Update Preview 0.7.5: Blender -> Assetto Corsa Export Addon (FTE) (Patreon)

Hi all!

Just wanted to show you some of the things I’m working on for the next update, and explain a little about how they work.

There are a ton of bug fixes & performance improvements, new features and a lot to cover.

A few main ones:

Shader-export corrections

UV and material-assignment fixes

More reliable modifier evaluation

Clearer selected-only export behavior

Selected-only Smart Export preserves dependencies

Improved smart export performance

Layout-aware track importing

TreeFX .bin format support stage 1

Cleanup on the interface and preferences

Support for community tool development - extensions platform

...

FTE Extensions

FTE is getting an extension manager where you can install custom tools and extensions directly from ZIP files. Extensions get their own panels inside FTE, and the system also allows other developers to create tools that integrate with the addon.

Here's a few extension examples:

Scatter Extension — Normal & 3D Trees

The Scatter extension lets you paint objects directly onto your track in Blender. Normal Scatter uses objects or collections as sources, so you can use it for trees, vegetation and other scenery. You can mix different sources, adjust how frequently each appears, randomize rotation and scale, and restrict placement by slope or height.

And of course you can use it for other objects too - not just trees :)

The 3D Trees option uses CSP TreeFX models, with previews visible in Blender while you paint. When you save, it exports the tree placement list, copies the required tree models and can register the list in your track’s configuration automatically.

Crowds Extension

This makes setting up spectators much easier. Create a simple mesh where you want people to appear, add it as a crowd surface, then choose standing or seated spectators and adjust their number, size and lighting settings. You can use AC’s existing spectator textures or supply a custom texture atlas.

Pit & Spawn Placement Extension

This tool generates pit positions or starting grids along a curve. Draw the path, choose how many positions you need, and adjust spacing, side offsets and rotation. You can alternate positions between the left and right sides, create a single row, or reverse the direction.

The positions follow the curve’s direction and elevation, receive the correct AC names automatically, and remain individually editable afterward.

Multilayer Setup Helper Extension

The Multilayer helper brings the material setup into one panel. Choose your base texture & 3 layers you want to paint.

It also helps prepare the specular information stored in the texture's alpha channels*

*More on this in the release tutorial*

In-game Tree Placement

The in-game app is also getting a 3D Trees tool, letting you place CSP trees directly on track in AC.

You can plant individual trees, click out a line for a row of trees, or mark the corners of an area to fill it. Select multiple tree models for a mixture, adjust spacing and size variation, and preview the results live. There’s undo and redo for planting batches, and you can load an existing tree list to add more trees before saving.

Tree Converter App & Possible Tree Library

I’m also working on a standalone app for converting tree models into CSP TreeFX .bin files. It packages the model and textures, supports LODs supplied with the source model, and exposes 3D Tree's settings

I’m also considering a tree library to go alongside these tools, although that part is still to be decided.

......................And there's something I'm also working on that won't make it in this update but...I think you will love it with the next one ;)

Before:

After:

Guess in the general channel what this is about ;)

Thanks for your continued support! Let me know which of these you’re most looking forward to trying.