when my car appears on the showroom it is completely unstuck (about 20 cm) from the floor of the showroom is this normal?
When i remember it right, you work with 3DS Max, correct? When you export the Meshes, do you check the Checkbox "Move" for one or more of them?
I did ask, because i just wanted to know what you are doing. What you should do, is to NOT check that "Move" Checkbox. The only Exceptions are - the Steering Wheel - The Helmet of a Driver - any Object, that you want to rotate around of a defined Point (a Ventilator for Example) And if you do it in that Scheme, you just have to put the Meshes, for that you have checked the "Move" Checkbox, into their own separated Instances in the Gen Files. What you have described, sounds like a Problem, where one or more Objects, that are tagged as "Move" are in the same Instance, like Objects that have a different Pivot Point. If you do it in the above described Way, the Problem should be solved. If not, please upload your Folder with the Car and send me the Link by a private Conversation. That would be the only senseful Way to help you then.
From my Point of View it is not necessary. I normally never check "Move" in the Exporter Rollout for them and i never encounter any Problem. On the other Site, when you check "Move" for Parts like Tires, Rims, Brakeglow or also Calipers or whatever you have in the Instances for Tires and Spindles, you can easily have a strange Appearance in the Showroom and in Game, if the Pivot Points of the Parts, that are in the same Instance, don't have almost identical Pivot Points. When you model and these Parts are well positioned in 3DSMax or whatever 3D Software you use, they also appear well positioned in Game, if you don't check "Move". If you didn't check "Move" in the Exporter and they appear at a wrong Position in Game, check Things like GraphicalOffset= Values for the Position of the whole Car and FrontWheelTrack, RearWheelTrack, LeftWheelBase, and RightWheelBase for the Wheels, that you can find in the HDV File.
i see in the car modding tutorial 05 : all cockpit meshes need to have a pivot center set to 0.0.0 is this mandatory ?
As said above already, if you don't check the Checkbox "Move" in the Converter Plugin Rollout when you export the Meshes, it doesn't matters which Pivot Point an Object has set in 3DSMax.
- when I place a pivot should it be in the center of the new part created or in the center of the complete car ?
I can only repeat myself again: as long as you don't check the Checkbox Move in the Converter Rollout, when you export Meshes, you can position the Pivot Point in 3DSMax wherever you want, it makes no Difference in the Game. EDIT The Exception is, as also said already, if you want to have something rotating around a specific Pivot Point.
