TUTORIAL Build your FIRST track - BASIC GUIDE

[luchian]

[..]
2. Mesh
I've read somewhere that you need to split the complete mesh up when you're done as there is a limit of vertices for one single object in the KS Editor. So I just separate for example my road in edit mode by pressing P and the new object makes up a new layer?[..]

Yes, you just need to cut the mesh in multiple pieces. How many, depends on your track length. To give you a range, something between 10 and 20 should fit most of the tracks I guess. Yes, pressing P in Edit Mode is ok. And you could split selected polys, for example. It'll make separate mesh out of them. Which you'll have to rename. Example below:

..and after splitting:

Should be clear by now that name suffix can be anything, but this proved to be very easy in keeping the scene hierarchy organized. Good luck, have fun .

 

[LilSKi]

Yes, you just need to cut the mesh in multiple pieces. How many, depends on your track length. To give you a range, something between 10 and 20 should fit most of the tracks I guess. Yes, pressing P in Edit Mode is ok. And you could split selected polys, for example. It'll make separate mesh out of them. Which you'll have to rename. Example below:

View attachment 1860
..and after splitting:
View attachment 1861

Should be clear by now that name suffix can be anything, but this proved to be very easy in keeping the scene hierarchy organized. Good luck, have fun .

That's a pretty amazing track you got there! Looking forward to the release

 

[Ricardo Rey]

Yes, you just need to cut the mesh in multiple pieces. How many, depends on your track length. To give you a range, something between 10 and 20 should fit most of the tracks I guess. Yes, pressing P in Edit Mode is ok. And you could split selected polys, for example. It'll make separate mesh out of them. Which you'll have to rename. Example below:

@luchian
I must be doing something wrong. I have a 1 piece mesh. I go into EDIT mode, if I just hit P, it says something like "nothing selected", so I click a track section, hit P, then asks; Selection, Material, or Loose Parts. No matter what I choose it does not split the mesh, just new layers.
I can choose (in EDIT MODE) B, high-lite a section, MESH, VERTICES, SEPARATE, SELECTION (Capital letters for emphasis). However, it does not always divide straight across the track. I assume I am missing a step.

 

[LilSKi]

@luchian
I must be doing something wrong. I have a 1 piece mesh. I go into EDIT mode, if I just hit P, it says something like "nothing selected", so I click a track section, hit P, then asks; Selection, Material, or Loose Parts. No matter what I choose it does not split the mesh, just new layers.
I can choose (in EDIT MODE) B, high-lite a section, MESH, VERTICES, SEPARATE, SELECTION (Capital letters for emphasis). However, it does not always divide straight across the track. I assume I am missing a step.

You break it up by hand. In edit mode and nothing selected hold CTRL and then click and drag over a section and it will select that section. Hit P and choose selection. That selection is now a new separate object. Stay in edit mode and select another section and keep going until you split up the whole track.

I find it best to work in Faces mode when doing this.

 

[luchian]

That's a pretty amazing track you got there! Looking forward to the release

wait to see my physics layer.. 400k.. all made by hand

@Ricardo Rey : play with different selection options: try pressing B, or C while in edit mode for example. While selecting with C-mode, scroll makes the "brush" bigger or smaller.

 

[Ricardo Rey]

Thanks @LilSKi & @luchian !!!

My head hurts so bad at figuring this stuff out. The good thing is it wears me out and I sleep good at night, except on those nights that I'm still wrestling in my mind how to do something. When you help, I sleep better!!

 

[luchian]

If it's any consolotation.. Blender has this "organic"/"natural" feel about it.. once you'll get used to it, everything makes sense and you'll love it !

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[Ricardo Rey]

I got the splitting down. The "C" method works best for me.

Question: Blender names the new track section following a 1road.000, .oo1, .002, etc. convention. I have not researched this on my own, but is there a way to set Blender to start naming the sections with .001? Or is 000 ok?

EDIT: If not, it is easy enough to split all the sections with the last section; .025 and just rename the first section (the .001 section) .026.

 

[LilSKi]

I got the splitting down. The "C" method works best for me.

Question: Blender names the new track section following a 1road.000, .oo1, .002, etc. convention. I have not researched this on my own, but is there a way to set Blender to start naming the sections with .001? Or is 000 ok?

EDIT: If not, it is easy enough to split all the sections with the last section; .025 and just rename the first section (the .001 section) .026.

000 is fine. I personally have never cared what is after the . as it does not matter at all.

 

[luchian]

..and I have updated the post so that any doubt leaves these waters

 

[fbiehne]

Hi guys,

one question regarding the track layout with paths/beziers: how do you approach tight corners? What is the best way to get the layout right? Right now I have a problem at this section:

Do I have to clean that up "manually"?

 

[luchian]

I can't see the image (maybe I am alone ?), but this sounds very similar to what @LilSKi was writing here.

 

[fbiehne]

I can't see the image (maybe I am alone ?), but this sounds very similar to what @LilSKi was writing here.

Ok, I’ll just attach it. Hope you can see it now.
It is indeed quite similar to LilSkis explanation, however I don’t understand this way. He draws a seperate path inside of the curve instead drawing it in the middle? Is that right? And if so how do you let the plane follow the curve just attached on the left or right side?

 

[luchian]

See it now.
Yes, in @LilSKi 's solution, you'll just treat that specific curve like a separate mesh (so with it's own bezier).

However, not sure your case is so extreme. Coming back to your example, it seems there is a twist along its axis in the first part of the bezier (right side). Maybe try to play with handles before anyhing else ?

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[Mitja Bonca]

@fbiehne: This is not a good solution. Best way would be to do 2 splines (inner and outer of the track), connect all the vertices, and add surface modifier.

 

[LilSKi]

@fbiehne: This is not a good solution. Best way would be to do 2 splines (inner and outer of the track), connect all the vertices, and add surface modifier.

Blender doesn't really work that way sadly. At least not that I have found.

 

[fbiehne]

Thanks for your answers.
What I did for now was making the spline, let a plane follow it along via array and curve modifier and then convert it to a mesh. After that I adjusted the track width and curves manually with proportional editing. However now I have the problem that I cannot add for example camber that easy (via ctrl+t). So I wonder if my approach is a good one…

I need to get used to the Bezier/Pathtool in Blender. In Illustrator or Photoshop it’s easy to use but it works a bit different in Blender.

 

[N7 RiZe]

Anyone know how to fix 'TRACK NOT FOUND'?
I've got my track good in 3dsmax and looking good in kseditor, and before I do all the numbers on the materials I want to test it so I copied the 'Drift' track folder as a template and edited it to suit me. I kept the .Kn5 file as 'drift.kn5' to be lazy as it's just a test. Even I'f I rename the .kn5 to something different in the .ini and the file I get the same result.
Thanks in advance.

 

[luchian]

Folder name should not use capitals.
.kn5 should have the exact name as the folder.

Since you have copied the drift I suppose you also have the original. Since it's impossible to have 2 identical folders, you have probably ovelooked something when renaming, so check above .


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[N7 RiZe]

Thanks, I renamed everything and it now loads!
Now just for the materials which I have no idea on what to do. Any standard numbers that would work well with a generic track?