Hello, I would like to ask a question about tire design in LFS editor. During work on a rally replica I went through some real rally tire catalogues and picked a few realistic tire sizes to test. Unfortunately I was not able to replicate those tire sizes. For example I have found a 205/60 R15 gravel rally tire with thread 7.76'' and radius 322mm, but when I adjusted a tire in the LFS Editor to 205/60 R15 I got thread 5.66'' and radius 314mm. Not a game-breaker, just curious, if I did something wrong, or it is a LFSE limitation

Hello, this is my upcoming project. 1973 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R KPGC110 "Ken & Meri", also known as "Phantom GT-R" because of it never got chance to race at all, opposite to Skyline tradition, due to oil crisis striked back in 1970s.

3D model is Martin Trafas' Nissan Skyline GT-R C110 Kenmeri '73. I downloaded model and unsubdivided it in blender & merged by distance in LFS Editor to make it fit in the tri-limit. All interior parts is modelled in blender with looking to real life and Gran Turismo's interior photos. This video really helped about reference: https://youtu.be/TgBlKRScTno?si=P2LV0blSZs_4ZoDV

Full development walkthrough video is here. Despite how much i try to model the interior and dashboard low poly as possible, it ended up in 64622 tris, so you'll see a little humor about it in this video

https://youtu.be/wMhI7mx34HA?si=BYXr4hXcxpgY8-_G

I decided to make this vehicle as Glass Van. I am currently continuing my modeling through the Editor. It was September 25th and I started doing it around 18:00 in the evening. I showed the developments regarding modeling in LFS's modding channel on discord. Exterior modeling is now completely finished. I'm currently working on interior work. Developments based on my work;

In my opinion bots should be stronger, but now it should not be a development priority, there are too many more important things to do before that, update with graphics and physics, track editor, dynamic weather, etc.

Quote from sevendust :

i understand how to to duplicate mapping but when i do it. it doesnt highlight...

The duplicated mapping will be exactly like the original one. So same size, location and cutout. While it looks like the original is highlighted, it's actually the copy. You can drag and rotate it with the blobs around it. You always need to assign the mapping to the tris. it's supposed to be shown on. So in your case the duplicated mapping needs to be rotated to the side and assigned to the "side" of the roof.

"free" behind a mapping only means that this mapping is not sitting parallel or perpendicular to the x,y,z planes of the editor. If you want a mapping to be marked as (for example) "top" it needs to be visible from the top view and the rotation values in the bottom left need to be either 0, 90, 180 or 270. But it doesn't really matter as long as the mapping isn't stretched on the model...

we only have planar projection mappings in editor
each X Y Z axis will need a mapping
each mapping can have same cutout
u will rotate each mapping so they face their axis
polygons must have the mapping of the closest axis they are facing to

cubic, spherical, cylindrical, UV mappings, or exotic projections are not possible yet

LFS UI Builder
==============

Introduction
------------
LFS UI Builder is a tool for creating and editing user interfaces for
LiveForSpeed, a racing simulation game. It allows you to visually design
UI elements and preview them in real-time within the game.

Features
--------
- Visual design interface
- Support for buttons, text labels, and panels
- Real-time preview in LiveForSpeed
- Property inspector for element customization
- Undo/Redo functionality
- Copy, cut, and paste support
- Element layering (bring to front, send to back)
- Most Recently Used (MRU) file list

Getting Started
---------------
1. Launch the LFS UI Builder application.
2. Create a new UI design or open an existing .lfsui file.

Designing Your UI
-----------------
- Use the toolbar to add UI elements (Panel, Button, Text).
- Select and manipulate elements in the design area.
- Modify element properties using the property inspector.
- Organize elements using the tree view and layering options.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
The size of the designer area is 400x400 pixels, but the actual size in
LiveForSpeed is 200x200 pixels. This larger design area is provided to
make it easier to create and manipulate UI elements. The design will be
automatically scaled down when saving or previewing in LiveForSpeed.

Previewing Your UI
------------------
1. Click "Tools" > "Live Preview" or use the preview button.
2. Enter the IP address and port of your LFS game instance.
3. Connect to see your UI in the game in real-time.

Saving Your Work
----------------
- Use "File" > "Save" or the Save button to save your design.
- "File" > "Save As" allows you to save with a new name or location.

How to use the .lfsui files
---------------------------
The .lfsui files are XML files that contain the UI layout information. To use these files in your project, you can parse the XML and extract the necessary information. Here's a simple C# code example that demonstrates how to parse the .lfsui file and print the results:


This code will parse the XML and print the flattened results, including the nested elements.

Additional Features
-------------------
- Advanced text editor for text elements
- Hierarchical view of UI elements in the tree view

Tips
----
- Group related UI elements using panels.
- Test your UI thoroughly in the game.
- Save your work frequently.
- Remember that the final UI will be half the size of what you see in the designer.

License
-------
Copyright (c) 2024 Periklis Koutsogiannis [email protected]

GPLv3 - See the included LICENSE.txt file or visit gnu.org and read the license.

Last edited by pkoutsogiannis, Sat 21 Sep 2024, 07:33.

Hello all,

I have noticed a peculiar glitch in the Live For Speed Vehicle Editor, where longer cars have their default skins cut off in the skin template. Is there any way to get around this?

Thanks in advance,
Nic

EDIT - I also found out that when I copy a .eng file from lfs/data/engine to lfs_editor/data/engine, and then select it from the LOAD WAVES menu, the engine sound is still the default when loading up in lfs. Very weird!

Last edited by UniValvePlums, Mon 16 Sep 2024, 12:26.

It only seems to be wrong in the LFS Editor models. It looks fine in the actual XR cars in game.

Here are a few screenshots of the new version. You can see the contrast between the most "civilian" configuration (GT Line) and the record-breaking version (Projekt 400).


Since I still have some spots left in the config. editor, I might make some more settings. Right now you can change chrome to carbon, remove the second cockpit, add a longer tail/splitter, change the wing, cover up the vents, add wheelcaps and remove the mirrors.

I will probably upload this weekend. Hoping for some feedback!





Also, my skins are copressed to **** in-game (especially our beautiful flag). Looks fine in the editor however. Any ideas?

Shiny wooden material with an ambient occlusion using GIMP software

1. Take a photo of wood and colorize it according to your liking in the first layer.
2. Create the second layer by duplicating the first layer. Desaturate (Colors -> Desaturate -> Desaturate) it and adjust contrast (Colors -> Curves) so both completely white and black pixels are present.
3. Remove white from the second layer using (Colors -> Color to Alpha)
4. Change 'Mode' of the second layer from 'Normal' to 'Erase'.
5. Hide the second layer and create the third layer between the first and the hidden second. Draw an ambient light using a black 'Airbrush'.
6. Create the fourth layer by duplicating the third layer. Change 'Mode' of the fourth layer from 'Normal' to 'Erase'.
7. Show the second layer and export a final PNG texture using '8bpc RGBA pixel format' and tick the 'Save color values from transparent pixels' option.
8. Load the PNG texture in the LFS editor and use a 'Variable Shine' option in the material properties. Similar steps may be also applied on many other materials (for example leather and various plastics).

The way the training lessons mode works is that you do have to work your way down the list to unlock more lessons.

But if you just want to drive around autocross with a layout with objects:

- go to Single player
- select the Autocross track
- in the Layout section, you can choose one of the default layouts with objects (AU1_LX_week1-3)

You can also use the layout from the MRT training lesson. Go to your LFS/data/training folder, find a file called AU1_MRT_AutoX.lyt and double click it or manually copy it over to data/layout. Then it will appear in the list of available layouts on the track selection screen.

It is also possible to create your own autocross layout - more information in the LFS Manual: Autocross Editor

I was thinking, if a track editor were to be released, doing something like a track building competition for the community would tremendously increase the quality of the tracks, the interest of the community and ammount of tracks created. Something like a monthly/bi-monthly competition where multiple players can collaborate on creating a track, and at the end hold a community poll for the best track, the track is then reviewed for copyright and eventually implemented in the game by the devs. It's a fun concept

This isn't a track-specific bug, but rather something related to layout editor, however i think this is the subforum it fits the best into

Stacking armco is a way to make somewhat realistic looking barriers, but collision doesn't seem to work properly when it's used, tyres can fuse through the horizontal armco bars and hit the posts with catastrophic results, causing heavy damage and catapulting cars into the air, see attached replays. This is not dissimilar to the infamous kerb-tyre bug.



I understand this is not quite an intended way of the objects being used, and i don't suppose it's something that will be readily fixed, but it would be great if it could be addressed. Additionally, maybe it would be worth adding the armco walls as a new layout object eliminating the need for doing things this way?

If LFS had track editor back when AC was also booming with mods maybe then it wouldn't be too much of an issue today. That ship has already sailed though. LFS is unique in it's own way, we can boast about the good old days but that's really what's only left. Not even a track editor can make things work, I'm pretty certain the projects budget and licensing issues will not allow for anything remotely nice. The car mods are a nice addition but honestly most car mods feel like Chinese knock-off cars. It's like playing a game but the mobile version..

This subject is no different than the millions of reallife car mods simply being under a non ip name. Any disicussion foward stating licensing issues is just chopping a steel pole.
we should have the track editor simple as that

Quote from Lekvar012 :

[...] right now we already have quite a few tracks to choose from [...]

IMO a track editor/environment editor could be mainly looked at as a long-term solution to continuously entice people in to LFS. Thousands upon thousands of people pickup sim racing, but only a fraction of that use LFS. Yes, the new content would fragment the existing users somewhat, but surely those who love(d) LFS in the past may be enticed as well, hopefully increasing the daily users.

Quote from rog_nilsson :

Is´nt a "good middle way" to add more stuff to our autocross editor?

Quote from michal 1279 :

Better solution would be to make procedural objects - that way we could keep the object count low while maintaining same/better geometries. [...] This would be amazing but would come at a great cost, as it would require a complete redesign of the layout editor system which is now at the limit of what can be stored in data packets...

Whilst I think improving the layout editor would be a good thing, would the time Scawen spends on it have the same sort of impact as a track/environment editor? Maybe a track editor would be rather constrained, letting you select your own track layout (straights, corners, chicanes, elevation changes etc.) enclosed within a limited area. If something like that could be linked to the layout editor we could all start off with a layout square-like place and build up our tracks. However, the environment editor is more challenging as it would be open world (think rally stages, touges, cities etc.). Maybe only Scawen knows whether a user-made system like that can even be implemented into LFS at all, which raises the question whether the track editor tool that he made for Eric can be brushed up and released to the public?

Considering all that's been going on lately, I don't think we can expect anything of the sort any time soon. As Pukky said, there are some great ideas being shared here.

Quote from rane_nbg :

I wonder what will happen once it has no sources availabe that are written by humans.

Well, the scary part is it wouldn't know what's written by AI or humans. The ChatGPT response I posted would be picked up and would be sourced to other AI software. Imagine all the 'bots' in various platforms and all the misinformation they are programmed to spew? Then again, that's not unlike the garbage/misinformation that some humans constantly come up with.

Quote from Pukyy :

If the object limit alone was raised, a huge increase in track quality would...

Better solution would be to make procedural objects - that way we could keep the object count low while maintaining same/better geometries. Imagine if while making long straight instead of bunch of 16m long walls you could place single wall at whatever length you want. Or make a curve, which with the normal way would take dozen of short walls, with single smooth wall at desired radius.
This would be amazing but would come at a great cost, as it would require a complete redesign of the layout editor system which is now at the limit of what can be stored in data packets...

Is´nt a "good middle way" to add more stuff to our autocross editor? Smooth cerbs. Smooth slabs with possibility to have asphalt, grass och gravel. Making full use of the LA. some awesome tracks already made but so much possibilities if getting some more tuning to autocross editor.

Food for thought; this is what ChatGPT has to say...

Quote :

The lack of official track modding in Live for Speed (LFS) has been a point of discussion among the community for a long time. There are a few reasons why track modding hasn't been implemented:

Developer Vision: The developers of LFS have a clear vision for the game, and they've prioritized realism and quality control. By limiting track creation to the official team, they can ensure that every track meets their high standards for physics, visuals, and gameplay balance. This control helps maintain a consistent experience for all players.

Technical Constraints: Implementing track modding would require a robust set of tools for users to create and modify tracks, which would be complex and time-consuming to develop. It would also introduce potential issues with performance, compatibility, and game stability, which the developers might prefer to avoid.

Focus on Physics and Gameplay: LFS has always been known for its realistic driving physics, and the developers might be concerned that user-created tracks could undermine this realism if not designed with the same attention to detail. Maintaining the integrity of the driving experience could be a reason for avoiding track modding.

Community Fragmentation: Allowing track modding could lead to a fragmented player base, where some players are using modded tracks and others are not. This could make it harder to find races and reduce the sense of a unified community.

Do you agree with these points? Do you think the essence of LFS could be lost with the release of a track editor?

I agree that it would add some immersion. However, I'm not sure if it's possible to set steering wheel rotation angle in the editor independently of the actual wheel lock angle. In that case, implementation would require quite a lot of re-work. Someone with more exp in editor pls comment.

Additionally, I see a potential problem with driver hands animation. Extending the range would also need some re-work in the available points for hand positions. Truckers usually have a small handle to help them to do many rotations using single hand, so that would also have to be taken care of somehow I guess.

All in all, a lot of work for devs and modders If they're up for it, I'll gladly accept it, but chances of seeing this improvement are slim at the moment.

I just figured it out. It can only paste into image editor software...

Thx for the answers, my mod has been published now.

1 & 4 - Scawen has stated that the editor displays the car as it would be in the new (development) version of LFS and not the current (public) version so best to leave roughness at 0 for now
2 - If you have set a page in the editor as type 'skin' and have corresponding cutouts and mappings this should work
3 - I think this applies to whole vehicles based on an original LFS car - I think that small components would be OK (eg. original work)

Having a lot of fun with the editor software so far. Since I'm new to (non technical) 3D modeling I have a few questions:

1. Is there a way to make matte chrome textures (like brushed metal) show up in game? It works perfectly in the editor, but not in LFS. Seems to affect all cutouts with a "roughness" setting >0...

2. If I want to create a custom skin, I click "generate skin template" and the editor says "copied to clipboard". This means I can paste whatever has been copied anywhere, right? For some reason, my system can't. Am I missing something?

3. If I use parts of existing (original) LFS vehicles in my own creation and modify them, does that mean I need the "LFS vehicle license"? I'm talking about seats, steering wheels, switches, etc.

4. My headlights look bright enough in the editor, but in game the bright white looks more like a dark grey. I noticed that many mods have that problem, but none of the original cars. Is this because I placed a layer of tinted glass (S_windows ALP) in front of the lights?

Have fun! If you need help, you can check out the LFS Editor manual section: https://en.lfsmanual.net/wiki/LFS_Editor