Quote from Aleksandr_124rus :

...maybe I need to do something differently but either I don't understand how it works, or it doesn't have a significant effect.

The NCL can only have an effect when used within the same smoothing group. In that case it will give a higher weighting to the triangles with the higher number. So it affects only the normals at the boundary between two normal contribution levels, within the same smoothing group. But across smoothing group boundaries, separate triangles do not contribute to the same normal anyway so then it has no effect.

But I wondered about the slight shading errors, and had a look in game and in editor. I tried "flat" view mode, because flat shading shows a good representation of the triangle normals, that produce the raw data for the vertex normals.

As you can see in flat shaded view, there is a sort of dent here (attached image). Because of how LFS works, that dent is the cause for the undesirable normals at that location.

I forgot to mention flat shaded mode. That is another thing that Eric uses a lot. I think that by moving vertices around a few mm here or there, the flat shaded model can display more consistent lighting and that will affect the vertex normals in a good way. I don't know if you can use the same thing in blender (I know blender supports non-triangle polygons so I don't know).

EDIT: I just remembered, sometimes triangle rotations can also have a quite a noticeable effect on the normals. I mean rotating two triangles within a quad (select 1 triangle, SHIFT+click the adjacent triangle). The LFS importer doesn't always make the best choice of triangle rotation when creating two triangles from a quad in the imported obj file.

Last edited by Scawen, Sat 30 Mar 2024, 14:39.

Quote from Aleksandr_124rus :

the shading algorithm always sets its own direction of normals. And it doesn't always look good. And I don't know how to deal with it. In blender the shading looks different than in LFS Editor, and in LFS game it is even more different.

I haven't seen the specific case you are talking about but there are some tricks you can use.

First to understand:

- the normals at a vertex are based on the directions of the connected triangles, within a smoothing group.
- the normal contributions are higher from the larger triangles meeting at that point.

You can adjust the normals in two main ways:

- extra triangles may sometimes be needed
- use "normal contribution level" (ncl)

I have a feeling that a lot of people don't know about normal contribution levels, although Eric uses them a lot. You can use it to increase the importance of some triangles, relative to others, regarding their contribution to normals.

Actually, triangles with ncl of zero will not affect the normal at all if there are triangles with a higher contribution level also connected to that point.

You can view and assign the ncl in a similar manner to smoothing groups.

I always imagined that type of central deadzone could be set in the controller's software, though I don't think I've ever tried. It seems like a memory from the distant past. Is that not the case, or at least not convenient?

EDIT: Maybe that's only in the Logitech software, but not e.g. Microsoft? Just speculating.
https://www.lfs.net/forum/post/1721869#post1721869

Last edited by Scawen, Sat 30 Mar 2024, 10:41.

And not only the interface, also the setup file format. Other things are already shoehorned in there. The 7th gear ratio is in a completely different position in the file, where it was queezed in to support the BF1 (I think).

So it's not an easy thing to add at this point, although it's an obvious thing to support. The larger setup file requires version support in the setup file reader, an adjustment to multiplayer packets and ability to read old MPRs with old style setups in them, etc. "Changing a number" is far from the reality. Better to do it at the same time as some other additions to the setup file.

Well that's just for interest and to explain why it's way too difficult to do right now.

My comment earlier was not in opposition to the suggestion, but about the statement that "the majority" of modern vehicles have 7 or more gears.

That statement seemed very unlikely, and I did ask if somehow this change in technology had passed me by unnoticed. I prefer suggestions to be based on reality rather than fiction.

EDIT: I think what I mean to say is I would prefer to be persuaded by calm reasoning rather than exaggeration.

Last edited by Scawen, Sat 30 Mar 2024, 14:44.

Sure but I have my doubts that 7,8,9 speed gearboxes are fitted to the majority of modern vehicles. I'm happy to be proved wrong though.
Until then I'll just go on believing that 5 and 6 speed are the usual thing.

Editor Patch E7:

Drag selection box:

Function to make drag box from points now available in points mode
Scale / rotate / shear axes are now hidden while making a drag box
Grey button shows drag info to avoid left buttons moving around

Typing individual values to align points:

ALT + click r/f/u numbers to set all selected points to same value
- relative values compared with last selected point not preserved

New modeller line guide:

Set up a trace then click "guide" to create a line guide
- the guide is visible in most editor modes and all views
- options to hide/show the guide or draw it open/closed

Merging subobjects:

You can now merge a subobject fully into another subobject
- this is a step towards moving a selection between subobjects
- triangles can now be transferred via an intermediate subobject

https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/106792

Quote from dh7938726 :

As majority of modern vehicles carry 7 to 8 or even 9 speeds

I'd like to see the stats that bring you to this assertion!

In your third screenshot, if you press the pedals, do the axes (blue and yellow) move?

If they do then you just need to assign them to the correct input.

EDIT: I see your axes are set to "con botones" - it should be 'separate'.

Have you tried to setup according to the guide?
https://en.lfsmanual.net/wiki/Options#Controls

Hi, I see there were some threads in the 2023 forum section so I hope it's OK to create a thread here. If not, someone can delete it.

My question is about directions, I have a vague memory that last year one of the rounds (that I didn't enter) was run in both directions around the track. Is that happening this year, or maybe not now that the two races are of unequal length?

Thanks!

It's really not on topic as it's a completely different interface.

By the way, my own Xbox controller reports separate axes through Direct Input.

The problem you report is really a Microsoft bug.

I can't imagine that it would be easy to implement the new interface, maybe even impossible with the old compiler used for the public version. Anyway, it's a really big task and I'm 99% certain this will never be implemented into the old version of LFS.

Nice to see a dragster approved. I have an improvement suggestion.
In version 23, I believe the engine rotation direction is wrong. For nearly all RWD cars, when you blip the throttle, the left side should lift (car rocks clockwise from driver's viewpoint as engine revs increase).
This is confirmed at least in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywDgpkWas8k

To fix: 'Object Positions' -> Rotation (from front) -> clockwise.