Straight gauges

BerScott

I'm working on a 1964 Ford Thunderbird that don't haves common gauge type. Here I attach some photos:

Gauges-75218508.html

HPIM4244.jpg


Is it possible to make work gauges like that?
 
I don't think that it is possible with the existing system in rFactor.
Unless you are able to adapt the rpm-bar to it or find a possibility to give the needles a hight in the settings ;)
 
redapg said:
I don't think that it is possible with the existing system in rFactor.
Unless you are able to adapt the rpm-bar to it or find a possibility to give the needles a hight in the settings ;)
Click to expand...

Indeed it is. I made Plymouth '61 for rFactor2 and it has similar straight gauge type.

The idea is to make the needle very long thus the center point is somewhere few metres under the dash. Also make only the tip of the needle opaque.
 
I tried it the same way before, the problem was that when you have a small gauge, the needle can not defined exact enough to show the right things.
Or i simply wasn't able to define it correct :D.

Nice work [Thumb up]
 
redapg said:
I tried it the same way before, the problem was that when you have a small gauge, the needle can not defined exact enough to show the right things.
Or i simply wasn't able to define it correct :D.

Nice work [Thumb up]
Click to expand...

It can :)

SpeedometerRange=(0, 192, 91.1, 88.9)
SpeedometerBackground=FURY61_METER1.tga
SpeedometerNeedlemap=FURY61_NEEDLE.tga
SpeedometerNeedle=(0.4, 200)
SpeedometerCenter=(0.50, 99)
SpeedometerClockwise=1 // 0 = counterclockwise, 1 = clockwise

WaterTempRange=(100, 250, 90.5, 89.5)
WaterTempBackGround=FURY61_METER2.tga
WaterTempNeedlemap=FURY61_NEEDLE.tga
WaterTempNeedle=(0.6, 200) // default is (1.0,1.0) <width>,<height>
WaterTempCenter=(0.50, 99)
SpeedometerClockwise=1 // 0 = counterclockwise, 1 = clockwise

FuelLEVELRange=(0.0, 1.0, 90.5, 89.5) //320, 240
FuelLEVELBackground=FURY61_METER3.tga
FuelLEVELNeedlemap=FURY61_NEEDLE.tga
FuelLEVELNeedle=(0.6, 200)
FuelLEVELCenter=(0.50, 99)
FuelLevelClockwise=1 // 0 = counterclockwise, 1 = clockwise
Click to expand...
 
I've have the same idea nad working on it, but seems texture don't load properly, I've tried using a gauge from other ca and it load partialy (1%?) don't know what's happening :confused:

What I have done is to create one plain face (two triangles) of 4x4 meters each.
 
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Can you upload the *.gmt and textures and the entries you've made into cockpitinfo.ini or *updates.ini?
To have the mesh makes it much easier to look what the problem could be.
 
Finally got gauges to work! I've remaked all the materials from 0 and now works, don't know what was wrong but... The problem now is the background gauge image, it was 256x256 and the needle 64x256, all TGA. So I've resized all to 1024 because my needle is almost 2 pixels. And the problem now is the alpha channel, it don't work. The gauge TGA file is all black in RGB channel and white in alpha 1, but in game the gauge looks all black.

Johannes Rojola could you tell me what resolution have you used for the gauges and needle? Could you share the files with me please?
 
Thanks Johannes Rojola, your gauge setup looks so good!, but unfortunately I think rFactor1 have some limitations.

Here are some problems:
-Since in your video the gauges looks good in rFactor1 my needle cross vertically through the car and I can see it appearing out the car carpet.
-The needle looks so blurred, I really can't get the definition you've reached. I think this is a problem from 3DSimEd 1.18, it causes to blur the alpha channel.
-In "SpeedometerNeedle=(0.04, 200.00)" string, the parameter "0.04" is the minimun value that I can use, "0.03" or lower values causes needle to dissapear or not show.
-The needle moves frame to frame, it don't move smooth.

The actual needle could work for speedometer, but watertemp and fuel level gauges is too small for the minimun needle size that I can get.
 
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Ahhh, that was something i didn't notice. The car is a rfactor2 car.

I didn't try it in rfactor 2, but in rfactor1, like i said before, i wasn't able to define it like that.

Maybe you are right BerScott, that rfactor1 don't supports the needs of a configuration like Johannes Rojola did in rfactor2.

My biggest problem was the stuttering needle-movement.
 
redapg said:
Ahhh, that was something i didn't notice. The car is a rfactor2 car.

I didn't try it in rfactor 2, but in rfactor1, like i said before, i wasn't able to define it like that.

Maybe you are right BerScott, that rfactor1 don't supports the needs of a configuration like Johannes Rojola did in rfactor2.

My biggest problem was the stuttering needle-movement.
Click to expand...

I also just noticed this is rF1 thread :D My bad. But, I have also made Vector W2 cockpit for rF1 which has similar type of straight gauges going from left to right. Thou it is quite different, but it could always help.

vectorpit.jpg


I post the files when I get home in few hours.
 
Wow Johannes Rojola, looks interesting, love the old concept cars and Vectors. Hope you share it when it is finished.

I think the only solution for my t-bird is to use semi-digital gauges trying to simulate a straight single needle, but I never tried to make digital gauges and don't know how it works. Do you guys have a tutorial or something similar to take an eye?
 
@ Johannes Rojola: would it be possible to get the meshes too? Or the height and width of them? Would make it much easier ;).

@ BerScott: I fear that it won't be possible to create a digital display that simulates an analogous one, because as far i know, for the digital display only letters and numbers are used, except the revcounter, with that you can create a rpm-bar. But i think it is not possible to create a simulation of a moving needle with it. Another limitation is the setting of the materials and which materialname causes which effect.

But if someone has other/better information/knowing.....
 
Seems it is cause of rFactor1 limitations. At the moment I've achieve to make straight needles work with an acceptable minimun quality, but now I have another problem:

The t-bird speedometer have a straight pannel with numbers. The "needle" moves behind that pannel so you can see through the transparent numbers how needle works (You can see the example pics in first post)´

The new problem:
I have some issues with 3DSimEd saving some gmt files, sometimes alpha channel don't work. Evo Monkey recommended me to use 3DSimEd 1.xx version to make alpha channel work but it brings another problem: alpha channel looks blurred, or in other words it looks with not deffinition, also some materials still don't show the alpha channels. Also I tried to use other dds/tga files with alpha glass texture and it didn't work even with 3DSimEd 1.xx version.
In 3DSimEd 2.17a the alpha channels looks perfect but in rfactor seems to not work at all. This problem comes using textures like grills or glass, or in this case the t-bird pannel.
Maybe it is because of my inexperience. I tried too using Simm Anouk and other mods light flares copy&pasting in 3DSimEd and didn't work too. So I suspect I'll need to try another way to make it work. Maybe 3DS gmt exporter? I've not tried yet.

I'll illustrate the alpha channel problem with two pics:

Gauges in 3DSimEd 2.17a
http://i.imgur.com/EkhiFZB.png

Gauges in rFactor1
http://i.imgur.com/Z3ilF6b.jpg

redapg said:
@ Johannes Rojola: would it be possible to get the meshes too? Or the height and width of them? Would make it much easier ;).
Click to expand...

redapg is right, it would help if Johannes want to share.
 
Johannes Rojola said:
...I don't think the size or shape of the meshes really matters when it comes to gauges, but I could see if I have something I could share. GMT's at least if nothing else...
Click to expand...

In fact the meshes are all ok, at the first time I've use a big plain square and works perfect.

Johannes Rojola said:
Try to invert the colors of your alpha channel, CTRL+I in photoshop.
Click to expand...

The alpha channel is ok, as you can see in the pics in 3DSimEd the speedo numbers looks transparent. The problem is the material itself. These are the material values: http://i.imgur.com/ZSNZQ4J.png
 
Finally!!! :D

http://i.imgur.com/5Rsj1pn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/m3RnRZl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/oJ7lEna.jpg

Seems the DDS format it's not the best suitable solution for precission works so I returned back to TGA and voila, gauges looks well again! But as always at the first time 3DSimEd 2.17a don't saved the gmts well and diffuse texture don't showed, so I've saved it with 3DSimEd 1.1.8 and gauges backs finally. TGA was the key.

Johannes Rojola thanks so much for all the tips. Appreciate your help and I will give you credits for that. Can't wait to see your good looking mods.

Cheers!
 
[Big Thumb up] especially to Johannes Rojola for giving the deciding hints.

PS no need to upload the meshes anymore.
 
redapg said:
[Big Thumb up] especially to Johannes Rojola for giving the deciding hints.

PS no need to upload the meshes anymore.
Click to expand...

About the meshes, I've redone them and done it very simple. The question isn't the mesh itself, it's the mapping, so you could use a simple mesh and mapping it according to what you need.

This is how I'm mapping the fuel/oil/water gauges (not working yet, don't know whats the problem now):
http://i.imgur.com/8As7s5k.png

This is how t-bird gauges meshes looks:
http://i.imgur.com/wrLQKGl.png

Finally my speedometer and tachometer working good:
http://i.imgur.com/xoFptGX.jpg

The solution was in front of my face, but it is my second mod. This is the way to learn.
 
Yes, my fault was to map the whole mesh to the complete texture and i got this:

tachomesh.png


Something to laugh about :D
But like you said: "The solution was in front of my face..." ;)

And that your oil, water and fuel gauges don't work..maybe you choose the wrong materialname?
I think they have to end with:
_fuel
_oilpress
_oiltemp
_wtemp

But you will get them working too, i'm sure :)
 
redapg said:
_fuel
_oilpress
_oiltemp
_wtemp
Click to expand...

I don't think that is necessary, material names can be pretty much anything for gauges. But I have never worked with 3DSimed so I don't know if there are some special quirks.
 
Guys, I'm very proud to show you the unique, original, historical and beautiful 64' Thunderbird's gauges!

http://i.imgur.com/6l6QA50.jpg

Again, really thanks for you replies. Gauges are finished now, so I can continue with the rest (and with my life) and the t-bird will finish at least.

The gauges work smoothly, precise and looks fantastic.
 
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