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Messages - Duplode

#3106
Feel The Thrill / Re: FTT0109
October 19, 2008, 11:15:41 PM
OK, I must not panic now - 4 points is still a manageable gap, and after Rijad I finally learnt to drive the Corvette adequately... ::)

(err... *shivers* [insert anxious-looking smiley])
#3107
Stunts Chat / JACStunts - Round 1 results
October 17, 2008, 03:42:15 AM
Round 1 results:

1º Mark L. Rivers - 1:45.70 - +10*
Felipe NEMESIS - 1:45.70 - +10*
3º Daniel DUPLODE - 1:48.50 - +6
4º Marcelo THYASROCK - 1:59.05 - +5

*Drawn pipsqueaks (!!)

Edit: Stupid me, I deleted the old post instead of adding a new reply...
#3108
Stunts Chat / Re: Stunts WIKI
October 16, 2008, 01:13:13 AM
There's a rather odd "bug" on the Wiki. When one clicks on "Save page" button after making some changes, the following message is displayed instead of the usual confirmation page:

Quote
A database query syntax error has occurred. This may indicate a bug in the software. The last attempted database query was:

    (SQL query hidden)

from within function "SearchMySQL4::update". MySQL returned error "145: Table './stunts/searchindex' is marked as crashed and should be repaired (localhost)".

The edit, however, is correctly saved, and the page loads normally afterward...
#3109
Quote from: CTG on October 15, 2008, 04:15:48 PM
Is there any site for uploading and downloading new cars?

As Dstien said, the demand will eventually call for it - for instance, the recent improvements in Stressed coupled with Zak's new car contest means we'll probably have at least four new or vastly overhauled cars by November 30th  :)

Quote from: CTG on October 15, 2008, 04:15:48 PM
(sorry for asking too much but this topic is more than interesting!  ;))

Yeah, it is well on the way to #5 spot on number of posts...  :D

Now Dstien, I have a quick feature request for Stressed: could you change the 3D shape exporting function so wheels are exported as hexagons and spheres as lines? That way the information about which vertexes were connected to form the special shapes wouldn't be lost while working with the .OBJ on an external editor, and when we would import the shape back we would just need to change back the primitive types to wheel or sphere.
#3110
Custom Cars with Stressed / Re: Lada VAZ 2105
October 15, 2008, 05:17:10 PM
Quote from: CTG on October 15, 2008, 04:36:24 AM
Here is the current situation: bodywork is done, color set will be changed. I still see some minor display errors in the game and it also has some wheels disorder. Dashboard edition is coming soon and the last step will be CarBlaster... ;)

Really nice work, CTG! I need to deal with some of those "display errors" on the Skyline too, which in my case amount to lamps and details which do not show from all angles and such stuff (both of us will probably need to understand better the flags and unknowns of the 3D shape).

Quote from: CTG on October 15, 2008, 04:17:23 PM
The Stressed view is promising, I miss only the 3D bumpers. According to the game pics bodywork is a bit too long and the rear lamps are overlapping with other elements.

That is a curious point: the shape always looks shorter/taller than it actually is when editing on Stressed or Anim8or, so CTG probably should overcompensate the height a bit. That left me quite puzzled while working on the Skyline (using near-exact coordinates grabbed from those 2D models), as the car looked way more boxy than it should on Stressed, but in game it looks almost perfect.

Quote from: CTG on October 15, 2008, 01:35:56 PMI'm going to modify it to a mediorce speed car (top speed at about 170 mph, hopefully without the Audi/Lancia fast driving bug)

You'll probably need a low-revving engine then (along the lines of Carrera or LM002), as the fast driving bug seems to arise when aerodynamic drag gets temporarily turned off while the car is mid-air, thus allowing it to reach higher revs/speed than supposed at the top gear. With a lower rpm range (which probably makes sense for your car anyway) the effect will be less pronounced. And I'll be glad to help should you need any tips while dealing with CarBlaster  :)
#3111
Chat - Misc / Re: Useless messages - place for maniacs!
October 15, 2008, 05:01:37 PM
Nice to see you around again, man   ;)
#3112
Quote from: Chulk on October 13, 2008, 07:31:35 PM
Can you recommend a good 3d shaping tool?

That was exactly the topic I'd post about... Blender is way more powerful a software than we need, and takes long to learn, so I looked for an alternative, and found a pretty good one: Anim8or. Once you reach the site, look for the latest preview version (0.97d), as it has some tools useful for Stunts editors which are absent from the latest stable version (0.95). Why Anim8or is so appropriate?


  • Freeware
  • Runs on Windows, and on Wine too
  • Imports and exports .OBJ files neatly
  • Quick to learn - just a few glances at the manual available on the site were needed to get me started
  • Allows for easy edition of vertex coordinates, so we can input exact integer coordinates (which in turn can be gathered from those 2D models CTG provided on the other thread... details to follow later)
  • No need to start from scratch, as morphing an existing car into a new model is rather simple once you get the hang of it
  • Supports material file (.mtl) importing alongside with the .OBJ files one can make with Stressed. By importing the .mtl file Dstien provided us you'll at the very least have a pretty nice preview of the final render.
There are a few issues you'll have to prepare dealing with, but all of them are (relatively) minor:


  • As of now, I haven't found out a way to preserve wheel shapes, as it seems the program can't parse >4-gons (so only the vertexes remain). The raw solution to that would be adding the wheels with Stressed or editing the .OBJ directly after the shape is ready.
  • If you enter integer values, Anim8or will export them without adding decimal points, which in turn will make Stressed fail to import the resulting .OBJ (as it expects input with decimal points). The current workaround to that is to use a macro-capable text editor (like Vim) to put the decimal points back automatically.

Anyway, by using Anim8or I made very quick progress with the Skyline car1 shape, created taking the Corvette as basis. Attached you have screenshots of Anim8or in action and of my half-finished Skyline under Stressed (only y and z axis dimensions are correct, wheels are obviously not inserted, etc.). When the shape is closer to completion and I have the small issues fully solved I'll post the detailed procedure I'm using to achieve those results.

Quote from: Chulk on October 13, 2008, 07:31:35 PM
CAn we create custom paint jobs? I mean with drawings or names or anything like that?

In principle, we can - the only limits are number of vertexes and polygons and, depending on which tools we use, .OBJ import/export capabilities. Detailed writings or logos might be a bit hard, but if you can provide the workarounds, sky is the limit.  :)

PS1.: It seems there's another SVN update for Stressed, I'm going to catch it  ;)
PS2.: Dstien/Zak, could you please make this topic a sticky?
#3113
General Chat - USC / Re: UnskilledStunts League 2008
October 14, 2008, 12:53:54 AM
Bitersweet taste for me after this race - when I manage to finish ahead of Ayrton (first time ever!!) and BJ on the Indy race I get beaten in the duel that actually matters... hats off to CTG for his three round wins - the fact it didn't propelled him any further than bronze only shows how tight those duels were. Overall, even if I failed to either reach a podium or defeat one of the ZakStunts champions, I feel very satisfied in having been part of such a contest at the highest level - and again Bonzai Joe shows all of his supreme class by taking the trophy home. Congratulations, overlord!  ;)
#3114
Month`s Tracks - USC / Re: Arad
October 14, 2008, 12:14:28 AM
Great news!  :) although I'll only start racing for real in a week or so (need to focus on FTT#8 and find the way on Z88 first...)
#3115
Quote from: dstien on October 12, 2008, 11:24:47 PM
Mouse picking is implemented in SVN, it makes skinning a breeze. I'll make new Win32 build next time I boot into Windows. The vertex list is a fixed structure whose size depends on the selected primitive type. I guess I could make it more flexible, but you guys should really use a real modelling tool and use stressed only to finalize the shape and paint-jobs. :)

I just updated by SVN, and mouse picking is really a godsend  :) As for the vertex list remarks, there is another relevant characteristic of Stressed 3D editor associated to that issue: when you pick a polygon and edit one of its vertex coordinates, what Stressed actually does is to create a new vertex and replace the original one in the chosen polygon, instead of updating the old vertex position. Not only that makes it necessary to adjust all adjacent polygons to displace a vertex, it also means large-scale edition of complex 3D shapes with ~200 vertexes (some of the more detailed car0 shapes, like Corvette and Audi, have about that number IIRC) is probably impossible under Stressed. And while modifying the program to displace vertexes instead of cloning them would be really useful, it probably calls for a significant rewrite... so for the time being major 3D modeling work is indeed better done at another tool (I must try and learn some Blender once and for all...)

Quote from: dstien on October 12, 2008, 11:24:47 PM
When you export the unknown culling values are discarded. When importing all bits are set. Maybe it helps to set these correctly? I think I've figured out roughly how the unknowns works, and stressed should recalculate these values automatically once implemented.

Well, I'll keep my current custom GT3 on hold until that gets implemented for further testing then - thanks  ;)

Quote from: CTG on October 12, 2008, 09:26:53 PM
Zak: I suggest to open a new subforum for game editions, I think it deserves - and there will be plenty of new car projects soon!  ;)

I second that - this thread will be overflowing with previews, screen shots and announcements very soon (It's already #9 on "Most Replies" stats :) :)) With a separate space for editing projects, this topic can be reserved for updates on Stressed and further hacking breakthroughs.

Quote from: CTG on October 12, 2008, 09:26:53 PM
After an hour of edition I was fed up with coordinates, so here is the first fragment of Lada VAZ 2105 (of course the colors will be modified if the bodywork is okay for Stunts)! :)

Ha, I know this car! A number of those funny-looking boxy sedans were imported to Brazil in the early 90's under the name "Lada Laika"  :D
#3116
Quote from: Mark L. Rivers on October 10, 2008, 10:10:48 PM
How I would like to drive in DOSBox at 20000 cycles....!  ::)   Over 9000 I have a drastical reduction of fluideness...  :-\ :(

Yes, indeed I'll have to rework the GT3 from ground up staring from car1 in order to make it feasible... BTW, 9000 cycles - I never managed to set up DOSBox perfectly on my old computer below 10000 cycles. Mark, could you please upload your dosbox.conf to the DOSBox Wiki article? Looks like it will be quite useful  ;)

Quote from: CTG on October 10, 2008, 07:17:39 PM
In a short try, I exported my car0 to .OBJ file and then imported back to car1. It worked - but with a huge size car on the track (16x bigger than expected). How to decrease the values of the coordinates without re-writing every single numbers manually?

Actually, it's exactly 20x bigger than expected - if you check the vertex list you'll see all numbers there are divisible by 20. The shortest solution to rescale the car0, which I used for my GT3 tests, is to open the exported .OBJ (it's just a plain text archive), copy the vertex cordinates table to Excel (in the .OBJ, they are the lines starting with v), divide all values by 20 there, then copy the new coordinates back to the .OBJ and finally import it back into stressed.

Quote from: CTG on October 10, 2008, 07:17:39 PM
What about the the rear lamps when braking?

My (unproven) theory to explain the rear lamps is that they are painted with specific materials (mostly #45, but also #12 and #14 for GTO) so that the game knows it needs to lit them up (that is, change to another shade of red, likely #47) under braking. Maybe we should paint the car body as a whole with #45 and check whether it glows when braking... ;D Anyway, the instruction to make the lamps glow is, in all likelihood, hard coded.

And nice Lada Niva there, CTG! For the historical record, it is the first new car-shaped model built from scratch... :) :)
#3117
Quote from: Mark L. Rivers on October 10, 2008, 07:45:33 AM
I'm not sure to have understood entirely your comment, Duplode, so I need a clarify.
1) Are you saying that a high number of polygons for car0 (showroom) affects the fluidness of the game?
2) Are cycles you talking the value that appears on the window bar of DOSBox?

1) Not really - what I did was to downscale 1:20 the 'Vette car0 model in order to use it as car1, so we could have a more detailed car1 shape. car0 is never used while racing.
2) Yes, I meant that value. I lowered it progressively from 20000 (the default value I use) to evaluate the effects on slower computers (which usually require 10000-14000 cycles for fluid framerates).
#3118
Competition and Website / Re: new cars for 2009
October 10, 2008, 05:39:26 PM
Quote from: Krys TOFF on October 10, 2008, 01:47:51 PM
I studied NSX and Indy to try to find a "relation" of their settings and the powergear, and I found nothing clear. It seems the game engine has more than 1 way to produce powergear bug effect.
I don't know the mass and drag coef, I must check at home (I'm at my job right now).
As far as I remember, I decreased the car mass and the brake effect (to implement a bigger inertia), while I increased the aerodynamic resistance a little. I reduced the grip too.

I asked about mass and drag because, back when I was doing experiments for the Skyline, I noticed that it appears that some mass/drag combinations can trigger powergear and anti-powergear effects. I tried to formulate a theory, which you can find here. It sort of worked in about half of the cases, and with a bit of luck it might lead to an adequate set of parameters...

Quote from: CTG on October 10, 2008, 02:31:08 PM
Just a little help for car designing, "blueprints" of many-many cars are available here: http://carblueprints.narod.ru/

That's really helpful, thanks! I was wondering about using Gran Turismo screenshots as basis for the Skyline model when I get to do it, but this can make it much easier  :)
#3119
Many comments to reply to... :)

Chulk: it seems Mark and Dstien covered all main points for a brief summary with their replies on Page 14, so that might be of help while a more formal document is to be made  ;)

Quote from: CTG on October 10, 2008, 02:51:03 AM
I'm thinking on a custom menu bar with a cool design and the Knight Rider dashboard... both projects will start as soon as I have some time. ;)

Seeing the first custom dashboard is something I'm looking forward to - every time I consider doing one of those for my cars I always find myself at a loss about how to make modifications which are good looking yet consistent with the rest of the game.

Quote from: dstien at stuntstools rev.30Context menu and actions for changing order, sorting, renaming, removing,
duplicating and inserting new resources.

That will be really useful for managing modifications while editing. Another nice use would be to insert read-me texts within the file as text resources.

Quote from: dstien on October 09, 2008, 09:18:59 PM
Quote from: CTG on October 09, 2008, 09:08:11 AM
Can you change the shape of the steering wheel?
The steering wheel is just a bitmap image that you can replace with anything you want, but I think the blue indicator will still move along a fixed arc.

The arc is actually editable, as a set of coordinates inside the *.RES. While from a contest manager point of view modifying the *.RES of a widely used car does not look like a good idea, as long as performance/physical behaviour parameters are left untouched replays won't become incompatible, save for the different steering wheel dot movement of course.

Quote from: dstien on October 09, 2008, 09:18:59 PM
Quote from: Mark L. Rivers on October 09, 2008, 03:46:02 PM
A question for dstien: upgrading the number of polygons related at shapes car1 and car2 (used during the race) can affect the fluidness of the game?
I haven't done any heavy testing, but it should only depend on the amount of available CPU cycles. If the framerate is ok when racing against an opponent with two official vehicles on the screen, there shouldn't be any difference using one vehicle with twice the amount of details. Another factor in addition to the number of polygons is the culling parameters that we haven't figured out yet...

Glad you asked that question, Mark, as it affects directly my experiments on the GT3 - the regular Corvette car1 shape has 53 polygons, while the downscaled car0 I'm adjusting to replace it has 201 (with a couple additional ones to cover the underside of the car). Unfortunately, quadruplying the polygon count seems to be a bit too much: With two equal cars on screen, the frame rate starts to suffer at about 16000 cycles, a value far too high for many pipsqueaks. Even with a single car the limit seems to be as high as 11000-12000. Since I always race at 20k cycles, I would never notice the difference by myself. That's a major blow to my current design approach... :( 
#3120
Competition and Website / Re: new cars for 2009
October 10, 2008, 05:16:14 AM
Quote from: dstien on October 09, 2008, 09:29:09 PM
I really like this idea. I'm more than willing to help out if there are any technical issues. Tuning is next on my list for resource type support in stressed. Can CarBlaster edit dashboard settings?

I do have some plans for making my own cars, maybe I have one ready for the 2012 season. :D

Cool! (to all of the three comments :)) And yes, CarBlaster can be used to tune dashboard settings, as they are *.RES parameters as well - it only requires some patience to adjust all points on the course of the meters. The bytes and coordinates used to do so are described on the Wiki.

Quote from: Krys TOFF on October 09, 2008, 05:43:26 PM
Not fully : I want to modify car shape and I was unable to get a powergear effect. Maybe I'll keep it this way, we'll see until november, but for sure the F1 2002 will be proposed. ;)

Krys: out of curiosity, what are the mass and drag coefficients of your F1 car? (definitions here) Maybe something could be done about PG with a little more experimentation...