Here is a new update, D30.

It annoyed me too much that on exiting the editor it always warned "Any changes will be lost" even if you hadn't done anything. I knew the best solution for this would be an undo function (because it tracks changes). The trouble is the undo is quite a lot of work and it took me about 3 days. Sometimes it's simple but sometimes some rearrangement is needed. I was a bit shocked by the actual size of the vehicle editor source code file. Luckily most of the more complicated side of the undo function was already done for the track editor undo.

I found some bugs along the way and improved some things as I had to test nearly every button. I hope there are no new bugs!

Vehicle editor:

Undo function for all editor operations
Exit warning only if changes have been made
C key to clear selected point and selected tube
Delete key deletes a point or tube (if only one is selected)
CTRL+RMB (copy) SHIFT+RMB (paste) now work with frame point values
Hide the bottom right buttons now hides the whole settings block
Rim modifiers moved to top right in rim editor avoiding overlap
Special view no longer includes wheel mass cuboids by default
Error message displayed if a vehicle file cannot be loaded

Modeller:

FIX: Bottom right screen layout was wrong in 2D views

Animation editor:

FIX: Driver in wireframe mode could be obscured by the vehicle

Even if I'm suggesting this as an event organizer to be able to check cars for their aerodynamics better,it would be also a valuable information for drivers to know about car's extra grip. Some cars have added bodywork or undertray negative lift,but that currently can be seen as a non-exact value in forces view on track or you have to load .veh file in the editor. Additionally also visible drag values would allow to determine if a car for some reason has very unrealistic values to weed out badly made mods out of consideration of using them for events.
I hope this is an "easy" change and can be done in nearest future,as there should be no compatibility issues.

Yes, that can works for off road events and will expand the horizons of the game. I can imagine nature, hills, woods, rivers, rocks, canyons.. I hope to see that stuff ingame soon or releasing the track editor for public.

after looking at the new proposed maps and running my own rallycross championship on LFS for the last 3 years, i'm running into the roadblock of having to re-use tracks because the options to make good tracks is very limited and the new maps don't show any rallycross roads on them.

that's why i would like to request either some new layouts for rallycross on the planned maps or adding a gravel/dirt underground to the layout editor like we have the concrete sections.

don't know how much work this would be but it would greatly help me to create a more varied and exiting championship in the future.

Quote from Changes in Editor 0.7D29: :

Vehicle editor:

Included whole words "load" and "save" for setups and colours
New message on clicking "Animate" if the vehicle has no driver
Tooltips added to Steering tab and some in Object Positions tab
Question button and tip are shown for unusual FR configurations
Caster angle reduced to 2 decimal places (3 seemed excessive)

New vehicle:

Better initial values for engine and fuel tank positions
Light colours are now initialised (all were black except rear fog)
FIX: Editor buttons appeared during dialog in new vehicle screen

Animation editor:

Eye view button (beside origin and object buttons)
Keys O (view object) and SHIFT+O (options) now work

In case you wondered what this means: "Question button and tip are shown for unusual FR configurations"

It's in the Object Positions tab, in the case of front-engine RWD cars (with 4 wheels) the editor tries to indicate that it is usual for the engine to be longitudinally mounted and rotate clockwise as viewed from the front.

I couldn't see such a strong rule for any other configurations so I only did it in that case (FR vehicles). I know that the engine rotation is a common mistake so I hope the yellow question marks can help prevent that (along with the more user friendly options).

Crashed when trying to enter the modeller from the "new vehicle" screen:

- Open Vehicle Editor
- Click NEW
- Select a vehicle layout
- Click "linear" next to "suspension layout"
- When the dialog appears, click "Edit" at the bottom right - LFS editor seems to get to an invalid state
- Press Esc and then keep pressing E until it crashes



Exception code: 0xc0000005
Error offset: 0x000f14c4

Happens already in version C up to D28.

I guess the buttons at the bottom right aren't supposed to be shown when that "suspension type can't be set" warning dialog appears.

Bug: In the animation editor, when I select the "wire" mode, the driver wireframe is drawn under the car model.

Thanks for adding all the new tooltips in the Vehicle Editor!

Regarding the buttons "sv" and "ld" under "default setups" and "default colours", do you think you can fit the full words "load" and "save"? It would look less cryptic.

Here are comparison images of the editor screens with notable changes from D27 to D28:

Without vehicle loaded
With vehicle loaded
Special draw mode
Vehicle Class
Transmission / Audio
Wheel Object
Suspension
Allow
Object Positions
Mass
Aerodynamics

I want to release all the recent updates (in Editor and LFS) as a new official version, but after recent time in the vehicle editor I had to do some updates first. I found it too ugly and hard to use, without tooltips, with some overlapping text and general disorganisation. This is the result of it being an old in-house development editor that was thrust upon the community without enough time to polish it. So I've spent 2 or 3 days making some improvements which should make it a better place to work and in turn can help you make nice mods.

Doing tooltips is harder than you might imagine and I haven't finished them in all tabs. My head is spinning now. I would be grateful if you would test the vehicle editor updates and let me know if it seems OK.

Changes in Editor 0.7D28:

Various improvements in layout and organisation
Tooltips are now available (allows reduced button text)
A new button to show the view from driver's eye position
Editor sliders now have both arrows on the right
FIX: Spare wheel pitch now expressed in degrees
FIX: Nudging of RPM sliders in engine editor

Last edited by Scawen, Tue 23 May 2023, 18:35.

About the "reduce detail" function:

There are new limits for LOD2 in Editor D26. Maximum 8192 triangles / 12288 vertices. This is because of load glitches when people leave the pits in high-polygon models, with high-polygon LOD2 (which really should not be the case).

To help with this, for those who want to work down from a high poly model, I've added a crude "reduce detail" function that acts on the selected triangles.

I suggest using CTRL+SHIFT+LMB to flood-select groups of triangles, then click "reduce detail" (or SHIFT+R) on the small groups. Inspect them each time and undo if the effect isn't good enough.

Automatic LOD reduction is a challenging problem so this crude version is about all I can do for now. I'd like to know if anyone finds it useful.

Also to help with optimisation / load glitch reduction: Groups are also compressed when exporting for test or upload. This should have no effect on the appearance of the model.

Editor D26: https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/102626

Mod Export:

A new limit of 8192 triangles / 12288 vertices for LOD2
Groups are compressed when exporting for test or upload

Modeller:

A new function "reduce detail" is visible with triangles selected
A point is selected if unambiguous after merge to green or average

just got the rear bumper finished was mutch easy then front, i decide to mount the parts to the car as im going to modify side skurts in lfs editor without having to do it all in blend, after that will make rear wing, so far im happy with results it look nice.

Editor D25: https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/102626

Modeller:

A new style dialog is now used for merge points (ALT+M) options
FIX: Points more likely to remain selected after scale or lathe

Vehicle editor:

For flashing pit speed limiter light - choose brake or rear fog
Width / ratio / rim width move in bigger steps with right click
Frame position adjustments use expected steps for mouse clicks

Limited sidecar support:

Lone wheel (e.g. front) can be offset left (in Suspension tab)
- offset wheel to right is currently disabled for compatibility
Pair of wheels (e.g. rear) can be longitudinally staggered
- only the rearmost wheel of a staggered pair is driven
- anti-roll is disabled when the pair is staggered


NOTE: You also need LFS test patch D25 for:
- one-wheel-drive sidecars
- pit speed limiter flashing light using fog light

Quote from Facu23 :

My suggestion is to move it from brk to fog

Thanks for the fog light suggestion. In my version I've added a switch in the editor to choose 'brake' or 'rear fog' for the flashing pit speed light. I think this allows enough possibilities, while allowing existing F1 cars' flashing lights to continue working.


I've also added some limited sidecar support. I can't do full sidecar support at this time. I've done what I can within the limits of a compatible version. I'll describe it here in case anyone thinks of something.

Limited sidecar support for D25:

Lone wheel (e.g. front) can be offset left (in Suspension tab)
- offset wheel to right is currently disabled for compatibility
Pair of wheels (e.g. rear) can be longitudinally staggered
- only the rearmost wheel of a staggered pair is driven
- anti-roll is disabled when the pair is staggered

So this allows you to start with a trike, move the front wheel and driver to the left, and move the rear right wheel forward. Then the left rear wheel will be driven. You can use front passenger seat or a rear seat for the passenger.

Further sidecar support I can't do at this point but is noted for future:

Allow positioning of a lone wheel on the right (to allow bike on right)
Allow freehand positioning of passenger seats
Allow suspension (edit: I mean frame) tubes to not be mirrored
Passenger moving left and right for weight distribution (important for sidecar racing)

Last edited by Scawen, Sat 13 May 2023, 12:07.

Quote from Scawen :

Interesting thought but it won't be in this round of test patches. Everything I do in the current public version must be merged into the separate development version, which isn't always easy. Also any changes in the core of the physics system are likely to invalidate all the hotlaps, which isn't worth doing at the moment. Also, incompatible setups, online compatibility, interface updates, etc...

I look forward to releasing the development version, so we only have one version and it will be much easier to add new features then.

I just watched this 12 min video about heave springs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNInCfCkrkE

I agree. Adding it to existing cars would perhaps not be ideal.
If you look at most pro setups for BF1, FOX, GTRs (winged cars general in LFS) setups are always much higher than what you’d expect, and this is because of the big delta in dynamic and static force on suspension, which normally is adjusted with packer gaps, heave, preload and other fancy words I cannot fathom to remind my jet lagged mind.

Would it be something perhaps to have as a experimental stage in the editor alone? I believe the system itself is ready, as it already simulates roll stiffness incredibly accurate.

Thanks.

Just a question, I mapped some tris for pit limiter light as l_brk and enabled feature in editor but nothing happened with the car on track... im missing something?

Today I did a quick update to allow certain options to be set per vehicle, instead of being controlled by race class:

- Indicators / Headlights / Pit limiter light (in 'Light Colours')
- Handbrake / Horn / Starter Motor (in 'Allow')
- Oval suspension arms (in 'Suspension')
- Grooved slicks (in 'Wheel Object')

To use these settings if they have been adjusted in Editor D24, you will need LFS Test Patch D24.

Today I did a quick update to allow certain options to be set per vehicle, instead of being controlled by race class:

- Indicators / Headlights / Pit limiter light
- Handbrake / Horn / Starter Motor
- Oval suspension arms
- Grooved slicks

You will need Test Patch D24 to use these adjusted values if they have been set in Editor D24.

https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/102117

I made progress report on my very good game. You can read that instead.

Let's compare.
map editor
Live For Speed: no
my very good game: yes

force feedback
Live For Speed: feedback only from driving
my very good game: realistic blaster recoil

reverse
Live For Speed: not in demo
my very good game: no because space ship

Thanks for the report. This has happened as the mod failed an upload check, due to a new upload checker that I put in place. It's not that anything is really wrong with the upload checker, but when people don't use a recent editor test patch to export their mod, it's possible for this issue to come up due to issues in their old version of the editor.

Then, when that does happen, the website doesn't really do the right thing, as you noticed.

I've notified Victor to see what he can do on his side, and also I've reinstated the original upload checker so this doesn't keep happening right now.

I will now notify the uploaders of a few mods that have gone wrong in this way since yesterday.

After the complete graphical rework of my oldest mods and a lot of online research to gather enough technical data, it is time to recreate another classic from my wishlist. I have started working on my personal tribute to a 1930s Czechoslovak engineering masterpiece. One of the most unique, advanced and fastest cars of its era.

Progress: started modelling in Blender according to technical drawings. Built the first version of a chassis with a realistic suspension geometry and a V8 engine in the LFS editor according to the owners manual.

Last edited by stuchlo, Tue 4 Feb 2025, 16:13.

The mod upload checker has been updated to a new version.

I recommend that mod creators should use the latest test patch, to avoid any inconsistency with the upload checker.


EDIT: I have now reverted to the original mod checker. Although now there is nothing wrong with the new one, there can be inconsistencies when mod creators don't use a recent update of the editor. This is too often the case, so it isn't yet the best time to use the new mod checker.

Last edited by Scawen, Fri 5 May 2023, 18:43.

Sorry about that. I don't yet know how it could have gone wrong in that way.

I have reinstated the old veh checker on the server. Please try editor D23 and let me know if it works (also, D21 or others should be OK).

Only D22 should *not* be OK, because it does save the subobject names, which will fail on the reverted veh checker.

D23 *does* save subobject names if you share for development, but not if you export for submission. So that should solve the issue that kenblock30 reported, in a more specific way.

Now I'll try to figure out why the new veh checker didn't work as expected.


EDIT: (4 May 11:03 UTC) I found out why the veh checker didn't work. I have made the necessary change and tested it manually. I have put a new version there, which hopefully causes no problems (and should allow use of editor D22).

EDIT2: (4 May 12:38 UTC) I've reinstated the old veh checker again as there is some other error that I can't understand yet.

EDIT3: (4 May 13:46 UTC) I found out why the 2nd new veh checker didn't work. It was a completely different issue from the 1st new checker's problem. I have made the necessary change and tested it manually and also by doing a test submission of a private mod. I have put a new version there, which hopefully causes no problems (and should allow use of editor D22).

Last edited by Scawen, Thu 4 May 2023, 13:47.

Thanks, that was an oversight. Names had to be made blank when exporting for submission, but that also happened when sharing for development.

I've updated the veh checker on the server so hopefully there will be no problem now, leaving subobject names in the veh.

In editor D22 I have removed the zeroing of subobject names, and there are improved dialogs for extrude / lathe / create a circle of points.

Idk if it's a bug but if you export to share a vehicle, when the other ppl open the mod on editor, it loses the names of subobjets