learning to drift track

[rookie1]

I've committed my changes to the scenegraph branch.

To thelusiv, I've created an Auto-X menu. But I think i don't have access to the data svn repo at sf.net. Can you give me write access? I have the same nick at sf.net.

[kcid]

rookie1,

I've just added a working version of a parkinglot track to the vdrift-art repository. I'll work on it some more, but the flat piece of tarmac is done

Kcid

[rookie1]

Nice work, kcid. Mind converting it into vdrift track format? I'm still struggling with the blender interface.

Another request, can you model a traffic cone object? No need to put it inside the track model. The placement of cones will be done programmatically base on the layout from track designer.

[kcid]

Rookie1,

I've added a Roadcone to the vdrift-art svn. It's in models/tracks/Parkinglot/Roadcone.blend With a .png texture.

I'd like to import the blender file into vdrift, but somebody has to explain me how to do it since it's the first time I think that a blender track will be imported.

[thelusiv]

kcid, basically you do the same thing as for a Racer track, or a car. Export the Blender objects as triangles to .joe files using the python export script. Put them all in a track directory along with their textures as usual for tracks under objects/ subdir. Then you need a list.txt to describe them all. From there, open in the track editor (the old one), and define the track and starting position, etc....You're right this hasn't exactly been done before so you're blazing new trails here. Good luck!

[joevenzon]

It's very similar to the directions at http://wiki.vdrift.net/index.php/Importing_Racer_tracks

The big difference being that you start off by exporting the track from blender (which generates a lot of .joe files) rather than by using dof2joe. The latest blender export script should be able to export many objects in one shot if you tell it to (there's a toggle button), and that will also make it generate the list.txt file (which eventually goes in the objects/ folder). I'll try to write something up in the wiki this evening.

EDIT: okay, not going to happen this evening... hopefully i can get around to it by the weekend

[rookie1]

Hi kcid, the step to trace the track and define starting positions using the old track editor can be skipped. The track and starting position are to be defined using the ingame track designer. I'll override the track loading function to create the required bezier patches base on the design. This is something to be done when i have some time this weekend (hopefully).

[joevenzon]

Alright, so if kcid exports the track from blender as .joe objects plus a list.txt, is there anything else you need, rookie1?

[thelusiv]

I've committed my changes to the scenegraph branch.

To thelusiv, I've created an Auto-X menu. But I think i don't have access to the data svn repo at sf.net. Can you give me write access? I have the same nick at sf.net.

I'm very sorry, I totally missed this somehow or forgot about it. I just added you and gave you access to the SVN repository. It took me finally updating and trying it out, but realizing that there wasn't any data for your changes...anyway, it should work, but if it doesn't, let me know with a private message on here so i'm sure not to miss it.

[rookie1]

I'm very sorry, I totally missed this somehow or forgot about it. I just added you and gave you access to the SVN repository. It took me finally updating and trying it out, but realizing that there wasn't any data for your changes...anyway, it should work, but if it doesn't, let me know with a private message on here so i'm sure not to miss it.

Thanks thelusiv. I've committed the Auto-X menu changes. Make sure you checkout the latest scenegraph branch. Just discovered a silly bug in my code, which almost caused my computer to hang. The fix is in r1731.

Alright, so if kcid exports the track from blender as .joe objects plus a list.txt, is there anything else you need, rookie1?

I've created the track called Parking Lot and uploaded to sf.net svn. But it's not correctly displayed in game (i'm testing using trunk, not scenegraph branch). Seems to me the texture is applied to the wrong side of the face. Can you take a look and see where is the problem? Btw, the track is displayed correctly in the track editor.

[kcid]

Rookie1,

I've checked the normals of the Parkinglot track and they are all good, so that can't be the problem of the texture on the wrong side.

[rookie1]

Yeah, i guess the problem is either at the export stage or the in-game object display. Funny thing is the same track is displayed in the old track editor correctly.

Just another observation - I've done a measurement of the parking lot size using track editor. It's around 30 x 30 square meters. I think this might be too small. Can you increase the size a bit? How big should a reasonable auto-x track be?

[thelusiv]

The last autocross I went to that was at a really nice sized parking lot, the lot was about 100 m x 250 m.

[rookie1]

Well, the area in the layout designer is nearly a square (width/height ratio is 2.8/2.4 for a 4:3 display). So we may want to keep the parking lot the same propotion, like maybe 280m x 240m.

[thelusiv]

Sounds great. Another thing they did at that event was put some kind of chalk line on the cement, it eliminated the "sea of cones" issue that plagues autocrossers and makes us get lost on complex courses. If we could get something like that too, (straight lines between cones would be fine) that would rock.