[3DS Max] Hint for modeling/texturing a futuristic racetrack?

Mr_Drayton

Hi everyone!
I just found a similar thread started some months ago about this same subject, but it was about XSI...
So, I'm modeling a futuristic race track too, but using 3DS 2008 (do you think it's too outdated?). I want it to be similar to Wipeout and F-Zero, with loopings, "corkscrews", and all those headache manouvers.
Triangles should be enough just to make the track smooth, something under 20k will do. Other details will be normalmapped.


This is my basic workflow (I'm not sure if it's good or not):

• Create a Spline to define the track line
• Create another Spline to define the track section
• Use Loft to extrude the section along the track line
• Change Scale and Twist deformation to adjust it and create loopings, etc

Et voil

renderhjs

tried a search?
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66992
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=67577
http://www.bobstrackbuilder.net/

Also how about you post some screens of what you already have? Might make things easier for people here in order to help.

Mr_Drayton

Thanks Renderhjs, but unfortunately I found nothing really useful in those threads, not even with Google. Bob's Track Builder looks great, but it won't be suitable for this project, since a futuristic racetrack is quite a different work.

Sorry about missing screenshots, here they are!







The track looks a bit blocky, it's my fault!

Currently I got nothing more than this. It's just a simple terrain and a big Loft object, with mapping applied all over the length (spiced up with normals, self-illumination and specular, you see).

You can clearly notice the repetitiveness of the track, it's the same shape and design along all the path! It really needs some variations, so I'm looking for the best way to do them without having to mess up for too much time.

The Path Parameters rollout of the Loft object seems great to apply different shapes to it (I tried, and it works well with simple shapes), but when I need to do a transition between a flat section and an half-pipe section, the mesh deforms in strange ways. Sounds like every section should have the same number of verts to deform well, and they must be quite aligned.

Also, mapping different shapes all togheter could be really time consuming and annoying... And thinking better about it, I don't know a faster way to map a texture over a long and complex Loft shape. I would just use an Unwrap UVW modifier (and I will lose all the parameters if I change something in the Loft)...

I'm thinking to break the track in different parts (each one with its shape) and then map them separately. I think it's also quite important to have good transitions between the different shapes, so I'll work more to optimize the sections.


How can I say, I have sort of an idea on how to work with it, but I don't feel very sure. I'm just looking for some tips about how you would work on it!

johnline

great work so far. im a big fan of future games/wipeout/going fast. if you want my recommendation i'd put 3dsmax to one side and make the track in autodesk alias, although it takes a bit of learning, it wont be as difficult as when you first learned max.
autodesk maya also has similar tools but alias is really useful for making cv curve sweeps with precise control on how your surfaces sweep. i have made several tracks with it then brought them into max with fbx (using autodesk showcase as the middle man), and then have put them in gta games :>

i have also nearly finished making a wipeout kit which works with scripts in the multi theft auto multiplayer mod for san andreas, and it uses matrices so you can literally build your track like in roller coaster tycoon. i feel none of this would be possible without alias to generate the mesh and uv's, and with such accuracy.

couple of screens

-- screens temporarily unavailable --

Mr_Drayton

"Great work so far"? Haha, many thanks! Just think that I was expecting torrents of bad critics when posting the images... :P

Wow, so it's you the one who made that mod? I randomly found it some days ago while googlin' for some help... It's really insane, it catches me! Great work indeed!

The only thing that I could say is that your tracks appears to be visually repetitive just like mine (same texture and shape all along the circuit). I won't consider it a problem for you since it's "only" a mod, but I need to make a decent presentation for a new game and I want it to be enough appealing to watch. Anyways I'm going to save the screenshots for further inspiration!

Also thanks for the suggestion about Autodesk Alias, I never heard about it! It looks really powerful for this kind of works. Unfortunately I don't have so much time to learn a new software (although it's easier than Max), but surely I'm going to try it.
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"Less talk moar art", so this is what I got so far, on a brand-new, shorter track. Me and the head programmer were not very happy with the pervious one. Sorry for the creepy shadows!

Full view


Jump and chicane


30° pipe section


Different section shapes (with high right barrier, standard and without barriers)


This is the workflow I used to obtain this:

• Create the desired number of different section shapes that will compose the circuit, using the Line tool.
• Define a spline wich will be the track, and make a Loft of it with the standard setion shape.
• Use the Scale deformation to make wider parts of the track, and Twist deformation to make banked turnings.
• Enable the Apply Mapping setting and set up the Length Repeat to have exact proportions on the texture. The main track is now ready!
• Do a backup of the Loft and clone it as many times as the number of section shapes. Then, assign these different shapes to their respective Loft.
• Be sure that every Loft differs only in the section shape. Especially, the options in the Skin Parameters rolluot must be identical, as the pivot position.
• Center all the Lofts at 0,0,0 and convert them to an Editable Poly (or whatever suits you best).
• Now in every track object, manually erase all the poligons you don't need for that shape, checking that they match togheter with the other shapes (they will do it if the Lofts were identical) and don't override other poligons. Almost there!
• Now you got a different object for every track section shape. Divide them more if some objects are too big (just for performance purposals), then proceed with unwrapping.

I stopped here today (you may notice also the mapping and smoothing seams between one section shape and the other). I think that after the unwrap is done, I will make an unique big track object, weld everything togheter and adjust the connections between one section to the other. It should be fine!

Sorry for the long post, but I prefer to explain well what I'm doing.

jimmypopali

IMO the way you are looking at it now, it may seem repeditve, but once you get in the boosters (do they have boosters in those games?) banked sections, loops, roofs and all that in view, the focus will be taken off the repeditiveness of the track. You can even have neon signs zooming past or wires hanging down, just those things to kind of 'break' up the view of the track.

Hope that made sense.

Mr_Drayton

Sure it does make sense.
Obviously there will be lots of side elements, but I would like the track to be nice to see. I think that even a simple change of the texture could help.

Mr_Drayton

Very well, that's what I got at this point. Still unfinished, there is a lot to fix and to add.





It's far from perfect, but I guess it's quite nice at this point.

Mark Dygert

That's looking pretty good, nice work!

johnline

amazing stuff, the props really brought it to life. i can see you have been busy

Mr_Drayton

Oh, I'm glad you found it nice!

I want it to be even more lifely, adding more props, lights, advertising panels, props, etc etc. It should came out quite good, I hope...

kdm3d

ever played Track Mania? google it. Its free to download and play, and fun as hell. Looks similar in gameplay to this, but with F-1 "stunt" cars...

cupsster

any progress on this?