Finalizing Your Car Model

Many of us are aware that RCT3 won't load our park if tracks built in our park are set up with cars that are no longer in the Cars/TrackedRideCars folder. We'll experience this same sort of problem when we've given our test car a few trial runs, have become satisfied with it, apply textures to our completed model, and alter the name of our model from a TEST name to the actual car name. For example, we may have named our test car CTR_BoatingTEST5. After we're satisfied with our model, have fine tuned & painted it and it is considered completed we'd probably want to give it a name that's more in line with our finished work, say CTR_ChrisCraftCruisers.

In both the BahnDaten_ and WagenDaten_ TXT files, any text showing the car's TEST name need to be adjusted with the new car name you created for your finished car:

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BahnDaten_: The RideName and CarTypeName fields need to be updated.

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WagenDaten_: The TrainName and CarModelName(s) need to be updated.

After updating our model and its name we'd want to avoid deleting the CTR_BoatingTEST5 folder from Cars/TrackedRideCars before adding the CTR_ChrisCraftCruisers folder. Until the next launch of RCT3 both these folders need to be in the Cars/TrackedRideCars folder because as long as the CTR_BoatingTEST5 car is operating on our track in the game the CTR_BoatingTEST5 folder is required in Cars/TrackedRideCars folder. We need to launch RCT3 with both the aforementioned folders in Cars/TrackedRideCars, open the coaster's control panel, select ChrisCraft Cruisers as the new car type, and then save the game.

After we've quit RCT3 we may then delete the CTR_BoatingTEST5 folder from Cars/TrackedRideCars because this folder is no longer needed now that the TEST car is no longer on any track in our park.

The Final Touch: Setting Three LOD's

Our last step in processing car models through CTR Creator is adding the necessary three LOD's. This step is done at the end so that while we're progressing our car, whenever we alter and otherwise update our car model through the Importer we're only updating a single LOD each time. At the end of our work when we're completely satisfied with our car we may add the other two levels of detail without any worries that these steps will need to be repeated. This also eliminates repeatedly adjusting three separate sets of mesh updates, texture changes, and alterations to Texture Styles, Face Sidedness, and Normals.

Drawing three separate models in our modeler, one for each LOD, is not necessary. In an ideal world where everyone had endless amounts of time we'd use the model we'd in these previous sessions fine tuned for the close-up LOD's, create another model with less detail for intermediate LOD's and finally make a car model with very little detail for zoomed out LOD's. We'd then need to ensure that each of the three models had matching sets of Effect Bones and that all these bones were set up in the Importer in the exact same way. For those who wish to use a different model for each LOD the time to do that is now, when everything to do with Importing the model has been settled and finalized. No one would want to follow the information outlined in this article making repeated adjustments to three separate models, and then to three separate sets of Effect Bones, and finally to three different LOD's.

The most widely used method of Importing our car model with three LOD's is more convenient and that is to make copies of the model we've adjusted, updated, and fine-tuned throughout the previous article and to use each of these copies for a different LOD. To achieve this all we need to do is to copy the model using the Duplicate Model function in the Importer so let's go over to the right of the Animated Models window and click on the D toggle.

Do that twice so there are a total of three models in the Animated Models window.

Next, for each of the copies we'll double left-click on each of the copies to return to the Edit Animated Model Settings window and by editing each copy's name field we'll clean up the name of each of our copies so as to avoid any error message that our model name contains spaces or special characters.

Now we'll remove the existing entry in the LOD window, left-click on each of the model copies in turn, and then go over to the LOD's window and hit the + so we can add each of our copies to the LOD list. We're aiming for each of the models to appear once in the LOD window. If we click on our three models in order. they'll appear in the LOD's window in order.

In the Edit Level Of Detail window we can observe near mid-right that the recommended distance settings for LOD's is 40.0, 100.0, and 4000.0.

For car models we like to use 100.0, 400.0, and 4000.0.

As you did before when setting up a single LOD, delete the 0.0 default value for each entry and enter the numbers of your choice.

We haven't tested this to ensure it's essential but we've had no problems so far in keeping the order of the models in this way:

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original model, then

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Copy1, and

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Copy2.

The models should be arranged this same way both in the Animated Models window and in the LOD's window. After you have entered the numbers of your choice the LOD's will arrange themselves numbered from lowest value to highest value, as may be seen next in our example image.

If your model has animations the animations would need to be set up for each of the LOD's listed in the LOD window.

In using this method of duplicating models for different levels of detail, when zooming away from and into your car model while in the game you'll observe that the different levels of detail transition more smoothly than they would if lower poly models were created for each subsequent level of detail.

And now there's nothing else to do at this point except to import your model with three sets of LOD's, run it through CTR Creator, and install your car in the Cars/TrackedRideCars folder. Your car model is well and truly completed.

Including Daten_ Keywords

As A Courtesy To Downloaders

It's plain to see by now that we may enter details in either the WagenDaten_ or the BahnDaten_ to tailor the cars & tracks we use for our own gameplay so that they exactly suit our needs. Releasing our cars and tracks is another matter - one in which we need to give more careful consideration to what is likely to be appreciated by our community as a whole. We provide these general recommendations for entry into the following Daten_ fields along with indications as to how these entries will benefit the gamer. Although we've been brief with our reasoning, complete details on what can be accomplished by each of these Daten_ entries can be found under the same field/flag names listed in the WagenDaten_ and BahnDaten_ tables shown several sessions back:

Suggested WagenDaten_ Additions

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FrontCar_SideSwing, and also FrontCar_HeightSwing

Using the SideSwing value will enable swinging cars to swing on their tracks. For water craft and floating sci-fi vehicles, entering values into both of these fields adds that delightful undulation that makes your craft look like floating in place. The taller the craft the smaller the swing values should be. You might enter a value of 0.050 to 0.750 for a low, light boat such as a canoe. A canal boat that's 20m in length and a heavier sailboat with a 15m tall mast will only need a value of 0.010 and 0.025 respectively. For water craft the value of the HeightSwing may be up to double that of the SideSwing. The HeightSwing raises and lowers the craft in the same spot. The SideSwing adds a tilt to the HeightSwing. Both effects combined will add roll, pitch, & yaw to your car and give the overall undulation of the craft a faux rotating effect.

Note we’ve so far written about the FrontCar_SideSwing and the FrontCar_HeightSwing. There are similar pairs of settings for the SecondCar_, MiddleCar_, PenultimateCar_, and RearCar_. If the shape of your car models each suggest a different weight and mass then each of these flags should be set to a different corresponding value. The default setting for these fields is 0.000.

Suggested BahnDaten_ Additions

The field value for each of these entries will need to be considered and then added to each of the car types you choose to include with your WagenDaten_.

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LightRedGreenFlag

Set at 0 so that the gamer may have the option to test the ride.

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FullLoadFlag

Set at 0 so that the gamer is not locked out of choosing 1/4 load, 1/2 load, or 3/4 load, in addition to Full Load. If this value is flagged at 1 the ride will only leave the station when there is a full load of guests boarded.

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BlockSectionFlag

Set at 1 so the gamer may choose block sections if desired.

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AutocompleteFlag

Set at 1 so that autocomplete is enabled.

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DestructionAnywhereFlag

Ensure that this field is at its default value of 1.

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ReliabilityDecrease

The default value is 10.000 but we recommend not giving this flag any value over 100.000. Giving this flag a value of 0.000 and during gameplay assigning the ride a mechanic for 10 minute inspections means the ride will almost never break down.

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PeepAttractivity

The default value is 60. Consider entering a value from 200 to 250 so that your track becomes a star attraction that really draw the guests. When creating tracks for release this will also go some way towards allowing the gamer to pull more guests to his park with fewer rides and attractions placed in it.

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RidebetweenTrackSplinesFlag

(Usually only for Water Rides)

On water tracks with wide sections, during the boat's travels a flag value of 1 will enable the boat to move naturally from one side of the track to the other instead of remaining in the middle of every track section. Unfortunately this does not work with every track/boat combination.

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KeineFliessendWassertexturFlag

(Only for tracks with water sections)

Consider if the water track or water track section utilises fast flowing water or if the water on the track should flow slowly. A flag of 1 gives a slow flowing water surface.

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WaterSectionConstantSpeed, and

WaterSectionAcceleration, and also

WaterSectionDeceleration

(Only for tracks with water sections)

These three entries ensure that the train does not slam on brakes or leap into acceleration when traveling through water sections if our track includes such sections. These adjustments will give gamers the ability to ensure the train travels realistically on its journey throughout their track’s design.

Additionally, the entries displayed in this next screenshot will come up each time we get CTR Creator to write our BahnDaten_ file.

We've observed that some custom track creators will change these values to all zeros but flagging positive value entries in these fields gives a track that more easily achieves outstanding EI&N readings and is well-liked by the guests. This is particularly true for custom tracks whose in-game versions are ordinarily resistant to good EI&N ratings such as the Water Rides, Transport Rides, and Other Rides and Attractions.

If you would like to add our suggestions to your BahnDaten_ and prefer to use CTR Creator without getting it to write your BahnDaten_ prior to Importing your track, we recommend this formatting for the abovementioned entries (including the lines with no data).

To copy and paste this data, a partial BahnDaten_ text file within which this information has been written (Courtesy Copy & Paste BahnDaten_) may be found included with The CTR Creators' Pack provided at the end of this series of sessions. When integrating your own data into this pasted information, the arrangement of the data (including blank lines) should resemble the same order in which it would be if you got CTR Creator to write your BahnDaten TXT file.

When manually adding entries to Daten_ files it is important to ensure we don't duplicate flag entries because CTR Creator will only consider the first line in the TXT file on which the duplicated entry is written. For example, if you've added your own value to line 105, and you haven't noticed that the Daten_ already includes this same flag on line 84 with a different value there, only line 84 will be acknowledged by CTR Creator. Your own value that you've written on line 105 will be ignored.

Finding duplicates in your Daten_ is a simple matter if you use the Find feature in your text editor.

Drag the above toggle to a

convenient place on your screen.