Baptiste Mollicone

Road types settings

In depth explanation

Here, we will learn what each Road Mesh Gen node’s field are responsible of.

The Road Mesh Gen node is basically a road type, there is one for every road types. More info on that in the Road types node structure and Creating a new road type pages.

Settings explanation

  • Road Width: The Road Width field defines the width of the specified road type, the value represents half of the total road width, meaning that in this example, the road width is set at 3.5m which means the total road width of that road type is 7m.
    Therefore, this 2 Lanes road type has a road width factor of 3.5m, meaning, each lanes will be 3.5m wide for a total road width of 7m.
  • Support Width Multiplier: This field is responsible for the width of the road type’s Support mesh. The factor is a multiplier of the total road width.
    Meaning that in this case, the multiplier is set at 3, which means the total Support width for this road type will be (3.5×2) x 3 = 21m
  • Support Resizer: This field is responsible for the extension of the generated Support mesh in length beyond the road’s mesh original length. Use with caution because setting this to anything other than 0 can be useful sometimes but it will most likely break every intersections you’ve created so far.
    Here is if set to 0:

And here set to a positive value, we can see that the Support mesh length is extended compared to the road mesh length:

  • Is Bridge: Simply toggle this field ON if your road type is supposed to be a bridge, and OFF if not supposed to.
  • Road Mesh Intersection Merging Distance: This field will determine the radius within which each vertices of an intersection connecting edge will look for another vertex of an intersection connecting edge.
    Setting this value beyond the total road width (in this case = 7m) will result in merging both opposite vertices of a face’s edge, resulting in an unwanted triangle on path ends.

In this screenshot, we can see that the circles represents the “looking for closest vertex” radius of each vertices from the intersection connecting edges.

Setting it to a bigger value than the total road with will result in these unwanted errors:

  • Road Mesh Intersection Width: This field will determine the length of a virtual selector edge that will be placed on top of every intersection connecting edges in order to tell the Roadscape system what is the total road width supposed to be.
    In this example our total road width is 7m so we set this value to 7m.
    Here is a visual representation of these virtual selector edges:
  • Support Intersection Merging Distance and Support Intersection Selector Width: These fields are responsible for exactly the same things as the two previous fields but this time for the Support mesh and not the road mesh. Therefore, in our example the total Support width is 21m because the Support multiplier is set to 3, meaning it is (total road width x 2) x 3 = 21m.
    Therefore we need to set the Support Intersection Merging Distance to a lower value than 21 but close enough, in this case 15m.
    And the Support Intersection Selector Width should be around the same as the total Support mesh width, so in this case 21m.
  • Length Resizing: This option let’s you set a resizing factor for the road type’s faces length.

If set to ON, each faces of the selected road type will have their length multiplied by the Length Resizing Multiplier value.
If set to OFF, the faces length will be the same as the faces width, which is, the total road width, so in this example, 7m.

Here is an example of Length Resizing OFF:

And here is ON:

  • Support Length Resizing: Exactly the same as the latter, but this time for the Support Mesh.

Specific to Circuit road type

Roadscape 2.02 introduces a new road type named Circuit, this road type allows you to set a custom road width value to every vertex of your path mesh, meaning you have full control on the variation in width all along your path.

Here is a breakdown of the new options:

First of all the new road type is located below the default road types in the node tree:

  • Min Road Width: Works as the usual Road width setting, except this one sets up a minimum value to the road width, meaning the value entered here, will represent the width that the road will be on all vertices to which a factor of Vertex Crease of 0 will be applied to.
    The same old road width value is actually half of the desired road width bit is again applied in this setting, as for the regular road width setting:
    “The Road Width field defines the width of the specified road type, the value represents half of the total road width, meaning that in this example, the road width is set at 3.5m which means the total road width of that road type is 7m.
    Therefore, this 2 Lanes road type has a road width factor of 3.5m, meaning, each lanes will be 3.5m wide for a total road width of 7m.    “
  • Max Road Width Multiplier: This sets up the maximum value to the road width, meaning the value entered here, will represent the width that the road will be on all vertices to which a factor of Vertex Crease of 1 will be applied to.
    This factor is a multiplier of the Min Road Width, meaning, in this example:

The Max Road Width is 3 times the Min Road Width, meaning, on a vertex with 0 of Vertex Crease, the road width will be 2x3.5m

and

On a vertex with 1 of Vertex Crease, the road width will be 3x(2x3.5m)

This system, let’s you define the min/max road width range for all the vertices of your path mesh using this Circuit road type.

  • Min and Max Support Width Multiplier: This is the same as the usual Support Width Multiplier, except that this one, is also working as a min/max range.

So in this example, the Min Support Width Multiplier is 2.250x(2x3.5m)
And it defines the minimum width the Support mesh will have at any vertices of your path mesh that have a 0 Vertex Crease.

Now, Max Support Width Multiplier works a little bit differently and is a multiplier of the result of the Min Support Width Multiplier, so in this example:

Min Support Width Multiplier is 2.250x(2x3.5m) = 15.75m

and

Max Support Width Multiplier is 3.580x15.75m = 56.385m

  • Curve Normal Z Up: Lastly, the Circuit road type features a possibility to switch Z normal orientation of the curve responsible for generating its road mesh, meaning when it’s toggled ON, the road will always be flat and Z oriented towards the absolute 1.0 normal orientation on the Z axis. (Usefull for regular road creation, since most roads are designed this way).
    And when toggled OFF, the road will have its bending dependent on its path, (Usefull for adding camber to the road, such as seen in extreme examples at the Yatabe Speedway test track, corners are heavily bent).

    So when this setting is toggled OFF, you can bend the road by elevating certain vertices of its path compared to others.

    IMPORTANT: Better toggle it OFF for hilly roads.

That’s all about the Road types settings.