Le Mans 2013 v1.3

1.0 released (23/OCT/2012)
1.1 released (13/OCT/2012)
1.2 released (26/OCT/2012)
1.3 released (24/JUL/2013)

Version 1.3 :

– Rebuilt section between Mulsanne & Indianapolis
– Completely rebuilt right hand entrance to Indianapolis including runoff area.
– All road sections have increased poly‐count in some areas with lots of new bumps and camber (crank up the FFB for this one on the mulsanne)
– Track sections have new bumps to make them feel and look more realistic.
– Whole circuit looks less smooth and less fake.
– 2013 Michelin Tower Added (will eventually add a changing screen)
– Various Banners updated to 2013 (still more to do)
– More trees added to back sections of the circuit
– AIW by Ilu2404 implemented
– Various tweaks and additions

Version : 1.2 :

– Final version of Restaurant du Welcome Bar & Pavillion added at end of pitlane.
– Temporary version of Big Wheel added at Ford Chicane.
– All blue and white corner markers added to circuit (please let me know if I’ve missed any).
– Small red corner markers added to parts of the circuit (once again let me know if I’ve missed any).
– Various race affiliated lighting poles added, including traffic lights, start lights, LED flag boards etc.
– Other small signs added to various parts of the track.
– Various trackside detailing on approach to second Mulsanne Chicane eg. trees & fencing.
– Added “FIA ROAD SAFETY” banner at Ford Chicane.
– Various landscaping additions.
– New LOD screen.

Version 1.0 :

– AIW fix for v1.0 added to v1.1
– Overall grip level increased by 0.02
– All the yellow “baton” like bump strips lowered and made less aggressive.
– Tertre Rouge rebuilt with a smoother runoff area and less aggressive kerbing, I have widened the track very slightly around the apex.
– The hump before Mulsanne Corner has been lowered very slightly and the downward slope made more gradual.
– The first right hander at Indianapolis has been made a bit smoother so it throws the car around less and the kerbing made less aggressive.
– The banking at Porsche Curves (1st right hander & righthanded Karting Curve) have had the inside camber angle decreased to cause less grip through these corners.
– Bugatti layout added to model (although no AIW and option to race on it yet)
– Basic landscaping started around Bugatti Circuit

*The Dreaded Night Flickers
Yes it has them, but not as badly as other tracks I have tried. I’m sure I can eventually find a fix.

*Texture Flickering
Not sure if this is a glitch in the way BTB exports the GMTs of just a GTR2 bug. But if two planes are close together you will get flickering when viewed from a distance. This mainly happens where kerbs meet the ground, where I have placed texture borders and where tarmac surfaces overlap (BTB won’t allow you to merge 2 different track polys so I will try and fix this issue later by merging GMTs in 3Dmax). It also happens with some car models in the TV cams but that can’t be helped from my side.

*Barrier Collisions
Some of the barriers can be driven through, they just need their surfaces reversing. I haven’t got round to updating all of them. If you spot some, please let me know. There are 2 that I know of at Tertre Rouge.

*Some Tree Texture Normals Overlap
I used one particular tree when laying out my tree positions and it just so happens it’s one that has a bug. Its not a big thing but basically in some areas of the circuit you’ll see trees rendering in front of others when they’re not supposed to. I’ve tried playing with the normal setting on the texture but to no avail. I’m slowly replacing them as I make my way around the track (I don’t like them anyway haha).

FEEDBACK

A current list of things I’m looking for feedback on at this time would mainly be the circuit layout as I would like to get this as right as possible then continue with the rest.

*Track Undulation
I laid the track out over a flat plan of the circuit and scaled it to fit, but I did not import any GPS height data. This means the layout of the track is as accurate as it can be in terms of corner shape, track width etc. But all the height data was created from scratch by myself. It’s all estimated from plotting basic reference height points then making it up in between according to image and video reference data.

So I would like comments on main areas such as the undulation of the Mulsanne straight, the hump before Mulsanne Corner, running down to Indianapolis and approaching the Porsche Curves. These are the areas I’ve found the most difficult to get right. I’ve tried to be as accurate as possible and I’m very happy with the results, but I think its time for a second opinion as you can only tweak it for so long.

*Corner Banking
As above, it was all guess work from pictures and videos.
Again, I’m pretty happy with the results but need a second opinion.

*Smaller Bumps on the circuit
I have included a few where the track changes surface and also started working on the curve of the Mulsanne straights, but apart from that there isn’t a lot in the model. If you know where bumps are then maybe we can come up with a way of noting their positions so I can include them.

*Kerbs
Colours/Textures
Type (there are at least 3 types of kerbing at Le Mans, I think they’re in the right place but I may have got some wrong.)
Height/Scale
Positioning.

*Object/Wall positioning/scale
There is still a lot more to add and I have tried to be as accurate as possible according to the plan, but as before I could always do with a second opinion.

*Performance Issues
Would like to know how well this track currently runs on your PC. Could you post PC specs, resolution you run the game at and your FPS rate in game. Compare it to other tracks and let me know if it’s better or worse.