NJMP-Thunderbolt

[Mark121]

Does anyone know of a track mod for AC for NJMP-Thunderbolt? It is a great track, and I would love to be able to drive it in AC! There appears to be one for "Bobs Track Builder", from 2010, but nothing for AC.

 

[bractr]

I have a full working track that is able to be driven and is accurate. If you wanted to learn to build track assets for scenery they could be combined. No point in doing work that has already been done IMO.

For people who want to train on the track I have been sending them a working basic build in private message.

LilSkiiiiii

I can't send you a message for some reason race department is glitching out. Was really hoping to get a copy of this track if you have it. Would love to donate or help out in any way also ( I do have blender though haven't made a track before)

Some friends and I went karting at NJMP last summer and wanted to go this year for some track days. Just got an audi b6 a4 i'm excited to try out! the practice would really help.

Thanks for all the great work with your tracks!

 

[yshi9961]

DM me as I am not putting the link out in the public.

Sent you DM thank you sir!

 

[LilSki]

Been getting a ton of DMs the past few weeks and I decided to just put the link here for now. It's still very basic so don't expect much. It has the track, curbs, grass, and most of the walls. Should be fine for learning the actual circuit for this upcoming season. If people want to contribute scenery objects I am open to collaboration. I will finish this by the end of this year. I have just been taking a break from track work after 2 years of paid projects. I have one more paid project to finish and then I can get back on my personal stuff.

I ask that it not be shared on other sites as it is not ready for "prime time"

For link see post #28

 

[richracedep]

Thanks LilSki this is perfect timing!

I'm enjoying this in Single player, and I'm trying to set up a private server to practice with my team mates for an upcoming race in June (24 hours of Lemons). Seems to only work in practice mode in single player so far. If you have any configuration suggestions to get this running please share.

I'd like to collaborate more but I'm still learning modding and track development. Keep up the great work lilski

 

[LilSki]

Thanks LilSki this is perfect timing!

I'm enjoying this in Single player, and I'm trying to set up a private server to practice with my team mates for an upcoming race in June (24 hours of Lemons). Seems to only work in practice mode in single player so far. If you have any configuration suggestions to get this running please share.

I'd like to collaborate more but I'm still learning modding and track development. Keep up the great work lilski

It's only got one pit and grid spot right now. So no way to load AI or run online.

 

[Fanapryde]

Sections file for NJMP Thunderbolt and a track logo (changed the one for Lightning accordingly).

 

[Jheeneke]

Been getting a ton of DMs the past few weeks and I decided to just put the link here for now. It's still very basic so don't expect much. It has the track, curbs, grass, and most of the walls. Should be fine for learning the actual circuit for this upcoming season. If people want to contribute scenery objects I am open to collaboration. I will finish this by the end of this year. I have just been taking a break from track work after 2 years of paid projects. I have one more paid project to finish and then I can get back on my personal stuff.

I ask that it not be shared on other sites as it is not ready for "prime time"

Dropbox - Error - Simplify your life

www.dropbox.com

Hi! Dropbox link goes to a 404 - is this still available?

 

[LilSki]

Hi! Dropbox link goes to a 404 - is this still available?

My dropbox decided to no longer want to share links for some reason. Try this onedrive link.

Microsoft OneDrive

1drv.ms

 

[Jheeneke]

My dropbox decided to no longer want to share links for some reason. Try this onedrive link.

Microsoft OneDrive

1drv.ms

That worked, thank you!

 

[Meatfraiche]

Been getting a ton of DMs the past few weeks and I decided to just put the link here for now. It's still very basic so don't expect much. It has the track, curbs, grass, and most of the walls. Should be fine for learning the actual circuit for this upcoming season. If people want to contribute scenery objects I am open to collaboration. I will finish this by the end of this year. I have just been taking a break from track work after 2 years of paid projects. I have one more paid project to finish and then I can get back on my personal stuff.

I ask that it not be shared on other sites as it is not ready for "prime time"

Dropbox - Error - Simplify your life

www.dropbox.com

@LilSki, thank you for your work, your mods are truly top notch! With 2022 come and gone, have you by any chance finished this piece of work?

 

[njyeti]

@LilSki First off- THANK YOU for making this track. Just wondering- how do I install this as there isn't a .rfcmp file?

 

[Fanapryde]

@LilSki First off- THANK YOU for making this track. Just wondering- how do I install this as there isn't a .rfcmp file?

It's a AC track, not rF2, so there is no rfcmp file.

 

[njyeti]

Ah, that would do it. thanks

 

[gt4rs4eva]

I've just downloaded the version above and it's fantastic to be able to drive my home tracks, Thunderbolt and Lightning. Has there been any development on Thunderbolt to complete it? At first it was quite difficult to drive without my real-world landmarks, but I found new ones. I think this will really help me improve my driving there, and give me the stones to not brake at turn 3.

So thanks!

 

[Biotin55]

I've just downloaded the version above and it's fantastic to be able to drive my home tracks, Thunderbolt and Lightning. Has there been any development on Thunderbolt to complete it? At first it was quite difficult to drive without my real-world landmarks, but I found new ones. I think this will really help me improve my driving there, and give me the stones to not brake at turn 3.

So thanks!

Wow I've never had this much fun/challenge on an unfinished track. I've never been to the real track, only youtube vids. This early version has improved my driving, without the usual external landmarks, you've really got to go by memory, feel, timing. The final product of this will be worth the wait, as his Lightning track is gorgeous.

 

[Gredj]

Adventures in learning Track Modding for AC:

As there seems to be no existing AC track for NJMP-Thunderbolt (though there is one for Lightning), I suppose I will have to write my own. Which means learning how to write tracks for AC. Which means looking at TONS of videos and other tutorials. After poking around quite a bit, I stumbled across a series of Most Excellent tutorials by LilSki, on how he uses high resolution elevation data (Lidar) to build a track. Certainly not the easiest way, but he produces superb tracks.

Unfortunately, LilSki has been doing this for a while, and his tutorial glosses over several points that are tricky for a newbie like me. Also, I sometimes like to have written instructions, instead of/in addition to video. So, I will document my learning experience here, for anyone else who may be interested.

The software tools to start off with are Blender (currently 2.91.0), CloudCompare 2.11.1, and some LAS files to work from. Both of these programs are open source, and can be downloaded for free from the Internet. The best source of LAS data I found is: https://viewer.nationalmap.gov/basic/#/. Select "Elevation Source Data/Lidar Point Cloud", and zoom the map to the area of interest. Click "Search Products". I got a list of about 40 datafiles in the area of interest. As you move your mouse over each file, it will show you the covered area on the map. NJMP-T straddles 2 data areas, each of which was scanned once in 2008, and again in 2018. I downloaded the two "LAZ" files from 2018.

The data we will be working with consists of millions of points, each with a specific x,y,z position. We will be using CloudCompare (CC) to convert these points into a 3D mesh that Blender can work with. Eventually, Blender will produce the datafiles that the AC track editor needs to create a track.

Fire up CC, and load the 2 LAZ files. You can CTL-click each of them to load them both at the same time. You have to select "LAS File" in the lower R corner to see the files in the selection window. Once you click OK, you will get a Open LAS File dialog box. Just click Apply All. Next, you will get a Global Shift/Scale dialog. Again, click "Yes to all" without changing anything. It will take a bit for the data to be read in. Once it loads, you will see two lines for each data file in the "DB Tree" window at the upper left of the screen, one line for the compressed (LAZ) data, and a second line for the uncompressed data.

If your data is from more than one file (as mine was), the next task is to merge them into a single tile. CTL-click to select each of the "cloud" files (the uncompressed ones). On the toolbar is an icon for "Merge Multiple Clouds" (It is also under the Edit Menu). Click it. It will ask if you want to create a scalar field. Say NO. After a bit, the merge will finish, and there will be just 2 lines in the DB Tree. Now, go down to Properties, under the DB Tree pane, to the Scalar Fields' section, and set 'Active' to 'Intensity'. This should give you a gray-scale picture of your track and the surrounding area.

Select Edit|Edit global shift and scale. This will bring up the Global shift/scale dialog. Set all 3 "shift" coordinates to 0. Click YES.

Select Tools|Point Picking. Click on a spot in the middle of the track map. This will give a set of x,y,z coordinates for that point. If it asks about building an octree, say NO. Click the 'X' in the Upper Right corner to close the picker. Note that the x,y,z coordinates will be visible in the Console window at the bottom of the screen.

Select the cloud file again in the DB Tree window. Select Edit|Apply Transformation. In the dialog that opens, select the Axis,Angle tab. Check the "Apply inverse transformation" box. In the boxes on the Translation line, enter the x, y, and z values that were given by the point picker. You can just put in the integer amounts; you don't need multi-decimal place precision. Click OK.

If the viewport shifts a bit, no worries. Just put your cursor in the box, press-hold the R mouse button, and drag it back to the center.

Next, we are going to isolate the track itself. These data transformations are very CPU-intensive, and the less we need to do, the better. So, select the Segment icon from the ribbon at the top of the window. It's the one that looks like a little pair of scissors. You will get a set of new icons in the URH corner of the workspace. Select Polyline Selection, and click your way around the track. Right-click to finish. Click the "Segment In" icon (the red pentagram on the white background). The parts of the image outside the selected area will disappear. Click the green checkmark to confirm the selection. You should now have 2 clouds in the DB Tree: one for the selected part, and one for the surrounding stuff.

NOW we get to the point of all this: converting the point cloud into a mesh! Select the cloud for the track, select Edit|Mesh|Delaunay 2.5 (XY Plane). For the dialog Triangulate, accept 0 for the max edge length. Click OK. Wait for this step to complete. You should now have another new item under DB Tree: a cloud.segmented.mesh. Click on it. Select Edit|Scalar Fields|Convert to RGB. When it asks about mixing with existing colors, pick NO.

NOW it is time to start writing data files! Starting with our mesh, LilSki recommends saving it in FBX (binary) format. However, that option isn't available when I try to save. So, I save as STL file, instead. This means that "vertex colors will be lost". I have no idea what that means, but it doesn't sound fatal. Un-check the box next to the mesh, and check the box next to the parent. Right click, and select "Toggle visibility" to make it visible. Save this file in PLY (binary) format.

Finally, create a JPG image of the track. Select Display|Render to file. Turn the zoom factor up to 4 (or so), and save as JPG.

That is all for CloudCompare. You should now have 3 files: a 3-D mesh, the point cloud, and a JPG image, all of the same piece of real estate. These files will be imported into Blender to start making the actual track itself. Stay tuned!

I said my god's name out loud while scrolling through your words. Am going to copy and paste into a notepad to study this. Thank you for writing this out. I'd be interested in a conversation with you. I hope this finds you well

 

[Patrick Jamin]

That worked, thank you!

Thank you, pretty good rendition of the track, nice work.
I will be there in 10 days, so glad I kept looking for a build.
Track has been modified end of 2023: Octopus resurfaced, and turn 1 widened.
In my wish list, I would put the bridge at the last turn, as well as the braking markers and corner worker stations.

 

[Patrick Jamin]

Thanks LilSki, very good status, especially since the track has been recently repaved and the unique characteristics have faded away.
I was there this weekend, and took an HD video of the track. Hope it helps you for the next update.
Thanks for the great work !