Showing Background Scenery (the hard/easy way?)

[Raido]

I wanted to show a mountain region in the distance, on one part of the track. Managed to map it to an object (former pitwall). (Couldn't map it to the horizon unfortunately, since it'd keep repeating.)

But despite the image having its alpha channel set for transparency, it shows up like this:

http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV4thQ0



On the left side, it's visibly flickering, too. Any ideas for improvements, or other methods to show such background scenery?

Regards, R

 

[Butters69]

I don't use sketchup, but there is a tutorial already made, http://simtrackipedia.wikidot.com/objects:sketchup-to-btb

Ok thanks for that. Could you tell me if I was to want to create a new fence would I be wanting to create a new cross section? Basically from the image below you can see that the track has 2 fences one for restricting the cars from entering the spectator area and another to stop debris and stop fans from reaching the track area. Almost all of the tracks have there own version of this protection so I don't want to just create one generic for all.


Thanks again for your time. Can't wait to start creating some end products that I can show you

 

[mianiak]

It's getting off topic, I have replied in your wall thread.
http://www.racedepartment.com/bobs-...l-issues-for-track-once-exported-rfactor.html

 

[Paul Minnaar]

here is the horizon I was having hassles with - this has since been sorted out in the build by the way.

 

[Butters69]

Hi mianiak I have finally gotten to the point of using the tutorial you created and thus far I am on track and kicking along nicely but I think I have hit a hurdle in editing the SCN file. I have edited it in normal notepad but it is not showing in rfactor. Do I need the program that you used to edit the file?

Great tutorial by the way and one I am going to get a lot of use out of once perfected in it's techniques.

Okay so I found notepad ++ downloaded and installed it. I then exported the track again so as to create a new SCN file. I then completed the steps I viewed on the tutorial but I still can't see the wall in rFactor. Any ideas what I could be doing wrong?

I have tried completing all steps about 3 times now and still no joy at getting the desired outcome. Just FYI the DDS file is DXT3 with Alpha Channels saved and it is 2048 x 256 in size. With the alpha channel should it be white and should it be unchecked for visible when saving?

Hope this helps provide some possible solutions to where I may be going wrong.

 

[Kyle Puttifer]

Notepad is fine for the SCN file.

 

[mianiak]

It needs to be set at x, y, z. 0.0, 0.0, 0.0. Don't make it within your project, start a new project and make it. Then export that project, there will be only a road, some terrain and one wall, that wall will be your scenery. copy it (and the texture) and paste it in a safe place so you can retrieve it each time you export. Then the scn file should have this.

Instance=skyboxi
{
  Moveable=True
  MeshFile=skyboxi.gmt CollTarget=False HATTarget=False Render=False
  Pos=(0.0,0.0,0.0) Orient=(0.0,0.0,0.0) // move and rotate whole skybox if required
  Instance=CLOUDS
  {
    Moveable=True 
    MeshFile=horizon.gmt CollTarget=False HATTarget=False
    Instance=NightLight00Glow
    {
       Moveable=True
       MeshFile=horizonlights.gmt CollTarget=False HATTarget=False
    }
    Instance=Sky
    {
      Moveable=True 
      MeshFile=Sky.gmt CollTarget=False HATTarget=False
    } 
    Instance=wall0_s0
    {
      Moveable=True 
      MeshFile=wall0_s0.gmt CollTarget=False HATTarget=False
    } 
  }
}

Make sure you have all your brackets in the right place, that's why I use the C++ Language in notepad++ cause it puts each section into a subtree. For every open bracket { there has to be a close }.

You also have to have it facing the right way, make sure when you delete the 2 un-needed faces, that you delete the back and top one, not the front and top one. Otherwise it will be facing it's back to you.

 

[Butters69]

Was just following the tutorial including it being it's own project until I worked out what to do. Everything seems to be the same. My SCN file matches yours perfectly and the axis are set at x: 0.01, y: 0.00, z: 0.01. MY skybox that is saved into BTB is the australian one I downloaded from this site do you think it could have something to do with it? Just not sure what it could be as I have definitely completed all steps shown on the video correctly.

Thanks for your help

 

[mianiak]

Not the axis in the scn file, the actual axis of the object itself.
When you make the seperate project, do you have the terrain set to 0.0, 0.0, 0.0? so the bottom of the wall sits on 0.0 up/down axis?

 

[Butters69]

Yeah the axis in the project were completed exactly the same as in your tutorial i.e. changed the y axis to 0.00 and then clicked on set for the 4 nodes of the track and left the x and z axis at 0.01.

If it helps here is a link to the track once exported to rfactor with the amendments made to the SCN file.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KNW7G1FY
Would send you the BTB version before being exported but I don't think it would work as you don't have the material I created.

 

[mianiak]

It's there and working, but it's back the front, you removed the wrong face. make sure you only remove the wall face on the outside and top, not the inside.

 

[Butters69]

Thanks Mianiak I have now just selected doublesided so I can't go wrong. Is there any way of bridging the gap between the end of my terrain and where the sky wall begins? at the moment it has this gap which on the replays shows up showing the other skybox. Also is there any way to go back to the original skybox which BTB was installed with?

 

[mianiak]

To use the original skybox, just remove the instance from the scn file. As for the gap, make a single square of terrain and stretch it out the entire distance under your track and go to the properties and set it to non drivable. But don't make it double sided, that's a waste of resources, all you have to do is remove the back facing side of the wall.