Race Track Builder News

Introducing a new tool called Workshop Uploader - allowing you to share any XPacks that you have created with other RTB users.



Two things need to be prepared in order for you to upload an XPack. A small jpeg image file that will used as a thumbnail/screenshot in the workshop, and the XPack itself. The Workshop uploads an entire folder so it's important that the XPack exist in it's own folder with no other files, not even the thumbnail.

Uploading is a two step process. After starting the Workshop Uploaded (from within Steam):

1. Create New Item - This creates a new empty placeholder for your Workshop Item. When running for the first time you will be required to accept Steam's Workshop Legal Agreement.
   
2. Update Item - This is the actual uploading part. Set the Title, Description, Visibilty, Tags (to help people search and find your XPack), the Folder (containing just the XPack) and the Image path, then click Update Item. This will load the contents of your Folder to Steam.
   

You can run the Update Item process many times for the same XPack, thus providing updates to your fans/subscribers as you develop more content.



All shared content will be available for others to download. This content will appear in the Workshop ... http://steamcommunity.com/app/388980/workshop/

Simply click the Subscribe button for Items that you want to download. Steam will automatically do this for you.

Restart RTB and items that have been downloaded will then become available.

A few people will have noticed a few minor updates fixing a few minor bugs. Phew! Thanks to those giving great descriptions of the bugs, makes finding and fixing much easier.

XPacks have recently been getting a bit of attention in order to support collisions, moveable objects and driveable surfaces. I’ll do a tutorial video that explains how this all hangs together in a Complex object, but the smart cookies will probably have examined the Stunts XPack and figured it out already.

XPacker is now a very capable tool, but there’s still relatively very little XPack content to be found. RTB XPacks are scarce and although some people have privately converted older BTB ones, this hasn’t resulted in a resource that is easily accessible. Google just doesn’t cut it.

Thankfully there’s a feature in Steam that supports the sharing of User Generated Content. Steam’s Workshop allows people to upload “game’ content into the Workshop where others can then “Subscribe”; Steam the downloads the resources automatically.

In RTB, users could use the Workshop to upload XPacks they have produced so that other RTB users can enjoy their work. There’s even the ability for authors to earn money for their content should they like to explore that avenue. I’m in the early stages of understanding how best to utilise the Workshop and am producing a tool that will assist in the process of uploading XPack content.

Let me know if you have any other thoughts and experiences about Steam’s Workshop.

- Added: Material property AC_GameSurface now determines driveable surface type when exported.
- String Objects can now also be made Driveable so kerbs will act like kerbs.
- Improved: Minor updates to XPacker and Materials Editor.

- Added: Stunts XPack.
- Improved: XPacker Object selection control now easier to use.

- Added: Support for Driveable objects. XPacker has new "Driveable Mesh" option for Complex objects.
- Added: AC export has option to merge the Terrain mesh into one object (or more if needed).
- Added: AC export has option to split so sections of terrain that are not touching a track are flagged as non-driveable.
- Improved: Invisible Collision objects not created in RTB but instead only used during export.
- Improved: Remembers last ThemePack/Width/Depth after each new project.
- Fixed: AC export uses ksPerPixelAT for Transparent Diffuse material.