BTB Pro 0.8.9.1 Beta

[Brendon Pywell]

Any current BTB Pro user wishing to help test the latest release, please follow this link.

http://www.bobstrackbuilder.net/pro_users/beta_test.aspx

Please give feedback into this thread rather than emailing/PMing me.

The licenses for this Beta release are now being generated daily.

The main new features are:

• 3d window now renders the Add/Bump/Specular materials so what you see in BTB will be very close to what you get in game.
• More advanced materials blending and editing.
• Reload textures by pressing F5. This allows you to edit a background image in one application, save it, then load the changes into BTB without having to reload the entire project.
• Global smoothing of track and terrain. This removes the sharp edges that form between the track and terrain, or between adjoining terrain areas.

Let me know how you go.

RBR Installation

This install uses newer shaders so RBR needs to be updated. Copy the following files and folders from BTB into your Richard Burns Rally folder, and overwrite if prompted.

• BTB\Support\RBR\Plugins
• BTB\Support\RBR\RX_CONTENT
• BTB\Support\RBR\d3dx9_35.dll

Bugs Fixed for release 0.8.9.1:
- Blend Background image not selected in combo box when re-opening the surfaces window. This causes other crashes if not reselected.
- Changing blend type in the surfaces/wall window not working.
- When blend type is background, confusing left/right/foward/backward options to be disabled.
- Wall blend rotate not working.
- Fix bug that allows you to delete the background image even when it is used in materials as a blend image.
- Fix when background image is moved, surface and walls that use them as a blend image are not immediately recalculated.
- Allow scale/offset when blend is Globally mapped.

To Do:
- Look At/Fix RBR specular export.
- Fix AIW path so with is limited to drivable track surface.

UPDATE: 28 April 2013

I am back working on this once again (finally) but I have numerous hurdles to overcome. Old PC died, so I now work on a laptop and need to reloading all development software. The good news, it's a Win 7 64 bit laptop so next version of BTB will HAVE to work on Win 7. The bad news, I have to install new versions of the development software and possibly make changes to the code - this will take time and I've no idea how much.

 

[MrOblongo]

About the AIW deleting error:

Ok, Load track and make it show the Fastile and the centerline (not showing in the screenshot )

When I start deleting some AIW nodes I get this error:

It might be related with somekind of overload when calculating the missing nodes and creating the new line. It only happends when you delete the nodes too quickly.

 

[FerrariMan96]

Also this isn't really a bug as such but it is related to the AI - it would be good if the AI creation thing could somehow be 'optimised' - at the moment I have a LOT of lag when editing the AI line.

Also - it would be great if we could have the 'extra pink node thingys' that you have when creating the track for the AI creation too. I know BTB AI is not supposed to be perfect (and many people don't use it), but for a 'complete product' I doubt this could be hard to add, given that it's already in the program for the track creation.

 

[Lee Knight]

MrOblongo
I've had both these troubles in the previous version 0.8.0.3 (never used this Beta)
Missing road texture from a section only happened once & I think it had something to do with deleting or trying to delete the 1st cross-section...
I never bothered with fixing it as I scraped the project for other reasons...

With the AIW, I get that when I either delete too many points without hitting save & memory runs out.
Generally BTB tells me it needs to shut down & I loose any unsaved work if it does & reminds me to use Ctrl+S more often...
The other time is if I accidentally 'double-delete' a point or miss a point by a slight amount while still hitting the line....
Ive never had anything detrimental happen from hitting continue with the 'double-delete'.

@FerrarMan69
How big is the track your working on?
Is it only the one track that does it?
Ive found tracks from about 15-20km's the AIW starts lagging, @close to 90km's it can take around 4 to 6minutes for a point to move!
On jobs like that it would be nice to select & delete sections at a time like road Nodes can, but I realise situations like that a rare as well so I just read a book while I work...
I actually REALLY like BTB AIW tool.
Ive never had trouble with running out of waypoints while making a route like the ISI tool can do & I can groom & hone each corner without disturbing the rest of the race line, ISI tool needs to rewrite the whole line & Guitarmans Editor is too bizzar to understand for me.
In fact I'd pay the same price again for a standalone AIW editor that worked just like BTB's but with more options (eg; rain line generator button?) BUT so that completed tracks could be loaded & altered.... (where's that drool icon)
There's SO many track AIW's out there I'd like to fix if I could!

 

[FerrariMan96]

How big is the track your working on?
Is it only the one track that does it?
Ive found tracks from about 15-20km's the AIW starts lagging, @close to 90km's it can take around 4 to 6minutes for a point to move!

I've got various 'prototype' tracks that I've been slowly working on forever (for some reason I find starting them the fun bit so they never get finished - I'll get to that bit some day) and most of them are 3-5kms long, longest I've done is about 7kms. I think it's probably just my computer

 

[Brendon Pywell]

About the AIW deleting error:

Ok, Load track and make it show ...

Thanks. Where do I get the track? Or can you email me the link please?

 

[Harry Stride]

I downloaded a Trial of Bob's track builder before, could never get the pit lane properly put down. I couldn't place the nodes in the right place and half of it was under the grass and half of the pit lane was on top of the grass, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, is this a 1-time payment thing, or do you keep having to buy subscriptions?

 

[Lee Knight]

It is a one time payment, but every couple of months, depending on the time specified, the license needs to be applied for again.
This is due to the program being licensed to the PC & is to stop people using the one license on multiple PC's....
There is no extra cost involved.
The Beta that this thread refers to is only available after purchasing a 'Pro' license for the current 'stable' version 0.8.0.3

 

[Harry Stride]

This is probably in the wrong thread but I went to register a new account, and I didn't get a authentication email, made another one. Still nothing??

 

[Raido]

You gonna be kept waiting a long time and keep re-registering for this program... As I said before (as have several others), its registration procedure is completely unacceptable. It could've been a great program, but the many bugs and it's resubscription hassle make it more of a PITA than it's worth.

 

[Lee Knight]

Mr Moderator, could you please edit this thread back at #286-on & drop it into the License Discussion/Issues thread please?
We seem to have gone off-topic & this recent conversation really doesn't belong here.

Raido, as you should know by now, the license for the 0.8.0.3 version does need regular re-issue of the license to which, Im sure, that Harry was referring to.
You should also know the reasons by now why Piddy went for this setup.
I can't say I blame him either....
I personally have never had to wait for any longer than about 8hours & usually have it turned around within a couple of hours.
Last time I think under an hour....
I have rarely heard of a problem from those that go through the procedure knowing what the procedure actually is beforehand.
Although it may be a 'PITA' for some at times, I must say that it's a damn awesome program that more than makes up for it in many other ways.
I know I for one would have given up, before even trying to build a track, if I had to go strait from being a noob to having to use 3DS Max.
I can completely agree with your sentiments if referring to the Beta 0.8.9.1 but not 0.8.0.3
Besides, Piddy is back now & working on it again so those drama's should be a thing of the past.

Oh, by the way Brendon/Piddy, thank you for coming back, the BTB community has missed you & I hope you decide to stay around for a while yet, even after finishing this latest version.

 

[Brendon Pywell]

Can anyone replicate the missing track or problem deleting AIW as described above ... http://www.racedepartment.com/forum/threads/btb-pro-0-8-9-1-beta.29709/page-15#post-1432465 ?

I need a simple example and some basic steps to replicate the problem. I have tried many times on my own tracks but the problem never occurs.

 

[Lee Knight]

I can send a file with the missing track section.
The AIW deleting problem Ive found mainly happens with large tracks (30+km's) & one of the reasons I think it happens is due to running out of memory (50or 150 changes limit) & I keep putting that down to not doing a quick save often enough....
Im not home now but will PM the missing section track as project & rF export tomorrow night along with some pic's to show where...
BTW, I only use 0.8.0.3 not the Beta but Ive had similar troubles at times....

 

[MrOblongo]

Thanks. Where do I get the track? Or can you email me the link please?

Here is the one with the invisible track issue: http://www.mediafire.com/?h95mj0s3kz972fz
And another example: http://www.mediafire.com/?202ypu895hc05yl

So far with over 100 tracks made, only got the problem on these two. The second one shows up in some angles or when you are over it. But when looking from distance, it dissapear.

Hope this helps!http://www.mediafire.com/?h95mj0s3kz972fz

 

[Brendon Pywell]

Thanks but I need the original BTB files, not the exported ones. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[MrOblongo]

Here is one of the tracks: http://www.mediafire.com/?a6at2bh4vvhhwvy

 

[RichardHessels]

I got my new Beta license one day before the old license was overdue...
Really amazed!!

Thanks Brendon!

 

[banger]

hi brendon, can't login to your site, login screen stays at login screen,

 

[Brendon Pywell]

Hey banger, I sent the following as a reply to your email, but it bounced saying no such address. Anyways ...
I’m guessing you are running IE 10? If so then it seems this work-around will fix the problem.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/967897
Essentially you need to run the IE in Compatibility Mode.

 

[RichardHessels]

Hi Brendon,

Have some idea for a small update.
Could you add a some boxes in the object/edit/properties window where you could scale/rotate objects after they are placed on to the scene, by altering their values.
Just the same type we have at the objects/add/randomness tab.
Also the ability to put in values of less than just 1 degree would help.
Some long grandstands & pitlane buildings i just can't get properly aligned.Because one degree of ratiotion can be to much for very large objects,.
Only if i rotate the object to the proper angle before I import it.
But later scaling those pre-rotated objects at just one axis deforms it.

 

[R Soul]

That would be a nice feature, but there is a workaround. Create a new track, since the track nodes give you fine control, and use the align to track button while the new track is active.