add things to an accurate track tarmac, banks and rails than it would be to modify an existing .gp4 to fit the new layout. (currently a very tedious process) Infact, I think this feature would encourage many people in getting into track editing.

Even for modifying current circuits it could come in handy. You could merge the newly generated layout with the old .gp4 and cut around it, filling in the gaps!

I think it would be very helpful, because without the tarmac in the *.gp4 file you don't know where i can place the other things, I would have to write down the information where (x,y,z) a part of the track is. And that has to be done for each track sector. So it's better when the tarmac is already generated.

But by the way I'm not the guy that can do graphic designs. I'm just a bit experienced by creating CC-Lines.

I had to rebuild the CC-Line in Brazil. The new line is already done until the end of the "S do Senna". So far it works. I did not create more, this means that the cars crash into the wall at the end of the opposite straight.

while we're thinking about generating stuff :p

would it be possible to generate a simple col file from the dat, laurent? by simple I mean just tarmac/grass, and then to manual edit in gravel traps etc?

Yep, only partial .col file could be generated from .dat because there's no behaviour flags in the dat so I could just auto-generate mesh and behaviours for tarmac (tarmac behaviour) and banks (grass behaviour).
Else .col file could be also generated from .gp4 (which also stores behaviours even if they are not used in that file directly) but that would mean you already updated .gp4 file to your new track layout...
So I think first proposition is better actually.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/02/2005 07:45PM by Lo2k.

all these auto generating things sound promising if they're possible, it'll mean that more amateur people will be albe to get to grips with track editing.

_______________________________________________________

Team Japan Owner - GPGNC

harjinator Wrote:
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> all these auto generating things sound promising
> if they're possible, it'll mean that more amateur
> people will be albe to get to grips with track
> editing.

it's not that as such which is the main benefit - it'll save so much time it'll stop people going insane.... and will also go some way to unifying the editing of the different levels of gp4 tracks.

hopefully laurent will be able to do something