Santa Monica Mountains 0.2

At last, an update! First off, I do apologize for how long of a wait it has been. I sincerely did not mean for it to be anywhere near this long, but, you know, life happens. Anyway, let's get right into it with a changelog:

NOTE: Please DELETE the old version of the map from your tracks directory before installing v0.2.

4/22/2023 Update v0.2

• Edges of photogrammetry roadway now blend with background terrain on most sections of the map.
• Tuna Canyon and Saddle Peak are now complete and are actually driveable.
• Most major glitches in the geometry and textures have been improved on most sections of the map.
• Basic foliage added throughout the map on all routes.
• Road signs, guardrails, and other props are now placed throughout the map on all routes.
• New paddock added at the bottom of Tuna Canyon with 14 pit boxes. There is a map and an AI racing line up to the peak at Lois Ewen Overlook, HOWEVER I do not recommend AI. Tuna is extremely narrow and the AI like to cut corners, rolling themselves over.
• New paddock added at the bottom of Las Flores Canyon with 14 pit boxes. No AI or map line implemented here yet.

Here are some screenshots showing what kind of improvements you can expect to see around the map:

Here's a video showcasing the new Tuna Canyon and Saddle Peak hill climb run, as well as the new improvements to Stunt Road, Las Flores Canyon, and Piuma Road. One interesting thing to note is that in real life Tuna Canyon is a one-way road going downhill. So getting to drive it uphill here is a bit of a unique experience! Please do not attempt in real life.

The changelog might look short for nearly a year and a half delay since the original release, but when you go out for a drive I think you'll feel a huge improvement in terms of immersion. I'll admit the photogrammetry terrain is still not perfect in all places, and to be honest, it never will be. I'll likely do another cleanup pass later on to get rid of a lot of the low-res background terrain which still looks a bit ugly in places, but I will be focusing on other aspects for the next release.

Moving forward, my primary goal is to add more roads. I've already captured the photogrammetry data I need for nearly 30 miles of additional roads, most of that being a large section of coastal road that will link together the lower tips of Tuna, Las Flores, and Piuma. For this section of coastal road, be warned that it will not be the actual section of coast that exists here in real life! That particular stretch is far too boring, so I've driven further north (a lot further) and captured my favorite section of the Pacific Coast Highway to use here instead.

I also plan to add more variety to the foliage, and also adjust a lot of the grass textures to be more consistent. As it stands now some sections of road have greener grass than others, which I don't like. In my opinion Stunt has the best looking grass textures, so my aim will be to make the whole map match that. I also want to add a variety of other foliage including sections with larger trees and other sections with more wildflowers and stuff like that.

Anyway, no ETA yet on the next release, but for now I hope you'll enjoy the new stretch of road and have a more immersive experience overall. If you are a track modder or 3D artist yourself, you might be interested to know that so far I've been doing all of this in 3ds Max, however for the next batch of 30 miles of road I'm doing it all in Houdini.

Known Issues:

• AI on Tuna Canyon is not reliable. They cut the corners and flip themselves over.
• The Snake has not had any changes made to it for this release. Some photogrammetry issues still exist.