Some BTB export issues

[Giulio Perusini]

I downloaded some days ago the BTB EVO SW for testing.
BTB look nice and also having some graphics limitations, it works fine.
I like to buy a license but some issues let me in doubt

List of major issues.

1) The BTB made TRACK.gdb file can't be edited at all, Race 07 doesn't load it anymore.
while in GTR this file can be edited. HOW I CAN DO IT ???

2) The BTB made TRACK can't accept fo race more than 7 driver, while in GTR it works fine

3) In version 8.03 (sept 2009) seems there is no way to split road for different shaping purpose.
This seems to be possible only for width and camber function.

Has somebody answer to some of the above questions ??
Le me know
By

 

[Kennett Ylitalo]

1. The trackname.GDB has to be edited with Notepad. You may need to assign the Notepad for the suffix .GDB: Right-click track.gdb, choose "open with", select Notepad and tick the box "Use always..."

2. You need to edit the trackname.gdb. The line appears at the end section.

3. Splitting the road can be done with "Track Shape" tool. It's a bit tricky but can be done. There was a tutorial in the old downloads section here in RD, it's now gone. Does anyone have that tutorial archived? If you have, upload it, send me the link and i'll add it to Simtrackipedia and to community collection

Personally i don't split tracks, i use two tracks that are merged. It's not as pretty but gives more freedom and is easier to do. Track merging tutorial can be found here: http://www.racedepartment.com/forum/threads/merging-tracks-examples-inside.6100/ Look for the videos in BTB website. Actually, before you do anything else, watch ALL of these videos: http://www.bobstrackbuilder.net/videos.aspx
Track merge:

 

[Kennett Ylitalo]

As you are EVO user, i suggest that you replace you Default XPack ( Program Files\BobsTrackbuilder\XPacks ) with this one: http://cream.galleria.fi/BTB/XPacks/Default.zip It has some ready made simple multimaterial cross-sections that you can study with "Track Shape" tool. It also has some tools that are missing from BTB, like rulers and other measumement stuff. And the startlights are fixed, the original Default XPack has the wrong animation order...

NOTE!! Working with "Track shape" tool: In order for copy/paste to work, the two crossections has to have exactly the same number of control points. For ex,if you try to copy a crossection with 11 points/6 materials, the target crossection needs to have exactly 10 points, number of materials is not a limiting factor. A Tip: you can edit new crossection with the "Wall" tool, you can copy crossections from "Wall" to "Track Shape" and vice versa...

 

[Lee Knight]

I'm guessing your refering to RSOUL's brilliant 238Mb tutorial on merging tracks in BTB & then editing in 3D SimEd?
If so Ive just uploaded it to ifile.it http://ifile.it/4c3w6s7/merge.rar
They have a time limit so please be quick
This would have to also be one of the best executed tutorials Ive ever come across & could serve as a lesson in how to make tutorials too!
I STILL reference back to it fairly often....
I also have a bunch of BTB YouTube clips I 'captured' with a program I have, I'll package them up & upload them tomorrow night for you if you want them Kennett

 

[Kennett Ylitalo]

It's uploaded here: http://cream.galleria.fi/BTB/Tutorials/ I guess i need to start collecting all the tutorials too, there still 20 gigs space left for community collections..

EDIT: I need to edit the folder structure a bit to make it more simple for all to use... It's a shame i can't share the upload priviledges.

 

[Giulio Perusini]

Many Thank's for prompt replay, but my be I was not so clear in my question.
The .GDB editing method is OK
I Alredy did for other downloaded circuit, then I did it in the same usual way (Notepad).
But any stupid change I perform to the TRACKNAME.GDB file
Egs. Location = Sydney, Australia into Location = Spedville, Fantasy
or Category=GTR Evo into Category=Add-on
Makes the Track to disappear in the whole RACE07 track list ????????
I did it few seconds ago by changing
Max Vehicles = 8 into Max Vehicles = 28
Pufff .... the BTB track is no more available under whole RACE07

This is not for GTR2 wich I pass trough for HAT file generation
In there any change to the .GDB is easily accepted
In others downloaded circuit if I make change (>>bigger) nothing happens ant it works fine...

I will review again the tutorial you told, I allready seen for Pit Lane creation and merging
Other issues Up to now I ame able only to make quite strigth pit lane or the stupid AIIW Cars pushes again the turn
(But this is a next step issue)
What I need exactly is :
How to have different track section shape over length for the same track
I have not yet recognised the way to create various trackshape.
Seems (TO ME obviously) there is no way to select or split, the same track in various part over track length, for track section editing, trough a stupid Button or some other selection method I still ignore
I put as example the TRACK Width and camber editing in which a simple button adds section to edit over track length
Many tank's in advance.
Bye

 

[Kennett Ylitalo]

Ok, thanks for the additional info, that GDB issue sounds very strange. Do you happen to use Win7 or Vista?

I'm really not sure what you mean by creating different track shapes, it's the Track Shape tool that does these things, looks like this:

. Choose 3D view and CTRL+Click track to create a new crossection. But surely you have tried every button there is so you must have knowledge of it and looked at those videos in the BTB site?.. You can always copy the track and apply a new track shape to that copy to have for ex a wall for the entire lenght of the track. You can copy tracks with this tool:

Have you replaced the Default XPack with the one i gave link to? It has several cross-sections ready, maybe studying it would solve your problem... You can replace the Default.zip in your project folder with the new one, it's fully compatible but one thing to learn right now is to make lots of backups! BTB is notorious of rendering projects into unreadeble form so everytime you introduce new XPacks, make a backup of the project!

 

[Giulio Perusini]

No I haven't tried this key combination until you said..... and WOW it works
Great !
Many many thanks Kennet.

Now the worst
Point 1 & 2 of my opening message are then the same : the .GDB FILE editing
1) I use XP 32 pro SP3 Dotnetfix up to 4.0
2) If I modify the gdb then to have back the Track in Race 07 I need to replace the file itself with a previous copy of it !! The simple revriting of previous text line does'nt fix the problem
3) If I change someting in some other downloaded track .GDB files Egs : Moving Adelaide 2011 from "V8 supercars" to "2011"
it works fine.
Then Is a formatting issue of the BTB written .GDB file .
There aro so few adjustment to do for BTB export to RACE07, that I have no ideas where something is going wrong...

Any ideas ore someone already had ?????????

 

[Kennett Ylitalo]

That's really weird, XP 32bit SP3 is the perfect OS for BTB. I know, this may sound stupid to ask but you aren't trying to modify those files on-the-fly, ie while the game is running? You can modify textures with the game running but that's about it, everything else needs to be reloaded. The game indexes all the addon track main files (GDB, TRK, CAM etc..) and if you modify them on-the-fly, youll either get a minidump or something similar when the game index and the actual files are different.. Indexing happens when you start the game and you can notice that the more content you add, the longer the game takes to start.

I was just uploading this speedbuild-track (2-day build) to the team, the link was still in clipboard: http://cream.galleria.fi/BTB/Projects/Rallye/Rallye1.zip , anyway, try to edit that tracks GDB if it does the same.

 

[Giulio Perusini]

WOW I solved....
Starting by the fact that must be a file formatting issues, I performed the following steps.
1) I copied the entire content of the BTB written "Trackname.gdb" file in a text file trough Notepad.
2) I saved it in ansi format with the same "Trackname.gdb" filename.
3) It works, I can edit it as i like.
4) Wow ....and don't ask me why

Thanks for the support Ken.
So now I can go trough BTB.
I hope to exchange some more interesting news in the future with you
bye

 

[ebrich]

Hi Giulio.
I had the same problem with tracks disappearing in Race07 after I had changed the gdb file in wanting it under a different category.
Eventually found the answer in BTB EVO files\support\Race07\template.gdb.
If when exporting the track from BTB you change the template to your needs, the track will save under the category you defined.
Like your solution better, though. Will have to try it next time.

 

[Kennett Ylitalo]

I use only Notepad++ for all text file editing. Never fails plus as it's aimed precisely for this type of editing, there's convenient options available. It's fast and has tabbed documents, very easy to copy/paste stuff around.