Trial of a Tutorial for "Converting rFactor-cars to gtr (or GTLegends")

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YOU may have the opinion: Converting a rFactor-car to gtr is easy and quick-done.
Following steps are necessary:
- Make appropriate folders in gtr under GameData/Sounds and /Teams
- Copy files from rFactor (GameData/Vehicles) to these folders in the right mann
er
- In a temporary folder "TEMP" unpack the rFactors .MAS-files, select them als "
objects" in 3DsimED, save these files in the OTHER .GMT-format of gtr / GTLegends
via "Save as Objects, ADD to GTR", making new "masfiles" with extension .GMT (N
OT necessary for .DDS-grafic-files!)
- RENAME the rFactor-textfiles .hdv, .ini, .sfx, .gen., .tbc, .pm to gtr2-name-e
xtension .hdc, .eng., .grb, .aud, .cas, .tyr, .sp etc...
- Accommodate file-names, references to extern files (STEX, TALENT, Cmaps..) in
.hdc, .cas-textfiles easily with WINDOWS-Edit.exe
- Paste parts of rFactor-textfiles ..Cockpitinfo.ini / ..Spinner.gen into a new
.car-textfile for gtr2
- Ready, done, all is running well, only a breakfast-pause needed...
Sorry, this is NOT my experience. I have - successfully - finished converting TR
UCKs and - 2. work - of HistoricRallyCars/NSU-TT, but going this procedure descr
ibed above I get very disappointed, I despaired nearly! Now I say: There are NUM
EROS, MANY simple "errors" (typing errors! Firstly unknown naming-conventions, l
ittle differences between rFactor and gtr, other MASfile-names...), that it is TO
HARD to go this way for a BEGINNER. You are working and working some time, maki
ng several steps at a single blow, and in the end - gtr does NOT show the car or
the little "hand" for selection of cars is "flickering" (a certain symbol for so
me gone wrong!!!) or loading a short test-track ends with a CTD (C_rash T_o D_es
ktop), or - worst - you have to push the RESET-button on your computer, then wai
ting long on WINDOWs new starting (with HD-testing...)
Therefore I suggest another, long winded, but safer procedure: Take a good runin
g car on gtr and substitute STEP-by-STEP single files or filenames and test, whet
her gtr is still running or if you had made an error...
For my 2. work (NSU-TT historic) I used "BASE4Car-Making", an upload acessable o
n www.nogripracing.com/downloads/gtr2/Misc or www.gtr4u.de/downloads/gtr2/Utilit
ies, made by myself months ago: This is a basic-"car" of 4 - very poor - wheels
and a single, simple plank as "chassis" on base of a LOTUS-ELISE-standard-car, s
imply undressed" to the ultimative, absolute necessary parts of a running "car"
in gtr (o.k. Audio-file-reference is NOT necessary, but included as BASE.AUD). Mo
st files are well commented, so you can take this "modell" as a base. It runs un
der gtr, surely!!!
First converting rFactors-GMT-files to gtr-GMT-files is a good beginning. Identic
al extension .GMT means NOT the same fileformat!!! Unpacking rFactors-MAS-files
in a temporary folder "TEMP", loading these files as "objects" with 3DsimED, the
n saving these again as "GTR2-objects, ADD to .GTR" is a good sure way, not to g
et mysterios errors because of false GMT-format!
I have also expanded GMT-files of the general MAS-files of rFactor (Cmaps, rfHUD
, ShowRoom, MultiCars) to gtr-folders, even to new gtr-MAS-files with extension .G
TR. For NSU-TT I did also with an additonal "Cmaps_HRC.mas". I think, these file
s are equal to STEX.GTR in the mainfolder "GameData".
Recommended is naming the new gtr-masfiles .GTR equal to the files for other gtr-c
ars: xyz_cpit.gtr, xyz_tex.gtr, xyz_obj.gtr, xyz_wheels.gtr. I used first other
names, but I got severe problems with NOT-working analoge instruments: NO needle
in speedometer / tachometer, NOTHING... I needed some time to find, that the al
ready existing files speedo.tga / tac01.tga have to be in ..._cpit.gtr. Then the
y worked very well...!

(xyz_cpit.gtr / .gtl is very important, especially for switching between gtr <->
GTL: This is the ONLY ONE masfile, whose extension has to be changed, and the re
ference in .CAS-file too, of course...)
For TRACKs-converting / creating I didnt use mas-files at all, because I could si
mply store all files in special folders - without naming-problems (I created my
own conventions of foldernames with: _DDSs, _Objects, _Tracks!). So exchanging
single files was very easy. I didnt use packing or unpacking files. For CARs-conv
erting I found NO similar way. May be, gtr is stricter in handling car-files...??
It is rather awkward to change a single file, than as next step to pack this fi
le again in a masfile, test it, seeing, that changing was not good, again change
the file, pack it, test it...
RENAMING of all rFactor-textfiles to the proper gtr-names is necessary. You can m
ake it step-by-step with only single files. Rest of the files have still a name
like BASE.., if you use the BASE-4-Car-Making-Tool. After every renaming-step st
art gtr to controll, whether the car is still running or there is a new mistake..
. De-activating most other cars and tracks make gtr start faster in this circledprozesses:
.hdv -> .hdc (reference in .car-file also to change!)
..._damage.ini -> .dmg (reference in new .hdc-file has to be changed!)
.pm -> .sp (next reference in .hdc)
..._engine.ini -> .eng (2 nexe references in .hdc)
.._ratios.ini -> .grb (next and last reference of a changing filename in .hdc)
I know NO method to controll the renamings (typing errors!), you have to be simp
ly carefully.
Sound-controlling textfile .sfx -> .aud.
Sound is NOT essential necessary, but if you want hear anything, you have to act
ivate sound-reference in the .car-file. I had problems with getting ANY sound fo
r NSU-TT (Sound-files from rFactor already exactly copied from rFactor!...), so
I used sound-controlling-textfile from LOTUS-Elise (BASE-modell!) and changed on
ly the lines for motor-sounds. I dont know the reason, why this runs good...
...tbc -> .tyr
Again I had problems with NSU-TT-tyres. The tyre-file is VERY short and it has o
nly ONE data-table. After changing "TireCompoundSetting" to "0" instead of "1" I
had NO problems any more. Other counting-conventions in rFactor versus gtr ???..
.
HeadPhysics.ini I dont used, so I didnt changed anyhing. This is valid for _Upgrad
e.ini (a special rFactor-expansion?), for .._cam.cam and .._spinner.gen. Car run
s in gtr without these files.
.gen -> .cas
The rather big and most CRITICAL grafic-controlling textfile! I did NOT use the
original rFactor-.gen-file, but instead changed my BASE.CAS-file step-by-step:
Copy the search path from another car. In BASE.CAS you have to change nothing.
Show, which names your new masfiles with .GTR have, without proper names you get
a failure. Do you have ALL needed masfiles (even STEX, TALENT, Cmaps, Cmaps_HRC
...)? Is nothing missing?
First I changed the chassis-file, so a NSU-TT runs with LOTUS-Elise-wheels, but
it would be the FIRST time, you can see an important, big part of your new car.
Enjoy this moment!
Now you can change the wheels according rFactors .gen-file. From extern-view the
new car seems rather ready. But caution, many additional steps may follow!
Expand now BASE.CAS more and more, step-by-step. Do you have a SHADOW-file, a CO
LLISION-file? Is your new car displayed in the car-selecting-menu, in the showro
om (NOT soooo... essential)?

A "flickering" cursor-hand is a SERIOUS hint for a massive error! Dont disobey th

is sign! For ALL selections this cursor-hand "flickers", if there is NO problem,
flickering is VERY short, you may never have become aware of it, but it always
happens. In this short moment gtr searches for the appropriate files, GMT or - m
ostly, I think - DDS-grafic-files.
With HEADLIGHTs I had massive problems. I can do without it... (Many tracks flic
ker on night with headlights. An error in gtr-grafic-"engine". RFactor is better
in this aspect.)
In the next steps regard the INTERIOR of your new car: What is with the COCKPITfile, the steeringwheel...?
MOTEC in rFactor and in gtr are two totally different things - my opinion. I have
never seen a rFactor-MOTEC running in a gtr-car! Dont try it! There are enough tu
torials for embedding a MOTEC in a gtr-car! (I have written for www.nogripracing
.com, with special themes: Colored MOTECs, MOTEC outside of cockpit on car-hood.
..)
Activating the analoge instruments caused problems (with NSU-TT). Loooonnnnggg e
xperiments with following results: Give names to "materials" used in an already
running gtr-car (BASE has NO instruments!): NO prefixes as in rFactor, use the SA
ME names! Put these files in a masfile named ..._cpit.GTR, otherwise needles can
NOT be seen, do NOT work! If you regard this hint, values of rFactors ..._Cockpi
tInfo.ini are a good choice.
If you have BASE.CAR in the subfolder "minimum-modell", you will got NO problems
. But if you want renaming to another name, you should regard hints in this BASE
.CAR-textfile. Essential is the "Manufactures Name", because this name is used f
or selecting the cars. The textfile .car uses this name in the form nnnnn_NAME.c
ar, the tech-files similar, the TEX or Ultra_Tex too...
A special problem for me was displaying the different car-characteristics. I thi
nk, rFactor and gtr are using DIFFERENT methodes for this. So I got every car (NS
U-TT) with single-selection in his proper characteristic (more RED, blue, cyn,..
. outside and inside). But great surprise - and disappointment -, when I selecte
d ONE car and had the other cars as AI-contrahents: ALL had the SAME characteris
tic, 6 red cars instead of 6 cars with Red, blue, green, cyan, orange, yellow pa
intwork! Gtr uses a .DDS-graphic-file only ONCE, the FIRST car decides the painti
ng. If he has a WCCarBody.DDS with RED, all other cars with a file named WCCarBo
dy.DDS got only "links" to this first file with this name and so ALL have the SA
ME DDS-file.
I didnt find another method then using the "Genstring" in the .car-textfile and c
hanging the wccarbody, wcextra0/1/2, wcwing, wcwindow-files for EACH characteris
tic. This blowes up _obj.GTR / _cpit.GTR to much bigger files, because every car
-characteristic needs an own Chassis<1>.GMT-file, where <1> represents the FIRST
character of the Genstring in .CAR. In the subfolder of characteristiced car I
have a DDS-file with leading <1>. In all Chassis<1>.GMT /CockPitMax<1>.GMT I had
to change the wccarbody to <1>wccarbody for the name of the material AND the na
me of the .DDS-file. This is valid for wcextra, wcwing, wcwindow too! Happy typi
ng...! I dont know, if there is a better method!
For GTLegends rename ONLY ..._cpit.GTR to ..._cpit.GTL and change the reference
to this file in the .CAS-file. This is ENOUGH! Car has to run under GTLegends to
o! STEX.GTR / TALENT.GTR (and others?) should reside in GTLegends/GameData too!
Due to RULES of internet-web-sides I can NOT publish the converted files here. S
ome hints, tutorials (Fight-for-AIW e.g.!) are uploaded to http:hosted.filefront
.com/LkwFan, this side may help you furtherly.

Your experience with modding, using 3DsimED and other computer-related skills ar
e unknown for me and may be VERY different of all users of this tutorial-trial.
So much things may be mistakable or - on the other side - boring for you.
My motherspeak is NOT english, I am a german at munich, Bayern. Excuse my "handm
ade" english. I hope, you may understand most parts of this tutorial-trial and i
t may really help you!
Greetings from LkwFan