Helen Weales

Hello, This is a tutorial explaining the conversion process for the old and new terrain systems for Rigs of Rods 0.36-0.39 (.terrn) to 0.4 (.terrn2). Introduction The tracks (terrains) we typically use in this community are very simple when compared to traditional RoR ones -- ours are basically models (mesh files) of arenas or pieces of land floating on either: Nothing, which gives the illusion that you are driving in mid-air when outside of the arena/landOr A small tiled texture (such as concrete, grass or dirt), which is what you typically see if you were to venture outside of an arena. "Normal" terrains (for example: Desert Trails) use heightmap images which determine flat land, valleys, peaks, etc. Because our track system is typically so simple, it is not necessary to follow the full conversion process. First, let's look at what makes up a terrain for 0.37-0.39 --> 0.4+ (all of these can be edited with any text editor, I prefer WordPad): terrn --> .terrn2: Every terrain needs this. This is what tells RoR there is a track to load -- it contains information such as the track name, spawn point position, object position, etc. This file system was replaced by a combination of both .terrn2 and .tobj systems in versions .4.0 and up. These are likely all you will need to convert a basic track (read further). cfg --> .otc: Contains info for terrain texture, heightmaps, world sizes, how the texture gets tiled, etc. This file system was replaced by the .otc system in version .4.0 and up. It is not required for a terrain to function. os: This is the configuration file for the Caelum sky/weather, and is the same for all versions of RoR. It is also not a required file, especially if using a skybox model. odef and .material: Technically these are not part of the terrain system, but you will see them. Think of them as extensions for .mesh files (props) -- ODEF tells RoR whether a prop is collidable or not, and what the surface will be (for example: dirt, concrete, asphalt, metal etc). Material files simply contain information for the prop textures and tells RoR how to use a texture (for example: if an object should be shiny, flat, transparent etc). These two file systems are used in every version of RoR so no changes are needed. The conversion This is very easy and likely only requires the creation of two new files, YourTrack.terrn2 (basic info) and YourTrack.tobj (prop positions). Let's start with the main terrain file. Let's assume you want to convert an existing track named Houston2016.terrn. Create a new text file and name it Houston2016.terrn2. Copy and paste the following: [General] Name = Your Track GeometryConfig = YourTrack.otc Water=0 AmbientColor = 1, 1, 1 //CaelumConfigFile = YourTrack.os StartPosition = 512 0 512 SandStormCubeMap = tracks/skyboxcol Gravity = -9.81 CategoryID = 129 Version = 2 GUID = dc178e9c-840d-443f-b249-434433ae5fd0 [Authors] terrain = Your Name [Objects] YourTrack.tobj= Replace all instances of "YourTrack" with the name of the terrain you wish to convert (for example: "YourTrack" to "Houston2016"), along with the name of the track and the author's name as follows: [General] Name = Houston 2016 GeometryConfig = houston2016.otc Water=0 WaterLine=0 AmbientColor = 1, 1, 1 //CaelumConfigFile = houston2016.os StartPosition = 512 101 512 SandStormCubeMap = tracks/skyboxcol Gravity = -9.81 CategoryID = 129 Version = 2 GUID = dc178e9c-840d-443f-b249-434433ae5fd1 [Authors] terrain = Helen Weales [Objects] houston2016.tobj= Next, create a text file named Houston2016.tobj. This is the file that determines where your track props will be placed. Copy the following from the old Houston2016.terrn, and paste it in Houston2016.tobj: To If you want to alter the Caelum sky/weather settings (not required), the following is a template (an example of its filename would be "houston2016.os"): caelum_sky_system Houston2016.terrn.os { sun { ambient_multiplier 0.5 0.5 0.5 diffuse_multiplier 3 3 2.7 specular_multiplier 0.35 0.35 0.35 auto_disable_threshold 0.05 auto_disable true } moon { ambient_multiplier 0.2 0.2 0.2 diffuse_multiplier 1 1 .9 specular_multiplier 0.1 0.1 0.1 auto_disable_threshold 0.05 auto_disable true } sky_dome { haze_enabled no sky_gradients_image WhiteSky.png atmosphere_depth_image AtmosphereDepth.png } } Unfortunately I don't know anything about these settings, so alter at your own risk! Something worth noting is the "StartPosition" line in the .terrn2 file. This controls where the first truck spawns. It's likely you will want to copy the first three set of numbers from the main model position coordinates (in the .tobj file). Alter as needed. Place the new files in the track ZIP or folder (deletion of older files is not necessary and allows for the terrain to be compatible for all RoR versions). Next, open Rigs of Rods 0.4.5 and test the terrain to make sure everything works properly. That's it! A simple process that once learned, should only take a few minutes to complete. One final note (not sure how to properly explain this so please bear with me): Your model must be COMPLETELY on or off the tiled portion of the world or else the part not on the tiled portion will be non-collidable. I don't know why this happens. Once I figure out how to add mud I will update this tutorial. If anyone knows, please PM me. Best of luck. -HW

Regarding the speed, .37 only shows the "car speed", while .4.5 shows "wheel" and "car speed". For me, the car speed in .37 matches the wheel speed in .4.5., but the car speed is 3 MPH slower. However, I believe they are actually moving at the same speed because I've compared jump results in both versions using the same truck/track combo, and they both land in the same spot every time.

I finally got .37 to install -- even though it warned it would remove .39.5, this time it didn't. Some thoughts: It works, but not well. Performance and graphics are terrible. The GUI is an eyesore, and the menu relying on the mouse only to select content is a pain to navigate. I ran a test using the same truck and track for .37, .39.5, and .4.5.1 using the same graphics settings. Here are the average FPS I got (for a fairly demanding track of mine): .37: 73 FPS.39.5: 89 FPS.4.5.1: 125 FPSThis is a massive difference. .37 could not handle parts of the track with high-vert crush cars without dropping to around 50 FPS. While .39.5 and 4.5.1 also slow down, it's not noticeable and doesn't hamper playability. And the truck I'm using only has around 50,000 verts (which is about 100,000 less than some of the newer trucks here). Appearance-wise things look off (originally made this content for .38+ so this isn't too surprising). However, trucks load correctly proving that if a truck is coded and packaged properly to be completely standalone, it will be compatible with ALL versions or RoR. Older content (like the V4 pack) either has incomplete material files or missing files resulting in errors. Simple as that. Physics-wise, everything is the same -- even the speed. Some here have mentioned a 10 MPH difference but I'm not getting it. The ONLY difference I feel in the physics is the braking -- my trucks have anti-lock brakes, which do not seem to work in .37 as the trucks stop in a very harsh manner resulting in violent crashes. In conclusion, .37 is vastly inferior to any newer version in every way. Some have mentioned it's better for online playing, but the performance has to be god-awful because using it in single player mode it quite a chore (and somewhat of an eyesore).

One trick I sometimes use for textures such as lights is to take an image such as this, and convert it to a vector (I use CorelDraw). When converting you have control over how much detail is included. This gives a nice balance between being too realistic and too painted (photos can look odd when the rest of the truck isn't photo textured although sometimes they look fine).

Ah, okay. For manual, the autoshift section highlighted above still controls shifting.

You don't need to set it to manual shift. As far as I'm aware real monster trucks still use automatics. Just change the following bold lines in the input file: ; TRUCK TRUCK_ACCELERATE Keyboard UP TRUCK_ACCELERATE JoystickAxis 0 4 LOWER TRUCK_AUTOSHIFT_DOWN JoystickButton 0 5 TRUCK_AUTOSHIFT_UP JoystickButton 0 4 Obviously use the controls you want, those are mine.

Read my above post to fix this.

To disable the reverse/brake issue, disable arcade controls. Shifting is fine, edit the autoshift lines in the input file -- this controls the ability to manually shift when set to automatic. The texture issue is likely due a truck not being 100% standalone -- most that I've tried are not even though they claim to be.

Please elaborate.

Some pretty serious setups here -- I assume most of you are running games other than RoR? It's is the only game I run, so I keep it simple (and mobile when needed) with a ThinkPad T530 laptop (i5 3320M 2.60Ghz, NVIDIA NVS 4200M 1GB, 8GB ram, 750GB WD Black drive, bunch of external storage) and docking station, ThinkPad slim keyboard and mouse, and an Asus PA238Q ProArt 23" monitor. Nothing fancy, but it hasn't let me down in the three years I've had it.

Good idea, I'll try renaming. I keep all of my editing files in another directory so that's not an issue. Try setting the shadow type to textures and see if you get a difference. Made a world of difference for me. I haven't noticed the leaning or a different speed from .38 or 39.5 -- which trucks are you using?

You should be getting better FPS. Using .4.5 boosted mine by 20-30. I'm getting 117 in Syracuse while I was only getting 89 max using 39.5. The trick is to set shadows to the texture option, you'll gain a massive boost with seemingly no difference in graphics. At least not one that I can see, but maybe it's more evident in normal outdoor terrains.

I've tried installing it on various drives, it still detects 39.5 and wants to remove it.

Just found yet another reason for the upgrade -- FPS is anywhere from 20-30 better. I went from 73-89 FPS (in 39.5) to 103-117 FPS (in 4.5) using Syracuse 2015 Freestyle and a truck of mine with the settings being the same in each (maxed out except for shadows being set to texture). Pretty impressive difference given how much better the new version looks. I still see no difference in truck handling either. I want to reinstall .37 to run some tests but for some reason it wants to uninstall my newer versions. I just installed both .37 and .39.5 on my Surface Pro tablet and it didn't ask me to uninstall the new versions -- any ideas?

So other than the speed of the trucks, what is the difference between .37 and .38+ physics?

Yes, literally took 10 minutes, and that was only because I was being careless and had to redo the process twice. Not sure what type of problems others were having, but I suspect some who claim to have tried the conversion never actually did.

As far as I am aware, the physics are the same except they are slightly faster in newer versions. Can you give some examples of the difference? The speed always seemed fine to me in newer versions, which makes me wonder if people using .37 are driving trucks that are way too slow (monster trucks are fairly fast with quick acceleration and have been since late-stage 2 trucks in the 1980s). I doubt we need all 300+ trucks converted considering most of the V4 pack have MTM2-level detail, are not precise replicas, have unrealistic physics, and are buggy as hell. As I have said a million times now, at the very least we need a download subcategory for newer RoR versions because some people are obviously not going to upgrade, while others are starting out with newer versions.

This track has been converted and it now works with every RoR version. I'm just waiting for maxdman's approval to upload this, either separately, or add the four new text files to his release. I'm not sure how this process usually occurs.

Had a few minutes to work on this before bed -- four new text files with info copied and pasted from the old terrn. and there it is. I think this format might actually be simpler than the old one. I want to work out a few things (haven't looked into how to add mud) and then I'll make a post explaining how to do this. With proper instructions and a bit of knowledge of the old format, it should take no more than a few minutes to complete the conversion for a simple track such as this one.

Driver Models - Male & Female w/ Seat View File This is a download for male and female driver models (.blend format). These were originally created by the Racing Sim Developers Group, and uploaded to this site by Wambo. The models and textures have been modified (more detailed models and larger resolution textures) with a new helmet. There are new seatbelts and quick-release buckle system, and a modified ISP seat. Included are PSD layered textures for driver suits, helmet and seatbelt in 2048x2048. Some of the racing suit patterns might not line up properly and might need to be edited in Blender -- this is the best I could do. If anyone wants to re-texture these, please do! Note: these models will not fit in the existing version of the ISP seat -- they have been resized as the old model had incorrect body proportions and was too large for the standard truck size we use. The drivers' limbs might need to be moved around to fit with your truck roosterpit (which is an easy task - select any body joint and bend accordingly). Credits Models/Textures: Racing Sim Developers Group Seat: Crazyman444 Seatbelt/Buckle/Helmet, props and texture modifications: Helen Weales Enjoy! Submitter Helen Weales Submitted 01/04/2016 Category Truck Building Items

Here is proof that .3X content can work in .4.5 -- this is a track and truck I originally made for .38, along with DiggerFan's "Awesome Kong II" truck ("This vehicle has been tested to work with versions 0.37, 0.38, and 0.39" -DiggerFan), functioning fully and correctly. Seemingly no handling differences, either. I don't know about online playability for 39.5 and up (don't use it these days), but .38 has worked just fine for very large non-MT terrains with multiple users simultaneously. Sure there are occasional bugs and there always will be, even if this were an officially released piece of software. I understand that .37 has different vehicle characteristics than any newer versions (was under the impression there is only a +10 MPH difference), but it seems as if all versions after .37 are the same. As far as I'm aware there are no rules against creating content for .38 and above on this site, and I will continue to do so.

The problem with this logic is, how is the request in this thread any different than someone requesting X truck/track to be made? In this case, it's not even a request to have something made, but rather a simple conversion (which is a million times less work). Request forums are going to attract only people who have no interest/time in learning to do it themselves, otherwise there would be no need for them. I too wish and hope that everyone attempts to do the work themselves before requesting, but sometimes it's not possible; and in this case, I want to see progress in this community and clearly others do as well while others want to prevent it.

"Track Request"Would like a certain track to be made? Ask here and maybe someone will be able to help you out" The user made a simple request in a request forum. If you don't want to help, then don't respond. If anything in this thread is spam, it's the rude responses to people who have no business being here. I don't see a rule prohibiting content made for .37 and above. The reason why it seems like no one wants .4.5 content is because people keep shooting down the idea of upgrading to post-.37 versions and making it seem like it's not possible, when in actuality it is VERY possible with a minimal amount of work (for .4.5, a small amount of conversion work is needed for terrains, while trucks are absolutely compatible). I believe the lack of progress here is down to stubbornness and laziness. For anyone who has used any version post-.37, you'll instantly realize how ridiculous it is to be using such an inferior version (to even .38 and especially .39.5 and above) when it requires such a tiny amount of effort to make things function correctly for post-.37 versions. And as I mentioned in another post, the lack of truck compatibility isn't down to the version of RoR, but rather trucks not being standalone (good example of a lazy shortcut that ends up causing a massive amount of "help me" posts on this site that could be prevented), and relying on a system that requires the V4 pack which is largely obsolete -- parts, textures, even truck physics -- it needs to be killed off and future releases should be completely standalone. At the very least, there needs to be download subcategories for different RoR versions. As for .4.5 tracks, there are about 5 new text files that need to be created, it's not hard and there is no reason why future tracks couldn't include both terrain systems so they are compatible for every version. I'm going to convert the Syracuse track, and then I'm going to ask the creator if they will include the five extra files in their release so it's compatible with all versions, making it the first one on this site (that I know of). How does that sound?

This is absolutely stunning! If I may make a suggestion (perhaps you haven't edited this yet), I believe the frame was actually black, with light blue and white pinstriping throughout.

http://www.rigsofrods.com/wiki/pages/0.4_Terrain_System This explains everything, although if you are not familiar with the old format it might take some time to understand it all. The tracks we use are basically models of arenas/pieces of land floating on top of nothing, which makes the conversion really simple as opposed to a traditional terrain with a heightmaps and whatnot, so some steps in the link can probably be skipped.