GP4 Track Editing - new new thread

klausfeldmann Wrote:
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> Hey,
> I really would like to know how to convert TOCA
> RD3-tracks to .GP4. Tried 3DsimED 2.6 so far, but
> it doesn't work . I'm sure there has been a
> toturial for that - I think by JimBob - but it's
> not online anymore. Can someone help me, please.
> Thanks a lot.


The ghost of jimbob vistis here from time to time
here is the trd guide....it was written for 3d editor & not gp4 builder but the basics are the same really....
if you get stuck & need pointers send a pm or post here.......


[www.mediafire.com]

I think i later did a different method with other game files but it may work with trd

once you have the complete track opened in 3d simed >make sure all the textures are displayed ok...
also make sure the track is positioned correctly on the plane..so not too far from the centre or too high above it or below....
f1 challenge or f1 2002 etc .mts file format..... then also export textures to this folder....they are dds by default

then use slimtex by zaz or similar to convert the .dds to .tga
when completed delete the .dds from the folder leaving the tga files.

next...us



it should have all o textured now using the .tga files....

once again export the files to another new folder & export as .mts ....then export textures...
this ensures the .mts will use the .tga files as textures......tried & tested this......


next.....import the .mts files into zmodeler v1.07b ..use the f1 2002 filtre


photo hosting

make sure zmod has the gp4 filtre for later use.....

it may allow you to import all the .mts files in one go.....if it does great.....just go to export & save as a .gp4 file it will take a while to convert over so best pop out & make a cup of tea or carry on with that bit of wall papering you have been meaning to do

when completed..you should have a .gp4 file in the new folder which will open in gp4 builder.....
when it opens it should be textured correctly......

export this as example.......barcelona2001 to same folder....
then quit builder,

place the appropriate .dat file in folder also...this case it's S1CT05
then you will need to open the barcelona2001 .gp4 file in builder & it will have your track graphical & the physical dat file also...which you will need to sculpt to match the .3ds of the track/rails/banks etc.....

check the file details in builder & make sure a single scene isn;t overloaded & will crash the game...
if it says a scene has too many faces etc just create a new scene & export objects to it till it;s nearly full but within limits...
you may have to create 3-4 scenes....depends on how big the track is........

when this is done you can work on track as normal etc.....



back to zmodeler.....

when you first tried to import the .mts files into zmod & it didn't display them or just failed to act then there where proabdly too many objects for it too handle....
just select say about 15-20 .mts files & import these...export to .gp4 file....
when complete....do the same for the rest of the .mts fileshope this helps..........



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 09/06/2012 12:58AM by jimbob1.

Wow, what a fantastic guide!!! Great work for this community!!!
I just tried it and it works .

Thank U so much, Jimbob

I wonder if anyone here can help me. I'm trying to create a circuit based on a real life track. I'm using videos as well as the official track map. Unfortunately, the official track map did not point out the 'detail' in turn 1 in that it is actually two different turns.

[imageshack.us]

I assume the only way that I could change it is to delete sectors and then to change it? I was thinking that, but then surely the distance between sectors would be different than what it should be? As far as I know it should always be 4.877, would having a completely different distance crash the game on start-up?

Any advice would be appreciated.

In my experience it's no problem to have a distance between two sectors of under 4.877. But be careful with lager distances!

So yes, you can delete the wrong sectors and make new ones instead. As mentioned keep the distance to the next - undeleted - sector under 4.878.
That's the way e.g. barcelonas new turn la caixa was made.

klausfeldmann Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In my experience it's no problem to have a
> distance between two sectors of under 4.877. But
> be careful with lager distances!
>
> So yes, you can delete the wrong sectors and make
> new ones instead. As mentioned keep the distance
> to the next - undeleted - sector under 4.878.
> That's the way e.g. barcelonas new turn la caixa
> was made.

Okay, thank you very much klausfeldmann.

Hey, does anyone know how to fix bugs like that:



As you can see the curb appears in front of that limiter-bar, what - of couse - should not be. Knows anyone help?

Thanks.

Yep, just set kerb and pole .tex files to DXT1 with no transparency (You can use TexResizer for this).

Lo2k schrieb:
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> Yep, just set kerb and pole .tex files to DXT1
> with no transparency (You can use TexResizer for
> this).

Oh thanks Lo2k, of course that's it!

Sadly it doesn't work with TexResizer (tells: ".tex has got an unknown format" [Am I doing something wrong making my own textures? --> taking a photo, save to 32-bit TGA and then batch them to .tex with slimtex. || I can only original GP4-.tex open with TexResizer]), but I can use Slimtex for that .

Well, yep, use Slimtex instead then. Slimtex handles more formats inside the .tex container form.

I have a question..

I just did a race for my 1997 season at Buenos Aires 1998 track (Don't know the author) and I used the updated
cc-line made by burazel. I noticed that when the cars came out of the pits, if there were another car coming down the start/finish
straight, the car on the straight slows down when it should be full speed, like he is being blocked.. of course he is not!

What can I do to fix this?


-------------------------------------------------
Ice Hockey is my Religion!

Send the track to me.

---

My Grand Prix 4 Files
I'm a total dick. How many people can say that?

SkaaningeN Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have a question..
>
> I just did a race for my 1997 season at Buenos
> Aires 1998 track (Don't know the author) and I
> used the updated
> cc-line made by burazel. I noticed that when the
> cars came out of the pits, if there were another
> car coming down the start/finish
> straight, the car on the straight slows down when
> it should be full speed, like he is being
> blocked.. of course he is not!
>
> What can I do to fix this?


Eric, try 1998 cars instead ...joking

@ Lo2k:
Yes, good to know that. So I'll use Slimtex instead for this work .

- Update to my problem: It seem as if my imagesoftware (Paint.NET) makes something with the images TexResizer can not handle, hm...

@ SkaaningeN:
It could maybe a problem with the c-magic-data sections "sectors to pit in begin/end". But I'm no expert in c-magic, so I'm not sure about it.

@ vesuvius:
Great idea! Of course that's it!

Hey guys, I'm very diappointed at the moment. While i was building a new track first everything worked quite fine, but than a new texture-bug appears or rather the texture disappears.

I've got some pics from it:


When I'm driving onto this new road everything's okay.


But suddenly the new texture diappeares totally, so that you can just see my costum tarmacmap.


And this changes again when I spin around and look into the wrong direction. Then you can see the acutally texture again.


Here's the situation:
- the concrete plates in the beginning is the tarmacmap.tex. Its format is DXT5 with none tranparency.
- the second surface is another texture with "track"-status, so that it will be converted to .col. Its name is different to the standard track ("track_runway_xx". It is 1mm higher than the tarmacmap and it hasn't got any transparency by DXT5-format too. Clipping distance is 0, i guess that's right.


I really tried nearly everything to fix this problem:
- giving the texture another status than "track" (e.g. "largesign",
- make it 1cm higher than the tarmacmap,
- shorten it,
- writing the "track_runway_xx"-number the other way round,
- giving them completely other numbers so that no numbers are twice there,
- converting just the .dat to .col,
- changing clipping distance,
- fixed parts to object links in Builder menu,
- recover lost parts in builder menu,
- and many more...
but the texture still disappeares.


So, sadly I don't know any further action about this. And that leads me to 4 questions:
1. Is it possible at all to place a texture above the tarmacmap to simulate two or more different tarmacmaps?
2. The textures have none transparency but are in DXT5-format. Does this matter?
3. I added the texture manually by inserting just the right coordinates for all 4 vertexes. By clicking onto the texture a window tells me that the centre has still the coordinates x=0 and y=0. Could that lead to this trouble?

4. The track has got still a few things to do: some banking arms are still overlapping and the pitlane has got no bank descriptions yet. I think it has nothing to do with texture-appearing. If it does nevertheless, please tell me (not really a question, I know xD).

All thougts - too apart my questions - are very wellcome!

Thanks to all who read this very long post!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/2012 09:17PM by klausfeldmann.

Hey,
great news! I fixed the bug . That rises my hopes to release the track in few weeks .

Question 3 gave the answer:

klausfeldmann schrieb:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 3. I added the texture manually by inserting the right coordinates for each of the 4 vertexes. By clicking onto the texture a window tells me that the centre has still the coordinates x=0
> and y=0.
> Could that lead to this trouble?

Yes, that's it! So for everyone who is so stupid (like me xD) to insert the coordinates for each vertex manually, you have to click on "compute coordinates" for each texture after that, to have a good texture-appearing.

For saving my honor I was glad to see, that the builder toturial says nothing about this point (sry Laurent) xD.

Keep surfing !!!

@lo2k

thank you very much for the new GP4Builder version
this camera thing - you are THE MAN !!

looking at some pictures from this year's races I think the sidelines in GP4 are clearly to wide
creating the track.bin from dat we have the Monaco option (track covers sidelines)
would it be possible to add options for covering 1/2 and/or 1/3 of the sidelines?

thanks
xandy

Please anyone know how to convert F1 codemaster track to GP4 ?
Thank you in advance
Ricardo

@xandy : thanks for the kind words. Something could be done to set sideline width and I added your suggestion on the todo list but don't expect it so soon...

@lo2k
thank you for your quick reply - waiting for a new version of GP4Builder is always a pleasure

I hope my idea with the track_bin covering part of the sidelines is feasible - older tracks would be easy to update with a new line texture (half line/half black) and a new track.bin - I think it would lock better (track lightning) than the now in some tracks used half tarmac/half line textures

real pleasure is to use your latest version of course
did some fence building / the new interface is awesome and with 3d walls the normals all point outwards

thanks again
xandy