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Full Version: Car 3D Orientation in Menus
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Has anyone explored how ICR2, N2, N1999 etc determine how to orient the 3d Car model in the menus?

For example, on the Victory screen:

[Image: image.png]

Or the DNF screen, Driver Info or the Weekend Menu:

[Image: image.png]

I have searched through the files in the 'Layout.dat' and discovered the '.lyt' and '.win' files which control various elements of these pages. I can see the keyword 'gfxCar' in files such as the "weekend.lyt" which is the call to (I assume) render the car on these pages. Other layout files where the car is not present does not have these keywords.

It appears though that the data to orient the car is not stored in these files. Replacing, for example the "weekend.lyt" and "weekend.win" files from Nascar racing 2 in Nascar 1999 (where the car is oriented different) results in something like this:

[Image: image.png]

It has carried over the masking for the window graphics, but has not changed the orientation of the car.

Therefore it is my guess the orientation is actually stored within the EXE file for the game somewhere. I have decompiled the EXE to review what I can of the code, and can find the reference to the 'gfxCar' keyword and a few functions where it is called, but there is nothing obvious about the orientation of the model in regards to the weekend.lyt or other files.

gfxCar keyword:
[Image: image.png]

weekend Function:
[Image: image.png]



Anyways, I figured I would ask to see if anyone ever experimented with this. Ideally we are trying to orient the car as it was in Nascar 2 to fit the background image as it is a much more pleasing asthetic than the default NR1999 one. I had assumed (wrongly) this was likely located in one of these Layout files, but it is has led me down a rabbit hole which has been much more interesting, but not succesful


Goal:
[Image: image.png]
Oh, that is main issue why I haven't posted my N2 windy install before...
N2 menu graphics with car are great. But it looks like car orientation is stored in exe file. I also tried to compare layout files but no, this files only controls 2d elements of menu. Car 3d graphics is just a layer there but it's called from exe.

My idea was to try to compare N99 dos exe with N2 GNS /N50 dos exe. Because this executables are much closer to one another, differences are in truck physics in N99 and menu graphics. I couldn't detect any section but I didn't try to decompile exes. If someone with more knowledge can help it could be great.

BTW Reason why N99 has simple car menus and after the race pictures is truck body. Complex after the race pictures or race weekend menu from N2 are only work with stock car body. All others crashapes will be little off.