reg126

To check on car sizing in game I have been looking up some dimensions on the internet. The figures all seem to quote with bumpers fitted. Though in game many cars done have them this needs to be taken into account. Sometimes bumpers are large and extend well away from the body and sometimes not so each car needs to be considered carefully. For scaling purposes in game Nickm's mk2 granny saloon is used. How accurate dimensionally it is ...I dont have a clue as yet but it looks convincingly enough correct. Anyway ..heres the figures for the MK3 Zodiac Length 15ft 1 inch Width 5ft 9inches MK2 granada saloon Length 15ft 2inches Width 5ft 10.5 inches As the bumpers on both cars protude about the same amount in game...the cars should be about identical in size when seen in game. I also checked my consul capri model in a similar way and it should be about identical in length with the MK V cortina saloon in length and a little narrower. I am not advocating that all cars should be checked dimensionally throughout as that would be unreasonable but having reasonable dimensions of the car being modelled can help in scaling it against the mk2 granada.

Here's some screenshots of my latest project under construction. Its an early version so will need adjustments and uses a skin designed for practical mapping and template line gauging etc. Mk3 zodiacs were cool bangers in the 70's and I have wanted to see on in the game..and so has LAKEY!!! [attachmentid=18408] [attachmentid=18409] [attachmentid=18410] [attachmentid=18411]

I've got the ford zodiac mk3 template...car file wont be finished for a couple of weeks.lol

The triumph skin problems are down to the model and not the skin. Though all skins can be played around with a bit for best results..ultimately ..its down to how the model is mapped . As a modeller the fun of getting a 2D image to paint on a 3D model is better appreciated. The more curvy or shapely the model the more potential problems can occur. If your not trying to reproduce real life cars you can adapt skins a bit to overcome painting difficulties inherent in most models. All you can really do is make the best job you can with whats available. In an ideal world it would be good to be able to paint a model in any scheme you want. At the moment models and templates need to be studied to see what is possible as some schemes can be done on some cars and not others...and some unusual schemes not done properly at all. In my view the westminster model has the best potential for different schemes..though that has some tricky areas.

The great days of the 70's...super stuff BIFFO..720...wasnt Mr Burtenshaw often seen in Bangers too??

done a minor fix on rear to stop edges showing through by rear light area caused by a smoothing operation on max ...download fixed file with layered template here.lol.. I am a bit fussy ...so wasnt prepared toi let it spoil the model. [attachmentid=18190] hmm thinking about a ford classic ....will have to make it so sides can be painted different colours...so BIFFO can paint an authentic skin of his fabulous 1975 car. 5aug_updated_concapri_car_file_and_layered_template.zip

LAYERED TEMPLATE now available here. thanx to happy bear 606. [attachmentid=18187] layered_template.zip

Great pics and info BIFFO....suprised to see a classic last as long as 1975 as they were known to rot very quickly and very few survived that long..mainly being a banger of the early 70's period. Nice to hear it still drove on the trailer though..proper stuff. For the anoraks....the capri and classic were 8 inches shorter than an A60... Take off the A60'S large bumpers and the light fittings and they are probably within an inch of each other. Width wise the capri and classic were 3 inches wider than an A60. Luckily the 1500 GT Capris had a bit more pace...and was the first car to have the 1500 gt engine. May well make a classic model in future ..but have it more in line with the A60 for performance in game. ps the classic was also made in 2 door form... MK3 Zodiac will be the next car to roll off the production line.

The template was built up in layers but using the micrografx software...I could send out a layered micrografx template but as others templates are in psd form ...best to keep to that format. As for it being a tricky subject ...it certainly was. The front and back panels are fairly tricky and getting the model and template to work well together took some time to get looking right. Even the recessed panel where the headlights sit is not square on to the front of the car...as the inner headlights sit slightly in front of the outer ones.. The grille is poitioned forward of that and meant the grille sides needed to modelled very carefully so they lined up with the template. The air intake bit under the bumper is also modelled in relief though simplified from the real thing as poly limits do need to be watched. On the back end, part of the fins are also part of the boot lid edge so for skinpainting purposes the boot edge lines were painted in on the template so ppl end up with fairly decent lines when doing skins. Overall the template has quite a lot of painted in detail and shading as quality photos were not really available...best side image needed much alteration dealing with brightspots and shadows and reflections. Front and rear panels are mostly constructed from slight angle photos that have been adjusted ,reshaded, and detail added in by pasting or painting. Bonnet and boot upper faces were built up and all detail painted in...hopefully to give a good representation of the real thing. The template may look a little clumsy but has been contructed that way for some very good reasons and produces some very good skins that work well in game. By the way...when travelling on my little holiday one of these lovely cars was in the same traffic jam on the M6 near Blackpool.

I dont use the main painting programs of paintshop or photoshop...hence I get a friend to layer them in psd form. I use an older MICROGRAFX program for skinpainting and template work using layers in that programs form when needed. Here's a few screen shots of the finished model using a test skin that is liberally sprinkled with signwork and other silly graphics rather than a serious race skin. The reason for this type of skin is that it was created for use in creating the damage layers in max. By using this type of skin when doing damage, distortion of panels can be kept to a minimum so signs hopefully dont end up looking silly or unrealistic on the finished item. While it cant rule out all potential odd looking spots ..it does help in getting a better model overall. [attachmentid=18164] [attachmentid=18165] [attachmentid=18166] [attachmentid=18167]

Well classic car lovers...here's the latest creation...and not even used online yet...but well tested offline. The model uses a few more polys than many uk dirt cars but still runs at 4400 for full main file including damage layers. Painting options are a bit more variable than some models and tried to get as much right as possible. (even down to badge missing on drivers side front wing....in lower rear bit...apparently the "FORD" badge was to inform passengers as the driver should know he was driving a ford so they didnt fit it on the drivers side. Doorplate lovers can add their own if desired by pasting them in. The centre bit on rear panel is the fuel filler hole... paste it over with a number plate if you wish...and also you can fill in the recessed rear panel bit with aluminium trim if you want...if you can fins a picture to copy from. car file entry is concapri . Template is currently in flattened form only....layered to follow in a few days. [attachmentid=18156] [attachmentid=18157] consul_capri_file_and_flattened_template.zip

I felt like putting similar comments to those of fbf. Modellers are likely to do their own searches for photos..and may need many angle shots as well as square on ones to get shaping details looking right. Subject matter is also important...no good modelling ultra rare cars really. I prefer classics so will mainly model them and when doing so may work off 30 or more pictures per model. THE VERY BEST PICTURES are those taken square on with wide angle lenses as they are less distorted. Additionally photos taken on dull days are better as reflections and bright spots are much less meaning less work on correct shading if using them for template construction.

Loads of possible problems. My BT router works fine..with main comp wired to it and 3 others all on wireless connections all working well. Did your ethernet card come with its own connection software or are you using the windows xp connection software. I found the windows one to be the most reliable.Get the connections sorted without encrytpion at first...then put encryption on when sorted. For the computer that didnt connect....did you access the internet on it before...using a modem or wired connection...as its old connection software if present may be causing problems. Also try repairing or re installing intenet explorer on the computer thats giving problems...and also check what version of windows you are using is compatible. Lots of other things could be causing your problems ..these were just a few ideas to work from.

Quite a few possible reasons. What method of exporting are you using....best to use the proper exporter in max 3 to export as mgi mod. Critical things can be naming pacecars correctly...and also naming the parts of the model correctly ...any errors in these can cause crashes. What is the total number of polys including damage layers that you are trying to export?

[attachmentid=17179]Here's a preview of my latest project. These screenshots are of the initial test skin so adjustments will be made to model and template. The undamaged main model stands at about 1200 polys. Expected to be released in a couple of weeks . [attachmentid=17175][attachmentid=17176][attachmentid=17177][attachmentid=17179][attachmentid=17178]

Your post is full of good information and common sense Jock. In regards to dedicated to the cause of modelling ..well this is very true. To model well wether its a plastic airfix kit ,scratch built model aircraft ,model railways of computer models a person has to have the right approach and be dedicated in trying to produce good quality models within the limitations of the media they are using. Skills and knowledge can be learned however ultimately patience and and determination to do a job right are paramount. Models which are rushed or have short cuts on them will inevitably fail to perform as well. I have built radio control aircraft and seen too many cases where shoddy built models worth £500 plus have become scrap due to poor construction. It is good advice for modellers to share information and advise as well as get comments from others . Most concerned with UK Dirt's mods would like to see them be as good as possible and continually improving so certain standards need to be met for new models to be accepted.Where models fail to meet it for some reason they can often be adjusted and parts remodelled accordingly to meet the required standards but only if the desire of the modeller is there. As the mods are for online competitive use then poly counts are the biggest limitation on levels of detail that can be put into a model. Additional limits on how the model is made is down to the way the game is designed . My interest is Bangers, so when making a new model it must be based on a real car type and the initial model before damage or anything else should have a good likeness to the subject being modelled while bearing in mind the scale and poly limits. If a car looks wrong to start with then however good anything else is its just not going to stand up to scrutiny. Good modellers research there subjects well and should get the main elements of a cars design correct. Additionally early samples of the base model may get passed to others to check over for feedback on wether the basic car looks right. If a car is just a few per cent wider or narrower (hard to tell) than it should be that it doesnt get noticed then thats fine. Cars which are obviously too wide/narrow/tall or short etc will look out of sorts as would poor shaping of parts. (Plastic kits can vary massively in scale and accuracy). Many of the modellers do PM each other or use MSN to share opinion or give advice. Indeed I actually sent a PM to Swindy advising him about 2 things on one of his models in a friendly helpful way. Briefly, the reply was abusive and that he didnt want any advice at all while at the same time being negative about my own efforts and those of 2 other modellers without any foundation. At the same time he did highlight several small errors in one of my models. Some of these I was aware of and a few I was not. The issues were addressed and most errors fixed. You can never be 100% sure a model is perfect as some errors may not get noticed for some considerable amount of time or be so negligible that they are not really needing a fix. As long as the cars basically good and not too error ridden then its fit for the game and goes on release. If we waited for perfection ...then we wouldnt have a game to play.

I have updated the vx490 car file to fix a few of the minor errors that were on the original version. The updated car file will be in this weeks TNB update but is also available here. [attachmentid=17065] vx490_update1_car_file.zip

The heat game is really a racing game and the crashing is incidental to this. Game mechanics mean shortened wheelbases due to damage will not happen. In theory heat could be adapted so cars fold a lot more but this would involve using vertex damage and even then specially designed cars would need to be made to a make the most out of how vertex damage works. This would take considerable amounts of time to do and may not result in anything really that good. Ideally a more crashing based racing game would be better to mod though finding ones that can be modded successfully is another thing. NickM's project sounds promising but unless something else comes along then UK Dirts banger heat and SOD are the best about despite their limitations they provide hours of fun.

IMPORTANT UPDATE for crestapc car file. Due to the wheel name recongnition problems the car file has now been updated to include the relevant files so should not cause problems as described in the thread. new file is here; [attachmentid=17059] Thanx for the info Nick as it helps us all understand the game and modelling better due to your contributions. crestapc_car_file_updated_and_template.zip

The roz wheels files should be within the westy car file...but it seems a few ppl are not getting them come up in game. Chose the roz wheels as I even used them myself when racing a cresta. Seems like best fix is to include the relevant files within the car file.

Your right on that haadee.. the poly count is less than the vx 490 model I made . Best practise is to keep poly count down as much as reasonably possible to make for smoother online play and lower the chances of warp. Too many higher poly models in game could cause warp so if some drivers are using lower poly models that can only help. I feel it best to keep poly use down and not be wasteful with them. Additionally when making pacecar 4 versions...the higher the number of polys you start with then the longer it will take to lower them down to the right amount. Deciding what detail is best put into a model and what is best left out is down to each modellers choice though all the time any details added will always add to the poly count. As long as a model captures the"FEEL" of the real car then to me that is the most important part of modelling and though the old A60 saloon model maybe relatively crude by current standards..it still captures the feel of the real thing to me in game. Hopefully your (haadee) little van is coming along well as that looks smashing so far and the curves on that seem to have been produced very well. From its design it will be a high poly model as will any other very curvy models that are shaped well. Fingers crossed that you can get it in game with damage layers as I'm really looking forward to seeing it.

Whatever view you are using in game or in replays as other cars go into the distance down the straight or round the bend you will notice that some may have parts dissappear or that they go from a damaged state to an undamaged state. Using the swaffham tv view just gives ppl an idea of the range at which this occurs in regards car size and the amount of detail needed in pacecar4 files to allow the car to look correct and still retain appropriate looking damage. Having large external parts of a car dissapear is totally undesirable for obvious reasons. Making pacecar 4 files, as stated before, is one of the less interesting parts of making a model and work intensive for the small role it plays in the game. However no one can dispute a car that retains damage as it should is more desirable than an identical car that loses the damage temporarily as it goes into the viewable distance. People have implied that models which do perform correctly by retaining the damage at pacecar 4 levels must be inferior by having less detail at close up levels. This is completely false . Generally a person that makes models with the extra care to construct proper pacecar4 files is more likely to produce the rest of the model with greater care and attention to detail than someone not making pacecar4 files with damage layers. As regards Swindys comments. I model what I like which are old skool type cars of types mainly raced in the 70's and early 80's so I have much more experience on how they damage. My models are given typical damage for the car types involved as limited by the game mechanics and poly count. The older type cars were not built with crumple zones so do damage rather differently from the more modern bacofoil types. Crestas having a nice big 3.3 litre straight 6 engine near the front were not going to ever have the front move back too much as the engine prevents that happening. Damage has to be modelled for a car that still appears drivable . mk2 granadas with a v6 have much more room up front to allow the front to fold more . Basically damage should be appropriate for the car and not modelled just to get the PLAYSTATION brigade saying WOW. I have raced both fc victors and pc crestas so they would certainly be on my list of cars to model and should not be criticised as being simple and boxy. As my experience grows then I will tackle more curvaceous cars and hopefully make a good job of them too. But much better a decent looking more simple model than something more rounded that looks horrible. By the way...I have raced a series 2 Morris Isis .

Most crestas in the old skool days that raced were solid....so it doesnt snap...in the days of plentiful car supplies rotten cars and non runners were avoided so the car is damaged to represent more likely damage on a solid car.

Here's my latest creation for the pre 68 type class. Few piccys of a template test car in old skool style. Car physics based on westy but with narrower track and longer wheelbase. The car itself is narrower than a mk2 granny while being a touch longer..as per real life. The real life crestas could perform well on the big smooth tracks but were not that good on bumpy dirt ovals. Have fun and feel free to play about with the template to produce single headlight models and viscount versions etc. car file and layered psd template here;[attachmentid=17030] [attachmentid=17031] [attachmentid=17032] [attachmentid=17034] crestapc_car_file_and_layered_template.zip

I am also finding inconsistent performance on the BWS forum. There are/will be updates for 1st july and links will be posted on forum. Links if needed will be available in bws chat before the meetings should anyone need them.