Tracks building track

[leaumat]

hi guys, few months ago i decided to give a try building my own track on blender( zero knowledge in 3d soft) based on a road that i drive everyday (maybe not an interesting track but point is to have a real road that i know pretty well to compare with the feeling ingame)
i worked really hard on it and i begin to be happy with it but i'm still struggling with some little things and that's why i post here hopping for advices!

Here is a link to my last video on it
to have an idea of what i already did

Here are the points that i 'm fighting with:

- the position on the grid pit and hotlap, problem is the laptime is counted like a lap from the pit to the starting line same for hotlap to the starting line and still don' t know why

- with Uv texture on some objects, sometimes are inverted or 90° rotated and i didn't find any solution than manually replace every wrong uv

- trees, i tried to make a good looking forest but not happy with the result, every trees have origins at the bottom but sometimes i have bad shadows/reflections on it and still don't know why

-and also with the lights/reflections etc and have to play with parameters in kseditor for ambiant/diffuse/specular but i still struggle to have a good looking, sometimes the result is completely random or different from kseditor to the game

-i cannot make correct junctions and fades between differents textures it feel unatural most of time

-hedges plant, didn't find any other way to build hedges plant than just make basic cube with hedge textures... i tried to make something more natural and detailed but to much vertices or bad performance and drop fps any suggestion ?

sorry for my bad english, i don't practice enough and thanks in advance !1

 

[Stereo]

If you only have a single timing line (at the start line) then crossing it counts as finishing a lap, you should have 3 sectors (doesn't matter how they're spaced, just put them out somewhere) and number them 0 1 2.

 

[leaumat]

If you only have a single timing line (at the start line) then crossing it counts as finishing a lap, you should have 3 sectors (doesn't matter how they're spaced, just put them out somewhere) and number them 0 1 2.

thanks i wil try this ! i name it with only a number ? i have one ac_hotlap_start_0 and 10 ac_start/ ac_pit is it valid for every if them ?

 

[Stereo]

yes, they all use the same AC_TIME_0_L AC_TIME_0_R etc.

 

[leaumat]

yes, they all use the same AC_TIME_0_L AC_TIME_0_R etc.

ok i will test this tomorrow, thanks a lot !

 

[NightEye87]

- with Uv texture on some objects, sometimes are inverted or 90° rotated and i didn't find any solution than manually replace every wrong uv

If you are UV mapping in Blender by, say, Lightmap packing, Blender will not maintain the world orientation of each polygon, resulting in rotated UV coordinates for some polygons. I don't think there is an easy solution for it, but maybe there is a plugin for this somewhere. I don't know.

- trees, i tried to make a good looking forest but not happy with the result, every trees have origins at the bottom but sometimes i have bad shadows/reflections on it and still don't know why

I think in general your trees look okay. Are there any specific ones that look wrong?

-and also with the lights/reflections etc and have to play with parameters in kseditor for ambiant/diffuse/specular but i still struggle to have a good looking, sometimes the result is completely random or different from kseditor to the game

In game the PP Filter can alter the looks significantly.
The values depend on your shader settings and on your textures. Usually 0.3 for both ambient and diffuse are a good starting point.

-i cannot make correct junctions and fades between differents textures it feel unatural most of time

There is some info here:

https://www.assettocorsa.net/forum/index.php?threads/track-materials-shaders.10174/page-37#post-497112

-hedges plant, didn't find any other way to build hedges plant than just make basic cube with hedge textures... i tried to make something more natural and detailed but to much vertices or bad performance and drop fps any suggestion ?

Some tracks use "cube hedges" along with some transparent polygons sticking out, simulating branches/leafs.
I can't remember which tracks use that.. Goodwood hillclimb does this on hay bales and it looks okay.

- the position on the grid pit and hotlap, problem is the laptime is counted like a lap from the pit to the starting line same for hotlap to the starting line and still don' t know why

thanks i wil try this ! i name it with only a number ? i have one ac_hotlap_start_0 and 10 ac_start/ ac_pit is it valid for every if them ?

yes, they all use the same AC_TIME_0_L AC_TIME_0_R etc.

In order to prevent any confusion:

Starting points:
AC_HOTLAP_START_0
AC_PIT_0 --- AC_PIT_x (where x is the total number of pits - 1 )
AC_START_0 --- AC_START_x (same)

Timing gates:
AC_TIME_0_L / AC_TIME_0_R (start/finish)
AC_TIME_1_L / ..._R (sector one gate)
AC_TIME_2_L / ..._R (sector two gate)
AC_TIME_3_L / ..._R (sector three gate)

Sector two and three aren't required (although very common, but for instance Vallelunga Club only has one), but for hotlapping, if the hotlap start is in front of the timing gate, the lap is counted as valid. So place the hotlap start after the first timing gate in that case.

 

[leaumat]

If you are UV mapping in Blender by, say, Lightmap packing, Blender will not maintain the world orientation of each polygon, resulting in rotated UV coordinates for some polygons. I don't think there is an easy solution for it, but maybe there is a plugin for this somewhere. I don't know.

I didn't find good exemple to show you but concretely i feel like i waste my time to readjust every single texture manually and it is pretty boring

I think in general your trees look okay. Are there any specific ones that look wrong?

here you can see what i feel like something incorrect with faces dark and others overexposed
but maybe i'm wrong

In game the PP Filter can alter the looks significantly.
The values depend on your shader settings and on your textures. Usually 0.3 for both ambient and diffuse are a good starting point.

Here you can see from the parameters of kseditor to the game there is a bit overexposure of the texture, it is very light but it distorts my settings. Problem would be pp filter so? I'm using photographic filter, i'll give i try without it to see, but 0.3 is pretty much what i set, depends of the object but always around 0.2 and 0.4. Where i struggle the most is for specular, i feel like 0 for some objects is more appropriate and for some other i cannot find something really clean turning around 0.1 - 0.01 etc but still don't totally understand it.

There is some info here:

https://www.assettocorsa.net/forum/index.php?threads/track-materials-shaders.10174/page-37#post-497112

Some tracks use "cube hedges" along with some transparent polygons sticking out, simulating branches/leafs.
I can't remember which tracks use that.. Goodwood hillclimb does this on hay bales and it looks okay.

thanks, i'll take a look at it!

In order to prevent any confusion:

Starting points:
AC_HOTLAP_START_0
AC_PIT_0 --- AC_PIT_x (where x is the total number of pits - 1 )
AC_START_0 --- AC_START_x (same)

Timing gates:
AC_TIME_0_L / AC_TIME_0_R (start/finish)
AC_TIME_1_L / ..._R (sector one gate)
AC_TIME_2_L / ..._R (sector two gate)
AC_TIME_3_L / ..._R (sector three gate)

Sector two and three aren't required (although very common, but for instance Vallelunga Club only has one), but for hotlapping, if the hotlap start is in front of the timing gate, the lap is counted as valid. So place the hotlap start after the first timing gate in that case.

Ok here my bad, i totally misunderstood the "sector gates"
it is solved except for one thing, i made a regular layout and a reverse,
for the reverse everything is good now with the lap time from the pit or from the hotlap, but for the regular layout as i have a 10 positions grid i made an ai line and now my hotlap crash everytime, i suppose it is due to the ai line cause i didn't made it for the reverse layout?

 

[NightEye87]

here you can see what i feel like something incorrect with faces dark and others overexposed
but maybe i'm wrong

These are X-shaped trees. They usually don't look great.
Most commonly used are Y-shaped ones. See https://www.racedepartment.com/thre...n-track-making-plus-tips.122794/#post-2256513 for instance.

View attachment 475657
Here you can see from the parameters of kseditor to the game there is a bit overexposure of the texture, it is very light but it distorts my settings. Problem would be pp filter so? I'm using photographic filter, i'll give i try without it to see, but 0.3 is pretty much what i set, depends of the object but always around 0.2 and 0.4. Where i struggle the most is for specular, i feel like 0 for some objects is more appropriate and for some other i cannot find something really clean turning around 0.1 - 0.01 etc but still don't totally understand it.

Specular is a computer generated reflection of sunlight. It is fake and it will very quickly look fake, too. Especially on a brick wall. That wall needs a normal map to simulate the roughness of the bricks in real life; then the specular can highlight that roughness and it looks way better.
There is no single setting for specular (or any other value); it also depends on the textures that are used.

Ok here my bad, i totally misunderstood the "sector gates"
it is solved except for one thing, i made a regular layout and a reverse,
for the reverse everything is good now with the lap time from the pit or from the hotlap, but for the regular layout as i have a 10 positions grid i made an ai line and now my hotlap crash everytime, i suppose it is due to the ai line cause i didn't made it for the reverse layout?

Did you reverse the AC_TIME_x objects for the reverse layout? So AC_TIME_2_L becomes AC_TIME_1_R, AC_TIME_0_L becomes AC_TIME_0_R, etc.?
I'm not sure why it would crash. Check your log.txt for any errors that may pop up. Usually in the bottom bit.

 

[leaumat]

These are X-shaped trees. They usually don't look great.
Most commonly used are Y-shaped ones. See https://www.racedepartment.com/thre...n-track-making-plus-tips.122794/#post-2256513 for instance.

Thanks, i'll take a look!

Specular is a computer generated reflection of sunlight. It is fake and it will very quickly look fake, too. Especially on a brick wall. That wall needs a normal map to simulate the roughness of the bricks in real life; then the specular can highlight that roughness and it looks way better.
There is no single setting for specular (or any other value); it also depends on the textures that are used.

It is a tricky part and i have to admit that i tought it would an automatical system or at least easier to configure :')

Did you reverse the AC_TIME_x objects for the reverse layout? So AC_TIME_2_L becomes AC_TIME_1_R, AC_TIME_0_L becomes AC_TIME_0_R, etc.?
I'm not sure why it would crash. Check your log.txt for any errors that may pop up. Usually in the bottom bit.

Actually, i placed it to te opposite of the track so i made new ones...
I didn't check the log file but i deleted the ai line to see and it is back to normal for my hotlap point, it doesn't crash anymore..

here is an exemple of wrong uv texture i have, on 25 faces i have a few 90° rotated randomly and it is really frustating

 

[NightEye87]

How are you UV mapping?

Here I have similar geometry and if I just unwrap them they form one continuous path on the UV map. Yes they are rotated 90 degrees, but they all are so it's easy to correct.

Maybe you are not unwrapping it but doing a projection mapping, or maybe it's not a single object and might cause issues, I don't know.

 

[AccAkut]

Thanks, i'll take a look!

It is a tricky part and i have to admit that i tought it would an automatical system or at least easier to configure :')

Actually, i placed it to te opposite of the track so i made new ones...
I didn't check the log file but i deleted the ai line to see and it is back to normal for my hotlap point, it doesn't crash anymore..

here is an exemple of wrong uv texture i have, on 25 faces i have a few 90° rotated randomly and it is really frustating
View attachment 475871

did you create this mesh by making a single object, and then using the Array and Curve modifiers? The way I learned it for the track surface and any long object that is uspposed to use a long continuous texture, you should create the UV map with the Array active, but not the Curve. That way you will get just one long strip of mesh you can move around in the UV editor till it fits, and easily adjust rotation, scale etc. You do not apply the Curve for the UV mapping.

If its just a long strip with no modifiers, try the "Follow active quads" UV unmapping mode. You need to somehow select a quad the whole thing has to be "unwrapped around", dunno how to describe it. Everytime I use it I need a handfull of tries.

 

[leaumat]

How are you UV mapping?

Here I have similar geometry and if I just unwrap them they form one continuous path on the UV map. Yes they are rotated 90 degrees, but they all are so it's easy to correct.
View attachment 475902

Maybe you are not unwrapping it but doing a projection mapping, or maybe it's not a single object and might cause issues, I don't know.

Hi, yes it is single object, and unwrapping affect only the size and the shape of the faces but not the rotation or if it is inveverted, i problably don't understand totally how it works

 

[leaumat]

did you create this mesh by making a single object, and then using the Array and Curve modifiers? The way I learned it for the track surface and any long object that is uspposed to use a long continuous texture, you should create the UV map with the Array active, but not the Curve. That way you will get just one long strip of mesh you can move around in the UV editor till it fits, and easily adjust rotation, scale etc. You do not apply the Curve for the UV mapping.

If its just a long strip with no modifiers, try the "Follow active quads" UV unmapping mode. You need to somehow select a quad the whole thing has to be "unwrapped around", dunno how to describe it. Everytime I use it I need a handfull of tries.

Hi, yes i use array and curve pretty often but i always place material on object and adjust uv before to array or to curve i try to make it proper before modify like this i don't have to readjust uv except if problem but a will try your way.
I don't get the active quad thing.. you select vertices to apply on it how does it work ?

 

[leaumat]

problem come back with hotlap crash today, don't know why nothing changed from yesterday it looks like i'm having trouble with track limits this is pretty weird because i respect name convention

 

[NightEye87]

problem come back with hotlap crash today, don't know why nothing changed from yesterday it looks like i'm having trouble with track limits this is pretty weird because i respect name convention

Hotlap mode crashing nearly always happens because there is no AC_HOTLAP_START_0 present. I've never had hotlapping sessions crash before. Did you look at the log.txt to see what's wrong?

did you create this mesh by making a single object, and then using the Array and Curve modifiers? The way I learned it for the track surface and any long object that is uspposed to use a long continuous texture, you should create the UV map with the Array active, but not the Curve. That way you will get just one long strip of mesh you can move around in the UV editor till it fits, and easily adjust rotation, scale etc. You do not apply the Curve for the UV mapping.

If its just a long strip with no modifiers, try the "Follow active quads" UV unmapping mode. You need to somehow select a quad the whole thing has to be "unwrapped around", dunno how to describe it. Everytime I use it I need a handfull of tries.

Or UV your base piece from, say, Y0 to Y0,2, and set UV offset to Y0,2. This way you don't have to apply the Array modifier.

 

[leaumat]

sorry guys i was away for a moment but just a message to say thank you for your answers!
i continue to work on it and all your advices helped me!