Paul Jeffrey
Premium
One of the best mods for Assetto Corsa has been updated, to celebrate check out this awesome new mini documentary film of the Jaguar XJ13, one bad ass cat...
Introducing the 'Jaguar XJ13 is One Bad Ass Cat' short film documentary by @Seria17hri11er. Coming in at an impressive 11 minutes in length, the new feature documentary has been released to celebrate the incredible Jaguar XJ13 mod for Assetto Corsa, breathing new life into the venerable old racer and moving the mod car right up to the very top of the Assetto Corsa third party content pile.
The Jaguar XJ13 is One Bad Ass Cat
Film Credits:
Driver, Production, Camera, Post Production - @Seria17hri11er
Driving (XJ13) - @Seria17hri11er
Driving (Maserati Levanti camera car) - @ALB123
Impressive Facts
- Total time of footage recorded: Approximately 1 hour and 4 minutes.
- Total size of all footage: 15 GB.
- Total time spent editing: 60+ hours
- Length of time to complete: Approximately 3 months.
"Well, first, I am a gearhead of course! My first passion in life was cars! Second, in my previous office job--which I left four months ago--I had a lot of spare time at work. I was spending a lot of that time reading ARS Technica, and of course the AC and RD forums. After several months of that I said to myself:
"What the frack am I doing? I spend 40 hours at work every week, don't even have much work to do and am not accomplishing much. I need to progress and learn some new skills. I am going to start dabbling in video editing."
So I started bringing in my personal computer to work everyday to edit footage I captured of my AC replays. Those first 5-6 videos were just getting in the groove, learning the software, and taking what I thought were the best camera angles of the replays. I would play the replay and capture each set of track cameras. Then import it all into the editor, review it, cut it up, and join it.
After I got handy with that, I said "ok, time to move forward. I should do a launch video of someone's mod." So I reached out to my buds Mantasisg and Aphidgod to see if they would like that, and they said they would. As I started working on it it transformed completely from a "launch" video, to the actual story of the XJ13 and her modders. I had a little voice in my head from researching film/movies shouting "STORY! STORY!" So I had a strong desire to tell their story, and since it would run longer, it allowed me to be more creative with the footage, editing, and post production, compared to a launch video which are usually only one minute long. I feel the XJ13--and many cars for that matter--deserve far more than just one minute of a gearhead's time. I felt it would be an insult to the modders and the XJ13 to simply do a one minute launch video and not tell their story.
Anecdote: all music (except credits) is British. Happy me and Aphidgod accomplished that! That took a lot of work...!"
"What the frack am I doing? I spend 40 hours at work every week, don't even have much work to do and am not accomplishing much. I need to progress and learn some new skills. I am going to start dabbling in video editing."
So I started bringing in my personal computer to work everyday to edit footage I captured of my AC replays. Those first 5-6 videos were just getting in the groove, learning the software, and taking what I thought were the best camera angles of the replays. I would play the replay and capture each set of track cameras. Then import it all into the editor, review it, cut it up, and join it.
After I got handy with that, I said "ok, time to move forward. I should do a launch video of someone's mod." So I reached out to my buds Mantasisg and Aphidgod to see if they would like that, and they said they would. As I started working on it it transformed completely from a "launch" video, to the actual story of the XJ13 and her modders. I had a little voice in my head from researching film/movies shouting "STORY! STORY!" So I had a strong desire to tell their story, and since it would run longer, it allowed me to be more creative with the footage, editing, and post production, compared to a launch video which are usually only one minute long. I feel the XJ13--and many cars for that matter--deserve far more than just one minute of a gearhead's time. I felt it would be an insult to the modders and the XJ13 to simply do a one minute launch video and not tell their story.
Anecdote: all music (except credits) is British. Happy me and Aphidgod accomplished that! That took a lot of work...!"
Moving on to the car mod itself, the new video has been released in tandem with an solid new update that brings alive a car already capable of achieving plenty of smiles from those who've spent time going sideways at speed with it in Assetto Corsa...
The Car
Built as a labour of love by a group of international modders, the Jaguar XJ13 has been brought to life with incredible care and attention to detail. Creating a virtual version of a little known British racing car from yesteryear hasn't been the easiest task for any modding group, made doubly difficult in the case of the XJ13 by being the very first 3D modelling project undertaken by @mantasisg, who whilst trying to bring the heart and soul of the car to life in Assetto Corsa has had to battle with Blender and 3Dsmax for the first time...
I have spent a lot of time behind the wheel of this wonderful beast and can vouch for the "big grin" factor it produces on almost any circuit available for Assetto Corsa. With a great 3D model showing off the stunning lines of the big cat, exceptional audio that pops and bangs in such a delightful way that you'll find yourself gearing down just for the sake of the noise, and a handling limit that is both engaging and challenging without feeling like you can't complete a full lap in safety, this really is one of the best mods available for Assetto Corsa at present, and an absolute "must have" for anyone even remotely interested in historic content.
Impressive Facts - Modelling
- 150 + hours research.
- 100+ hours learning about modelling.
- 200+ hours test driving.
- 450+ hours modelling.
- 150+ hours of research beyond just the XJ (info on period tyres, period brakes, general suspension design principles of the 60s, Jaguar's designs of previous racers that were used in XJ13, hunting down e-type suspension details for the front).
- 150+ hours driving at 26,000km for testing.
- 500+ hours physics calculations.
Mod Credits:
@aphidgod - physics
@iRider5 - sounds
@iVG - official test driver
@NightEye87 - skins
@mantasisg - model and test driving
Special thanks (community members of official AC forum):
@Dauntless - for multiple and very valuable help
@Stereo - for multiple help, faces textures
@AlBahner - who suggested me to start it (suggesting to go for a cup at first, but gone for a car lol). Thank you, you really motivated me
@Nahkamarakatti - for very valuable test driving
@Seria17hri11er - for all sorts of things - from test driving, to helping with shaders and a lot of motivation
@Sovers - for helping with textures
@LilSki - for valuable test driving
@nighteye - for valuable test driving
This project wouldn't have been possible without Neville Swales, director and owner of "Building the Legend" project (visit ww.xj13.eu). Also the book "XJ13 - The definitive story of the Jaguar Le Mans Car" by Peter Wilson. Thank you.
Additional thanks to the following people:
@ga2jo
@Lluc21
@John514
@Julien Schaffo
@mclarenf1papa
@AccAkut
@Crunchie
@jjmaxxracing
@RSanchezPaz
@Yohny240
@Deswribilator thanks for a video
@Rolf_Kazamba thanks for pictures
Build V0.97 update notes:
- corrected front suspension geometry
- minor setup adjustments
- corrected BRG paint based on first-hand references
Assetto Corsa is a racing simulation for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The Jaguar XJ13 can be download for the PC version of the title HERE.
Sim racing is awesome, and what makes it more so is the incredible community mods we are so lucky as to be able to download! RaceDepartment do mods very well indeed, and as such we have a suitably large mod archive you can browse and download. From cars to tracks to mods to skins, we have something for everyone! Check out the Assetto Corsa Mod Forum and check out what is on offer. If like me you enjoy keeping up to speed on the latest projects, or if you want to ask a mod question, check out our Assetto Corsa Modding Discussion forum and see what you can learn!
Mods are great, keep up the good work people!
Did you enjoy 'The Jaguar XJ13 is One Bad Ass Cat' video? Have you tried the XJ13 mod yet, and if so what are your impressions? Let us know in the comments section below!
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