Forums

I probably asked this before, but in SFE- if I need to move the whole track to the left on the bottom- how do I do that?  I want to pan further left (or right) because all of my surfaces don't show up.

I'm talking about the bottom window where is looks like:

grass.....wall.... asphault....wall....grass.....

(where the fsections are)

EDIT: I figured it out HOLD SHIFT.

(I will look this up 100 times each time I forget!)

I'm looking for suggestions here:

I am at the stage in sanair where I am frequently making changes in SFE and then making a new 3D file...

I have curbing in sanair that I am originally using the "concrete" surface for. The problem is I also want to use the concrete as concrete in some places, so I will have to change the texture manually in the 3D file each time I generate a new one.

Is there a quicker way of dealing with these kinds of things?

(10-02-2021, 05:14 PM)samsepi0l Wrote: [ -> ]I'm looking for suggestions here:

I am at the stage in sanair where I am frequently making changes in SFE and then making a new 3D file...

I have curbing in sanair that I am originally using the "concrete" surface for.  The problem is I also want to use the concrete as concrete in some places, so I will have to change the texture manually in the 3D file each time I generate a new one.

Is there a quicker way of dealing with these kinds of things?

What's your goal?
Do you want to see the graphics correct all the time? Then use for the curbing a surface, you don't use anywhere else, until you finished all your edits in SFE.
Do you want to test your track with driving around? Then ignore the graphics, until you finished all your edits in SFE.

Are there any tricks in 3doviewer that allow you to change all of the polygon colors to a specific choice at once?

(10-04-2021, 02:47 AM)samsepi0l Wrote: [ -> ]Are there any tricks in 3doviewer that allow you to change all of the polygon colors to a specific choice at once?

Yes, in 3DOEd:
1) Display > Colour Filter to select all the polys of a specific color you want to change
2) Zoom out all the way so that your square cursor would enclose the entire model
3) Double click and select Edit Polygon and from there change the color and select "Update All"

Going through the track editing process for a second time I think it is smarter to make the MRK file and all of your trackside mark textures first, that way you can be done with SG2TRK destroying your text edits in the 3D file.

Any other thoughts on this?

(10-08-2021, 03:52 AM)samsepi0l Wrote: [ -> ]Going through the track editing process for a second time I think it is smarter to make the MRK file and all of your trackside mark textures first, that way you can be done with SG2TRK destroying your text edits in the 3D file.

Any other thoughts on this?

For me, and maybe part of my working style is, I just know I'm going to have to rebuild the track from the SG at any point, even towards the end of the project. Usually because I still find things where I want to make the SG better, even after I start putting in the objects and textures. So part of my workflow has been to save everything like colors, ObjectLists, outside in another file. For me, I've set up a big Google workbook that I consider the "master" file for objects, ObjectLists, TSD, colors, MRK, etc. And as needed, I would either copy them into the .3D file, or (in the case of TSD and objects) I put the updates into a text file and load them into OPE.

I know SGE can change my MRK file, sometimes helpfully and sometimes destructively so I am careful to make sure I always have the latest one on my Google Sheet.

Once I have everything set up, then it is relatively easy to rebuild my track as needed. For example, the last version of Nashville was a complete rebuild from the previous version because I had to change the elevation somewhere, but since I had everything saved, it was no sweat. It wasn't too long ago, I even had to move the start/finish line, which required me to adjust all the TSDs to be at different DLONGs, but that wasn't too bad because I had my TSDs in a Google Sheet and just shifted all my TSDs by the same amount of DLONG.

Nashville had the special issues where I have to fix the drawing order within track sections, and reverse the fence directions, so I run my Python script to do that whenever I regenerate the .3D file. But probably for most tracks, you wouldn't need that.

(10-08-2021, 05:17 AM)checkpoint10 Wrote: [ -> ]

(10-08-2021, 03:52 AM)samsepi0l Wrote: [ -> ]Going through the track editing process for a second time I think it is smarter to make the MRK file and all of your trackside mark textures first, that way you can be done with SG2TRK destroying your text edits in the 3D file.

Any other thoughts on this?

For me, and maybe part of my working style is, I just know I'm going to have to rebuild the track from the SG at any point, even towards the end of the project. Usually because I still find things where I want to make the SG better, even after I start putting in the objects and textures. So part of my workflow has been to save everything like colors, ObjectLists, outside in another file. For me, I've set up a big Google workbook that I consider the "master" file for objects, ObjectLists, TSD, colors, MRK, etc. And as needed, I would either copy them into the .3D file, or (in the case of TSD and objects) I put the updates into a text file and load them into OPE.

I know SGE can change my MRK file, sometimes helpfully and sometimes destructively so I am careful to make sure I always have the latest one on my Google Sheet.

Once I have everything set up, then it is relatively easy to rebuild my track as needed. For example, the last version of Nashville was a complete rebuild from the previous version because I had to change the elevation somewhere, but since I had everything saved, it was no sweat. It wasn't too long ago, I even had to move the start/finish line, which required me to adjust all the TSDs to be at different DLONGs, but that wasn't too bad because I had my TSDs in a Google Sheet and just shifted all my TSDs by the same amount of DLONG.

Nashville had the special issues where I have to fix the drawing order within track sections, and reverse the fence directions, so I run my Python script to do that whenever I regenerate the .3D file. But probably for most tracks, you wouldn't need that.

Hopefully I will get to where you are. Right now I am only on my 2nd track (Tamiami, now Sanair) and you have done 4 (Ceasars, Rio, Nashville and now Detroit) I have some catchup to do.

Here is an idea on MRK file organization and planning...

When I do the MRK file, I like to watch a video of the race on the track that I am copying and I make a powerpoint to help guide me.  I make little arrows that I can move around the track, in close positions so I can see what logos I need to put where.  The logos that I know what they are I mark with blue, and the ones I need to see more clearly I mark in yellow.

I find that organizing it this way makes it easier to work smoother.

Maybe this tip will work for some of you.

I'm used to old fashioned way and always have my copybook and pencil infront of me