Farming Simulator Modding For Dummies, Portable Edition (E-Book) von Jason van Gumster

About This Book 2

Foolish Assumptions 3

Beyond This Book 4

Icons Used in This Book 4

Where to Go from Here 5

Part I: Getting Started with Farming Simulator Modding 7

Chapter 1: Introducing GIANTS Editor 9

Knowing the Editors Parts 10

Loading Assets 12

Opening an existing map 13

Previewing objects 14

Navigating in 3D Space 15

Using Framed Rotate 16

Choosing camera views 17

Transforming Objects 18

Translating, rotating, and scaling 19

Selecting objects 21

Chapter 2: Creating Map Mods 23

Preparing a Map Mod 23

Selecting, Organizing, and Placing Props 26

Making complex selections in the Scenegraph 26

Using interactive placement 27

Organizing your map 29

Importing external assets 31

Adjusting User Attributes 31

Triggering Events in Your Map 33

Chapter 3: Editing Sur face Details in Maps 35

Editing Terrain 35

Sculpting the surface 37

Painting textures 43

Painting Foliage and Ground Details 46

Creating farmable land 47

Adding plant life 49

Working with Navigation Meshes: Adding Spaces for Animals 51

Painting information 52

Defining navigation mesh boundaries for objects 54

Generating your navigation mesh 55

Chapter 4: Using the Material Panel 59

Modifying Material Properties 59

Viewing Material Textures 63

Chapter 5: Playing with Particles    65

Discovering the Uses for Particles 65

Working with the Particle Editor 66

Adding Particles in Your Mod 71

Part II: Creating Custom 3D Mods 73

Chapter 6: Set ting Up a Basic modDescxml 75

Creating a New modDescxml 76

Defining Mod Title and Descriptions 77

Adding In-Game Store Items 79

Including Specializations 83

Chapter 7: Making a New 3D Mod   85

Setting Up a New Scene 86

Establishing Object Hierarchy 88

Configuring Materials and Textures 90

Defining material settings 92

Unwrapping objects for texturing 93

Using Your Triangles Effectively 96

Getting your normals right 96

Reducing polygon count 97

Generating normal maps for additional detail 100

Chapter 8: Exporting Your Mod for GIANTS Editor 103

Exporting from Blender 104

Installing the I3D exporter add-on 104

Exporting your mod 107

Exporting from Maya 109

Installing the I3D exporter plugin 109

Exporting your mod 111

Exporting from 3ds Max 112

Installing the I3D exporter plugin 112

Exporting your mod 113

Exporting with FBX 115

Importing Your Mod into GIANTS Editor 117

Part III: Enhancing Your Mods   119

Chapter 9: Adding Texture to Your Mod   121

Working in Proper Texture Sizes 121

Understanding the Texture Types Used on a Mod 123

Coloring with diffuse maps 124

Adding details with normal maps 131

Adjusting shininess with specular maps 132

Baking ambient occlusion textures 134

Using the dirt channel 137

Assembling a Complete Specular Map 139

Optimizing Textures for the Game 141

Chapter 10: Working with Sounds  143

Getting Your Sounds 143

Recording your own sounds 144

Searching online 146

Editing Sound Files 147

Exporting Sounds for GIANTS Engine 149

Bringing Sounds into Your Mod 150

Part IV: Customizing Mod Behaviors  153

Chapter 11: Tweaking Vehicle XML 155

Understanding Object Indexing 157

Discovering the Structure of a Vehicle XML File 159

Setting Correct Collisions 161

Working with Motors and Wheels 165

Focusing on the wheels 166

Moving with your motor 167

Setting Up Cameras 168

Adding Lights 170

Chapter 12: Defining New Objects and Behaviors with Lua  173

Getting Started with Utilslua 174

Understanding a Specialization Script 176

Adding Custom Specializations to modDescxml 185

Chapter 13: Getting Out Your Mod  187

Finalizing Your Mod 187

Creating Store and Brand Icons 189

Editing a store icon 189

Adding a brand icon 190

Submitting and Sharing Mods 190

Exporting and packaging your mod 191

Distributing and maintaining your mod 192

Part V: The Part of Tens   197

Chapter 14: Ten Powerful Tips When Creating Mods  199

Use the Correct Image Format for Textures 199

Use Texture Sizes that Fit Your Mods Physical Size 200

Consolidate Your Texture Data 200

Set Useful Clip Distance Values 200

Avoid Spaces and Special Characters in Filenames 201

Be Aware of Case-Sensitive Paths 201

Convert WAV Files from Stereo to Mono 202

Check the Game Log for Errors and Warnings 202

Test Your Mod in Single and Multiplayer Modes 202

Put Your Mod into a Single Zip Package 203

Chapter 15: Ten Valuable Community Resources  205

GIANTS Developer Network 205

Modhub 206

Farming Simulator Forums 206

Farming Simulator Modding Video Tutorials 206

Farming Simulator Script Source Code 206

GIANTS Software Company Website 207

Luaorg 207

Freesoundorg 207

Blenderorg 207

CGTexturescom 208

Appendix: Error and Warning Message Reference 209

Index 223

Do you want to get started with creating your own vehicles, maps, landscapes, and tools that you can use in the game and share with the Farming Simulator community? Then this is the resource for you! With the help of Jason van Gumster, you'll get up and running on everything you need to master 3D modeling and simulationand have fun while doing it! Inside, you'll find out how to create and edit maps, start using the material panel, customize your mods by adding texture, use the correct file-naming conventions, test your mod in single and multiplayer modes, get a grip on using Vehicle XML, and so much more.

There's no denying that Farming Simulator players love moddingand now there's a trusted, friendly resource to help you take your modding skills to the next level and get even more out of your game. Written in plain English and packed with tons of step-by-step explanations,Farming Simulator Modding For Dummies is a great way to learn the ropes of 3D modeling with the tools available to you in the game. In no time, you'll be wowing your fellow gamestersand yourselfwith custom, kick-butt mods. So what are you waiting for?

• Includes an easy-to-follow introduction to using the GIANTS 3D modeling tools
• Explains how to export models to Blender, Maya, 3DS Max, or FBX
• Provides tips for using the correct image format for textures
• Details how to use Photoshop and Audacity to create custom mods for Farming Simulator

Whether you're one of the legions of rabid fans of the popular Farming Simulator game or just someone who wants to learn the basics of 3D modeling and animation, you'll find everything you need in this handy guide.

Jason van Gumster is an animator, producer, and designer. He helps moderate the forums at BlenderArtists.org. Christian Ammann is the founder and CEO of GIANTS Software, Inc.