T3ED Updates (NFS4 Track Editor) by JimDiabolo

[pete9516]

I'm currently recovering from a minor surgery, so I need to take it easy for a while.
That's why I've had time to make a few changes to T3ED again.
New in Version 4.5.0 (437) beta11:
- LoadQFS aplha loading for_0x7E und 0x78 textures.
- ImportObject with position selection.
- Import Wavefront (.obj) objects (no full support possible).
- Export Wavefront (.obj) objects.
- Fix: Import_without_addmode.
- Show selected (Extra) Object -> Safety check added.

Hey Jim, i wish you all the best and get well soon. I'm glad you've found time to improve T3ED again. I'll have to learn what these new features do and eventually take a profit out of it. "Import_without_addmode" is something unknown for me. "ImportObject with position selection" sounds like you can copy an object from another (same) track and paste it into the track you're working on and you don't have to remake the positions from the object. "LoadQFS aplha loading for_0x7E und 0x78 textures" is something i yet need to understand

[Herms]

Have a swift recovery Jim. Glad to see even more updates on T3ed. Keep up the solid work.

[JimDiabolo]

Could you have a look at the new T3ED_Dev4.5.0.437_Beta_42?
https://magentacloud.de/s/ngoJP2HXqykS7MB
I've been experimenting with the textures for the TNFS tracks. But it's a real effort with fshtool and the other tools. I initially wanted to build something of my own based upon this, but then gave up.
I ended up back with T3ED and have added export/import functions to the texture dialogue. It would be great if that works properly.
I've already tried a few things out and sorted out the biggest bugs. Still, always make a backup of the .qfs file. When you save the .frd, it's now saved along with it!

There probably won't be any more updates over the next few weeks as I'm on holiday.

[Nikster]

I'm currently recovering from a minor surgery, so I need to take it easy for a while.
That's why I've had time to make a few changes to T3ED again.
New in Version 4.5.0 (437) beta11:
- LoadQFS aplha loading for_0x7E und 0x78 textures.
- ImportObject with position selection.
- Import Wavefront (.obj) objects (no full support possible).
- Export Wavefront (.obj) objects.
- Fix: Import_without_addmode.
- Show selected (Extra) Object -> Safety check added.

You're adding OBJ SUPPORT? Oh my god dude!

[pete9516]

Hey Jim, i've been wondering if you happen to know why on specific tracks like Route Adonf or Rocky Pass the Shadow Ray Tracer simply doesn't work for raytracing the lights and give the track polygons and everything else their respective vertex colors when using the Shadow Ray Tracer.
What does work is the following: The Shadow Ray Tracer takes the values from the sun section and applies that to all of the polygons. But why won't it respect the light sources when giving the vertex colours?
This only happens on specific tracks, i didn't have any problems on Watzelm's Redrock Ridge Remastered for example

[Cooya!]

I have some serious problems with the new version of T3ed and its new renderer for the trackview that makes it impossible to work with it for me 

1: - The trackview window does NOT stay on top of the window... that means that every time I click somewhere on my track the trackview window hides behind the main T3ed window. That's suuuper-annoying.

2: - Light and shadow are shown now in the trackview.. that is correct. But the contrast is soooo big that it is very hard to see a thing where shadows uses a darker gray for raytracing. It does not look anything like in the game. Much more like at darkest night with some floodlight shining where there is some light.

3: - Most of the alpha channels are not transparent anymore. They work for 32-bit "BMP 7D"-code... but not for a 16-bit 1:5:5:5 (with alpha) "BMP 7E"-code anymore... What is very annoying because I use them often when two textures with transparency are very close to each other as this avoids the z-buffer conflict that causes shiny boarders around textures.

That is how it looks an my system:



It's the daytime track at brightest sunshine ingame and all the trees and the forrest-texwall have alpha channels. Is there anything I do wrong? Is it just my setup? I am still using Windows 10

[JimDiabolo]

@pete9516: I haven't changed the shadow raytracer in a long time; I'll have to check it out.
I just tested the raytracer without problems. What setting do you use?

@Cooya!:
1. I work with two monitors, so I didn't even notice that. I'm thinking about adding a toolbar for Trackview. Maybe I could include a "Top" button there.
2. I'll have to see if the contrast can be adjusted.
3. Do you have a sample track that uses Type 7E bitmaps?

[pete9516]

@pete9516: I haven't changed the shadow raytracer in a long time; I'll have to check it out.
I just tested the raytracer without problems. What setting do you use?

btw i hope you had a great holiday. And i have to question: Which track did you test? Did you test on Route Adonf or on Rocky Pass? Because this depends. It works on Redrock Ridge for example, but not on Rocky Pass for some forsaken reason. Even if i set the vertex colours by hand with Alt Enter, the colors won't change.. It's a nightmare for me right now. I can't make a nice night version of Rocky Pass..

[JimDiabolo]

On both (Route Adonf & Rocky Pass), but more on Rocky. There i usesd strange colors to see the effect.

[pete9516]

On both (Route Adonf & Rocky Pass), but more on Rocky. There i usesd strange colors to see the effect.

Can you show me your Shadow RayTracer settings?

I simply wanna give the world some lighting based on the light sources in the track, just like i've did for Redrock Ridge Remastered
These are the settings i'm trying to use for Rocky Pass:

[JimDiabolo]

But that's pretty dark, even for a nighttime track. I can barely see any shadows there; I'd set the Sun value higher.

[JimDiabolo]

Type 7E textures should now have transparency in trackview.

[pete9516]

But that's pretty dark, even for a nighttime track. I can barely see any shadows there; I'd set the Sun value higher.

I'm using the same ambient color values so it's almost as dark as the original. With these settings i've been going well in Redrock Ridge. Ofcourse the settings for Redrock Ridge are different depending on the Tr.ini's. I don't even know what those  values are, i just take them from the .ini's and hope it's working like that. So what values should i increase? Do you mean the sun rgb colors? They need to be just like that, else the track is either too dark or too bright and actually this shouldn't matter. You can always re-set the ambient RGB values in the .ini's afterwards

[convictj]

Due to the corona virus I had some more free time at home. That’s why I started to do some changes to t3ed again. Till now my focus was on NFS4. In version I did a lot for NFS3. Since VEGs great modern patch I find NFS3 tracks interesting again. This version isn’t a “final�, but it has a lot of changes so I want give it to public.
 
Changes so far:
- When exporting visibility, the file will be saved in the track directory.
- Bugfix for deleting the last block of a track with less then 8 virtual road points.
- T3ED loads now the nfs3 heights file "simhts.dat" and the speed files "speedsf.bin/speedsr.bin".
- Adjust the “col.vroadHead.size� to allow paste/delete blocks on nfs3 tracks!
- Ability the change all texture of a block with its objects in one step.
- Show more info about what is selected in the status bar. I did this for some testing purpose, I think it will stay.

- Changes to the texture dialog on nfs3 tracks:
 It shows the texture id and the bitmap number in the qfs â€" file.

- NFS3 Texture Properties dialog was added

- When moving virtual road points manually, the „ColVroadVecs“ will be recalculated. You see the difference when “Show Virtual Road Width and Node Points� is activated. It also will be done after the “Virtual Road, Heights.sim� Dialog. In both times also the “PolyVroad� information will be recalculated. It must be some Vroad information on drivable polygons.
Both changes were already be done when you move blocks with smoothing on. I missed it when I made the manual movement.

- NFS3 handles textures different. Each track has a “TextureBlock�. It now can be ex/imported into a csv file.
I still don’t understand the textureblock. NFS4 don’t uses it. It seems to have the information about roation, flipping and tiling in the 8 “corners� values.
Actually t3ed uses this structure:
struct TEXTUREBLOCK
{
   short width,height;
   unsigned long unknown1;
   float corners[8]; // roation, flipping and tiling?
   unsigned long unknown2;
   char islane;      // 1 if not a real texture (lane), 0 usually
   short texture;    // index in QFS file
} TEXTUREBLOCK;

If somebody has an idea please tell me.

Say I've already made a QFS with 7 more texture bitmaps, I've even gotten so far that I have 7 more texture ids. In the textureblock .csv what on earth do I actually need to change to have a working animation with those 7 bitmaps? So far I've only been able to implement custom animations 4 frames in length by replacing existing animations. As for outright adding textures I've only (sort of) been able to add one which is so transparent it's barely visible. That being the first frame of what is supposed to be an animation