WIP Tereana City Superspeedway

[TChapman500]

I've been working on this track on and off for quire a while now, But recently, I decided to try to make a 3DO for the track without using any 3DS Max version, or 3D SimEd. This track is 4 miles in length and has a maximum cornering speed of about 270 mph, which is much faster than the cars can actually go (at least with realistic weather). Here's the overhead view of the track so far (some details were lost due to a relatively recent hard drive crash).

For the 3DOs without using 3DS Max, here's what I came up with:

I have replaced the garage models with a much less detailed version in terms of polygon count. Using gmax and a modified max2msh script (used to export models to Orbiter, which recently went open source), I created a msh file that, if converted to 3DO, will appear just as you see in the above image. I created a tool to then convert the msh file I had created into a 3DO file, then used make3do with a PSG script to add a state switch so that the object does not appear when the Minimum Trackside Objects option is selected.

 

[Mystical]

Does your conversion method allow all the different make3do state variables and state switches? For example I still go the 3ds max route since I want proper lods, weekend state switches, and built in day to night mip texture swaps that sadly 3D SimEd3 doesn't include (plus 3dSimeD3 triples the poly count on exported models making performance less desirable).

I'd love if blender could just export PAS files, that would be the dream.

 

[TChapman500]

My utility doesn't create stuff like LODs, State Switches, etc. It just creates a 3DO with a single mesh, or multiple meshes parented to a group node. I manually set the LODs, state switches, etc., by writing a PSG script which imports the 3DO that I created and extracts individual meshes as necessary to be used by whatever LODs, state switches, etc. that I have defined in the PSG. I then run the PSG script through make3do to get the final object that I desire.

For the compilation process, whatever max2msh exports is exactly what you get in the 3DO when using my utility.

 

[TChapman500]

I lost the original airport file for this track, so I'm creating a new one. I'm going to put this track into FSX to make sure that the infield airport is safe to fly into and out of. For NR2003, the airport will be added as an infield 3DO file, which will just be a flat plane with a relatively high-resolution texture (it won't look high-res though). This will be accompanied by additional objects which will be visible at higher detail levels.

 

[Zak103tv]

nice work

 

[TChapman500]

Thanks.

 

[TChapman500]

I just found the ground plane model I used to create the grandstands for this track. I'm going make a copy of the model, then adjust the copy to create a raised ground level for the grandstands to rest on which will (hopefully) blend smoothly with the actual track geometry at either end of the ground plane. Also, it's not technically a plane since it follows the elevation profile of the outside edge of the track.

 

[Mystical]

If you are looking for precision of models to match the completed racing terrain/surface the best thing to do is export the track model from sandbox into a 3d application (like blender). You then can easily make your large structures match 100% with the track shape and size. This is what I do for all my tracks.

 

[TChapman500]

I exported the track geometry somehow a while back. Don't really remember what I did to get it out of Sandbox. But I know how I created the template and I apparently still have the file. Though it looks like I deleted a significant portion of the geometry to leave just the area under the grandstands. I wish I hadn't done that.

 

[Mystical]

You you can in sandbox go to file > export to dxf

Or if you have 3dSimEd3 import the track PTF file then export as a FBX with or without the trackside objects included.

 

[TChapman500]

I'll improvise a solution with what I have.

 

[TChapman500]

So my solution didn't work as well as I would have hoped, but it should be good enough as long as you don't look too closely at it. The best solution would be to move the actual track geometry in that area up, but there's a limit on how close 2 X Sections can be to each other. Also, it tanks Sandbox's framerate, which is not a good sign.

EDIT: Okay, I'm getting about 140-150 FPS in NR2003 in a private testing session, so it's not all that bad.