Hi,

I was wondering why it is that detailed track meshes are not available? We have access to the cmx files for cars, which provide texture information among other things, but there is not the equivalent for tracks. I see that there is mention of 'track exports' in the cmx format description, which teases me even more as to their availability! So just wondering why?

Thanks.

Quote from darwinian85 :

Hi,

I was wondering why it is that detailed track meshes are not available? We have access to the cmx files for cars, which provide texture information among other things, but there is not the equivalent for tracks. I see that there is mention of 'track exports' in the cmx format description, which teases me even more as to their availability! So just wondering why?

Thanks.

Simple one... Car skins are supported but track modding and tweaking isn't. Hence car CMX are there but tracks not.

Quote from Woz :

Simple one... Car skins are supported but track modding and tweaking isn't. Hence car CMX are there but tracks not.

Thanks for the reply, however I'm not sure that that fully makes sense.

Car skinning can be supported without the need to provide a documented mesh format for the cars. I understand that track modding is not permitted, but neither is the modding of cars, yet a mesh format that enables someone to reproduce an exact likeness of in game car models is available, whereas it is not for the tracks.

I also understand that the CMX format may not be the same as used in game, but it is still a far more detailed format than the SMX of track exports.

So I think my question still stands.

They aren't available, because they aren't available.

The CMX's are available for usage with the CMX viewer, which is to help with skinning. The fact that they're documented and exportable to other formats is neither here nor there. At one point they weren't.

In the past it has been hinted at by the team that the tracks aren't available because they often change, and making them available might block the team into something they may not want. LFS is, after all, a work in progress and having a stable API, file format, whatever, can conceivably hold back innovation (the exact argument used by the linux kernel team ). Presumably you can also take that assumption through to the question that it might lead to people bombarding the team with submissions. Who knows?

What I'm trying to say is that only the development team can answer your question, and they rarely drop by here (here being a forum on discussing third party software and code for LFS).

Quote from the_angry_angel :

They aren't available, because they aren't available.

Not very helpful.

Quote from the_angry_angel :

The CMX's are available for usage with the CMX viewer, which is to help with skinning. The fact that they're documented and exportable to other formats is neither here nor there.

I think that is exactly the point. The fact that they are documented means that, with whatever motivation, the devs allowed people open access to the car meshes. However they have not done so to the same extent for the tracks (only providing access to a highly reduced format).

Quote from the_angry_angel :

In the past it has been hinted at by the team that the tracks aren't available because they often change, and making them available might block the team into something they may not want. LFS is, after all, a work in progress and having a stable API, file format, whatever, can conceivably hold back innovation

If that were the case, then wouldn't the same be true of the car meshes? I wouldn't expect the track mesh to never change once available in CMX format. Just like I don't expect the cars to never change.

Perhaps it is a question that only Scawen knows the answer to, if so, an answer would be really appreciated. But here is the only place to ask, and there was a chance someone else knew the answer.

I'm not meaning to complain in any way! I really appreciate the car meshes being available in all their glory, and thats the reason I ask why the tracks aren't, because I would love to be able to make use of the tracks in the same way I can with the cars.