XPacks Discussion

Brendon Pywell · Mar 16, 2009

Expansion Packs (XPacks)

BTB organises all Objects, Materials and Textures into Expansion Packs (XPacks). They are theme based so that the textures for the road surfaces, walls, trees and ground all look good together.

By bunching objects, materials and textures together encourages a more aesthetic end result – although you will be free to use whatever XPacks you like!

This encourages two things:

1. People using your XPacks will create Tracks that are more aesthetic. That is the textures will look good together. Check how well objects from the Australia Rural XPack look against the road/ground textures.

2. Game performance will be increased by re-using the same objects/textures in creative ways rather than adding more objects from a number of XPacks. Good XPacks will reuse materials/textures, eg. the Texture for a house roof may be used on several House objects. When it comes to rendering performance, texture/material reuse is good.
These points will become even more important as the library of XPacks grow. Imagine having 12 different tree XPacks and trying to find some that match your terrain/theme.

Installation

Each XPack comes in the form of a Zip file. Additional XPacks will be created over time and installing them is a simple as dropping the Zip file into the BTB\XPacks folder. BTB reads directly from the Zip file, there is no need to extract the individual files/folders.

The initial BTB installation will not include much XPack material; they need to be downloaded from http://www.bobstrackbuilder.net/pro_users/XPacks.aspx .

Adding to your Venue

You use “File … Expansion Packs” to select which packs you want to be available in your Venue.

Each Venue (project) you create will exist in its own folder and all Textures and XPacks used in your project will be copied to an “XPacks” sub-folder. If you want to edit a Texture that you added to your project, you need to edit the one that gets copied to your Venue’s folder.

Updating XPacks

Over time XPacks will gain more Objects and Materials and you will want to get the latest one. Simply download again and drop into you BobsTrackBuilder\XPacks folder.
Your existing Venues will need to be manually updated by copying the XPack into the project’s XPacks folder and overwriting the existing one.

Creating XPacks

A new utility called XPacker is included to help you create your own XPacks. It will not build your objects or textures, but it does help you to organise them into the required XPack structure.
Press F1 for more XPacker help.

Creating a community of XPacks

I am not artistic in the slightest so it’s up to everyone here to help build a library of XPacks that everyone can use. My time will be focussed on coding more BTB/XPacker functions so I am relying on you guys to help out by submitting more material.
If you have textures, objects and materials that you think would be suitable, contact me ( bob at bobstrackbuilder.net ) and I’ll be happy to organise them into a suitable XPack. All work should be your own with all copyrights respected.

These are the current themes I have in mind:
- Alpine
- Desert
- City
- Rural Australia (Ennis)
- Coastal
- Forest
- Haywood Club (WeirdBeard)
- Jungle
- Racing (I need cones).
- Savannah Grasslands (Raceking)
- Snow
- Woodland
Feel free to come up with more (ideally along with your own contribution) or make suggestions on how to better categories these themes.

Object Import Format

The importing of objects can be done using either the Collada or 3ds formats.

I would encourage anyone looking to import objects to use the Collada format as it is far more robust and isn't plagued by the shortcomings of the 3ds format. For Max, you can get a free plugin for import/export from http://www.feelingsoftware.com/content/view/65/79/lang,en/ though I think you have to sign up before you can access the downloads.

I am happy to do the organising if you wish to send the XPacks my way ( bob@bobstrackbuilder.net ). Please feel free to give suggestions on how they should be structured or into what existing XPack you think they could be added. The textures should be your own work as I cannot use other people’s textures without their permission.

Advanced Editing

Creating Content

When adding one more object/material I always create a new XPack and test just that one item making sure it works ok in all games. Once it’s ready then I copy the contents of that XPack into the destination XPack and re-zip it.

This isolates the work so that I can test many times without the possibility of adding more materials/textures than required.

Editing Content

XPacks are just zip files. If you wish to change just one item of a project, it can be unzipped and so long as it keeps the same folder structure, BTB will use the unzipped version instead (restart BTB).

Say for instance you wish to change replace the colour of the Default\Barn object.

1. Locate the [yourVenue]\XPacks\Default.zip.
2. Extract the shed01_end.dds and shed01_side.dds so that they are in a folder [yourVenue]\XPacks\Default\Textures\Objects\Building\.
3. Replace the shed01_end.dds and shed01_side.dds file with your own.
4. Start BTB.

Any of the files can be replaced using this method.

banger · May 28, 2009

it will help , has i seem to be getting a lot of problems with sketchup 7 myself.until piddy get to fix the multiply meshes for the dae extentions.don't have the 3ds version. still using the sk7 freebie.

Lasercutter · May 28, 2009

cone here that I made if it's any use (gmt and 3ds file)

Satangoss · May 29, 2009

One 3DS file plus textures which can be added directly in any Xpack.

By the way... If you have to be limited uploading in 145 Kb in *.RAR files I would prefer to have nothing. What kind of file has less than 145 Kb? That's so ridiculous.

http://myfreefilehosting.com/f/625e22b0b0_2.91MB

Memfis · May 31, 2009

wow! thanks for this building!

Satangoss · May 31, 2009

Hi Memfis and others,

I'm Sorry, the previous version has wrong textures Mapped.

Please get this corrected one:

http://myfreefilehosting.com/f/4784550602_2.91MB

I'm going to share more 5 or 6 buildings soon, perhaps join them in a City Xpack.

See ya

Lasercutter · Jun 2, 2009

Thought these might be useful to someone, there is a pole with one loudspeaker horn and a pole with two loudspeaker horns, included both GMT and 3DS files as well as some very basic (google sketchup) textures.
feel free to use them as you please.

chub_pearson · Jun 2, 2009

Satangoss said:
By the way... If you have to be limited uploading in 145 Kb in *.RAR files I would prefer to have nothing.

Hi Satangoss,

I think if you upload to the Library section rather than as an attachment you won't have the same problem with file size.

In fact, any items posted in this thread would be more useful in the Library section

banger · Jun 3, 2009

thanks lazercutter & satangoss, these are great.

windows vista updating....(1 of 40), this is boring.

gstaraz · Jun 24, 2009

Hello everyone...
A question about x-packs:
-Import format
-since most of the objets made for SIM-BIN and ISI platforms are in ".gmt" format, is it possible to import them directly into an x-pack without the use of 3Dsimed as a "gmt converter ?

-I`m asking it `cause, after years of collecting objects and organizing them stored as GMT "ready for use in gtl-gtr2", it would be a nightmare to reconvert them back to 3ds or max (I`m talking about a few thousands objects...), to be used as a part of a BTB x-pack.

...any practical solution anyone?

ps. If there is no other way than to reconvert the objects back to 3ds, I`ll do it that way, but if that "issue" was taken ito consideration and sits somewhere in the development plan; I will be more than happy to wait

, rather than loosing a week or more converting like an imbecil :hypnotized:

banger · Jun 24, 2009

it would be nice for objects to be import gmt's files.but i think that may be along way to go.has the gmt format seems to change between rfactor/gtr2 and gtl/evo and not all objects work the same althought the isi engine is used it seems to beable to modify some of the gmt files format.eg pitlights/startlights/lights/sun etc etc......

only way to do a gmt at the moment is convert using simed.i agree it is a painful and long process.

nicokarting · Jul 1, 2009

Help , sorry my english
I have a new license for btb
idon't open the old file of the my old pc crash.
in this old pc have a old version of btb
error:
Incorrect location:
in order to locate all old textures, the Venue file must be located under the old bobs trackbuiluder\ projects folder

Eric Tozer · Jul 2, 2009

Hi Nico

Hopefully this helps.

It is copied from the BTB website here.

http://bobstrackbuilder.net/demo/download/download_btbpro.aspx

----------------------------------------------------------------------
If upgrading from version 0.7.X.X:
- Extract the files from the patch zip below and into the BobsTrackBuilder folder.
If upgrading from version 0.6:
- Backup your project files (usually found under "C:\Program Files\BobsTrackBuilder\My Projects").
- Uninstall Bobs Track Builder.
- Extract the files from the zip below and run the setup.exe to install the new version.
- For licensed users, your v0.6 licenses will have been removed. Please run the HID.exe and generate a new HardwareId.txt file for upload.

If upgrading from version 0.4.2.3 and you wish to upgrade your existing projects:
- Copy your current BobsTrackBuilder folder to BTBOLD.
- Uninstall Bobs Track Builder. Delete the BobsTrackBuilder folder so that only your BTBOLD folder exists.
- Extract the files from the zip below and run the setup.exe to install the new version.
- For licensed users, your v0.6 licenses will have been removed. Please run the HID.exe and generate a new HardwareId.txt file for upload.
You can now run either the BTBOLD\BobsTrackBuilder.exe or the new one.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheers

spamsac · Jul 28, 2009

Sorry if these are slightly broad questions and shouldn't specifically be in this thread, but they are ultimately related to making XPacks and so this seemed the best place to post it.

I'm currently playing around with making textures/objects of my own, but what I'm not sure of is exactly what formats need to be used in relation to working with specific sims.

I've made textures for road surfaces, grass, and also some vegetation, saved as DDS format with an alpha channel for transparency (more or less as described in this series of videos: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0xlrWfSzuE[/ame]) when needed.

In the second video (where the texture is moved into 3DSM in order to make an object), it is noted that the material must be created as a GMotor material for use in rFactor. Does this mean that different XPacks would need to be made for different games in order to use the correct formats etc. for each specific engine, or is BTB doing something when exporting that takes care of this?

I don't really have a specific sim in mind for my future projects (though most likely it will be RBR, and then possibly rF/rF2 too), and so wish to keep things as flexible and universally usable as possible, for as long as possible.

Any help much appreciated,
Simon

banger · Jul 28, 2009

spamsac said:
Sorry if these are slightly broad questions and shouldn't specifically be in this thread, but they are ultimately related to making XPacks and so this seemed the best place to post it.

I'm currently playing around with making textures/objects of my own, but what I'm not sure of is exactly what formats need to be used in relation to working with specific sims.

I've made textures for road surfaces, grass, and also some vegetation, saved as DDS format with an alpha channel for transparency (more or less as described in this series of videos:

) when needed.

In the second video (where the texture is moved into 3DSM in order to make an object), it is noted that the material must be created as a GMotor material for use in rFactor. Does this mean that different XPacks would need to be made for different games in order to use the correct formats etc. for each specific engine, or is BTB doing something when exporting that takes care of this?

I don't really have a specific sim in mind for my future projects (though most likely it will be RBR, and then possibly rF/rF2 too), and so wish to keep things as flexible and universally usable as possible, for as long as possible.

Any help much appreciated,
Simon

if you use the btb xpacker, and have both btb editors, you can move the object to any sim,if it is in a 3ds format or Dae

spamsac · Jul 29, 2009

banger said:
if you use the btb xpacker, and have both btb editors, you can move the object to any sim,if it is in a 3ds format or Dae

So there is no need to make it a GMotor material in Max for use in rF, as in the video, provided the object is saved as a dae. or 3ds. file?

banger · Aug 1, 2009

too both questions.

no needed really.
yes if you save to 3ds or dae, along with the textures there shouldn't be a problem.

once it packed into btb, just copy that zip to the btbpro editor or btbevoeditor xpacks folder.this also works for the projects folder too.

.final note remeber to also copy the new xpacks to your projects folder if you change it. hehe mayhem if you don't.

spamsac · Aug 1, 2009

Thanks banger.

Everything seems to be working fine within BTB. Indeed, I'm surprised it all seems to be going so smoothly!

I just won't get a chance to export and try it in sim for a while yet unfortunately.

gstaraz · Aug 2, 2009

I`ve made some guardrails as SObjects, but when I try to place them in the project, there are some spaces between the various parts...(start-pattern-end)... ...a few millimeters gap appears.
The 3 objects (start, pattern, end) was centered on the xyz origin point using 3Dsimed, and exported as 3ds.
(I specified the spacing between the parts to be 0 (zero) when creating the xpack)

Is there a tutorial showing how to make SObjects ?

-another thing are the textures:
Do they have to be linked to an object, or you can import them and let them sit there loose in the xpack?
...what I mean...: I have some textures, that I`m not sure I will use as a terrain fill in the project, but I`d like to have them ready for use if I change Idea. ...Can they be stored just as textures within the xpack?

EDIT:
Textures solved... Hadn`t noticed the xpacker section in the BTB manual...

Erwin Greven · Aug 2, 2009

I use at the moment the rural Australia pack for the roads in my two projects. But i would like to know if there is also a xpack version available where the roads are dark with dotted lines ect.. just like the aussie pack, but then the darker asphalt roads.