Looking for someone to do some converting ....

[DDawg]

Hi, I use to make tracks a long time ago, using BTB and exporting them in rFactor format.

Several years has past - I can't open BTB (don't know if I could use it if I did - don't even have the latest updates).
But this is irrelevant (for now).

What I am really wondering is if anybody is up to converting a few of my existing tracks from the rFactor format to Race07 format.

Maybe go one step further and aid this extremely old man and possibly tutor me into doing it eventually myself (if its possible) ... if I even still have what it takes to be creative anymore.

Thank you in advance.

David "DDawg" Jensen

 

[ebrich]

I'll give it a go DDawg. If you point me in the direction of a track or PM me with the file.
Will jot down notes as I go to give you some idea of the HOW.

Do you still have the BTB projects file floating about somewhere as the easy way would be for me to put it into EVO, I'm pretty sure they're compatible, and export to Race.

 

[Lee Knight]

BTB files are compatible as that's how I helped Velo out with Om Weg, but the other way around.
The only thing is if the rF version (BTB Pro) has a background image blended with the terrain textures it will be lost in BTB Evo as it doesn't support that capability...

 

[DDawg]

LOL ... I have gigabytes of files in my project folder ... I would go nuts trying to figure out what was the closest to being the most accurate ... then, after I exported them, I did lots of work on them in 3dSimed ... so anything that I released to public would not be anything close to BTB projects ....

I will look up for the tracks links in a bit ... most were posted at rfactorcentral ... don't remember if I posted any here ...

Tracks I would love to see in Race07:
Accelerama http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail.cfm?id=Accelerama 10000
Blue River Canyon http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail.cfm?id=Blue River Canyon
Death Valley Raceway http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail.cfm?id=Death Valley
New Ridge Valley http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail.cfm?id=New Ridge Valley
And my first track ever ...
Diablo Hills http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail.cfm?id=Diablo Hills


I don't know is the links on the pages still work ... but I am sure they exsist in the world ... If Not, I can email them ...


Thanks ... It may even rekindle some ideas I had for updates .... then again ... I am old and senile anymore ... LOL


PS: I just uploaded these 5 tracks over at http://www.nogripracing.com

 

[ebrich]

What a busy deputy you've been.

Will start with Accelerama see what I can do.

 

[DDawg]

What a busy deputy you've been.

Will start with Accelerama see what I can do.

Well yeah .... kinda ...

You choose to attack the biggest track I ever "officially" release ... that is a 10000 meter track ... I never really "finished" it the way I wanted ... I wanted to make some of the trees 'CRASH-able' .... and i had worked out the perfect way of doing it on an little experimental track I made - and the Idea worked flawless! ... that and I wanted to make the lake 'animated' but, I burned out and just gave up on track-making ...

and I got tired of the racing community belly-aching over other people's hard work and long hours, for what they got for FREE ....

So, when I say I appreciate your effort, trust me - I do know what it takes to 'Create' a track from 'SCRATCH' ... from the very beginning to the final release.

From making the objects and textures, to making the AI function well ... I did all my own work - but, I did have others help out on some of the stuff like camera work ... There are lots of people out in the sim world that can do stuff better than I can ...

I do think I pushed the limits in some of my track making Ideas ... I especially like what I did with Blue River Canyon ... it was rather complex. In the standpoint that there was some novel stuff happening behind the scenes ... and the fact the pavement had a 'lip' ... if you went off the pavement, you would know it in a heart beat! ...

Ok ... enough tooting my horn ...

Have fun - if you have any questions ... ask, but its been a long time since I have looked into the 'inner workings' of any of these tracks ... in fact, I had a hard time just looking at them in my old 3dSimed ... I looked at them in 'wireview' and couldn't believe I spent all that time fixing stuff in there ... I had a hard time just navigating the image.


Sorry, I tend to get long winded in my old age ...

 

[ebrich]

No problem. In fact its good to hear the background of this track and once its been cooked in the Race07 oven we can see what it tastes like. Perhaps you may have some additions to make in the Accelerama recipe!!

 

[DDawg]

Maybe I can do some of that in 3d Simed at a later date - I have to relearn everything I did ...

I just don't have as much time as I use too ... Here is a peek at Accelerama when it was just a baby ...

And after its release

 

[DDawg]

here is a preview of the Blue River Canyon track

And Diablo Hills

New Ridge Valley

Desert Valley

 

[ebrich]

Accelerama for Race07.

http://www.mediafire.com/?68v00fg3071ohyd

Tried going direct from rF to race07 but it wasn't to be. First of all the hat file, from rF, didn't work (lots of falling through track) and then after I'd converted to GTL, to get another hat file, terrain textures were popping on and off in Race game.

Took everything through GTL to Race and no problem, I hope!

Grass texture was changed to basic texture + bump & spec and all terrain textures made double sided.

Will try the conversion for Death Valley before putting the final touches to a HowTo. Just swapped the GTL hat for rF hat, in Accelerama and the car didn't fall through!!

 

[DDawg]

Wow ... glad you had the fun - I appreciate your efforts, and any tutorial on the steps would be of great help. ... I still haven't done much into figuring out the steps (I did find a PDF that helped on the initial steps, but only skimmed thru it) ... I did remember how I made my collide-able trees ... it was a cool trick ... we should trade emails so I could send you the track to look at the "secret" ... only problem was it is a dirt offroad track ... which is what I made the most of ... that doesn't stop the use of the items from the track that can be copied to any other track in 3dSimEd ... since I made them in simed to begin with ... 8^) - that or I could just post the track over at No Grip ... like I did for the others ...

 

[DDawg]

Nice work ebrich! ...

 

[ebrich]

Just noticed that the start lights are out of sync. Will put it straight and send again with death valley and the GTL versions.

Tried the rF hat again on DeathValley = the big sink. So you will need GTLegends or GTR2 game to make the HAT file for Race07, if you wish to do some converting.

 

[DDawg]

Hummm .... I am not sure if I follow ... are you referring that you need a 2 part conversion ...
rFactor -> GPL or GTR2 -> Race07?

I want to give you some kudos ... and I will type you via PM ... about other issues/improvements/suggestions/ideas and praise ...

 

[DDawg]

In this image captured from my "Country Mile" Off-road dirt track, you can see my "Secret" for making a "Collide-able tree" in 3dSimEd.
Start by making a 3d box, assign a texture to it, make it invisible, and define it in the SCN/TRK file

Instance=collision_tree_
{
Render=False VisGroups=(32)
MeshFile=collision_tree_.gmt CollTarget=True HATTarget=False
}

Not sure if you would need to regenerate a Hat file for the Track afterward ... been a while since I created a track or even updated one ...

 

[DDawg]

YEE HAW ... I got a track converted, in game and working!It only took me 3 full days to figure out I was stupid .... LOL ...

But I still have lots of questions and hurtles to jump over ... this was step one of 3 .... one of 5 tracks at Desert Mesa in GT Legends