Tracks New Jersey Motorsports Park: Lightning 1.1

[LilSki]

I think maybe this fence needs some LOD work, it's getting really bad moire patterns when seen at a distance (still frame doesn't do it justice, the stripe pattern is constantly moving).

I tried to LOD the fence but nothing worked. Pop in was always too noticeable for my liking. In the end I decided to let it be how it is.

 

[rd.king]

I tried to LOD the fence but nothing worked. Pop in was always too noticeable for my liking. In the end I decided to let it be how it is.

Is it lighting or reflections that cause this issue.
It's as bad as the green Armco at VIR or Vallalunga.
Sadly a deal breaker for me.
It is a very nice little track, puts me in mind of mid Ohio.
Thanks for your efforts
please keep em' coming.

 

[yusupov]

mid ohio...that's an idea. (ok sorry, couldn't resist. i have absolute trust in lilski regardless)

 

[ALB123]

Is it lighting or reflections that cause this issue.
It's as bad as the green Armco at VIR or Vallalunga.
Sadly a deal breaker for me.
It is a very nice little track, puts me in mind of mid Ohio.
Thanks for your efforts
please keep em' coming.

Are you saying that you won't drive on this track because of the moire patterns on the fence?

 

[Michael Hornbuckle]

I really hope that someday you figure out how Kunos creates their guardrails because your tracks are only usable (for me) in foggy/dark conditions due to the weird shadows/lighting on the guardrails.
(as with your other tracks everything else is top notch quality)

 

[LilSki]

I really hope that someday you figure out how Kunos creates their guardrails because your tracks are only usable (for me) in foggy/dark conditions due to the weird shadows/lighting on the guardrails.
(as with your other tracks everything else is top notch quality)

There isn't anything to figure out. Tracks like Mugello have a square guard rail and thus is immune to the problem. Nords uses almost 100% a 2D flat guard rail. Brands Hatch uses the a 3D armco rail but it doesn't have much of it. The little that is there also has this issue. Red Bull Ring is one that has a decent amount of 3D armco and the answer was to LOD the rail where you can watch the 3D rail "crawl" as each section pops in. I tried that and it looked horrible. Then there are tracks like Vallelunga which is probably the worst offender with the flickering guard rail.

The only answer in my opinion is a 2D rail like used on Nords. Unfortunately it is still a compromise as it looks terrible when up close.

 

[Stereo]

I prefer popin to flickering, I haven't really experimented with how to create unobtrusive LODs though. It's definitely harder when they're running alongside the track so you can see their 3d-ness changing. (some pop-in is inevitable cause of the levels of shadow quality)

Obviously my triple screen setup isn't great for either, low fov + low AA = really visible LOD issues.

 

[Michael Hornbuckle]

I do love everything about the track other than the guardrails though. The flow of the circuit is a blast to drive and the track surface feels great through my T300. The rails at Nords look plenty good enough for me, would love to have them in your tracks.
Driving this layout in real life has to be an amazing experience, thank you for recreating it for AC.

 

[unseen]

Another stunning track, LilSki. Ran a load of laps round there yesterday with a variety of cars, and for such a small track, it has a nice flow to it. No annoying corners, enough elevation to keep it interesting, and surprisingly fast. The build itself is your usual top notch work. Thank you

Those guardrails are a major pain in a lot of the Kunos default tracks. It's just one of those things that's always going to be a "feature" in AC, sadly. Those green rails at Vallelunga drive me mental, but what can you do about it? You just have to accept it's always going to be like that and drive it, or never go near the track again if it's that bad for you.

 

[Michael Hornbuckle]

You just have to accept it's always going to be like that and drive it, or never go near the track again if it's that bad for you.

Using dark/cloudy weather mods works good enough for me.
Love the elevation changes and the general 'flow' of the track. Lilski hits another one out of the park.

 

[Emery]

Those guardrails are a major pain in a lot of the Kunos default tracks. It's just one of those things that's always going to be a "feature" in AC, sadly.

Moire patterns are a universal problem across all race sims. Trying to represent linear features (fences, guardrails) at low angles (usually disappearing into the distance) while also imparting texture detail is one of the great unsolved mysteries in 3D space. It is possible that a hardware solution will be available in the future, but don't hold your breath.

 

[ALB123]

Using dark/cloudy weather mods works good enough for me.
Love the elevation changes and the general 'flow' of the track. Lilski hits another one out of the park.

I couldn't agree more. This is a perfect example of "less is more". The track flows so smoothly from one turn to the next and I am such a sucker for elevation changes. Turn 5 has me holding my breath as I try to squeeze as much as I can from my car without losing the rear-end. I could go on and on about the things I enjoy with this NJMP Lightning Circuit.

Once again, @LilSki you prove why you are a Hall of Fame track builder. The attention to detail you put into your tracks - the textures and wear & tear push your tracks into a class that only a few can reach. It's always a pleasure to watch your builds come to life and a bigger pleasure to drive!

Now that it's finished, how did you like working with the LiDAR data? I know it helps with accuracy, of course, but I wouldn't have the first clue of what to do with LiDAR data and I started using 3dmax almost 20 years ago. I started with 3D Studio MAX 2.5... I know you use Blender -- was it easy importing that data into 3D software? If you decide to do another track, would you prefer to be able to use LiDAR data or do it the way you did Bridgehampton & Riverside?

 

[Michael Hornbuckle]

Those trees are beautiful!!!

 

[Two]

Those trees are beautiful!!!

Couldn't agree more.Here's what I see:

 

[LilSki]

I couldn't agree more. This is a perfect example of "less is more". The track flows so smoothly from one turn to the next and I am such a sucker for elevation changes. Turn 5 has me holding my breath as I try to squeeze as much as I can from my car without losing the rear-end. I could go on and on about the things I enjoy with this NJMP Lightning Circuit.

Once again, @LilSki you prove why you are a Hall of Fame track builder. The attention to detail you put into your tracks - the textures and wear & tear push your tracks into a class that only a few can reach. It's always a pleasure to watch your builds come to life and a bigger pleasure to drive!

Now that it's finished, how did you like working with the LiDAR data? I know it helps with accuracy, of course, but I wouldn't have the first clue of what to do with LiDAR data and I started using 3dmax almost 20 years ago. I started with 3D Studio MAX 2.5... I know you use Blender -- was it easy importing that data into 3D software? If you decide to do another track, would you prefer to be able to use LiDAR data or do it the way you did Bridgehampton & Riverside?

I'll take LiDAR data any day of the week. For this track I had an accurate layout in hours compared to weeks and months it took to do Riverside. It's a pretty simple process to get the data into any 3D program. It's just having the horsepower to deal with it as it can be pretty taxing.

I didn't really build this much differently than the other two. I still built the track on a spline. The difference is just having the data to shrink it all to. I know this track is small and pretty simple scenery wise but this only took about 4 months start to finish. If this was the only thing I did then maybe cut that down to two months.

I'm excited to finish the Bridge update so I can start on Watkins Glen.

 

[mister dog]

If you fellas are interested, over on GTP we're celebrating Lilski's newest creation in our monthly TT challenge:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/thre...-countach-new-jersey-motorsports-park.351662/

Joining GTP is free by the way

 

[Salajutsu]

Excellent track! I really like how a M3 E92 AI kicked my ass, driving the Cayman S.
Really good for cars that don't behave.
The 2nd nTV camera's first corner (exit) is epic to watch in replays. Nicely done!

I was happy to see this track going online, too.
The general greenery and color palette is really good. Guardrails? I've just learned to ignore it. Nothing else to say about them, really.
Thanks for excellent quality!

 

[millen]

Another fantastic track LilSki. Your time and effort are truly appreciated.

Couldn't agree more.Here's what I see:

I get that weird 'flyscreen' pattern in my game as well, as seen in the distant trees... is that just because I have to run mid-low in game graphics.

 

[GT VIRUS]

Found this UV error on the pits fence

 

[LilSki]

Found this UV error on the pits fence

View attachment 177798

Thanks I found it. Going to give it a few more days and I'll post an update with the pit surface fixed as well as the UI typo.