QUESTION Race Track Builder - Correct texture settings

[ChicAnne]

Long story: (there is a simple question at the end of this thread if you want to skip everything else )

I guess this is the right place to ask about this considering RTB's creator doesn't give answers to any of the questions I send him. Probably a busy man, I don't blame him. But I sure hope someone here can help, I am becoming desperate. One year ago I started building my first Assetto Corsa track and the only reason I could do that was this software I discovered called Race track builder. I had no knowledge in any 3d editing software except some basics in Sketchup. RTB is one amazing program for people like me, complete newbies. But tutorials on this topic aren't many and I would really like to make one and share it with people that are just starting, like I was. If I could finally finish my tree, that is. It took me more than a year to make my very first tree, name it the right way, give it the correct DDS texture and to put it in RTB. I had help from many great people but my journey is still not complete considering I still can't make textures to work in RTB

ISSUE:
- only when orbiting around the lower part of the object (tree in this case)
- happens only in RTB
- in KS editor or Asetto Corsa the textures and their shadows work fine
- happens even when importing just a texture in RTB and giving it to any object that worked before

I use 2048x2048 72bpi atlases with four textures for four trees and I have tried both DXT5 and DXT3 formats. I've tried Alpha test and Alpha blend in Xpacker, tried not giving it the KS tree shader and tried with it too. Generate mipmaps and don't generate mipmaps. My Blender models were checked by people with skill in that area and probably aren't the problem. Tried many other things and now I'm all out of ideas. And yes, I have read all the topics about creating trees on the forum and can make them work in the game, RTB is the only place where I find this problem.

Short story: what are the right settings for importing textures in Race track builder?

Please help
and thank you!

 

[fughettaboutit]

- in KS editor or Asetto Corsa the textures and their shadows work fine

all that counts, why u care? "dev° stuff not supposed to look good.

 

[ChicAnne]

- in KS editor or Asetto Corsa the textures and their shadows work fine

all that counts, why u care? "dev° stuff not supposed to look good.

Well, I still do most of the stuff in RTB, would really like to make it work. I guess something small but crucial is happening here.

 

[JrC]

Well, I still do most of the stuff in RTB, would really like to make it work. I guess something small but crucial is happening here.

I just started learning blender three months ago and what I can tell you is you want to send this over to the editor and then see it in game anyways...
Ive thought things were great in Blender and then went to the game and it wasnt the case.

 

[fughettaboutit]

Well, I still do most of the stuff in RTB, would really like to make it work. I guess something small but crucial is happening here.

Yeah, sorry, your are right, it would bother me too, but cant help with it.

If you really spend/t much time in rtb, then you may find neat features in Blender or 3dsmax.

 

[fughettaboutit]

Its probably not texture format, more possible a normals issue with the mesh of those trees. You have a pic from ksEditor or ingame? Is this xpack for download available?

 

[fughettaboutit]

in erm Photoshop i use nVidia dds exporter, seems like rtb uses DXT3 explicit alpha in some xpacks i have seen, just as ac wants. (you can try interpolated may/not work better)

maybe edit xpack for texture change, not material in rtb

 

[ChicAnne]

Yeah, sorry, your are right, it would bother me too, but cant help with it.

If you really spend/t much time in rtb, then you may find neat features in Blender or 3dsmax.

You were already trying to help me on RD, right? I see the same avatar. You are really sweet, thank you for that. Look, I spend more time in Blender now, my jpg's are getting replaced with DDS ones and models from Blender but I still can't make the switch.

 

[ChicAnne]

Its probably not texture format, more possible a normals issue with the mesh of those trees. You have a pic from ksEditor or ingame? Is this xpack for download available?

The thing is, there are just a few Xpacks available online so I finally made mine. If you want, I can share them with you, I mean they work in the game after all. Normals are pointing the right way in Blender, the model was checked by some people that have more skill than I do.

 

[ChicAnne]

in erm Photoshop i use nVidia dds exporter, seems like rtb uses DXT3 explicit alpha in some xpacks i have seen, just as ac wants. (you can try interpolated may/not work better)
View attachment 6547
maybe edit xpack for texture change, not material in rtb

Thank you, thank you, thank you! This may not be the solution but it's my next clue on what to do. I also use nvidia DDS exporter but never seen that there are two types: interpolated/explicit. Give me one hour, I'll be back with the results. Fingers crossed

MADE IT WORK!
I followed your advice and tried replacing the texture on my trees with a working one and this new tree got the same problem. So I switched to RTB and played with some settings for a bit. "Specular value" can be zero but "specular power" must be a number higher than zero! This fixed the issue and my one year battle with trees has ended! Thank you so much for the help!