Real dashboard of the Lancia Delta and Evo version

[Ryoma]

First if all I want to thanks you and congratulated for yours jobs. It's amazing.

As you know, the dashboard of the Lancia Delta is not the good one. This is the one in the fabulous Thema 8.32 with Ferrari engine.

I draw a correct dashboard enclosed. But how to put out in the software ? I tried with Dash Manager but nevermind the number of colors, it does not work.

I cannot install program on my computer because I have no admin right (only portable software).

Is someone here could help me to have the right dashboard ?

[Cas]

Hi!  What kind of issue are you having with Dash Manager?  I think I can help you with that. CarWorks and Dash Manager are very experimental and some things are not very comfortable to get done and are far from perfect. My idea is to eventually unify these tools and give them a better interface and a more reliable file format support. To set up the images, you will need to combine the dashboard with the steering wheel in an image editor and also get a clipped image of the instruments taking care that the alpha channel (transparency) coincides with what you want. DM does not explain this in detail and things won't work well if you don't do it that way.

You need an image for the roof, another for the dashboard, another one for the wheel in each of the three positions. These three do not need an alpha channel. Then another for the instruments when the wheel is centred (no alpha) and two more with alpha channel for the instruments when the wheel is to the left and to the right.

[Duplode]

Hello! I have prepared a STDALANC.VSH to get you started. To do that, I cropped your drive.bmp in appropriately sized parts, imported them through Stressed into the original STDALANC.PVS, and tweaked the positions of the bitmaps in Stressed a lttle. I'm using Stressed because I haven't gotten to sit down and learn Dash Manager yet; here is a download link for Windows (if you need a Linux build, let me know).

Notes:

• To load the VSH into the game, move the original STDALANC.PVS away from the game directory and place the VSH in there.
• To get familiar with the various dashboard parts, I recommend checking the original files with Stressed, as well as reading the relevant Wiki article (and of course, do ask us if anything is unclear).
• One really important thing about the bitmaps that isn't yet documented in the Wiki is that their widths must be multiples of 4. The heights can be anything you want.
• Since your wheel doesn't have spokes, I didn't have to mess with the auxiliary bitmaps inm1/inm3 (left them as they were) and ins1/ins3/whl1/whl3 (used the ins2 and whl2 bitmaps).
• Other things you'll want to look into later: changing the gearbox graphics (some of the relevant bitmaps are in the STDBLANC file), and adjusting the coordinates of the moving parts of the dashboard in CARLANC.RES. (Once you get to that, just be careful not to change the distances between the CARLANC.RES gearbox coordinates, as they affect the car performance.)

[Ryoma]

Thanks both for yours advices. I will take a look tomorrow. I expect to share with you this real dashboard soon. Maybe later, we could recycle the old dashboard on a new car : Lancia Thema 8.32. But, i work step by step. Thanks again.

[Cas]

With the files provided by Duplode, you can get to defining the wheel spot movement and the instruments with Dash Manager very easily. You just load the VSH files and configure each of the elements. This part is a lot easier with Dash Manager than with Stressed, as DM automatically generates the arcs.

To do this, first put stdalanc.vsh (provided by Duplode) and stdblanc.vsh (which you would need to decompress from stdblanc.pvs using stunpack that comes included with Stressed) in the same directory as DM. Also copy there the file carlanc.res as is. If you also have stlanc.3sh (decompressed from stlanc.p3s in the same manner), it's better, as you can load the whole car in one go, but this file is not related to the dash. If you don't have it, you can just load each of these three files separately.

Then, proceed to configure the steering wheel, the instruments and the knob using the keys. After that, you need to save the RES file again to carlanc.res. This will produce a working dash.

I have noticed that images actually have widths that are multiples of 8, not just 4. Still, violating this doesn't seem to affect anything. Also, the X coordinate of the position is a multiple of 8.

[Ryoma]

Many thanks Cas ans Duplode. I have now something very good now.
I have not finish yet because I have to work on the gearbox. But enclosed, the modified files and a comparaison between the real and our dashboard.

[Daniel3D]

Nice work

[Ryoma]

Thanks Daniel3D.

Here the last (final?) Version.

[KyLiE]

This looks good, however I think that you should add spokes to the steering wheel that are visible when turning.  Also, in your most recent version, the speedo needle appears on top of the steering wheel.

Maybe later, we could recycle the old dashboard on a new car : Lancia Thema 8.32.

I thought the same thing as soon as I saw this!  The Lancia Thema 8.32 is a great car.

[Ryoma]

I correct it for the speedo needle.

For the spokes, in fact I had steched the wheel and I thought that it would nice enough.

But I will try...

[Daniel3D]

For the spokes, in fact I had steched the wheel and I thought that it would nice enough.

It definitely looks good. But the little visual confirmation of the turning wheel is pleasant.

[Ryoma]

So I corrected the needle.

For the spokes, it is more difficult because if the housing of the gauge box. This last one hides the spokes and cuts them.

I try something.

[Ryoma]

Some graphics change.

Nothing news about the spokes.

[Ryoma]

I modified the Delta into Delta Evo (also called Deltona). With a rear spoiler and big wheel archs. Enjoy.

[Ryoma]

Add light on the car1 and modification of the rear.

Lets compare with the original.

I thought the same thing as soon as I saw this!  The Lancia Thema 8.32 is a great car.

Starting with the first Delta, I think it can be done.

For the specification (in particular handling and weight), for the moment, I have not study how to do.

We can imagine the Thema be heavier and less easy to drive than the delta for the sames HP.