CarWorks - Revision history

Zapper: "CarEdit3" link update to "4D Sports Driving Car Editor / CarEdit3"

2024-05-27T18:14:46Z

"CarEdit3" link update to "4D Sports Driving Car Editor / CarEdit3"

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:14, 27 May 2024
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	CarWorks can manipulate 3D shapes, although it cannot edit them as of the current version. Editing capabilities are projected for the future, but this is not a priority, since importing and exporting Wavefront OBJ files allows for using external editors such as Blender and Anim8or. By comparison, [[Stressed]] does have some editing capabilities and is more general. CarWorks is only intended for editing cars and it wouldn't be adequate for track elements and other shapes.		CarWorks can manipulate 3D shapes, although it cannot edit them as of the current version. Editing capabilities are projected for the future, but this is not a priority, since importing and exporting Wavefront OBJ files allows for using external editors such as Blender and Anim8or. By comparison, [[Stressed]] does have some editing capabilities and is more general. CarWorks is only intended for editing cars and it wouldn't be adequate for track elements and other shapes.

	Physical parameter editing is more direct and graphic-oriented than when done with [[Car Blaster]]. Parameters that are represented graphically cannot, in general, be edited as numbers. Also, parameters that are related to the 3D shape or to the dashboard are managed by the corresponding sections, while Car Blaster can edit all of them in one place. [[~~CarEdit 3~~]] is another possibility.		Physical parameter editing is more direct and graphic-oriented than when done with [[Car Blaster]]. Parameters that are represented graphically cannot, in general, be edited as numbers. Also, parameters that are related to the 3D shape or to the dashboard are managed by the corresponding sections, while Car Blaster can edit all of them in one place. [[4D Sports Driving Car Editor / CarEdit3]] is another possibility.

	Dashboard edition is a unique feature of CarWorks (and the old Dash Manager). It is possible to accomplish the same by means of Stressed, but it's a lot more work. Instruments in CarWorks can be configured graphically and even automatically generated following an arc, whereas this has to be done numerically when using Stressed. ''CarEdit 3'' does have some basic graphical representation of these, though.		Dashboard edition is a unique feature of CarWorks (and the old Dash Manager). It is possible to accomplish the same by means of Stressed, but it's a lot more work. Instruments in CarWorks can be configured graphically and even automatically generated following an arc, whereas this has to be done numerically when using Stressed. ''CarEdit 3'' does have some basic graphical representation of these, though.

Cas: /* Dash manager */

2023-01-12T04:17:37Z

Dash manager

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:17, 12 January 2023
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	==Dash manager==		==Dash manager==
	[[image:Cwdm.png\|320px\|right\|thumb\|CarWorks 1.0.2 - Dashboard manager - editing the steering wheel]]		[[image:Cwdm.png\|320px\|right\|thumb\|CarWorks 1.0.2 - Dashboard manager - editing the steering wheel]]
	The dashboard configuration section is the continuation of the original ''Dash Manager'' project. It ~~include~~ several editing modes. The Tab key cycles these modes. Shift+Tab or Ctrl+Tab cycle backwards. The first mode is a simple drive simulation for the user to check that the graphics have been aligned correctly and will look nice while driving. The next mode handles images. Use PgUp and PgDn to change which image you want to change or just click on a currently loaded image with the left mouse button. Use the right mouse button or the arrow keys to move the image. Enter will take you to the file handling menu to load or save an image. Supported formats are Targa (TGA) or BMP, but if you have ImageMagick, you can configure CarWorks to use it to read and save other formats.		The dashboard configuration section is the continuation of the original ''Dash Manager'' project. It includes several editing modes. The Tab key cycles these modes. Shift+Tab or Ctrl+Tab cycle backwards. The first mode is a simple drive simulation for the user to check that the graphics have been aligned correctly and will look nice while driving. The next mode handles images. Use PgUp and PgDn to change which image you want to change or just click on a currently loaded image with the left mouse button. Use the right mouse button or the arrow keys to move the image. Enter will take you to the file handling menu to load or save an image. Supported formats are Targa (TGA) or BMP, but if you have ImageMagick, you can configure CarWorks to use it to read and save other formats.

	The next mode edits the steering wheel. Here, you can use PgUp and PgDn to change the current spoke being edited and manually move it with the arrow keys or select it and move it with the mouse. You'll notice how the mirroring works. Don't take your spokes too far to the right, as there are limitations in Stunts that prevent X values greater than 255. The number of spokes can be changed with + and -. The best way to edit the steering wheel is using Space to bring up the generator arc. Use < and > (or , and .) to change its eccentricity and PgUp and PgDn to resize it. Move it with the arrows and when you're done, press Enter to automatically generate the spokes.		The next mode edits the steering wheel. Here, you can use PgUp and PgDn to change the current spoke being edited and manually move it with the arrow keys or select it and move it with the mouse. You'll notice how the mirroring works. Don't take your spokes too far to the right, as there are limitations in Stunts that prevent X values greater than 255. The number of spokes can be changed with + and -. The best way to edit the steering wheel is using Space to bring up the generator arc. Use < and > (or , and .) to change its eccentricity and PgUp and PgDn to resize it. Move it with the arrows and when you're done, press Enter to automatically generate the spokes.

Cas at 02:35, 8 June 2021

2021-06-08T02:35:23Z

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	Notice the ''Power Gear'' parameter. Power gear is directly dependent on car mass and will vary when you change this value. Because which mass values lead to which power gear characteristic is not immediately obvious, you can click on the power gear field and this will switch to the next characteristic, automatically updating the car mass to the one that's closest to the current value, yet resulting in the desired characteristic. Bear in mind that power gear does not ''only'' depend on mass. The torque curve and limits must be adequate to allow for a useful PG.		Notice the ''Power Gear'' parameter. Power gear is directly dependent on car mass and will vary when you change this value. Because which mass values lead to which power gear characteristic is not immediately obvious, you can click on the power gear field and this will switch to the next characteristic, automatically updating the car mass to the one that's closest to the current value, yet resulting in the desired characteristic. Bear in mind that power gear does not ''only'' depend on mass. The torque curve and limits must be adequate to allow for a useful PG.

	==~~Creating a car shape file~~==		==Dash manager==
	The ~~most useful way to work with this tool~~ is ~~to first produce a Wavefront OBJ file with a 3D shape editor such as Blender or Anim8or. CarWorks includes a material library file called~~ ''~~stunts.mtl~~'' that ~~can be used to simulate~~ the ~~colours as~~ will ~~be seen in the game~~. ~~One should first create a shape~~ and ~~optionally, paint it in~~ a ~~way that's approximately what one would like~~. ~~Names should be assigned to~~ the ~~materials used according~~ to the ~~ones present in the material library file provided~~. ~~If names ''Stunts0'' to ''Stunts128'' are used, these~~ will ~~later be interpreted as static materials from 0~~ to ~~128 of Stunts internal material library. Names ''base1'' to ''base4'' can be used for shades of~~ the ~~same colour that are supposed~~ to ~~change with paint-jobs~~. ~~So for blue~~, ~~for example~~, ~~''base4'' will be the brightest blue~~ and ~~''base1'', the darkest~~.		[[image:Cwdm.png\|320px\|right\|thumb\|CarWorks 1.0.2 - Dashboard manager - editing the steering wheel]]
			The dashboard configuration section is the continuation of the original ''Dash Manager'' project. It include several editing modes. The Tab key cycles these modes. Shift+Tab or Ctrl+Tab cycle backwards. The first mode is a simple drive simulation for the user to check that the graphics have been aligned correctly and will look nice while driving. The next mode handles images. Use PgUp and PgDn to change which image you want to change or just click on a currently loaded image with the left mouse button. Use the right mouse button or the arrow keys to move the image. Enter will take you to the file handling menu to load or save an image. Supported formats are Targa (TGA) or BMP, but if you have ImageMagick, you can configure CarWorks to use it to read and save other formats.

	~~With the shape saved to OBJ, material names will be stored in~~ the ~~OBJ file~~. ~~With Blender~~, ~~a material library file with~~ the ~~same file name will be created. This can be discarded. The OBJ file can be~~ edited and the ~~line that begins~~ with "''~~mtllib''"~~ can be changed to ~~"''mtllib stunts~~.~~mtl''". This will allow the shape editor~~ (~~i.e~~.~~: Blender~~) to ~~see the actual appearance of the shape if it is loaded again. CarWorks does not require this~~ change to ~~be made, though~~. ~~It will ignore~~ the ~~new material library~~ and ~~always use Stunts materials based on~~ the ~~material names given~~.		The next mode edits the steering wheel. Here, you can use PgUp and PgDn to change the current spoke being edited and manually move it with the arrow keys or select it and move it with the mouse. You'll notice how the mirroring works. Don't take your spokes too far to the right, as there are limitations in Stunts that prevent X values greater than 255. The number of spokes can be changed with + and -. The best way to edit the steering wheel is using Space to bring up the generator arc. Use < and > (or , and .) to change its eccentricity and PgUp and PgDn to resize it. Move it with the arrows and when you're done, press Enter to automatically generate the spokes.

	~~In order to use this OBJ file in CarWorks, first you should load a 3SH file from another car using option 1. After than, option 2 (''Load object file'') can be~~ used ~~to load~~ the ~~OBJ shape~~. ~~CarWorks will overwrite~~ all ~~vertices and primitives except~~ the ~~wheels~~, ~~effectively borrowing these from~~ the ~~previously loaded car shape, as Blender~~ and ~~Anim8or cannot produce wheels~~. ~~The shape will be scaled to generate~~ the three ~~chunks: car0, car1~~ and ~~car2 automatically in memory. Debris will be borrowed from the loaded car too. This can easily be edited later with Stressed~~.		Next two modes are used for setting up the speed-o-meter and tach-o-meter. It's all done similar to what you would do with the steering wheel, but now you can also change the direction by pressing D and orientation by pressing O. Set up the needle centre with C. For a digital speed-o-meter, configure only three spokes and place them manually.

	~~To produce working paint jobs~~, ~~use option 6 (~~'~~'Select paint jobs'')~~. ~~Use Tab~~, PgUp/PgDn~~, Enter and~~ the ~~arrow keys to configure~~ the ~~set of paint jobs~~ you ~~want~~ the ~~car to have. Then, return to~~ the ~~main menu~~. ~~Option 5 (''Adjust wheels'') can be used to correctly align the wheels~~ and ~~also centre the car shape if you want to.~~		Finally, there's the gear box configuration. Here, PgUp and PgDn change the current gear or the axes and you can move the position with the arrow keys. Add and remove gears with + and -.

	~~With all these done, use option 3 (''Save Stunts car shape'') to produce a 3SH file. Paint jobs will be automatically generated based on the ''base1'' to ''base4'' materials~~.

	[[Category:Tools]]		[[Category:Tools]]

Cas: /* Editing car parameters */

2021-06-08T02:18:14Z

Editing car parameters

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:18, 8 June 2021
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	==Editing car parameters==		==Editing car parameters==
	Upon entering the program, menu option 7 (''Load Stunts car parameters'') can be used to load a CAR.~~RES file~~. ~~Then, option 9 (''Edit parameters'') leads~~ to ~~a simple screen in which each parameter~~ can be ~~entered~~ numerically. ~~At the bottom, a graphical representation of~~ the ~~torque curve can be edited with~~ the ~~mouse pointer~~. ~~After finishing, option 8 (''Save Stunts car~~ parameters~~'') can be used to write the CAR.RES file back. It's important to load a RES file before editing,~~ as ~~other existing data in the file will be kept, such as parameters that control the dashboard,~~ which ~~cannot be edited from here. If the RES file is written starting from an empty session, all these parameters will be set to zero, which can be harder to edit later~~.		[[image:Cwpar.png\|320px\|right\|thumb\|CarWorks 1.0.2 - Physical parameter configuration]]
			The physical parameter editor is pretty straightforward to use. Most features can be directly edited numerically. Just click on the corresponding figure and enter the new value. CarWorks includes even parameters whose function is unknown as of today and many of which are likely ignored by Stunts engine.

	~~CarWorks was made using~~ the ~~Stunts Wiki as~~ a ~~reference~~. ~~The car parameters were at~~ that ~~time described relative~~ to the ~~beginning of~~ the ~~file instead of the beginning of~~ the ''~~simd~~'' ~~block (see [[Car parameters]])~~. ~~For~~ this ~~reason~~, ~~files with a different chunk ordering~~ will not ~~load correctly into CarWorks~~. The ~~ordering can~~ be ~~changed in Stressed~~.		Everything related to torque can be seen and edited in the torque curve graph. Draw the curve freely with the mouse left button or use the mouse right button to pick a point in the curve and manually update it with the up and down arrow keys. You can also move left and right to adjacent curve points. Z can be used to change the zoom level, but the default is usually optimal. Values 128 and above appear to be very unstable and are not recommended.

			There are four knobs underneath the graph that can be dragged to move the Idle RPM, Downshift RPM, Upshift RPM and Maximum RPM indicators. These can also be updated by pressing I, D, U or M respectively while pointing in the graph.

			Notice the ''Power Gear'' parameter. Power gear is directly dependent on car mass and will vary when you change this value. Because which mass values lead to which power gear characteristic is not immediately obvious, you can click on the power gear field and this will switch to the next characteristic, automatically updating the car mass to the one that's closest to the current value, yet resulting in the desired characteristic. Bear in mind that power gear does not ''only'' depend on mass. The torque curve and limits must be adequate to allow for a useful PG.

	==Creating a car shape file==		==Creating a car shape file==

Cas: /* 3D shape handling */

2021-06-08T02:08:25Z

3D shape handling

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:08, 8 June 2021
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	==3D shape handling==		==3D shape handling==
	[[image:Cw3d.png\|320px\|right\|thumb\|CarWorks 1.0.2 - 3D model editing and configuration]]		[[image:Cw3d.png\|320px\|right\|thumb\|CarWorks 1.0.2 - 3D model editing and configuration]]
			CarWorks can load and save Stunts 3D shapes in unpacked format (3SH). If [[stunpack]] is available, it can be configured to load packed (P3S) shapes too. It can also import and export Wavefront OBJ files. When a 3D shape file is loaded, all of its contained shapes are updated with all of their primitives. When an OBJ file is imported, only polygons can be taken from them, so wheels, line segments and spheres cannot be produced. If wheels were present before, they are preserved. Whether the wheels are present or not at any one time, they can be generated by pressing Ctrl+W. OBJ shapes are understood as being in ''meters'' and are loaded only to update the current car model. The same shape can later be loaded again to replace the other two shapes or these can be copied to one another via Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V.

			The arrow keys and the mouse wheel can be used while the mouse pointer is at any of the editing windows to move the model following the desired coordinates. Using Tab, the editing mode can be changed, which allows the user to resize and move the wheels. The M key can be used to cycle through the models or otherwise, number keys 1 through 5 can select a model directly. Models 1, 2 and 3 are the ones contained in the 3SH files. Models 4 and 5 are auxiliary and can be used to temporarily save your changes.

			Paint-jobs can be cycled with the < and > (or , and .) keys. By pressing Enter on top of the 3D render viewport, a paint-job can be changed. CarWorks will try to guess which surfaces are to be changed to the new colour and in which shades. This won't work for cars that have been painted in a custom fashion. You can force this to work by auto-shading your model with Ctrl+A, which will erase all colours for that paint-job and shade according to orientation. You can then proceed to change this to any paint-job colour you like. Of course, this will cause car windows and other surfaces that aren't supposed to be painted to end up coloured too, so you may later want to manually edit these surfaces.

			Ctrl+B can be used to automatically produce collision information and detect the wheel locations for the physics engine. This information will be shown in orange in the 2D viewports. Ctrl+D will also automatically generate the debris shapes out of primitives found in your model. If you want to manually create your own debris, you can resort to [[Stressed]].

	==Editing car parameters==		==Editing car parameters==

Cas at 01:47, 8 June 2021

2021-06-08T01:47:12Z

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	[[image:~~Cw3d~~.png~~\|320px~~\|right\|thumb\|CarWorks ~~1.0.2 - 3D model editing and configuration~~]]		[[image:Cw2.png\|right\|thumb\|Current CarWorks logo]]
	'''CarWorks''' is a tool developed by [[Cas]] with the purpose of aiding in custom car creation by providing some degree of automation to the process. The project was started in 2020 as a pair of experimental tools, one of which was called ''CarWorks 0.1'' and the other being known as [[Dash Manager]]. In its alpha stage, the pair already allowed for the automatic generation for 3D car shapes from Wavefront OBJ files which were directly scaled, assisted generation of paint jobs, configuration of physical parameters and dashboard set up including image manipulation and instrument calibration. The dashboard functions were concentrated in the Dash Manager tool, whereas other functions were provided by the old CarWorks. A forum thread was started on 10 December 2020 in which the first versions were posted.		'''CarWorks''' is a tool developed by [[Cas]] with the purpose of aiding in custom car creation by providing some degree of automation to the process. The project was started in 2020 as a pair of experimental tools, one of which was called ''CarWorks 0.1'' and the other being known as [[Dash Manager]]. In its alpha stage, the pair already allowed for the automatic generation for 3D car shapes from Wavefront OBJ files which were directly scaled, assisted generation of paint jobs, configuration of physical parameters and dashboard set up including image manipulation and instrument calibration. The dashboard functions were concentrated in the Dash Manager tool, whereas other functions were provided by the old CarWorks. A forum thread was started on 10 December 2020 in which the first versions were posted.

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	For the car designer that is used to other tools, CarWorks will probably be best used in combination with those other tools, as their strengths tend to complement one another. It is possible to build a car from scratch with CarWorks, though.		For the car designer that is used to other tools, CarWorks will probably be best used in combination with those other tools, as their strengths tend to complement one another. It is possible to build a car from scratch with CarWorks, though.

			==3D shape handling==
			[[image:Cw3d.png\|320px\|right\|thumb\|CarWorks 1.0.2 - 3D model editing and configuration]]

	==Editing car parameters==		==Editing car parameters==

Cas at 01:43, 8 June 2021

2021-06-08T01:43:41Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:43, 8 June 2021
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	'''CarWorks''' is a tool developed by [[Cas]] with the purpose of aiding in custom car creation by providing some degree of automation to the process. ~~Together with~~ [[Dash Manager]], ~~it is part~~ of ~~a project that started in 2020~~ and ~~as of March 2021 remains~~ in ~~a preliminary stage~~, ~~albeit already being useful~~. A forum thread was started on 10 December 2020 in which the first versions were posted.		[[image:Cw3d.png\|320px\|right\|thumb\|CarWorks 1.0.2 - 3D model editing and configuration]]
			'''CarWorks''' is a tool developed by [[Cas]] with the purpose of aiding in custom car creation by providing some degree of automation to the process. The project was started in 2020 as a pair of experimental tools, one of which was called ''CarWorks 0.1'' and the other being known as [[Dash Manager]]. In its alpha stage, the pair already allowed for the automatic generation for 3D car shapes from Wavefront OBJ files which were directly scaled, assisted generation of paint jobs, configuration of physical parameters and dashboard set up including image manipulation and instrument calibration. The dashboard functions were concentrated in the Dash Manager tool, whereas other functions were provided by the old CarWorks. A forum thread was started on 10 December 2020 in which the first versions were posted.

	The interface is mostly text-based. ~~Different uncompressed car files~~ can ~~be loaded and edited and then put together~~. ~~It can load~~ and ~~save~~ OBJ ~~shape~~ files ~~that it automatically scales so that cars~~ have ~~a natural size in meters~~. ~~It was originally~~ intended ~~to handle all of the car files, but at the current stage,~~ it ~~can do mainly two things: edit car parameters in a way that~~'s more direct than with [[Car Blaster]] ~~and generate a complete 3SH file for a car from an OBJ~~ shape ~~producing~~ all ~~three scales and borrowing wheels and debris from a pre-existing car~~. ~~The car files can later be edited with~~ [[~~Stressed~~]], so it's ~~optimal~~ to ~~use them together~~.		The first non-alpha version was released on 18 May 2021. CarWorks 1.0 was made to include all of the possibilities available in the old programs, but now all in a single tool. The interface was made more friendly and good looking. The physical parameter section was greatly improved, incorporating some adjustable values in the torque curve graph. By comparison, the interface of the old CarWorks was mostly text-based.

			CarWorks can manipulate 3D shapes, although it cannot edit them as of the current version. Editing capabilities are projected for the future, but this is not a priority, since importing and exporting Wavefront OBJ files allows for using external editors such as Blender and Anim8or. By comparison, [[Stressed]] does have some editing capabilities and is more general. CarWorks is only intended for editing cars and it wouldn't be adequate for track elements and other shapes.

			Physical parameter editing is more direct and graphic-oriented than when done with [[Car Blaster]]. Parameters that are represented graphically cannot, in general, be edited as numbers. Also, parameters that are related to the 3D shape or to the dashboard are managed by the corresponding sections, while Car Blaster can edit all of them in one place. [[CarEdit 3]] is another possibility.

			Dashboard edition is a unique feature of CarWorks (and the old Dash Manager). It is possible to accomplish the same by means of Stressed, but it's a lot more work. Instruments in CarWorks can be configured graphically and even automatically generated following an arc, whereas this has to be done numerically when using Stressed. ''CarEdit 3'' does have some basic graphical representation of these, though.

			For the car designer that is used to other tools, CarWorks will probably be best used in combination with those other tools, as their strengths tend to complement one another. It is possible to build a car from scratch with CarWorks, though.

	==Editing car parameters==		==Editing car parameters==

Cas: /* Creating a car shape file */

2021-03-04T06:39:06Z

Creating a car shape file

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:39, 4 March 2021
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	==Creating a car shape file==		==Creating a car shape file==
	The most useful way to work with this tool		The most useful way to work with this tool is to first produce a Wavefront OBJ file with a 3D shape editor such as Blender or Anim8or. CarWorks includes a material library file called ''stunts.mtl'' that can be used to simulate the colours as will be seen in the game. One should first create a shape and optionally, paint it in a way that's approximately what one would like. Names should be assigned to the materials used according to the ones present in the material library file provided. If names ''Stunts0'' to ''Stunts128'' are used, these will later be interpreted as static materials from 0 to 128 of Stunts internal material library. Names ''base1'' to ''base4'' can be used for shades of the same colour that are supposed to change with paint-jobs. So for blue, for example, ''base4'' will be the brightest blue and ''base1'', the darkest.

			With the shape saved to OBJ, material names will be stored in the OBJ file. With Blender, a material library file with the same file name will be created. This can be discarded. The OBJ file can be edited and the line that begins with "''mtllib''" can be changed to "''mtllib stunts.mtl''". This will allow the shape editor (i.e.: Blender) to see the actual appearance of the shape if it is loaded again. CarWorks does not require this change to be made, though. It will ignore the new material library and always use Stunts materials based on the material names given.

			In order to use this OBJ file in CarWorks, first you should load a 3SH file from another car using option 1. After than, option 2 (''Load object file'') can be used to load the OBJ shape. CarWorks will overwrite all vertices and primitives except the wheels, effectively borrowing these from the previously loaded car shape, as Blender and Anim8or cannot produce wheels. The shape will be scaled to generate the three chunks: car0, car1 and car2 automatically in memory. Debris will be borrowed from the loaded car too. This can easily be edited later with Stressed.

			To produce working paint jobs, use option 6 (''Select paint jobs''). Use Tab, PgUp/PgDn, Enter and the arrow keys to configure the set of paint jobs you want the car to have. Then, return to the main menu. Option 5 (''Adjust wheels'') can be used to correctly align the wheels and also centre the car shape if you want to.

			With all these done, use option 3 (''Save Stunts car shape'') to produce a 3SH file. Paint jobs will be automatically generated based on the ''base1'' to ''base4'' materials.

	[[Category:Tools]]		[[Category:Tools]]

Cas at 06:23, 4 March 2021

2021-03-04T06:23:56Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:23, 4 March 2021
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	''CarWorks'' is a tool developed by [[Cas]] with the purpose of aiding in custom car creation by providing some degree of automation to the process. Together with [[Dash Manager]], it is part of a project that started in 2020 and as of March 2021 remains in a preliminary stage, albeit already being useful. A forum thread was started on 10 December 2020 in which the first versions were posted.		'''CarWorks''' is a tool developed by [[Cas]] with the purpose of aiding in custom car creation by providing some degree of automation to the process. Together with [[Dash Manager]], it is part of a project that started in 2020 and as of March 2021 remains in a preliminary stage, albeit already being useful. A forum thread was started on 10 December 2020 in which the first versions were posted.

	The interface is mostly text-based. Different uncompressed car files can be loaded and edited and then put together. It can load and save OBJ shape files that it automatically scales so that cars have a natural size in meters. It was originally intended to handle all of the car files, but at the current stage, it can do mainly two things: edit car parameters in a way that's more direct than with [[Car Blaster]] and generate a complete 3SH file for a car from an OBJ shape producing all three scales and borrowing wheels and debris from a pre-existing car. The car files can later be edited with [[Stressed]], so it's optimal to use them together.		The interface is mostly text-based. Different uncompressed car files can be loaded and edited and then put together. It can load and save OBJ shape files that it automatically scales so that cars have a natural size in meters. It was originally intended to handle all of the car files, but at the current stage, it can do mainly two things: edit car parameters in a way that's more direct than with [[Car Blaster]] and generate a complete 3SH file for a car from an OBJ shape producing all three scales and borrowing wheels and debris from a pre-existing car. The car files can later be edited with [[Stressed]], so it's optimal to use them together.

			==Editing car parameters==
			Upon entering the program, menu option 7 (''Load Stunts car parameters'') can be used to load a CAR.RES file. Then, option 9 (''Edit parameters'') leads to a simple screen in which each parameter can be entered numerically. At the bottom, a graphical representation of the torque curve can be edited with the mouse pointer. After finishing, option 8 (''Save Stunts car parameters'') can be used to write the CAR.RES file back. It's important to load a RES file before editing, as other existing data in the file will be kept, such as parameters that control the dashboard, which cannot be edited from here. If the RES file is written starting from an empty session, all these parameters will be set to zero, which can be harder to edit later.

			CarWorks was made using the Stunts Wiki as a reference. The car parameters were at that time described relative to the beginning of the file instead of the beginning of the ''simd'' block (see [[Car parameters]]). For this reason, files with a different chunk ordering will not load correctly into CarWorks. The ordering can be changed in Stressed.

			==Creating a car shape file==
			The most useful way to work with this tool

			[[Category:Tools]]

Cas: Created page with "''CarWorks'' is a tool developed by Cas with the purpose of aiding in custom car creation by providing some degree of automation to the process. Together with [[Dash Manag..."

2021-03-04T06:15:53Z

Created page with "''CarWorks'' is a tool developed by Cas with the purpose of aiding in custom car creation by providing some degree of automation to the process. Together with [[Dash Manag..."

New page

''CarWorks'' is a tool developed by [[Cas]] with the purpose of aiding in custom car creation by providing some degree of automation to the process. Together with [[Dash Manager]], it is part of a project that started in 2020 and as of March 2021 remains in a preliminary stage, albeit already being useful. A forum thread was started on 10 December 2020 in which the first versions were posted.

The interface is mostly text-based. Different uncompressed car files can be loaded and edited and then put together. It can load and save OBJ shape files that it automatically scales so that cars have a natural size in meters. It was originally intended to handle all of the car files, but at the current stage, it can do mainly two things: edit car parameters in a way that's more direct than with [[Car Blaster]] and generate a complete 3SH file for a car from an OBJ shape producing all three scales and borrowing wheels and debris from a pre-existing car. The car files can later be edited with [[Stressed]], so it's optimal to use them together.