XPacks Discussion

[Brendon Pywell]

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.

 

[mianiak]

How do I get the object in the xpack to export with it's own unique name?
eg;-
At the moment, bighouse.3ds becomes obj_0.gmt
I want, bighouse.3ds to become bighouse.gmt

I see in the Default xpack, using Cone as an example, [Objects\Roadside\Cone] becomes cone0.gmt
I have set my model up exactly as I see Cone setup but I'm having no luck.

 

[Eduardo Gonzalez]

Next time, let it be Japanese road markings as well as it's signage. Since i have in mind about creating a fictional street circuit directly in the Akihabara electronics district in Tokyo, Japan, whose Start/Finish straight will be sitting directly prior to the radio centre bridge in Chuo Dori St. running clock wise

 

[R Soul]

using Cone as an example, [Objects\Roadside\Cone] becomes cone0.gmt
I have set my model up exactly as I see Cone setup but I'm having no luck.

I hate to say it but I think it's hard coded. Perhaps Brendon didn't consider individual gmt naming to be a high priority. Names can be set quite easily in 3dsimed:

Load the .scn, right click an object, select edit xxx.gmt.
The gmt name is in the text field at the top. Change it and click on Update.
When you export the track (export > rfactor > save models), the new gmt will be created with a reference in the scn file.

It's far from ideal - the original gmt will need to be deleted, and you can only do this one object at a time, and if you export from BTB again, all your changes will be undone. However you don't need to rename many gmts. It's only necessary for special things like pit garage doors and start lights. If you need to know which gmt represents an object, you can look at it in 3dsimed without having to change anything.

 

[Raido]

in mind about creating a fictional street circuit directly in the Akihabara electronics district in Tokyo, Japan, whose Start/Finish straight will be sitting directly prior to the radio centre bridge in Chuo Dori St. running clock wise

Nice idea. Have something similar in mind in Umeda. Most of the roads in Akiba aren't actually that wide though - this is a pic I shot of one of the more 'normal' roads there...



Btw, if you are going to do this one, make it a night track - Tokyo is *wayyyy* more appealing at night than it is during the day.

 

[Eduardo Gonzalez]

Nice idea. Have something similar in mind in Umeda. Most of the roads in Akiba aren't actually that wide though - this is a pic I shot of one of the more 'normal' roads there...

View attachment 25485

Btw, if you are going to do this one, make it a night track - Tokyo is *wayyyy* more appealing at night than it is during the day.

Try Google Earth instead, the Chuo Dori Ave. is wide enough for a start/finish straight. We can even put the startlights prior to the radio centre bridge, but the pitroad, we'll have to look for space to be put on, but not leavingt the S/F straight. And night races there will be impossible, with everyone headed 2 bed in apartments way close to the track, the cars' sounds might be deafening enough to call 119 for police


i must mind you, when it comes to Akiba, the segments might be placed as closest to the district's most popular stores. The main examples are: Super Potato, GAMERS, Don Quixote, Tsukomo Robot Land, Cosmate PLUS, Club Sega, Akihabara UDX, Mandarake, Gachapon Kaikan, Radio Market, @home Cafe, Yodobashi Camera, VOLKS, the JR Akihabara Station, and many others. Now you know how certain otaku might react on Sundays during race weekend there.

 

[Raido]

Oh yes, I know. Chuo Dori would be plenty wide for racing (it's just that some other roads in the area wouldn't , I remember it as being a very wide road, sometimes closed for traffic so we could all stroll along. I once kept on walking the road northwards, and through Ameyoko market, ended up being right back at Ueno station.

So, looking forward to it. You might get a head start if you're able (if only temporary) to use some trackside objects from GRID Shibuya from rFactor, building- or texture-wise.

 

[Eduardo Gonzalez]

Closed on Sundays from all motor vehicles

 

[Ralf Ääro]

Hi

does anyone of you have an xpack with pit stands? Somethint like this would be great: http://www.spa-uk.co.uk/images/alt-examples.jpg

 

[martinez]

I've found that checking "Render Normals Up" in XPacker (for a material) is good not only for tress. (In RBR) textures are not darker anymore with that option checked. I was always wonderering why walls of my buildings had that one-side shadows They also look better in BTB!

 

[Roland Kreuger]

Hi Guys , I'm trying to use the xpacks but they doesn't seem to work properly as Hayard Club, Tire Walls collection it appears an error on xml line 1 space 38 but when I open it, it seems ok on xml file , I try to zip it and drop it to xpack folder open the btb select the Tire Walls and when a I try to load into the project it doesn't appear it happens to all zips that is not organized as Cross sections, Matarials, Objects , I tried everything just can't make some packs work . Do somebody have an idea?
Thx all
Roland Kreuger
out of world cup

 

[calabria]

How to create objects in BTBXPacker?

Hi,

I'm making a track and I have a pack to add tags on the grid, white finish and box. There is this pack? I know in BTBXPacker create textures, but not how to make objects

Hola, estoy haciendo una pista y tengo un paquete para agregar etiquetas de la parrilla, acabado en blanco y la caja. No es este paquete? Sé que en BTBXPacker crear texturas, pero no cómo hacer que los objetos?

Cómo crear objetos en BTBXPacker?

 

[mianiak]

If you have just a texture you want to add, I recommend to use the material editor in BTB to add it.
Find the existing grid marks and duplicate the material, then you can go ahead and change the image.

In the BTB Help file, go to Editing > Materials and Textures.

Materials and Textures

Adding New Materials

To create a new Material, select an existing one and click the

button to make a copy of that Material. Be sure to set the Path property to determine where in the Material Tree it will sit and what name it will be given. You can then alter the Materials settings or load new Textures to create a unique Material.

 

[calabria]

Thanks Mianiak,

I want to create the finish line. I can not make the mistake here.

 

[Andre_1th]

Simple Xpack

I created my 1th pack, just 4 buildings.
I hope you have some time to test those and give me some feedback.

How I build them? Found some 2D jpegs on the net, played with Photoshop, Gimp, SketchUp, and Xpacker. From 1 to 4 I think you will notice some improvements, well I hope so

Previous 3 house pack contains some errors ( jpg sizes ! 2,4,8,16 etc )

http://members.ziggo.nl/world/BTB/Andre Buildings 1.zip

 

[Andre_1th]

Thanks Mianiak,

I want to create the finish line. I can not make the mistake here.

I was learning some other things, how to create video tutorials, so your question is a good practise for me

You can create finish line also with using a wall.
Also possible to create smaller walls with different colors, like white, red etc.

This approach works quit fast, instead of creating your own with whatever prg.

Made a video (divX):
http://members.ziggo.nl/world/BTB/finishline001_as.mp4

Happy building

 

[Gerda 3]

Hi!

How can i delete a Xpack from my project which i not longer use?! I deleted all Objects from the Xpack but i can not unload the xpack....

 

[Andre_1th]

Hi!

How can i delete a Xpack from my project which i not longer use?! I deleted all Objects from the Xpack but i can not unload the xpack....

hehe do it all the time:

Long story:

Goto: Your Bobs Track Builder directory, click on Xpacks, delete the pack you want.
Click on Bobs TrackBuilder/My Projects/your project/xpacks and remove, bye bye

 

[martinez]

You have to be sure 100% that you don't use anything from that xpack - objects, SObjects, Materials etc. Then when you have your project opened, go to menu - xpacks (the list) and make sure there is no adnotation "In Use" with that xpack. You can uncheck that little square and click ok. The xpack should be deleted from the project folder. In mean - it works on my computer like this.
RBR export issue: If you do so, there will be some error with exporting - on this (current) btb session. If you close the project (btb at all) now (you can save it) and open again - you can export successfully.
You can also delete the unwanted xpack manually, as Andre_1th said.

 

[Gerda 3]

okay, i understand! Thank you

 

[liquido]

I created my 1th pack, just 4 buildings.
I hope you have some time to test those and give me some feedback.

How I build them? Found some 2D jpegs on the net, played with Photoshop, Gimp, SketchUp, and Xpacker. From 1 to 4 I think you will notice some improvements, well I hope so

Previous 3 house pack contains some errors ( jpg sizes ! 2,4,8,16 etc )

http://members.ziggo.nl/world/BTB/Andre Buildings 1.zip

nice contribution, I downloaded and check it, really nice houses... I find some troubles on "transparency" material, you need to set that transparency on Xpacker and change the actual textures it dosen´t work as transparent material. hope that helps you.