Custom Liveries Tool - Livery Manager and Livery Package Export

[crowtrobot]

CUSTOM LIVERIES TOOL v0.98

by crowtrobot 041816
Special Thanks to FLX81, Pamellaaa, and Reiche (testing and UI/feedback), and JDougNY for a bulk of the exported vehicle files




(Custom liveries shown by Dmitry Afanasyev, Fernando Pedace and FLX81)

NOTE: Install instructions have changed since last release, please read directions carefully!

Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/tb...crowtrobot.rar

***REQUIREMENTS***

• Custom Liveries Tool 0.98 by crowtrobot

DISCLAIMER: This mod alters the unpacked game files. Please back up your Project CARS Profile before using. Mod works online, though it is strongly recommended to avoid VAC servers. Author is not responsible for lost save data or broken profiles or bans.

This mod is intended to allow the user to assign multiple custom liveries to a car, remove existing liveries, and export customized livery sets for distribution.

Installation instructions:

1. Unzip pCARS_Custom_Liveries to <Steam_Directory>\steamapps\common\pCARS - there should be a pCars_Custom_Liveries shortcut in this directory, and folders: demo_fa_liveries, python, and many vehicle folders inside the Vehicles folder of root pCARS.
2. Run the Custom Livery tool. Select car, then use load button and point to a folder with liveries.
3. Folder should contain a set of sub-folders for each custom livery. Liveries should follow current pCARS naming conventions (i.e. at least contain a <VEHICLE>_LIVERY_PLAYER.dds file)
4. Note to livery makers - keep livery folders and reference material separate. Jpgs and pdns of livery material may break the load function if in a sub-directory of the folder for the liveries.
5. Select liveries and add to livery list (can double click, or group selection and use >> button. Double click from Grid list to remove, or group select and <<.)
6. When livery list is complete, click Assign.
7. If making livery package for release or league, press Export button and enter a folder name for the package. Folder will be in root pCARS directory.
8. If using a package, simply copy all files and folders to root pCARS directory.
9. If using in conjunction with CUSTOM GRID TOOL - make changes via Custom Liveries Tool, then run the Grid Tool.

NOTES:

• Tool is targeted for online leagues. The idea is that one person can assign custom liveries for each person in the league, then export a package for everyone in the league to download and activate.
• Tool can also be used by livery creators to assemble packages for race series or groups.
• Also as stated, ALL USERS IN AN ONLINE GAME MUST HAVE THE SAME PACKAGE INSTALLED AND ACTIVATED for the liveries to show properly online. Users not using the same configuration will not see the correct liveries for each player.
• Previously un-customizable cars are now customizable, but no templates are provided.
• Tool creates .bak backup files of all altered files. If anything goes wrong, press Reset button and deactivate the mod. Reset and closing the tool should restore backups and remove them.

Change Log:

• v0.90: Release version.
• v0.91: rcfWrite now uses _hr.rcf by default - removes hr tags for the standard .rcf, localized vehicle liveries to vehicle subdirectory in CustomLiveries. This allows reset to clear the old liveries in a controlled manner. Programatically find vehicle short name from rcf, output in err message if not found. Fix rcf for TS040 (upper/lowercase), Ford Falcon (wrong .rcf from vehiclespersistent), Audi (wrong substitution), BMW 1m SW (missing .crd/.rcf)
• v0.92: reset button clears vehicle data as well as liveries, added reset All button to clear all vehicle data using list of vehicles from widget.
• v0.93: fixed discrepency between add array and new livery array that was causing liveries to get out of order if added, written, removed, re-added. Fixed editing livery list after additions/writes. Updated files for Patch 9.0
• v0.94: Strange split() behavior when parsing for PLAYER/AI swap causing crash for some vehicles fixed (use os.path functions) Leave 99 custom livery in CONDITIONS so lists can be re-written. Continue to remove from NAMES list. Fixed liveries getting out of order on 2nd assign. multiple arrays were getting out of sync.
• v0.95: Properly fixed the PLAYER/AI swap - wasn't actually checking for AI, just overwriting no matter what. Remove 99 livery just in case. Replaced dummy files for vehicles with smaller alternatives. Fixed mclaren gt3 windscreen
• v0.96: Fixed crash when foreign files present in the livery directory. Fixed materials on the Stockcar90 courtesy of JDougNY.
• v0.97: Reset now removes pakfiles for vehicles. Created new materials files for Aston GT4, Audi R8 LMS, BMW GT4, Corvette GT3
• v0.98: Modified to utilize mods.txt support. Removed all pakfiles and customLiveryData folder. Removed exterior data file handling functions. Added handling for banner livery files. Fixed .rcfs for MP4-12C GT3 & tweaked .rcf for AMG GT3

[crowtrobot]

[B]First:[/B] Apologies for the large size of the mod. Adding to the livery lists requires that the vehicle pakfiles be unpacked. I have moved most of the data outside the MODS directory to a /customLiveryData/ folder, and the app copies the data out of here as needed, in an effort to make it easier for users to activate and deactivate the mod as needed. EDIT: no more large data files as of 0.98!

Second: This program was quite a bit more complicated than the grid tool, so 1) there will likely be some missed bugs. I stress tested the UI as best I could, but I am sure there are combinations of actions I missed. If you follow the order laid out by the instructions, it should be rock-solid. If you do something different and run into a crash, please report the steps and I will try to reproduce and patch. 2) I tested several types of cars, but not all cars, so if you run into a specific bug with a specific car, report it and I will look into it.

I am posting some more detailed instructions to help guide people, since this tool is a little more complicated than the last:

1) Install - Unzip to <Steam>\steamapps\common\pCARS.

2) Run the tool - Double Click the pCARS_Custom_Liveries shortcut to run.

3) Select car.

4) Select Folder containing desired liveries. Folder should contain sub-directories for each livery as shown:



5) Add new liveries and remove desired existing liveries from list. Click Assign to write changes. Click Reset to start over. Click Export and type a name to export a distributable package - these packages will be located in the MODS directory after they have written out.

7) If using an EXPORTED PACKAGE: Copy contents of package into <Steam>\steamapps\common\pCARS\

[Shadowoff]

On the picture you uploaded you dont used the moding unlocker for the grid tool.Do i still need it?

[Shadowoff]

On the picture you uploaded you dont used the moding unlocker for the grid tool.Do i still need it?

Sorry, dont read your post in the custom grid thread

[KAMPFBIBER81]

Thx crow, very nice tool!

[t0daY]

Awesome shit!! Looks like my mate pamellaaa helped here a lot RSR will test it the next couple weeks with maybe 20+ people in a lobby. Again brilliant job!!!

[Pamellaaa]

Yeah, excellent work Crow and thanks for the chance to test and have some input, as t0daY says we will be test and then assembling our own pack shortly and should be able to provide plenty of feedback!

[f3lixOvi]

Fantastic work crowtrobot Thanks a lot for all your hard work.

One small thing I noticed...the original liveries are low-res after enabling some new liveries.

Am I doing something wrong?

[crowtrobot]

Fantastic work crowtrobot Thanks a lot for all your hard work.

One small thing I noticed...the original liveries are low-res after enabling some new liveries.

Am I doing something wrong?

No, you're not doing something wrong.

Apparently I was lazy in the routine that is re-writing the xmls, and didn't think about the different _hr texture. Will be something to correct in the next version, should be easily fixed. This is likely an issue in the grid tool as well.

[Reiche]

First, the main target, importing multiple custom liveries, works great, fantastic job done! Thank you

But
- can you add an example screenshot of one of the livery folders? (had to look a few times at the readme-file and the information in here until I found that the files have to be named like if they were regular "unique" custom liveries; or maybe I was just too stupid or thinking too complicated) This will be even more helpful if my next step is included
- can you add tyre and wheel textures? Just tested it on the AM Vantage GTE, but the new liveries come with plain white wheels and Yirotires (instead of Masculins which all other GTEs use or if possible Michelins maybe?). I added the wheel files from CustomLiveries folder into my package folders, but that didn't change a thing (edit: just noticed the "plain" Yiros are used on some liveries as well, so it was just a coincidence that the plain tires looked wrong to me because the liveries just before the newly added had the Masculins)
- (not a big issue considering the tool is designed for league racing) as expected (RD) you changed the player liveries on the default designs to the low-definition files (from xy-vehicle_livery.bff). Really no big issue as most racers will use "custom" liveries when in leagues, but if: some guys are running GT3 races with customised liveries for the Vantage GT3, the guy who wants to run the standard Bilstein #007 livery will feel like the ugly duckling because he's forced to run a low-res livery (which will only make a difference on his very own machine, but there's a notable difference in quality)
- is there a way to differ between the player livery and the AI livery? imagine a league with let's say 22+ racers, all running their own custom livery (at least 2048x2048, 4096x4096 or even 4096x6144 are more likely I think), this might affect users' perfomance on not-that-high-end-machines (because the default AI liveries are only 1024x1024; quite a difference in memory usage I assume)



Nevertheless, as mentioned first, brilliant job on the tool, it's a great addition to the game! Overall I'd rate it at least 4.5 stars out of 5



Edit: damn it took a long time to finish that post one of the issues was posted and answered in the meantime