Dirtscreens & rainscreens

[Caribstu]

Could any car builders / modellers provide instructions on how to create a DIRTSCREEN.gmt and RAINSCREEN.gmt for a specific vehicle?

Opening car obj.gtrs in GTR editor does not allow me to export an existing dirtscreen.gmt to reverse engineer it. So it looks like I need to build one to import into my chosen car's obj.gtr

Or is it possible to obtain a generic Dirtscreen.gmt if there is such a thing that works for all cars?

Thanks for any help.

 

[IMC '67]

You can unpack the obj.gtr with 3DSimED and then make copies of the car's interior cockpit windows to use for dirt- and rainscreens.

 

[Caribstu]

for dirt- and rainscreens.

Thanks for responding. When I try to open the car OBJ.gtr with 3Dsimed i get CTD.
But I have managed to created some dirtscreen dds for the desired car by editing interior cockpit windows that I have.

Here's where I'm stuck. My undertsanding is i need to create a dirtscreen.gmt to be loaded into the car's OBJ.GTR with a search path MASFile=CARNAME_OBJ.GTR in the CAS file.

But I've no idea how i apply the dirtscreen.dds or make a Dirtscreen.gmt.

I've not been able to export an existing dirtscreen.gmt from a different car because when i open the car's OBJ.GTR with GTR editor it wont export GMTs, and if i try to 'OPEN WITH' 3Dsimed i get CTD.

I must be missing something,

 

[Jempy]

It seems you have the usual problem with opening some GTR file.
When the file at the top of the list of a.GTR file is not a GMT but rather a .dds .png etc ... you can open and/or export any file.
On the contrary when the 1st file is a GMT .... it won't let you open or export any file as buttons are greyed.

In the 1st case, any pointed GMT will ask to click OK 2 times on error messages in order to be exported.
( NB all files are in alphabetic order in a GTR file .... the best is always to have a simple .dds file at the top of an Object.gtr ( file with a name begining with "Ab" in order to be sure it will be effectively the 1st one on top of the list ) so that you're sure to be able to open and export a file.
( import a file to add it to the list of the .gtr file always remains possible ... usual file or GMT )

And another notice: once importing a file to a .gtr file ( with greyed buttons ) this allows immediately to make those greyed buttons active again even without saving this .gtr file.

This will work with Geditor but I don't know if this is possible to do it with 3Dsimed..

Now you will be able to open an already existing Dirtscreen or/and Rainscreen ... you'll quickly understand what to do to create one from scratch using the cockpit window and even in some cases ( like working wipers GTR233's method or Crewchief one ) remapping it without any problem as those files are just additions on the usual windshield.
For the base rainscreen ( without 10th Anniversary addition ) you need to rescale tex for the rainscreen ( else you just get 2 or 3 huge drops on screen ! )

 

[Caribstu]

! )

Fantastic! thank you, will give that a try.

 

[IMC '67]

Did you start with clicking the "Expand" button under the "Home" tab in 3DSimED to unpack the obj.gtr file?

 

[Caribstu]

Did you start with clicking the "Expand" button under the "Home" tab in 3DSimED to unpack the obj.gtr file?

I hadn't tried that, no. , I had been trying to 'open with'.

I Just tried the different method, first opening 3Dsimed, then importing the obj.gtr 'as object' and that allowed me to see the expand option. I tried to expand. Wasn't able to as an 'unable to write' error message kept popping up for all gmts

I was able to extract a rainscreen from an obj.gtr using Jempy's method.

Now I just have to figure out how to edit/adapt it and add it to my chosen car.

 

[IMC '67]

You should be able to see the Expand button right away after starting 3DSimED.

I wouldn't recommend using the windows from another car since the shape of them will most likely be too different.

When you have a .gmt copy of the cockpit windows from your project car, just copy the material properties and name from a dirtscreen of another car. You might also have to re-scale the texture like Jempy said if the dirt (and raindrops for the rainscreen) are too big or too small. Also don't forget to add the Instance lines to the .cas file, like this:

<NOTSPIN><DASHHIGH> Instance=DIRTSCREEN
<NOTSPIN><DASHHIGH> {
<NOTSPIN><DASHHIGH> Moveable=True
<NOTSPIN><DASHHIGH> MeshFile=ABARTH_1000SP_DIRTSCREEN.GMT CollTarget=False HATTarget=False LODIn=(0.0) LODOut=(5.0)
<NOTSPIN><DASHHIGH> }

<NOTSPIN><DASHHIGH> Instance=RAINSCREEN
<NOTSPIN><DASHHIGH> {
<NOTSPIN><DASHHIGH> Moveable=True
<NOTSPIN><DASHHIGH> MeshFile=ABARTH_1000SP_RAINSCREEN.gmt CollTarget=False HATTarget=False LODIn=(0.0) LODOut=(5.0)
<NOTSPIN><DASHHIGH> }

 

[Jempy]

In fact, I never used 3Dsimed to extract 1 only GMT ... as it seems just to ask into which folder to extract the full content of this .gtr file and doesn't offer the possibility of opening one or a few files only.

 

[sunalp2]

Also, with geditor, most times, you need to select the item you want to take out, select the import icon, cancel that, and that will activate the export icon.

Remember, it will always export to the last folder you exported to.

Also, I've found that you may need to resize the rainanim texture.

 

[Caribstu]

Thanks for all the tips guys. Appreciate it. Will give things ago and let you know how i get on.