gJED vs DevMode vs rF2

Discussion in 'Track Modding' started by shiet, Nov 1, 2016.

  1. shiet

    shiet Registered

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    Hi guys!

    I need some help. I would like to release a track but I have some problems.
    So I have the .scn file with all the settings the track needs. The beginning of the .scn looks like this:

    Code:
    CUBEASF
    
    //-------------------------------------------------------
    
    SearchPath=.
    SearchPath=RoadAmerica2016
    SearchPath=RoadAmerica2016\ASSETS\GMTs
    SearchPath=RoadAmerica2016\ASSETS\MAPs
    SearchPath=RoadAmerica2016\ASSETS\ANMs
    
    //-------------------------------------------------------
    
    MASFile=COMMONMAPS.MAS
    
    //-------------------------------------------------------
    
    View=mainview
    {
      Clear=False
      Color=(0, 0, 0)
      Size=(1.00, 1.00) Center=(0.5, 0.5)
      FOV=(77.75, 35.00)
      ClipPlanes=(0.50, 3500.00)
      View=rearview
      {
        Clear=False
        Color=(0, 0, 0)
        Size=(0.200, 0.100) Center=(0.50, 0.01)
        FOV=(62.5, 62.5)
        ClipPlanes=(0.50, 150.00)    
      }
    }
    
    GroupMethod=Dynamic
    MaxShadowRange=(550.00)
    AmbientColor=(126, 126, 126)
    ReflectPlane=(0.000, -1.000, 0.000, 1.0)
    
    FogMode=LINEAR FogIn=(50.00) FogOut=(3000.00) FogDensity=(0.0002) FogColor=(205, 215, 235)
    
    //----------------------
    //----------------------Lighting---------------------------------
    //----------------------
    
    Light=Direct00
    {
     Type=Directional Color=(220, 220, 220) Dir=(0.5, -0.9, 0.5) Intensity=(0.950)
    }
    
    //-------------------------------------------------------
    
    // road and kerbs
    
    Instance=racesurface_...
    
    So I give you 3 screenshots, one with gJED, one within DevMode and one with the actual game, look at the distant trees and the sky.

    gJED:

    [​IMG]

    DevMode:

    [​IMG]

    ingame:

    [​IMG]


    The problem is the track in gJED looks different than DevMode which looks different than ingame.
    In gJED you can clearly see the fog, the tree shadows are where they suppose to be.
    In DevMode the fog is gone, you can see it on the distant trees.
    In game there is no fog and the shadows come up much later than they should and because of this the distant trees don't have selfshadows like in gJED or in DevMode.

    The graphics settings are the same in all three mode.

    Any ideas?

    I also have problem with the wet road reflections. Basically I don't have it on any of my objects because I don't know why, reasons...

    the .scn looks like this, here is an example object:

    Code:
    Instance=obj_0
    {
    ReflectPlane=(0.000, 1.000, 0.000, -318.1)
    	MeshFile=obj_0.gmt CollTarget=True HATTarget=False ShadowCaster=(Dynamic,Solid) 
    }
    
    -318.1 means I measured 318.1 meters on the Z axis with 3Dsimed near the object on the surface.

    The end of the .scn looks like this:

    Code:
    // Wet road reflections
    
    ReflectionMapper=REFLECTEDENV
    {
      Type=Planar
      TextureSize=(1024)
      UpdateRate=(100.000)
      StaticSwitch=(100.000)
      TrackingIns=NULL
    
    IncludeIns=obj_0		
    IncludeIns=obj_1		
    IncludeIns=obj_2		
    IncludeIns=obj_9		
    IncludeIns=obj_3		
    IncludeIns=obj_40		
    IncludeIns=obj_52		
    IncludeIns=obj_61		
    IncludeIns=obj_215		
    IncludeIns=obj_216		
    IncludeIns=obj_217		
    IncludeIns=obj_220		
    IncludeIns=obj_1282	
    IncludeIns=obj_1279	
    IncludeIns=obj_1280	
    IncludeIns=obj_1283	
    IncludeIns=obj_2736	
    IncludeIns=wall479_s0
    IncludeIns=wall480_s0
    IncludeIns=cone72
    IncludeIns=cone73
    IncludeIns=cone74
    IncludeIns=cone75
    IncludeIns=cone76
    IncludeIns=cone77
    IncludeIns=sign235		
    }
    
    In 3DSimed the object reflections are there (when I turn on the rain) but in game there are no reflections. I did the same on Mosport and this worked there.

    Any ideas would be well appreciated, thanks in advance.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 1, 2016
  2. SERPENTS ON A VESSEL

    SERPENTS ON A VESSEL Registered

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    Are the settings maxed out in all 3? I think they have slightly different graphics settings available
     
  3. shiet

    shiet Registered

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    Yes, everything except for the FSAA at max.
     
  4. Gijs van Elderen

    Gijs van Elderen Registered

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    In Dev mode you need to enable linear fog. It's somewere at the bottom of a window. Don't know which one... but you'll find it.

    About reflections: you need to assign a mapper in the shader. But it's not implemented in gJED.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 2, 2016
  5. SERPENTS ON A VESSEL

    SERPENTS ON A VESSEL Registered

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    Maybe the time of day is different?
     
  6. shiet

    shiet Registered

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    Gysber: thx, that's one step closer. It's under the Weather GFX menu. The question is how do I save that so the fog shows up in the game too? Because the Weather GFX menu doesn't have save option like the AIW or the CAM, so if I leave the track in DevMode and load it again it resets to exponential. In the .scn file I set it to Linear

    Code:
    FogMode=LINEAR FogIn=(50.00) FogOut=(3000.00) FogDensity=(0.0002) FogColor=(205, 215, 235)
    
    so it should be linear no? But it's exponential like the text in the .scn file doesn't matter at all.

    edit: about reflections, when I made Mosport I didn't even touch gJED and it worked. I still don't know what's the purpose of this program. :D

    SERPENTS ON A VESSEL: also the same.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 2, 2016
  7. Gijs van Elderen

    Gijs van Elderen Registered

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    Don't know why the fog and shadows doesn't show up ingame. The fog line is correct.

    gJED's main purpose at the moment is to fine tune material settings, textures, LOD's, shadows distances, etc... on an existing track (with good scn file).

    If you are working with a moddeling program and FBX, you can set visgroups, shadow groups, reflection mappers etc... it creates a scn file for you, so you don't end up with conflicts in the gmt's and scn file.
    But gJED isn't complete yet.
     
  8. shiet

    shiet Registered

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    Yes, I have been using gJED for the textures/materials, so that's all? :) I thought it's about something more.
     
  9. Gijs van Elderen

    Gijs van Elderen Registered

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    If you work with FBX and gJED, you don't need 3Dsimed.

    3Dsimed is a 3rd party program, i don't think it's supported by ISI/studio397. If exported 3Dsimed gmt's behave differently as designed, contact 3dsimed.
     
  10. shiet

    shiet Registered

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    I use 3DSimed only for the rF1->rF2 export.
     
  11. Gijs van Elderen

    Gijs van Elderen Registered

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    Anyway, about the shadows: texture shadows are resource intensive. Maybe texture shadow drawing distances are hard coded ingame. (Don't know for sure)
    In dev mode like the fog, there is a window "shadow settings". It's to check things, it doesn't save things.
     
  12. shiet

    shiet Registered

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    Now I'm pretty sure that the MaxShadowRange controls what I have problem with because I deleted that line from the .scn just to try it and the shadows "came" much closer.
    The DevMode and the game uses the same engine or not? If yes then I should see in the game the same things as in DevMode otherwise the DevMode is not really useful.
     
  13. Gijs van Elderen

    Gijs van Elderen Registered

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    BTW: Your max clip plane: 3500: that's a very large distance. You can set it much closer.

    If you have some distant objects or sky line objects that needs to be rendered beyond the far clip plane: tag them as No Clip.
     
    Euskotracks likes this.
  14. shiet

    shiet Registered

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    Good tip, thanks, I will try. I have a bunch of treelines in the distance that's the only reason for the high number.
     
  15. Gijs van Elderen

    Gijs van Elderen Registered

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    2nd BTW: If you make adjustments in gJED and export the gmt's. (I guess you export only the gmt's and handle the scn file manually)

    You can delete the .gmenv file and reset the cache of gJED. Your adjustments are stored in the new gmt's.
    The .gmenv file was based on the old gmt's and could cause problems with the newly exported gmt's.
    You can save adjustements in the .gmenv file and continue the next day, But after export. delete it.

    For loading the track again in gJED you only have to select the locations folder.
    The other search path are defined in the the scn file you are opening. (It saves a few clicks :))
     
  16. stonec

    stonec Registered

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    Fog has always been a bit broken in rF2, the only parameter that makes any difference is FogDensity. If you put it to a high enough value it should show fog in game. FogIn, FogOut and FogMode makes no difference to anything unlike in rF1 (maybe they work in gJED/devmode, which could explain the discrepancy).

    Tree self-shadowing was a feature in early rF2 builds but it was removed for some reason. Not sure that's the issue here though because the shadows of the nearby trees look ok in all pics. With MaxShadowRange you should not go much beyond 1000, most ISI tracks use between 500 and 800. Going higher may produce other unwanted side effects.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 2, 2016
  17. shiet

    shiet Registered

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    The fog doesn't bother me too much, the bigger problem is the shadowrange which doesn't work in the game like in DevMode. I made this track with 3D trees and I have been using the Devmode to test the track until now. In Devmode there wasn't a problem. Now in game there is this problem and I don't have time/the will to reconstruct the whole track with another type of trees. And honestly I don't even want to because I made the 3D trees because they look better than X trees or billboard trees (IMO!). I'm starting to think I should have made it for AC.
     
  18. Emery

    Emery Registered

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    Is it possible to set LODs for shadows independently of their objects? Or would you have to use separate shadow-caster objects?
     
  19. Gijs van Elderen

    Gijs van Elderen Registered

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    Yes, each object has it's own shadow LOD.
     
  20. shiet

    shiet Registered

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    I already tried to play around with the shadow LOD and that's not the issue. Btw if that would be the issue then it would be an issue in DevMode too.
     

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