Well get bloody fern bay finished then, skippy
Well get bloody fern bay finished then, skippy
:slap: 
ps- Axus. Here's a plant normal mapped (not done by me). No idea how it would look ingame?
Also, here's a parallax mapped curb, stuck on a teapot for your viewing pleasure. Lighting looks very plasticy in the little renderer I'm using unfortunately. Just for fun
ps- Axus. Here's a plant normal mapped (not done by me). No idea how it would look ingame?
Also, here's a parallax mapped curb, stuck on a teapot for your viewing pleasure. Lighting looks very plasticy in the little renderer I'm using unfortunately. Just for fun
I used some of your CrazyBump previews as textures in LFS. The 3d effect looked pretty cool indeed. I wanted to convert all the dds files that were flat textures in LFS to have the crazybump shadow effect to create a sort of psuedo 3D look.
I've had a go at CrazyBump, I just cant figure out how to make an output file that looks like the 3D Preview. I can only seem to save the Normal files(purple/blue pictures) or displacement map files of the Textures.
Have you found any method to output the 3D Preview to a flat file (Jpg, DDS, BMP or anything) for use as a texture? Just using the standard light effects and detail settings that's used to generate the front side of the 3D preview would be of use. Of course the shadows wont be correct for every time of day and wont be 100% right for viewing angle in game, but it might look really nice anyway. And there is an Automate button that might make this process possible in one easy step.
Or do I have to use those displacement maps and normal files to generate an output file using another program? If so, I wont bother. It seems like your on the path to doing that.
Cheers. Love your work always.
I want to Save As... the centre picture somewhat. I can only seem to save the outer two.
I've had a go at CrazyBump, I just cant figure out how to make an output file that looks like the 3D Preview. I can only seem to save the Normal files(purple/blue pictures) or displacement map files of the Textures.
Have you found any method to output the 3D Preview to a flat file (Jpg, DDS, BMP or anything) for use as a texture? Just using the standard light effects and detail settings that's used to generate the front side of the 3D preview would be of use. Of course the shadows wont be correct for every time of day and wont be 100% right for viewing angle in game, but it might look really nice anyway.
And there is an Automate button that might make this process possible in one easy step.Or do I have to use those displacement maps and normal files to generate an output file using another program? If so, I wont bother. It seems like your on the path to doing that.
Cheers. Love your work always.
I want to Save As... the centre picture somewhat. I can only seem to save the outer two.
As far as I know the program isn't set up to save preview images. Crazy Bump's still in beta and the author's all the time adding features, but I doubt he'd really want to add something like that. It does what it's designed to do very well (make normal maps).
If you have 3D software and feel like mucking around- you could try creating a simple flat plane with the colour/normal/displacement maps- and outputting at 2048 x 2048, after you've set up your lights they way you want them. Maybe that would work.
If you have 3D software and feel like mucking around- you could try creating a simple flat plane with the colour/normal/displacement maps- and outputting at 2048 x 2048, after you've set up your lights they way you want them. Maybe that would work.
Yeah, 
I started reading those forums for CrazyBump and started to realise this. Sorry for silly questions. I got a little over excited in my naiveity. I came back to erase my post..... Thanks for the quick reply.
I might try and overlay some of those normal/displacement maps in photoshop over the original textures in an attempt make some shadowy effects, but I don't hold out much hope for that. There's a nice 27 page pdf that shows what to do with those normal maps in Photoshop on those forums, something might appear in there.
edit: It actually shows how to make normal maps in photoshop, normal maps are used by a game engine i have since learned.
There seems to be other people enhancing textures for various games on those forums using CrazyBump. Maybe I can find some clues there. The effects look stunning.
Thanks again Ekar.
I started reading those forums for CrazyBump and started to realise this. Sorry for silly questions. I got a little over excited in my naiveity. I came back to erase my post..... Thanks for the quick reply. I might try and overlay some of those normal/displacement maps in photoshop over the original textures in an attempt make some shadowy effects, but I don't hold out much hope for that. There's a nice 27 page pdf that shows what to do with those normal maps in Photoshop on those forums, something might appear in there.
edit: It actually shows how to make normal maps in photoshop, normal maps are used by a game engine i have since learned.
There seems to be other people enhancing textures for various games on those forums using CrazyBump. Maybe I can find some clues there. The effects look stunning.
Thanks again Ekar.
It's an interesting idea, but Crazy Bump will go commercial pretty soon- and I don't think people will be buying it unless they plan on using the normal maps. A save preview function might be great for us, though...
Thanks - that looks quite nice for covering a wall or something actually. Trees would probably work nicely too.
Well, one last dismal attempt to describe what I was trying to achieve.....
(please don't laugh)
I did this in photoshop to the textures. I just applied an emboss filter to a duplicated layer and overlayed (luminosity) it on top of the original texture. If I knew how to do computer graphic art properly I probably could have pulled it off.
It's an interesting effect and might work if done correctly.
</experiment>
(please don't laugh)
I did this in photoshop to the textures. I just applied an emboss filter to a duplicated layer and overlayed (luminosity) it on top of the original texture. If I knew how to do computer graphic art properly I probably could have pulled it off.
It's an interesting effect and might work if done correctly.</experiment>
Not to say that I don't like Elektrik Kar's work, far from it - this is more of a general commentary:
I dislike excessive bump/normal/parallax mapping in any type of game and IMO they can't really add much to a racing sim specifically that good texturing and careful modeling can't. Mostly because the player is zooming away from that excellently normal-mapped tree-bark that is 10 pixels tall at >100km/h and is less likely to observe if the shadows on a kerb's texture are coming from the correct direction when they're rather blurred from anti-aliasing and 1 pixel deep.
IMO (always) it'd be better to reserve those precious GPU processing cycles for things like real-time environmental shadows which are needed for day-night transitions, etc
Since trees were brought up, imo the predominant issue that most alpha channeled textures used for tree-foliage in racing sims seem to have, apart from the fact that the model they're on is usually just two intersecting planes, is their brightness level, at times it makes them almost fluoresce with unreality and if your graphics card doesn't have some sort of antialiasing features specifically for transparent textures they're doomed to look like out of place cut-outs, especially if they're low resolution. Also, whenever they're used to model densely forested areas there's a general lack of shadowing and some sort of underbrush to allow for a more life-like representation.
I dislike excessive bump/normal/parallax mapping in any type of game and IMO they can't really add much to a racing sim specifically that good texturing and careful modeling can't. Mostly because the player is zooming away from that excellently normal-mapped tree-bark that is 10 pixels tall at >100km/h and is less likely to observe if the shadows on a kerb's texture are coming from the correct direction when they're rather blurred from anti-aliasing and 1 pixel deep.
IMO (always) it'd be better to reserve those precious GPU processing cycles for things like real-time environmental shadows which are needed for day-night transitions, etc
Since trees were brought up, imo the predominant issue that most alpha channeled textures used for tree-foliage in racing sims seem to have, apart from the fact that the model they're on is usually just two intersecting planes, is their brightness level, at times it makes them almost fluoresce with unreality and if your graphics card doesn't have some sort of antialiasing features specifically for transparent textures they're doomed to look like out of place cut-outs, especially if they're low resolution. Also, whenever they're used to model densely forested areas there's a general lack of shadowing and some sort of underbrush to allow for a more life-like representation.
Yeah, I agree. I think with the vegetation, what it needs most is a bit more modelling and to be slightly higher res throughout. There are some great trees in LFS, but most of them are of that 2 cutouts in a cross type, which appear quite ugly by todays higher standards. Although, I imagine adding more geometry would probably take a higher toll on your GPU than adding some simple shaders - so I don't really know what the answer is. Nothing I can do back here anyway, so we'll just see if Eric can come up with something to make things a bit more attractive in this area sometime.
As with any technique, it's all about where and how it's applied. Too many games are coming out with all the modern graphical effects cranked to 11, just to confirm to people that they are in there, I guess. That might be ok if you're going for a fantasy look, but if you're going for realism- then you should want to tone things down to realistic levels. I'm sure if LFS ever started using shaders, they'd be applied tastefully and sparingly to enhance the realism of the graphics, not to scream out to people that those effects are there.
Seems as though the emboss has taken away all the (colour) details. I found the smart sharpen filter set to 'remove motion blur' helps to bump up textural details a bit.
As with any technique, it's all about where and how it's applied. Too many games are coming out with all the modern graphical effects cranked to 11, just to confirm to people that they are in there, I guess. That might be ok if you're going for a fantasy look, but if you're going for realism- then you should want to tone things down to realistic levels. I'm sure if LFS ever started using shaders, they'd be applied tastefully and sparingly to enhance the realism of the graphics, not to scream out to people that those effects are there.
Seems as though the emboss has taken away all the (colour) details. I found the smart sharpen filter set to 'remove motion blur' helps to bump up textural details a bit.
any news on updates kar? autocross has been months and months and still nothing, and fernbeys 2 months almost now and seen nothing from you lol
Hi Jimmy -
I'll apologise again for a lack of progress on Fern Bay. It's still on my invisible list of things to do.
TBH, I'm really waiting to see what the new patch will do to the custom textures when it's released. Might be a lot of work coming up for modders to adjust or redo their textures to fit in with the new update. From the looks of the video though, it seems (a little disappointingly) that not much has changed texture wise... still looks like the same default textures are being used for much of South City and Blackwood, excluding some new road textures, which do look higher res. Can't know for sure until it's here, though.
Anyway, I've access to some great city textures now, so if SO still needs a texture update, I'll probably jump in there and work on that, along with Blackwood and Fern Bay- after patch Y.
Of course, there's nothing stopping anyone else from working on their own high-res conversions now, is there? I'm a little amazed nobody else has stepped up to the plate. There's some great talent lurking in the forum- are people afraid of a little hard work?
I'll apologise again for a lack of progress on Fern Bay. It's still on my invisible list of things to do.
TBH, I'm really waiting to see what the new patch will do to the custom textures when it's released. Might be a lot of work coming up for modders to adjust or redo their textures to fit in with the new update. From the looks of the video though, it seems (a little disappointingly) that not much has changed texture wise... still looks like the same default textures are being used for much of South City and Blackwood, excluding some new road textures, which do look higher res. Can't know for sure until it's here, though.
Anyway, I've access to some great city textures now, so if SO still needs a texture update, I'll probably jump in there and work on that, along with Blackwood and Fern Bay- after patch Y.
Of course, there's nothing stopping anyone else from working on their own high-res conversions now, is there? I'm a little amazed nobody else has stepped up to the plate. There's some great talent lurking in the forum- are people afraid of a little hard work?
Lol yeh i understand, id do a bit of grafting and make some more textures my self if i wasnt so lazy and thought people would use them.
Any news on the autoX textures, they have seemed to have dissapeared off the face of the earth lol
Any news on the autoX textures, they have seemed to have dissapeared off the face of the earth lol
can anyone give my the download link for these textures please...
please
thank u
Thanks Lible 
Work in patch Y?
Pretty much. New version coming sometime though.
could you post it on the foarm not lfs database because lfs database is out for a long time
bye the way do you know when the lfs database is going to be done updating.
bye the way do you know when the lfs database is going to be done updating.When, WHEN?! :hyper:
:bounce8:
Whats happend to Autox and Fernbays new textures yet? its been like half a year and still no updates :P
+1 I tought E-Kar said he would work on them as soon as Patch Y was released but it never happened. I know he recently moved so it might be part of the reason why I'm still using stock Fern Bay textures...
Higher-Res Track Textures Volume I - by Electrik Kar
(423 posts, started )
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