I'm stuck and scared. HALP PLOX!

Jekabs Elerts · Jul 9, 2011

Hey there, folks.
I've been working on my fantasy track for a while now, but I haven't really gotten anywhere. I mean, the layout is done and it's pretty great if I do say so myself, but I just down right suck at doing the terrain. I had a guy put the kerbs in all the right places and it's pretty much stuck there.
Another problem is, I burnt a video card while using BTB, so I'm kind of scared to use it, I don't want to burn the new one. It's a dual-fan (the box says so), but I'm peeved by the last one going on me just like that after surviving Crysis and Shift 2.
Anyway. Would anyone be willing to complete the track? You can let your fantasy roam and go crazy with the terrain and objects and whatnot. All I would ask is that you don't change the layout of the track.

Kennett Ylitalo · Jul 15, 2011

Just a proof of concept and i think it fits here: (more pictures, click the pic)

In this project there are only two pieces of terrain, the base level and pits. Everything else is made with the track tool and heavy use of "Copy Track", 5 to be exact.. Specially the cliff-faces were are breeze to do this way, using the Randomize function in crossection editor and one big texture.(2048x2048). Tunnels were extremely easy to do with little manual editing of crossections to get exact coordinates. Using track copy, all points are perfectly aligned to the drivable track. And since there is limited possibilities to position terrain textures, the track tool is my favourite tool at the moment. Took a little planning but results are satisfying. I can give you the project if you like, i learned a lot from this..

EDIT: I uploaded my tool pack in Download section, which has become a must in every project.

Jekabs Elerts · Jul 16, 2011

Wait... You made the terrain solely out of tracks? Isn't that a waste of resources? I don't how CPU-intensive each of the materials and objects are so it's just a question. I tried to do this, but I didn't know there was a "copy track" function so I wasn't very successful at aligning it and making it look presentable.
I'm starting to think that I'm putting way too much effort into a track that I'm not even planning on releasing for mass consumption so to speak. But hey, if you feel like being generous, you can upload it, I'll definitely take a look. I'm sure others will find it interesting as well. Anything that relieves me of having to use the terrain tool is fine in my book.

p00se2 · Jul 16, 2011

hmm looks more like 3dmax to me

@jekabs

why not use the terrain ? terrain tool not suitable for what you want to do ? in case you mentioned it already..i kinda missed it :wink:

mianiak · Jul 16, 2011

Track's work off a spline and can be manipulated a lot easier when your doing things like mountain ridges, or rivers etc.
There is no difference performance wise between using track or terrain, all they are are objects with polygons. BTB just calls one polygon making function 'track' and another 'terrain'

Jekabs Elerts · Jul 16, 2011

@p00se2
I think I've made it clear that I find the terrain tool absolutely unusable. xD

Jekabs Elerts · Jul 16, 2011

Kennet, you are an absolute genius. I'm making my terrain with the track tool surface tool using the "copy track" method and it's so easy. I don't think I'll fill the entire inner part, just enough to make the dark void invisible from the race track, but you have made this dreaded task a walk in the park. I salute you!

Kennett Ylitalo · Jul 16, 2011

Jekabs Elerts said:
Kennet, you are an absolute genius. I'm making my terrain with the track tool surface tool using the "copy track" method and it's so easy. I don't think I'll fill the entire inner part, just enough to make the dark void invisible from the race track, but you have made this dreaded task a walk in the park. I salute you!

Just happy to help. And it doesn't hurt to start a day when someone calls me a genius

ebrich · Jul 16, 2011

Track or wall?

Any difference, in any respect,(memory usage or simplicity) between using track or wall for doing this sort of terrain. Its the best rocky terrain I've ever seen outside RBR USA stages.

Kennett Ylitalo · Jul 16, 2011

ebrich said:
Any difference, in any respect,(memory usage or simplicity) between using track or wall for doing this sort of terrain. Its the best rocky terrain I've ever seen outside RBR USA stages.

I agree with miniak, the game itself doesn't care what kind of mesh it is drawing, it's all just polygons at that state. As far as simplicity goes, doing them with tracks is far easier to make long distances that follow the road. That clifface was 90% done in about half an hour, most of the time after that went to test extreme shapes that folds in it self etc.... Walls are necessary to smooth things over when two track-cliffs interleave each other or to add radical changes. Combining the two i think is the best option.

Here's the project, as i promised: http://cream.galleria.fi/Temp/Tummel/Tummel.zip

EDIT: I updated the CK-Tool XPack, it was incorrectly packed, it's fixed now.