Author Topic: Air-Race terrains (Read 549 times)

Xjazz · « **on:** April 08, 2005, 08:07:30 AM »

Hello,

Not too many air-racing maps out there.

Well, here is a small purpose build test map with two different circuits: Dusters Low and Canyon GT.

Terrain file
http://warezhouse.1g.fi/test/Arace2b2.zip (547k)

The Canyon Grand Turismo is ~43mile long green hell with flickering textures . Circuit shapes are made with landmasses only. Fly through with 2k or 4k “Hard sky” rule. Some tight corners are very difficult to see.
Canyon GT film (1,3M) http://warezhouse.1g.fi/test/C_TA152_WKX.ahf

The Duster Low is a flat out pylon circuit. Flame pylons and anti cheat fences. Corners allow very wide entry and exit lines exception the first pylon entry and last pylon exit, were landmass limit the line. Maximum flight altitude is a top of the flame pylons.
Dusters Low film (905k) http://warezhouse.1g.fi/test/D_Typh_WXK.ahf

New 3D objects
I was spending all my AC3D trail time with ~300ft tall pylons with high visibility checkered textures and ~500ft tall giant forest, bush & wall etc fence objects… Trail is over and only useful object is a semi-invisible anti-shortcut fence (sigh).

My target was to create many new fence & wall objects for circuit building. I was planning to create flat out track(s) where pure top speed is not all that important. Characters like acceleration /de-acceleration and high/low speed handing should be very important. Of course the racing line is critical.

BTW
I will host a air-racing room in h2h today evening at 20:00 Finnish time (GMT+2).
http://216.91.192.19/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=1635320#post1635320

Xjazz · « **Reply #1 on:** April 11, 2005, 03:20:22 PM »

Hi

I just find out after the AC3D trail time you can still view and edit AC3D
files but can't save them. Nice! I can study AH object structures little bit more before a second AC3D trail in other PC.

Study
I select the grass0 object from OE, export it to the AC3D and I started ungrouping it one by one.

I was checking MaxDist-value after each ungroup:

AH object grass0.ac object hierarchy looks like this:

- world
- group 'model'   MaxDist=3659
- group 'objects'   MaxDist=3659
- group 'l41'    MaxDist=100(???)
- object 'o218'   MaxDist=3659

The o218 object data looks like this:
-MaxDist=3659
-PolyID=20008
-StencilAlpha=1
-NoCollide=1

QUESTION why group 'l41' MaxDist is 100ft but all others are 3659?

Hierarchy practise
Next I tried to build up a proper hierarchy three from edited hill6 object, which I renamed to cliff1.

So, would this 500ft tall 2000ft long and 900ft wide cliff working as I want it? Can collide with it and it's visible up to the ~9 miles?

What if I place several of these cliffs to the small area? FPS will drop a lot?

BlauK · « **Reply #2 on:** April 11, 2005, 03:48:48 PM »

The MaxDist in all "top groups" has to be as high as in the highest maxDist "bottom group" I mean that the MaxDist in the hierarchy affects all the childs. Th eChilds can have lower maxDist though, and then it limits their visibility. Just think of it as limiting visibility for the group and all of its children.

The group l41 is the closest LOD which is visible only from 100 feet.

You can use MinDist in the same manner to make LODs which switch visibility betwen themselves.

The HQ building is actually a very good example of the LODs.
--

The hills dont have very many polygons, so you dont have to worry. yo ucan use quite many of them in same area.

You dont need NoCollide=0. Just leave it out and you wil collide. If you use '1' the you cannot collide with it.

Add 'Terrain=1' just to be safe.... I am not really sure what it does, but it is meant for objects like the hill.

Xjazz · « **Reply #3 on:** April 12, 2005, 02:27:33 AM »

Thanks Blauk,

Two more question and I’m ready for next AC3D trail (I hope)

--

STR* numbering
I have a simple 2D 2000ft * 500ft fence AC3D shape and I want to make several AH-objects from it just with a different textures.

Is this a proper work procedure?

1. I build up a proper hierarchy tree with STR0 group and add needed flags and Max/MinDist values.

2. Import & fit wanted texture and use SAVE AS… function.

3. Set No Texture and repeat phase 2.

I can use only the “STR0” group name for all simple AH-objects?

---

AC3D texture size vs AH-object size
Any general rules and guidelines available? Fence size is a 2000ft long and 500ft tall. What size texture I should use: 2000*500 pixel or 200*50 pixel? Horizontal texture repeating is not the problem.

BlauK · « **Reply #4 on:** April 12, 2005, 03:18:05 AM »

Your procedure seems ok

and I think you can use str0 in all of them since they are separate object files.

The textures used have to be squares (AFAIK), but you can easily use the one and same (e.g.) 1024x1024 bmp for several separate objects, just place them as vertical slices.... e.g. 4 times 1024x256 slices. Smaller bmp may be also quite enough... 4 times 512x128 slices in a 512x512 bmp.

The pixels and feet do not have to correlate in any way, you can stretch any size of texture on any size of polygon. You just have to see yourself what is the desired quality.

Easyscor · « **Reply #5 on:** April 12, 2005, 02:28:46 PM »

Hitech posted in here awhile back that they don't need to be square textures. Hope it helps.

Xjazz · « **Reply #6 on:** April 21, 2005, 01:54:57 PM »

Ok, here we go again...

I have a problem with new shapes/objects. I can’t use them. If I add just a one shape with texture to the texscr folder and build the terrain, it won’t open in AH.

I can’t right now upload the files it self but here are the details.

AC3D p00yte.ac file Model info

Group "WORLD", v 0, s 0, kids 1
Group "model", v 0, s 0, kids 1
Group "objects", v 0, s 0, kids 1
Group "str0", v 0, s 0, kids 1
Object "Pylon0", v 20, s 9, kids 0

Total objects: 5 surfaces: 9 vertices: 20

MaxDist value for “model” group and “Pylon0” object is a 26400. Nothing else.

Texture bycolor.bmp file info
Yellow and black 256 * 256 pixel / 256color (8 bit, 96pixel /inch), 65536 bit.

It’s a simple 400ft tall triangle shape (X 80 * Z 90) pylon.

I convert p00yte.ac with OE, re-start OE, place the shape, save it with a AP00yte.til name and finally build it. I copy this new & shiny AP00yte.shp to the current terrain texscr folder with texture.

A new terrain won’t start even I don’t use new shape. It’s enough it is in texscr folder during the building process.

What could be a problem? An AC3D file properties, texture, OE process or naming?

Xjazz · « **Reply #7 on:** April 22, 2005, 01:23:34 PM »

Hi,

If somebody could check and test my object if it works with you. Thanks

6k AP00yte.zip contain .ac, .bmp, .til and .shp files.

http://warezhouse.1g.fi/test/AP00yte.zip

Here is the picture from the TE window

BlauK · « **Reply #8 on:** April 22, 2005, 01:46:35 PM »

You have to wait for the updated OE and TE. None of the earlier custom made objects work with the current version!!!

All self made objects have to be converted again into OE and all objects built in OE have to be rebuilt for TE.

You can prepair for new OE by mirroring ac3d models in Y axis if it plays any roöe in your objects. There was a bug in conversion which will be fixed in new version.

Xjazz · « **Reply #9 on:** April 23, 2005, 01:52:22 AM »

Ok, I see. New TE/OE with in...TWO WEEKS!

Mirroring goes like:

"Object" menu > "Mirror" menu > "Y axis" function?

How big objects OE/TE/AH can take (ZXY size)? Lets say, is it possible to create 5000ft cube shape?

How long .ac, .til and .shp names can use? Maximum eight marks?

How to use tranparent textures? Do I need some special Object Properties?

Many thanks Blauk

Waffle · « **Reply #10 on:** April 23, 2005, 04:43:30 AM »

Guess that would explain the "recreated" objects not working on a built terrain. Right now, after building a terrain, I go into Ah, it loads, them boom - back to clipboard