tc6 - wip - now with download link (i think)

[zimluura]

hey, i think i'm sorta getting the hang of blender.

so i really want to try putting this rough version into the game, but can anyone tell me where to get the vdrift export scripts. i found some links a while back but they were all dead.

also, is the latest svn pretty much required now, i currently only have the build from march 2007

sad little wip pic 'cause i don't know much about blender lighting yet

[kcid]

Hy zimluura,

You can find the export script in de vdrift-art repository.
You can find this here: http://svn.vdrift.net/repos/vdrift-art/trunk
The export file is in the tools directory. Get it into blender as a text file and export your models. Look at the other cars which parts you need to export. You need a body.joe file for your body, a glass.joe for the glass, a file for the front and the back wheels, a file for the interior and a collision box file.
You also need a .car file with all the cars settings in it. If you don't know what I mean, look at other cars.
You don't need to run the newest svn version to test your car.
If you have any questions please ask.

Kcid

[zimluura]

thanks! got the scripts. can't get them to work without texture coords. so it looks like i need to learn uv maps next.

[kcid]

Zimluura,

The scripts work without uv maps.
Make sure all faces of the model are triangles and not quads. If you are in edit mode in Blender press Ctrl+T that will convert all faces to triangles.

Cheers,
Kcid

[Kricor]

looking good

[zimluura]

thanks, Kricor

wasn't doing the triangle thing. but now i'm still having a problem.

as a test i got a new scene with a cube. then:
tab for edit mode
ctrl+t to triangulate
tab again to get out of edit mode.

then file -> export .joe
click "export only selected object"
then "export"

Output of console:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<string>", line 732, in bevent
File "<string>", line 311, in save_joe
ValueError: face has no texture values


after seeing the same error allot, i modified the one of the scripts just a tad to change the default file name (just so i wouldn't have to keep clicking all those times to change it to something that made sense to a windows box), any chance the error is related to filenames?? also tried with a "/temp/test.joe" and still the same error.

doing a little source, err script diving, in the export scripts now (i'm not very experienced with python)...anybody got any ideas?? should i be taking this discussion over to the help forum?

[zimluura]

woohoo, got a .joe together!

it's just a sphere that i tested, but it turned out the problem was what the script was telling me, needed every face to have uv coords.

now time to spend a while learning how to unwrap things better.

[zimluura]

overlayed on the tc5's other models. but the body is different, covered in a black texture (with uv coords being horribly off i won't try for anything else just yet.)



yay! i've gotten a piece of media through the art pipeline! i'll try to get it further along soon.

[joevenzon]

Hey, nice work! The VDrift art pipeline can be a bit confusing. :-) Any suggestions for how we can make it a bit simpler...?

[joevenzon]

Also, I see you're using the 3/23/07 release. You might want to get the development version:

http://wiki.vdrift.net/Getting_the_development_version

The graphics are better and you have the option of doing specular-maps.

[zimluura]

i think, now that i've got it figured out it's easy. only suggestions i could make on the export script is to:

* have it remember the path you picked last time. but that's easy enough to change with notepad.

* have it assign generic uv parameters when you try to export without a texture. just like the (0.0,0.0)(1.0,0.0)(0.0,1.0) triangle or something. just be sure to have it mention that it's doing so in the console.

======================

few feature requests for making the art pipeline more versatile.
some sort of freeform model structure. so you can export a large number of meshes and then have tons of different .cars all refer to the same group of meshes.

since my tc6 was started independently of vdrift. i made the doors, hood, fenders, bumpers, seats, doors, etc. all separate meshes. and with not allot of modelling work, but a lot of text editing, i could *potentially* define like 10-20 different tc6's from the meshes i've made thus far (it'd be like gran turismo with their 80 nissan skylines). and then i could also model aftermarket body parts too for when the mod & tuning system is up and running.

but so long as the references to various meshes were defined in the .car file, you could still use the same, simplified structure if you wanted to, or didn't have time to model all the little accessories. just wouldn't have potential for working doors and windshield wipers, and antenas and all that glitz when the source starts making use of it.

==================
it would also be nice to have .engine files that go with each car, but i have yet to think of a really good way to implement that.

[joevenzon]

it would also be nice to have .engine files that go with each car, but i have yet to think of a really good way to implement that.

What do you mean by .engine files?

[zimluura]

i was thinking a .engine file would be a text file for the engine parameters. to separate them from the .car parameters, so engine swaps might be somewhat easier to code.

other than that, it would also streamline creating tons of little variants for a car. just in case you wanted to do that. since the only car i know really well is the tc6, if i were to try to model most of the tc6's i'd need to build 3 chassis: hatch, coupe, convertible. and several different front bumper/spoiler/skirt sets. but then lots of different engines. but with a good amount of overlap as well.
usdm st: 7a-fe
usdm gt: 5s-fe
usdm gt conv: 5s-fe
jdm ssi: 3s-fe
jdm ssii: 3s-ge
jdm gt4: 3s-gte


made some serious progress learning blender today. still haven't done much with texturing. still using the tc5's wheels. and still using the old build. dev-c++ throws a strange error: complains when an sdl_surface pointer has a space _after_ the star as well. haven't done too much to troubleshoot the code though. y'know, another release would be really nice, that way i wouldn't have to learn anything else for a little while

[Kricor]

That looks really cool! Can't wait for this and the Ferrari made by TF to be in the game!

[zimluura]

starting to get somewhere with the texturing. interior and glass need maps too though. i should really add a muffler, and maybe a rear differential, cause you can see it's absence when the free cam is low enough.