*****GP4 Track editing - The new thread*****

I still don't understand why you should import objects one by one (I speak about objects created from the .dat like verges, bansk, tarmac and so on...)
You open a .dat, click on "convert to .3ds"
open ZM, import the .3ds, export to .gp4
open your .gp4 track and import the .gp4 saved in ZM:
all the objects have been imported at once.
You can even create a new scene just before importing to be sure to have them all in a single scene...

only the export object is limited to the single selected object in 3DEditor but nothing prevent you from exporting the whole track to a .wrl file, then to open it in 3DSMax (save it quickly to .max format quit and reload to have a stable file).
you will be able later to export your work to .3ds then to import it back from 3DEditor (for a single object) or from ZM convert to .gp4 again then to 3DEditor.
It's working. I even know someone using Lightwave to create car objects...

@Shutt1e: Nothing new about unks. I imported objects and it worked from every cameras like a charm (but I maybe had luck).
Anyway, only tarmac objects are sliced, banks, verges and so on are still single parts.
Another thing is you don't have to deal with texture mapping for all the tarma slices as .bin tarmac is applied automatically

wtf lo2k, how the hell did i mis this somewhere? i always thought i had to make every object into a seperate gp4/3ds file and reimport them all one by one. I just did what you said, and works perfect, this saves me a 30mins of screwing around.

I'll go sit in a dark corner in my room :X

Yep, I saw you were importing objects one by one (and thus deleting all but one object in ZM) in your tutorial since some days but I thought you had some reason to do this way I maybe missed...
well, hopefully, it works better than you thought

hm, this makes 60 minutes to create a track into 45 minutes :P And yes, i did write this in my tutorial, seems time for a new version, hope i can find the time this week.
Btw, is the slicing definatly the solution for the bins? as Shuttle says he aslo needed diferent values for the bins? or did you experience no problems at all?
One other thing, i sometimes (50% of the time) have the loading window not disappearing after a gp4 file is loaded into 3deditor.

.bin :I only made one test with slices and on a very little track, so it needs more tries to be 100% sure.

progress window: You too ? progress bar and some part of the gui are sometimes becoming black, as it if was freezed but only refresh is freezed and importation continue in the back. Once importation is done, progress bar window should disappear (And it never stayed open for me...).

Other idea is that maybe the image of the window is copied on the 3d display viewport. But in that case, moving the view woudl refresh the view and erase this remanent "ghost".

Last idea: I do believe this window has a close button in top right...is it effective ?

well that becoming black happens to the "rotate" button, this has been allready several version actually, but it's not that big of a problem to me.
The loading window is not a ghosst, i can move my view, it stays where it is, i can also move and resize it, but i cant close it using the X.

hmm, very weird...I will check if I can do something to fix it.

I got a problem with the cc line. I'm at the last corner before S/F and i have to make a hard right turn (radius between 5000 & 6000 but gp4 alsways crash when i hit the drive button. When I make the same turn with a radius of 10000 or more everything loads fine. I tried all kinds of turns.
Any suggestions?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/2005 01:57PM by Zjokke.

They forgive me my ignorance, but it is that I want to start to bring up to date the tracks, but as I am Brazilian and I do not understand well the English very I am with some difficulties. I tried I followed the tutorial one, but nothing. To start, which archives (dat or gp4 inside of the archive wad) I must move to modify the cc of the cars? Which the archive I must move so that the track (asphalt) has the direction that I want? Therefore I am wanting to make the track of Estoril. They can help me? Grateful.

@Zjokke: Are you using the tweak value ? I mean : is the cc-cars driving exactly the same line as the one you can see in 3DEditor with the tweak value ?
If not, you should use the tweak value to really see in 3DEditor what's the cc-line is...I would not be astounding to hear cc-line is far from track tarmac...

@Cleberpister: Hmm...You need to edit the .dat file to change cc-line of the cars.
If you want to change track asphalt direction/layout, you have to edit track sectors in the .dat too. Good luck

Lo2k Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> @Zjokke: Are you using the tweak value ? I mean :
> is the cc-cars driving exactly the same line as
> the one you can see in 3DEditor with the tweak
> value ?
> If not, you should use the tweak value to really
> see in 3DEditor what's the cc-line is...I would
> not be astounding to hear cc-line is far from
> track tarmac...

tweak value? - You 've lost me here - i need to read the manual again for that.

The cars could do a full lap in one of my earlier dats (last turn they behaved weird cos the cc line isn't finished). However the cars seem to follow the ccline good i think - i havent made a .gp4 file yet, i only made a .dat file

Can i send my .dat to you? you have more knowledge about this so you can maybe find errors/sollutions.

@ziokke, you don't need the .gp4, only the bin,the col and the dat to test the track.
maybe you can't see large portion of tarmac surface
anyway you can quick make an export of the dat to 3ds, then opening the 3ds with zmodeler you can save the tarmac as .gp4,which can be inserted in the .gp4 track file.
making tracks isn't simple or quick, you have to try with some gfx in the game to see if the cars follow your cc-line. personally i left the cc-line as last thing, you can see the track driving yourself in quick lap mode.

shutt1e Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> @ziokke, you don't need the .gp4, only the bin,the
> col and the dat to test the track.
> maybe you can't see large portion of tarmac
> surface
> anyway you can quick make an export of the dat to
> 3ds, then opening the 3ds with zmodeler you can
> save the tarmac as .gp4,which can be inserted in
> the .gp4 track file.
> making tracks isn't simple or quick, you have to
> try with some gfx in the game to see if the cars
> follow your cc-line. personally i left the cc-line
> as last thing, you can see the track driving
> yourself in quick lap mode.
>
ok thanks for the info !!
I'll give that one a try

If you have a doubt about your cc-line, you can send me your .dat and I will see what's happening.

Lo2k Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you have a doubt about your cc-line, you can
> send me your .dat and I will see what's happening.
>
>

You got mail :p

Got it.

OK, first new 3DEditor 14.7 is out (check this link).

@Zjokke:
Here is what cc-line should be in game (and what it looks with a quickly approximated value of 4 for initial ccline tweak value)

As you can see of the pic, the hard edge in the last 5500 cc-line you never get working is far from a fine thing.
In fact,you had luck so far because cc-line only start to diverge from the curve before the long straight. So it will be quick to fix.

Another thing : check the track flag list (in Infos menus), pitlane miss a F1 command and there should be only one Corrects Pit Lina command, as in other tracks.

Else, the track is fine







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/2005 09:29PM by Lo2k.

back to track editing

still plenty to do, run-off areas, elevations, banking... not to mention graphical part

---

I'm against sigpics

Red_Bull Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> omg, adelaide....
>
> best of luck with that mate! i'd looove to see
> that one
>
> not sure about that corner which leads into the
> victoria racecourse tho. think its a bit tighter
> from memory.
>
>
> great work so far, keep it up.


Great work Zjokke.
In addition to the above comment, from my memory that section is quite different, having been walking around the complete track in 1998.
I just had a session with Google Earth. I think it can help you to improve the track. It shows that the above comment is correct, it is quite different from the outline you made.

Keep up the good work, it's going great.

Mayby Google earth is a great tool for other trackmakers too. Just found Imola too.... indianapolis, montreal. Just in seconds. Too bad that it just shows pictures, heights would be a big bonus.

Anyway, I just want to thank everybody for all the great progress in trackediting. I do not have a clue about editing but I hang around a lot and have great respect for all of you who bring racing at up-to-date and older circuits closer at home.

Mark

marky Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Red_Bull Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > omg, adelaide....
> >
> > best of luck with that mate! i'd looove to
> see
> > that one
> >
> > not sure about that corner which leads into
> the
> > victoria racecourse tho. think its a bit
> tighter
> > from memory.
> >
> >
> > great work so far, keep it up.
>
>
> Great work Zjokke.
> In addition to the above comment, from my memory
> that section is quite different, having been
> walking around the complete track in 1998.
> I just had a session with Google Earth. I think it
> can help you to improve the track. It shows that
> the above comment is correct, it is quite
> different from the outline you made.
>
> Keep up the good work, it's going great.
>
> Mayby Google earth is a great tool for other
> trackmakers too. Just found Imola too....
> indianapolis, montreal. Just in seconds. Too bad
> that it just shows pictures, heights would be a
> big bonus.
>
> Anyway, I just want to thank everybody for all the
> great progress in trackediting. I do not have a
> clue about editing but I hang around a lot and
> have great respect for all of you who bring racing
> at up-to-date and older circuits closer at home.
>
> Mark


Thanks for the info!
I just tried googleearth, but it seems my pc is to slow to run it (P3-600) So I can't use it.

I used a low quality map (prob. very inaccurate), GP2, some video's and pics to moddel the track. Heights were based on the GP2 track. Most of the data i used was from the 94/95 season so maybe they changed parts of the circuit after 95

If you guys have more info, video's, pics, then I will rebuilt the circuit so it is more accurate. Remember i want to make the circuit the way it was until 95. (I dont know if there are any changes after 95)

@ lo2k : thanks for the comments! I changed the ccline with the tweak value (4), but that last corner still cannot be made. Is it possible that some corners are impossible to model (with the current ccline knowledge)?

@ maverick : lo2k says I have to add an F1 pits command. perhaps you should add that one to your tutorial (which is great allready!!!).
Perhaps you can addg more info about the tweakvalue in your tutorial?

I don't think the last corner can't be amde, it should just be something with the tweak value which is surely not accurate enough.

If I remind well, you have some infos on the tweak value and how creating the cc-line in the .dat section of 3DEditor in the introduction part about cc-lines.