[WIP] rFactor2 export scripts for Blender 2.80+

New Year's Eve update... Code update complete, the heavy lifting is done. The last two items added brought back functionality done away with when the switch to node based materials was made. That code was found, put back in and modified from the old material system to the node based system. I've posted the current scripts to the Discord group for testing. I'm working on the .blend update code while waiting for their feedback.

So, looking forward...finish the .blend update code and implement changes from any feedback. Send that out to the group for testing and finish the release notes. Make any last minute changes needed and send that out for testing. Then release after no more changes needed. Release will be announced via a new thread. FYI, current development is on Blender 3.3.1.

 

New Year's Day night update... .blend update routine written and works as expected on my test car and track .blends. Sent the new package out to the Discord group. Awaiting feedback now. Will work on release notes while waiting.

 

@Traveller Is there anymore news on when this may be released? I don't want to sound impatient, I was just wondering if it is still progressing.

 

I almost posted an update last week or so... It is progressing. I added a late idea on my part, really trying to look to the future. You should spot it in the screen shots below. One of my testers threw some ringers at me for the update_blend() routine during what I thought was the last round of testing. Shows what I get for daring them. I worked on them, then thought of some ringers myself. I hope to have those taken care of tonight or tomorrow, then send it out for another round. Hopefully the last one.

Attached are two sneak peak images. One with the various parts of the scripts' UI visible at the startup of Blender, and one after Initiate_Scene('GEN') has been executed.


Edit: I see something that needs to be taken care of.

 

Thanks for the update, it looks good. What is the "look to the future" part, I can't spot it. Maybe I'm not looking in the right place, though it does sound intriguing. Can't wait to try it out when released.

 

Cameras in this case. I added them back in January. There is now a difference between SCN and GEN besides those three bytes. Those cameras are the reason for the hold up now. I haven't got update_blend working 100% correctly with them.

 

I did notice the camera bit, but I didn't want to look stupid if there was something more obvious I had missed, honest.

 

Not directly a script for rF2 but I'm working on some node controls to create non tiling PBR maps directly out of Blender. I was so bored of AI tools (even expensive ones) never resulting in what I wanted. So as test I show what I did make with a 128 pixel very bad texture candidate, tiled and rotated with soft blending tricks on the edges.
You cannot spot issues on just one diffuse and bump map without nothing else.
Will need further tweaking and a screencast from myself to guide people thru my node controls.
Time is what I come too short but maybe it triggers others to go wild in Blender

The plane in Blender is 12 meters in size, square and this is exported to a 8K tga. Then scaled back to 4K and setup with a terrain shader with scale 2 instead of 1.