Haven't been here for awhile.
So I have gotten as far with Gimp, BTB, SimEd, and Xpacker as I can. I got Max2010 a year and a half ago, and getting pretty good at buildings, uv mapping (albeit with Gimp), and other track props.
This week I got PS (and the nVidia plugins) installed, and got the export plugin, import script, and core shaders installed in MAX.
The BTB built track, terrain, and AIW work really well in rFactor, but are limited due to xPacker's 2 frame animation limit, and all the other BTB limitations.
So, my questions are:
1. Since my track is 32 miles long (no, really), I have it devided into 24 track sections (with terrain on each side) in BTB. Do I bring the whole track into MAX, or bring it in by sections?
2. Should I (or... can I) devide it further once in MAX so as to make the sections (GMTs ?) smaller (so that 4 lights are enough to light each section)?
3. Is the unit you devide tracks into... separate GMTs?
4. Can I use the AIW file that I generated in BTB (as I don't need to change the track shape or position in MAX)?
5. Since the track goes through the (California) coast ranges to the beach and back, I built my own 16 panel horizon cylinder (actually a conical slice, so the sun hits it better) with a couple coasts, ocean, and mountains. Looks good in rF. Do you bring your skybox and horizon cylinder into MAX also... when you are track building in MAX?
6. Where in MAX to you enable the use of the rFactor shaders for viewing while building?
7. What type of light do you use in MAX to simulate what rF uses?
8. In what BTB generated file(s) can I find the information to set up the lighting in MAX so that it is (as close as possible) to what my track's lighting is in rFactor? [color, color temperature, orientation in the "sky" etc..]
9. Is it best to have the various houses, buildings, trees, signs etc... as part of each track section's gmt file (along with the track, terrain etc..), or do you make each object a separate gmt? [probably an extreme noob question..eh?].
10. How much did I forget to ask?
I've been thinking about writing a C# program that will automatically go through AIW, SCN, TDF, and GDB files to find and change all the parameters I usually end up having to manually enter (fuel usage, rotational trajectories for helicopters / aircraft, clip plane settings, max shadow range etc....)
...Unless something like this already exists.... (?)
Thanks in advance for any help provided....
So I have gotten as far with Gimp, BTB, SimEd, and Xpacker as I can. I got Max2010 a year and a half ago, and getting pretty good at buildings, uv mapping (albeit with Gimp), and other track props.
This week I got PS (and the nVidia plugins) installed, and got the export plugin, import script, and core shaders installed in MAX.
The BTB built track, terrain, and AIW work really well in rFactor, but are limited due to xPacker's 2 frame animation limit, and all the other BTB limitations.
So, my questions are:
1. Since my track is 32 miles long (no, really), I have it devided into 24 track sections (with terrain on each side) in BTB. Do I bring the whole track into MAX, or bring it in by sections?
2. Should I (or... can I) devide it further once in MAX so as to make the sections (GMTs ?) smaller (so that 4 lights are enough to light each section)?
3. Is the unit you devide tracks into... separate GMTs?
4. Can I use the AIW file that I generated in BTB (as I don't need to change the track shape or position in MAX)?
5. Since the track goes through the (California) coast ranges to the beach and back, I built my own 16 panel horizon cylinder (actually a conical slice, so the sun hits it better) with a couple coasts, ocean, and mountains. Looks good in rF. Do you bring your skybox and horizon cylinder into MAX also... when you are track building in MAX?
6. Where in MAX to you enable the use of the rFactor shaders for viewing while building?
7. What type of light do you use in MAX to simulate what rF uses?
8. In what BTB generated file(s) can I find the information to set up the lighting in MAX so that it is (as close as possible) to what my track's lighting is in rFactor? [color, color temperature, orientation in the "sky" etc..]
9. Is it best to have the various houses, buildings, trees, signs etc... as part of each track section's gmt file (along with the track, terrain etc..), or do you make each object a separate gmt? [probably an extreme noob question..eh?].
10. How much did I forget to ask?
I've been thinking about writing a C# program that will automatically go through AIW, SCN, TDF, and GDB files to find and change all the parameters I usually end up having to manually enter (fuel usage, rotational trajectories for helicopters / aircraft, clip plane settings, max shadow range etc....)
...Unless something like this already exists.... (?)
Thanks in advance for any help provided....