merge tracks and rF2 prep advice

[Nibiru]

How do I start this? I really hope someone can help steer me in the right direction. Basically I want to rebuild the first track I made for rfactor (which is a real mess at some of the track joins but could get away with it) and put it in rF2. The track has multiple layouts with over 10 track merges. Most of them are fairly simple but I have 3 intersections a T a Y and a X where I need both sides of the track at the join to curve outwards instead of both sides turning left or right like most joins. I have search for tutorials, watched and read many but nothing I have found talks about what im after. So I hope someone here can help.

Should I wait until the update of btb before starting this?

From what im thinking the whole rebuild and conversion isnt going to be simple. As I believe to get realroad working it should be mapped with the spline so I'm thinking I have to remake each layout so its the main layout with correct spline mapping and have the unused tracks on each layout join the main. Anyone have any thought on this?

Or do I wait until btb update?

 

[ebrich]

Seems to me that which ever way you re build you will still end up with the same problem of the T X Y junction textures being wrong unless you 3dmax or blender the local junction mesh with a separate texture to fit.

I tried something similar but less complicated in a small track where the circuit goes from tarmac to dirt. From above it looks pretty bad but from car level it works. This was done in Blender for a GTL track, exporting to 3dsimed then as 3ds file to Blender and back the same way after, with the AI line as one circuit, so going tarmac to dirt.

 

[Nibiru]

Thanks ebrich. I think its a bit beyond my talent but ill fiddle around with it and see what happens.

 

[Sub]

I haven’t heard if BTB will support rF2 at all; but I would fully understand if there are no plans for it. From my experience, there’s a lot that needs to be taken into account when pulling an rF1 BTB built track into 3DSMax and then getting it into rF2.


Aside from the different file structures used by rF2, there’s some serious work that would need to be done to support the new shaders and RealRoad technology. In regard to RealRoad – to make it work right, the track mesh needs to be quadrangulated because it doesn’t support tris. And depending on how many sections wide your track mesh is, you may need to add a couple more than what BTB offers up by default. If I remember correctly, your track mesh needs to be 8 quads across for everything to work right.


In Max, it was pretty easy to fix this (run the Quadrangulate plugin and then add more sections), but BTB would need to have tools that do that built into it. Supporting the 5 or 7 different texture layers that comprise RealRoad would be a pretty big hurdle to clear as well. A RealRoad pack could probably be made to make the whole experience fairly easy on the user end of things, but it would be no small effort on Brendon’s side.


I’ve actually gotten tired of fiddling with rF2 and decided to go back to rF1. rF1 is more established, the mods I really like are all there, it doesn’t have a subscription dependency for online play (which isn’t a problem for me, but it’s been tough to talk others into it), and you can use BTB in the track dev process. Between BTB 0.9 coming out and finally getting good with 3DSMax, I’m back to building my track specifically for rF1.


I still have a subscription to rF2 and will head back in that direction at some point because of the performance enhancements, but in the meantime, I’m happy right here.


Sorry, went on a tangent there, but your initial post inspired me.

 

[Erwin Greven]

I have a rF2 licence too, but i haven't played rF2 for some 8 months now.

 

[Nibiru]

@ Sub.....I have converted a handful of tracks over to rF2 mainly using 3dsimed and I'm well aware of what is needed to get realroad working and the other rF2 features working. I didn't think BTB .9 would support rF2 just wishful thinking The reason I asked my question is that I have now learnt a lot more about the modding process and the track I'm talking about was poorly made as I was learning as I made it. It was ok for rF1 but not very good for rF2. I'm looking for better ways to have the track junctions prepared for the rF2 conversion process.

Thanks for your comments