**** CAR SET INFORMATION **** Marcelo Bassino This is a description of a N1 car set structure, I will try to explain how a car set works, and how to modify it. ============================================================================= Inside a car set DAT file, there's a collection of files. You can unpack them using Corey's tool (available on the CEP pages). N1 allows you to have this collection of files instead of the DAT file, but you won't be able to paint the cars (paintkit needs the DAT file). You can refer to the other information files I have in the CEP pages, to have a better idea of how are the 3DO, MIP, PMP and DAT structures. You can consider the MIP and PMP files as pictures, and since I don't have any experience modifying them, I won't refer to them in this document. About 3DO files: You must imagine each 3DO file as a piece of a puzzle, if you place one piece beside other you will begin to construct the car. Sometimes just a part of the files is needed, depending on how much damaged the car is. I will clasify the files by groups, and I will mention advanced concepts about 3DO editing (read the 3DO information file!!). Also, I will asume that you are working with my 3DO extractor/packer. TIRES: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tires are always the same, never get damaged, maybe you can blow them, but always looks like if they weren't. fgood.3do Goodyear tire administrator fhoos.3do Hoosier tire administrator mgood.3do Goodyear tire administrator mhoos.3do Hoosier tire administrator fwheel.3do 3D tire good1.mip Goodyear decals good2.mip Goodyear decals good3.mip Goodyear decals hoosier1.mip Hoosier decals hoosier2.mip Hoosier decals hoosier3.mip Hoosier decals The Tire Administrator uses the 3D tire, and put the apropiate decals on it. Depending on how fast the car is running, the decals will change to recreate motion. I still don't know the difference between m... and f... tire administrators. How to modify them? ------------------- Tires are placed in the car in the coordinates defined in the main 3DO file, the four tires are identical, so you won't be able to make differences between the front tires and the rear ones, but you can modify the placement of them making the rear tires look wider than the front ones (for example). Also, you can edit fwheel.3do to modify the 3D tires, making them greater or smaller, be sure to update the Z placement coordinates (in the main DAT file) to adjust the new tires to make them look if they were in contact with the floor. Now, if you edited the tires to make them wider, correct the Y placement coordinates to avoid tire penetration in the chassis. THE DRIVER: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The driver is a multi-picture image, it doesn't have a 3d object where to place textures. So I don't know how to edit it. drivr.3do Driver administrator drv0001.pmp Driver image drv0002.pmp Driver image drv0003.pmp Driver image drv0004.pmp Driver image drv0005.pmp Driver image drv0006.pmp Driver image drv0007.pmp Driver image drv0008.pmp Driver image drv0009.pmp Driver image drv0010.pmp Driver image drv0011.pmp Driver image drv0012.pmp Driver image drv0013.pmp Driver image drv0014.pmp Driver image drv0015.pmp Driver image drv0016.pmp Driver image UNDAMAGED CAR: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before the first heavy contact, the car is drawn like one-piece object. nascar.3do The main 3DO file when car is undamaged This file contains multiple definitions, if you have noticed, when you're far from a car, the game will show you just a box shaped car, but when you begin to aproach to, you can notice better and better shape details. This is a way to free some memory and speed up the game. How to modify it? ----------------- Since this is a main 3DO file, you can change some placement coordinates, to move the driver or the tires. DAMAGED CAR: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now that you have damaged your car, the game changes the one-piece car to a puzzle car, I mean, a collection of pieces placed together, to construct the whole car, just if it was a one-piece car. damage.3do The main 3DO file when car is damaged pieces.3do The damage administrator engine.mip Engine image The main 3DO file is the body of the car without tires, bumpers, hood, etc. The damage administrator draws the parts, depending on how much damaged the car is. The group of pieces are: UNDAMAGED | DAMAGED | SERIOUSLY DAMAGED -------------------------------------------------- back.3do bback.3do cback.3do grille.3do bgrille.3do cgrille.3do hood.3do bhood.3do chood.3do lfbumper.3do blfbumpe.3do clfbumpe.3do lfpanel.3do blfpanel.3do clfpanel.3do lrbumper.3do blrbumpe.3do clrbumpe.3do lrpanel.3do blrpanel.3do clrpanel.3do mbumper.3do bmbumper.3do cmbumper.3do rfbumper.3do brfbumpe.3do crfbumpe.3do rfpanel.3do brfpanel.3do crfpanel.3do rrbumper.3do brrbumpe.3do crrbumpe.3do rrpanel.3do brrpanel.3do crrpanel.3do trunk.3do btrunk.3do ctrunk.3do How to modify them? ------------------- Since damage.3do is a main 3DO file, you can change some placement coordinates, to move the driver, the tires or some of the parts listed above. CAR SET FILES: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ These files contain the user defined properties for each car. cars.3do Index of cars xxxxx##.3do Car colors for each definable polygon/texture xxxxx##.mip Car design How to modify them? ------------------- The Car Set Builder allows you to edit the cars.3do file and the paintkit, the other ones. DOING 3DO EDITING: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE COORDINATES: ---------------------------------- All main 3DO files have absolute values for their vertices. The other 3DO files use relative values. To convert relative into absolute values you must do this: - Find the placement definition for the 3d object in the main 3DO file - Take notes of placement coordinates for each axis - Add the values to the vertex coordinates in the 3do file you're editing This conversion is necesary to be sure of the correct placement of each part. IMPORTANT NOTES ---------------- 1) There's no way to generate new lines or vertices. You only can move vertex coordinates. 2) The game has a predefined order to draw polygons. In some cases it will generate some overlap effects. 3) The backside of a polygon has a strange properties, so try to not expose it. =============================================================================== Last Updated: Mar 17, 1997