What happens if you do as the \Warning\ says,

   \  WARNING\
    ATTRIBUTES ERROR 
      PLEASE RESELECT 
    SPLINE PLACEMENT TRANSFORM

 

Scripts have been Updated, now use User Attributes for entry of data.

Spline Scripts have been updated see

 

 

Whilst I cannot comment on any other tutorial as it may not use the script versions posted here, I suggest when placing a transform group with objects inside it you first select the transform group and freeze transform translate/scale/rotation settings before adding it to the objectsToPlace transform.

I appear to have missed putting this in the tutorial so I will update the tutorial to include this note

The problem is not battery related as I use a G503 and powerplay system with the mouse, keyboard is an old K270 but both display pop up warnings if a battery problem appears.

The problem seems to occur when one of my 2tb external ssd's kicks in possibly due to proximity of usb socket connections

First in answer to your question about keys, simply click on the Help in GE and select Keyboard Shortcuts and it will give a list of all the keyboard commands

Secondly, no in its current form the Spline Placement script only places objects, for it to work in placing road sections it would need to be able to distort the mesh for the corners and adjust any texture(s) accordingly. If I remeber right there was a script that could do that around FS17 time but it was never released, I notice that the fence placement in game allows for deformation so maybe  there may be a script coming in future updates of GE.

There are several ways of creating road layoute, one of which is detailed in the Export a Spline from Giants Editor into Blender to Create Roads/Railways (Updated)  tutorial another is the Spline Strret Constructor by TracMax a Quick Google search should provide several othyers.

 

Thank you for telling me I apologise profusely, with all the problems getting stuff uploaded I forgot to add the zip file, now corrected and zip added

New scripts and tutorials now posted and available in the Modding Tutorials and Guides -Mapping Section, problem solved thanks to bdbssb's  efforts

I have updated and added some extra functions to the Terrain Height, Spline Placement and Paint Terrain scripts.

All these scripts together with installation instructions are available here

See Updated Spline, CSV, Height, Paint, Place, Scripts – Installation

Link to installation post

 

https://farmerboysmodding.com/index.php?/topic/2412-updated-spline-csv-height-paint-place-scripts/

 

Splines

The spline can now be given  any name as long as it includes the name ' spline ' in any part of it i.e. road1_Spline or roadspline01 etc.

Problems will occur if the spline transform or the spline itself does not have the correct rotation, whether in the transform group of the spline or the spline itself . The rotation has to be set at 0,0,0 for any of the scripts to work correctly.

There are a couple of  ways of ensuring this, one is to set up your spline in the position you want and freeze transform only the rotation, the other is to select the S cv of the spline and delete it,  this brings S to the centre (rotating point) of the spline, then just use the E cv to create the rest of the spline so lessening the chance of inadvertently rotating the start of the spline.

 

Terrain Paint

This consists of two scripts

Terrain Paint Set Up

Terrain Paint

To use, create a spline in Giants Editor and align the spline along the terrain to whatever you are intending to paint., the spline does not have to be accurately aligned painting will only occur at the terrain height.

Then with the spline selected,  

 Select –Scripts-- Terrain Paint Set Up

This will create the User Attributes the necessary for the Terrain Paint script and will also print out the terrain layer textures in the Console log in the following format,

Texture No :93:Texture Name : shingle01

Texture No :94:Texture Name : shingle02

Texture No :95:Texture Name : shingle03

Texture No :96:Texture Name : ANIMALMUD

Texture No :97:Texture Name : AS

Texture No :98:Texture Name : ASPHALT

Texture No :99:Texture Name : CONCRETE

Texture No :100:Texture Name : DIRT

User Attributes panel for Terrain Paint

 

Set Centre Texture Width                           ---Width of the Centre Texture in metres

Set Edge Texture Width                                               ---Width of the Edge Textures in metres (Value set is applied to both left and right edges)

Set Edge Texture Left                                    ---Enter required left edge texture number from Consol log.

Set Centre Texture                                         ---Enter required Centre texture number from Console log

Set Edge Texture Right                                  ---Enter required Right edge texture number from Consol log.

Set Distance Between Textures                                ---How far apart the textures are painted along the spline (default 0.5)

 To Allow painting of just one edge and not the centre or the other edge set the Set Centre Texture to -1 and the non painting edge to -1 also

Once the User Attributes have been set then,

With the spline selected   Select ---Scripts--- Terrain Paint the textures will then be painted according to the User Attribute settings

A  print out in the GE console log will  detail these settings for reference

Spline name:

Texture Left:  no, name

Texture Centre:  no, name

Texture Right:   no, name

Centre Width :(m), Edge Width: (m), Texture Distance: (m)

If the Set Edge Width Texture is set to zero (0) only the following will be shown in the log

Spline Name,

Texture Centre no,

Centre Width

 Texture Distance

Should you require only the Centre Texture then Set Edge Width Texture to zero (0) and adjust your Centre Width settings accordingly

The image below shows the result with various texture settings using the above values, with a print out of the Texture No and Name showing in the console log on the right of the picture.

In the image above all the examples are based on a 16m Overall  width

of 8m (Road bed) + Left and Right edges of 4m

 

The following image shows how the Set Distance Between Textures setting can be used to create a pothole effect

The first settings were

Set Centre Width –16

Set Center Texture---83 (waterPuddle01)

which painted the water puddle texture over the whole 16m width.

Second settings were

Set Centre Texture Width            -- 16

Set Edge Texture Width                                -- 4

Set Edge Texture Left                    -- 91

Set Centre  Texture                        -- 97

Set Edge Texture Right                  --100

Set Distanced Between Textures -- 1.5

which then painted the DIRT/GRAVEL/GRAVELGRASS texture over the water puddle texture but because the texture distance was set to 1.1 it left holes in the textures so allowing the water puddle texture to show through.

Potholes.png

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Terrain Height

This script is an enhancement of the normal terrain height script which uses a spline to guide the terrain deformation it also allows  the setting of a distance value for Edge Width  (value applies to both sides) and Height / Smoothness  values  to be entered in the TERRAIN HEIGHT  attributes allowing independent control of the height and smoothing on either edges.

Any Edge Width/Height/Smoothness (L/R)  adjustment will have no effect on the  Centre Width setting whose height setting is dependent on the actual spline height or Set Spline Height settings

This also consists of two scripts

Terrain Height Set Up

Terrain Height

To use

Create the spline in Giants Editor and create/align the spline to whatever area you are intending to terraform.

Then with the spline selected,  

 Select –Scripts-- Terrain Height Set Up

In the User Attributes panel of Giants Editor the necessary User Attributes for the Terrain Height script will be created,as shown below.

Set Centre Width            --- Width of centre deformation in metres.

Set Spline Height             -- Height of the start deformation from the spline, can be a negative figure,

                                                      default is 0, ( actual spline position )

Edge Transformation         -- When selected allows independent setting of edge height/ depth, deselected only

                                                      Centre Width deformation

Set Edge  Width                   -- Width of edge deformation on both sides

Set Edge Height  Left          ---Height/Depth of Left Hand deformation

Set Edge Height Right         –-Height/Depth of Right Hand deformation

Set Edge Smooth Right         -- Number is used to factor the amount of smoothing -- lower number less smoothing,

                                                      Higher number greater smoothing (optimal 10)

Set Edge Smooth Left          -- As smoothing Left

Set the relevant User Attributes to your proposed settings and then.

With the Spline selected in GE,  Select---Scripts---Terrain Height

Once the script has been executed a print out will appear in the GE console log detailing these settings for reference

Spline name

Edge Transformation setting

Spline Height

Centre Width :     Edge Width:

Height Left :          Height Right :

 Smoothing Left:    Smoothing Right:

If the Edge Transformation is deselected only the following will be printed

Spline name

Spline Height

Centre Width

Smoothing is carried out much the same way as using the terrain sculpt tool in that it smooths the area down in height so further adjustment of the edge height to match terrain may be required .

Below is an image showing the terrain profiles with various settings (Spline Height set to 4m for clarity).

Note:

Once executed this terrain deformation cannot normally be undone, but provided you haven’t saved the map after executing the script the terrain can be reset back to previous levels by selecting the Reload i3d  icon in the toolbar( under the Create tab) then re adjusting script values as required.

If the map has been saved then the only way of redoing the terrain is to Copy/Paste your backup map_dem.png into the map data folder.

 

Further Example;

The above settings were used as a base for the road in the image below.

To get the desired effect required 4 executions of the script as smoothing was carried out by simply reducing the edge width and heights by one each time the script was executed and finally on the last execution (where Edge Widths and Heights equalled 1, -1 for the right hand edge) by increasing the smoothing factor to 5 for both left and right edges.

 

 

Spline Placement

With this script objects can be placed at various fixed, preset distances,  random distances  and locations away  from or along the spline depending on settings in the script.

The objects will be placed at terrain height along the spline (using their individual point of origin location) from the 'S' cv to the ‘E’ cv and aligned to the to the spline along their "Z" axis (unless random location selected).

e.g.  if you have a hedge that is 4m long and 1m wide ensure the longest section (4m)is  aligned to the 'Z' axis otherwise  rotate it in GE until is aligned along the 'Z' axis and freeze transform rotation also ensure that the point of origin (where the gizmo shows when object is selected) is at the correct point

For best results, open any objects  you intend to place in GE and adjust axis and  origin accordingly, when done , freeze transform all scale/rotation settings  (DO NOT freeze transform translations unless point of origin is relocated) on all the relevant objects.

This also applies to any transform groups containing objects that required to be placed using the transform group itself, select the transform group and Edit—Freeze Transformation—Transformation, Rotation and scale

This script first requires the execution of the Spline Placement Transform script which will create the correct Transform Group (splineObjects) and the relevant sub groups (objectsTo Place and placedObjects),and also create the relevant User Attributes in the User Attributes panel in Giants Editor as shown below

All that is then required is to add a spline (Create-Spline)  CUT/pasted into the splinePlacement transform group and add required objects to the objectsToPlace transform group and insert the relevant Attribute values.

Note. The splinePlacement transform group has to be selected when entering the User Attributes and also when the  Spline Placement script is run.

Script Parameters Explanation

Refer to image above

Set Object Distance                        -- - Sets a fixed  distance between objects along the spline in metres.

Use Distance Table                         ---When selected use the values in the Set Distance Table to set the object distance

      deselected uses distance value in Set Object Distance

Set Distance Table         

Sets a fixed distance between the objects in the objectsToPlace   transform  when  Use Distance Table  selected, number of settings must match number of items in the objectsToPlace transform and be separated by a comma.

The first object in the objectsToPlace transform will always be put at the start of the spline (distance  ‘0’), the entries in the Set Distance Table refer to the distance to the next object from the preceding one.

So in the following example;

A total of 3 objects in the objectsToPlace transform  1,2 and 3

Set Distance Table = 4,8,20   -- value in metres 

object    ‘1’  placed at ‘0’ by default so no reference in distanceTable

object    ‘2 ‘  placed 4m from object ‘1’

                object   ‘3’  placed 8m from object ‘2’

object    ‘1’   placed 20m from object ‘3’

and so on until the end of the spline.

A distance of ‘0’ will mean that two objects will be placed at the same location on the spline (e.g lamp post ,hedge )

Any incorrect entries in the Set Distance Table will result in a DISTANCE TABLE ERROR in the Console log.

Stay Upright                          ---- When selected all item remains upright, specifically for trees, poles, lights etc

                   deselected reverts to spline 'X'rotation and original object rotation at the placement

                   point.

Random Scale                      -- -When selected allows random object scale between the parameters set by Scale Low,

                 Scale High values.If an item is already scaled then it has to be freeze transformed

                (Scale) for this to work correctly, deselected'  retains original size.

Set ScaleLow                                     --- value of the minimum random scale parameter, the value set applies to all

                              scale axis (x, y, z) at the same time

Set Scale High                                   --- value of the maximum random scale parameter, the value set applies to all

                              scale axis (x, y, z) at the same time

Random Y Rotation                         -- -When selected' objects randomly rotated on the 'Y'axis

                            deselected' Y’ axis rotation as original object

Random Order                                  -- -When selected allows a random order of objects along the spline

                              deselected retains the order set in the objectsToBePlaced transform group.

Random Object Distance              —When selected sets a random distance between objects along the spline

                                                            deselected distance set by Object Distance or Distance Table

 

Set Random Object Distance Seed     -- percentage factor used to calculate randomObjectDistance, higher number  greater variation in distance between objects

Random Object Placement                      -- When selected places the object away from the spline by the Random Placement Distance

                      deselected   objects placed along the spline.

Set Random Placement Distance      -- maximum displacement distance from the spline, displacement varies between 0 and number chosen

Set Fixed Distance                          -- When selected allows a set distance for objects to be placed either to the left or

             right of  the spline depending on value set in Distance Fixed.

             If selected and Distance Fixed value set this is also the distance around which

             Random Placement will start.

Set DistanceFixed                           -- Distance objects to be placed to the left or right of the spline in metres,

           positive number to the left negative to the right viewed from 'S' cv.

Note:  The spline is not moved so the set distance between the objects will increase depending on value set (like the spokes on a bicycle wheel from the hub to the rim). Objects will be placed at 90 degrees to the spline on the ‘Z’ axis at the relevant spline point.

 

Whilst this next section is not strictly necessary it can help in creating splines and accurate placement when using the Spline Placement script

Creating splines for use with this script.

Whilst this step is optional (depending on your spline layout) if used will help in creating a spline aligned to the terrain with a large number of cv’s ensuring accurate placement of any object.

As the script works by placing object(s) at their point of origin at set distances along or around the spline, aligned to the terrain height and spline rotation at that particular point, for accurate placement it means the spline must have a large number of cv’s (in this case suggest one every metre) to ensure correct alignment to the terrain.

Obviously this would be very time consuming, a quick way is to roughly create the spline path as required without paying much attention to height settings (in fact it can go underground without affecting the final created spline).

When satisfied with the spline layout  in GE, Select ---Scripts-  Spline CSV Creator Set Up,  set User Attributes as follows,

(b).Map Name – Insert  your Full map (root folder) name  (Note: Case sensitive)

(c.).CSV Distance to  ‘1’

With the spline selected Select -- Spline CSV Creator in the Scripts dropdown, the new spline will be created in the CSVdata  folder (one will be created if not already there) in your map root folder. A  Your Name spline_CSVdata.txt file will also be created in the same folder should you wish to use the spline data for creating a road/rail mesh.

Import it into your map by File—Import and navigate to where the CSvdata folder is located (map root folder)and select the spline, the spline will have its original name with the suffix _CSV.

It will then appear at the location of your original spline, aligned to the terrain at 1 metre intervals

In the following image the Attributes have been set with the Farm Name, in this case Manor Farm and CSV Distance to 1 and the new spline01_CSV  imported into GE. Console log also shows the relevant information regarding creation of the new items.

It also shows the original spline01 (as just a straight line) and the new spline01_CSV with the  cv’s aligned to the terrain at 1 metre intervals.

Note: the new spline translations will have been reset to zero.

 

Another method of setting objects away from the spline

The following method will only work satisfactorily if the spline hasn’t been Freeze Transformed – Translate.

Because the objects are placed on the ‘Z’ axis away from the spline, another way of placing objects at a set distance from the first spline and retaining the distance between the objects is to make a copy of the first spline and adjust the ‘Z’ transformation to the required -/+ distance, replacing the first spline in the splineTransform group with the new spline and executing the script, ideal for fences /hedges alongside roads etc.

Occasionally alterations to the ‘X’ axis may be required as well on the new spline to get the perfect alignment.

This trick can also be used for traffic/AI splines BUT the spline must be ‘freeze transformed Translate’ before use as a traffic /AI spline.

Example.

 

The images below shows examples of the various settings used in the Spline Placement attributes to achieve different results

Should you need to delete the objects in the placedObjects transform (eg. Resetting settings or just adding objects) then with the splinePlacement transform selected execute the Spline Placement Delete script.

NOTE: The Spline Placement Delete script will delete ALL objects in the placedObjects transform so if doing multiple runs of the Spline Placement script copy paste the placedObjects transform directly into the Scenegraph.

Note. The splinePlacement transform group has to be selected when entering the User Attributes and also when the  Spline Placement script is run otherwise warnings will appear in the Console log.

Using  a fence from the in game Farm Fence placeable.

In the following image the script has been run twice, the first time to place the pole upright and the second to align the rotation of the panel to the terrain, setting used are highlighted in red.

 

There is no need to delete the poles from the placedObjects transform before running the script for a second time the panels will be placed in the same transform. Note; object Distance is used to set the distance in this case

Some of the fence panels will need a slight adjustment to align correctly, which can easily be done by selecting the relevant panel and adjusting as necessary.

NOTE: When placing a Transform Group with objects inside it, first select the Transform Group and Freeze Transform --Translate/Scale/Rotation settings before adding it to the objectsToPlace transform.

Examples of other settings using the road mesh and splines image from the Blender CSV Road/Rail tutorial

Example Image

 

splinePlace_Right

To create this particular placement I have first moved the m4m hedge point of origin to the centre of the hedge to allow for better placement on bends, an example of the difference after placement can be seen in inset 2 above.

To do this simply select the m4m hedge in the objectsToPlace transform group and set the ‘Z’ translation to -2 and Edit—Freeze Transform—Translation.

 

Creating a 4m fence section

 

Create new transform group

copy/paste a pole ( pole02) and duplicate twice so you have three poles

copy/paste a panel (panel01)and duplicate once

Transform Group should look like this

4mFence

                pole02

                panel01

                panel01

                pole02

                pole02

select second panel01 and translate 'Z' -2

select second pole02 and translate 'Z' -2

select thirdpole02 and translate 'Z' 2

with the first pole02 selected (pole02 Transform group)

Edit --Freeze Transformations --Translate

now all items in that transform group are aligned at zero with reference to the centre pole

to use copy/paste the pole02 transform group into the objectsToPlace transform

The 4mFence_Section now has the same point of origin as the hedge.

The poly count of this 4m fence section can also be reduced by deleting all the collisions for each item and replacing with a new collision made in the following way

 Create—Primitive –cube

Cut/paste cube into the 4mFence_Section transform and scale to fit when done Freeze Transform –Translate and Scale.

Set the Rigid body tab and in the shape tab select Cast Shadowmap,  Receive Shadowmap, Non Renderable and Distance Blending.

Whilst this only saves a poly count of 48 for each section it can make a large difference over a whole map for example a 400m fence will have a poly count of 80,800 with the new collision as opposed to the original poly count of 85,600

 

Now with the objectsToPlace transform set up as in the Example Image the Spline Placement script attributes can be set up as follows and executed by selecting Scripts—Spline Placement

 

 

splinePlace_Left  

To get the desired effect shown in the Example Image using the splinePlace_Left spline, the script was executed four times with various settings in the script and replacing the items in the objectsTo Place transform with new ones.  

The image below shows the various objectsToPlace transform entry’s and Spline Placement attributes settings.

The image below shows the various objectsToPlace transform entry’s and splinePlacement script settings for each execution/run of the script.

 

The lightPoleLarge01 object on the first run had to be rotated on the ‘Y’ axis by 90 degrees and Edit -Freeze Transform --Rotate to get the correct alignment for placing along the spline and matching the road layout.

On completion of the four runs of the script the placedObjects transform group will now have all the above items from the various executions in it, if you are happy with the result then this can then be cut pasted and renamed as another transform group.

The Distance Fixed value of -15m in the fourth run of the script means that objects will be placed that far away from the spline and random placement will be based on that figure so in order for the trees to not spawn on the road the  Random Placement Distance  was set to the lower figure of 10.  

Note:

If you execute the Spline Placement Delete script at any time with the splinePlacement  transform selected it will delete ALL items in your placedObjects transform group.

NOTE:

An updated version of the Spline CSV Creator Panels script is available here

https://farmerboysmodding.com/index.php?/topic/2471-spline-csv-creator-panel-updated/

This new version creates a spline.obj file from the newly created spline for direct import into Blender without the need to convert from a .csv file

This spline.obj will still need converting to a curve in Blender to create roads etc.

 

There are two parts to this tutorial, the first part deals with creating a 2D spline in Giants Editor and using the

Spline CSV  Creator scripts to create a new spline aligned to the terrain with more cv's at a chosen set distance along it.

Also created is a CSV (Comma Separated Variable  ) file for use in Blender 2.79 (Only)  to create a road mesh .i3d aligned to the map terrain.

The following scripts are also used in this tutorial.

Spline CSV  Creator Set Up

Terrain Paint Set Up,

Terrain Paint

 Terrain Height Set Up

Terrain Height

The second part, the Blender section deals with creating a new mesh from the CSV data and using it to create a road layout i3d aligned to the terrain of your map for import into Giants Editor.

Note:  There is now an add on that imports the csv file directly into Blender  see  https://farmerboysmodding.com/index.php?/topic/2438-blender-plugin-300-and-above-for-splinecsv-data/

Whilst at first the tutorial may seem a little complicated once run through a couple of times it will seem quite easy.

 

All the scripts used in this tutorial, together  with the installation instructions are available here.

24/05/23   ---   Link to newer versions of the scripts  -- these versions do not require the separate setUp scripts

https://farmerboysmodding.com/index.php?/topic/2439-new-spline-paint-height-csv-field-creationdimension-panel-scripts/

 

Link to original updated scripts

https://farmerboysmodding.com/index.php?/topic/2412-updated-spline-csv-height-paint-place-scripts/ 

 

GIANTS EDITOR

 

Spline CSV  Creator Set Up

Creates in the Giants Editor User Attributes panel the required User Attributes for the Spline CSV Creator

The script is executed simply by Selecting –Scripts -- Spline CSV  Creator Set Up in GE --and must be initiated before executing the Spline CSV  Creator script.

Spline CSV Creator

Creates a new Spline_CSV.i3d from an existing spline aligned to the terrain with the CSV distance set by the

CSV Distance attribute in the User Attributes panel,  also created is a Spline_ CSV data .txt both are placed in the

new  CSVdata  folder created In the root folder of your map.

The CSV data is automatically converted from the Giants Editor transform axis to the Blender format, X(Z) axis, Y(X) axis,  Z(Y) axis, (Giants in brackets) to use with the csv Importer script in Blender 2.79

The script allows for the original spline to be created in 2D with less cv’s and away from the terrain, the new spline created can easily be used in any of the Spline Height/Paint/ Placement  scripts.

Create a spline and align it to the road/rail network you wish to model, naming it accordingly.

The spline can be called any name as long as it has the word spline in it i.e. road01_spline,  spline_2 etc,

the name chosen will also be the name of the spline.i3d and spline_CSVdata.txt  created in the CSVdata folder in your map root folder.

 

 

 

In Giants Editor --Select  Scripts—Spline CSV Creator  Set Up which will then create the User Attributes required by the Spline CSV Creator script  a ‘ ‘SplineName’ CSV Creator Attributes Created ‘ message will appear in the consol log,  then,

 

 

 

Insert your map name in the (b).Map Name attribute   

The full name of your map ( root folder name) must be entered (Case Sensitive) in the (b). Map Name attribute in order for the CSVdata folder to be place in the correct position (map Root Folder)

Insert the required value to the (c).CSV Distance attribute.

The lower the number the more cv’s and greater accuracy in alignment in Blender or when used with the Spline Placement script

In the example image below its set to 5, generally  a value of 5 for roads and 10 or more for train tracks (gives a smoother incline) should be sufficient, but bear in mind that this distance will be the size of your individual road/rail sections in Blender.

 

 

 

With the spline selected Select –Scripts --Spline CSV Creator

A new Spline.i3d  with your chosen Spline name will be placed in a newly created CSVdata folder in the map root folder along with a Spline_CSVdata.txt file.

The message ‘New Spline: road01_spline_CSV.i3d and  road01_CSVdata.txt created in Manor Farm / CSVdata Folder’ will also appear in the consol log, in this example the spline has been named road01_spline and map name is ‘Manor Farm.

The new road01_spline.i3d can be imported directly into the map in GE by selecting File-Import and navigating to the map CSVdata folder in the map root folder and selecting the road01_spline_CSV.i3d which will then appear at the correct location in your map.

The road01_CSVdata .txt  is for use with the csv_importer script in Blender 2.79(only at the moment) and can be referenced in Blender directly from the CSVdata folder.

 

 

 

The following image shows the Attributes and log messages created when selecting --

Spline CSV Creator  Set Up                                                                                   Spline CSV Creator

finally showing the imported road01_spline_CSV, note that the imported road01_spline_CSV translation is now set at 0,0,0 not at the road01_spline settings

 

Setting Up the map

 

Navigate to the CSVdata  folder (in your map Root folder) and import the new --your name spline_CSV.i3d

The next step is to paint the terrain along the road01_spline_CSV spline.

Whilst this is not strictly necessary there are two reasons to do it, the first is to paint the terrain under any road mesh with a high AI value texture such as Asphalt or Gravel, although this probably won’t be seen, it means that an AI spline need not be created along any road mesh route not covered by the main traffic or AI splines, the second is purely for indication of road and edge size when setting the terrain height along this spline (settings should roughly reference to final Blender road width).

It can also gives a performance advantage by allowing a lower clip distance on the road mesh without any visual loss when viewed from a distance.

 

First  Select—Scripts -- Terrain Paint Set Up  this will create the User Attributes necessary for the Terrain Paint script and also print out the terrain layers textures in the Console log.

In this example the Attributes have been sets as

Set Centre Texture Width           5m 

Set Edge Texture Width               3m (both edges)

Set Edge Texture Left                    102  --see print out in Console Log for GRASS

Set TextureCentre                          98 --see print out in Console Log for ASPHALT

Set Edge Texture Right                  102  --see print out in Console Log for GRASS

Set Distance Between Textures  0.5 --textures painted every 0.5m

Select—Scripts-- Terrain Paint and the terrain will be painted with the chosen textures the following entry is printed out in the Console log detailing the settings.

Spline Name : road01_spline _CSV

Texture Left :- 93 -- GRASS

Texture Centre :- 89 -- ASPHALT

Texture Right :- 93 -- GRASS

Centre Width : 5.0 m : Edge Width : 3.0 m :

Texture Distance: 0.5

Result shown in following image.

 

To ensure any new road mesh created using this CSV spline as a base fits the terrain it is necessary to provisionally adjust the terrain height along the length of the spline using the Terrain Height scripts. Terrain height may need to be adjusted when road mesh finally completed due to relaxing/smoothing of csv mesh.

Before executing the Terrain  Height script ensure that you save the map and make a backup copy of your map_dem.png in case of any problems.

 

Select  Scripts - Terrain Height Set Up 

This will create the necessary User Attributes used by the Terrain Height script.

In the image above, the inset shows the original terrain profile with a sharp drop on the right hand side and raised terrain on the left hand side so the settings below have taken this into account this allows easier blending of either edge with GE terrain tools once the Terrain Height script has been executed.

Also note that the Terrain Paint User Attributes are also shown the  User Attributes window this is because the map was saved before the Terrain Height Set Up script was executed so the Terrain Paint User attributes were saved in the normal way and can still be used to adjust terrain textures  using this road01_spline _CSV spline.

User Attribute values,

Set CentreWidth     6  (m)             -- size dependant on final mesh size in Blender in this case a 6m roadbed with 2m

    Edges  giving a 1m adjustment for final blending in GE after placement.

Set SplineHeight      0  (m)            --spline aligned to terrain

Edge Transformation                      ‘selected’  --allows independent height and smoothing to either edge

Set EdgeWidth          3 (m)             3m edge width either side of the CentreWidth

Set Edge Height Left                       4 (m)   raises the left hand edge by 4m to match left hand terrain.

Set Edge Height Right                    -4 (m)   lowers right hand edge by-4m to match right hand terrain

Set Edge Smooth Left    10            factors the amount of smoothing on the left hand edge

Set Edge Smooth Right  10           factors the amount of smoothing on the right hand edge

Select Scripts—Terrain Height

The effects of these values are shown in the main window of the image above also printed in the Console log is a reference detailing the settings used together with the name of the spline, in this case

Spline Name : road01_spline _CSV

Offset:'True'

Spline Height: 0.0

Centre Width: 7.0 m :Edge Width: 4.0 m :

Height Left: 4 :Height Right: -4 :

Smoothing Left: 8 Smoothing Right:8 

Shown bottom right in the above image

 Further smoothing of the edge area can be made by reducing the EdgeWidth , HeightLeft and HeightRight by 1 and re executing the script until the EdgeWidth is ‘0’ (CentreWidth value not changed during this operation)

Also note that the Terrain Paint User Attributes are also shown the  User Attributes window this is because the map was saved before the Terrain Height Set Up script was executed .

Note:

Once executed this terrain deformation cannot normally be undone, but provided you haven’t saved the map after executing the script the terrain can be reset back to previous levels by selecting the Reload i3d  in the toolbar( under the Create tab) then re adjusting script values as required.

If the map has been saved then the only way of redoing the terrain is to Copy/Paste your backup map_dem.png into the map data folder.

Once happy with the results save the map.

 

NOTE: Before  continuing see note at the beginning of the tutorial regarding update Spline CSV Panel script which now creates a spline.obj for direct import into BLender

 

BLENDER 3.0.0 and above

 

I have created a new plugin for Blender 3.0.0 and above which allows the  SplineCSV data created in the Spline CSV Creator script to be directly imported into Blender instead of having to use an earlier version of Blender and exporting/importing as an obj which was previously necessary.

 

Installation

Download the spline_csv_importer.zip file available at the bottom of this topic.

Open Blender (3.0.0 and above)

Select –Edit—Preferences –Install and in the file browser navigate to where you saved the spline_csv_importer.zip file, Select and Install the Add-on.

Once installed Activate it by selecting the check box (a single Left click usually brings up the Activation and Information panel)

The Add-on can also be found in the Blender Preferences panel under Import-Export: Spline CSV Importer.

Spline_CSV Importer

 

Open Blender,

Select File –Import – Import_Spline Data (*txt) a File Browser Panel will pop up. ( an undocumented operator panel appear but this can be ignored it just means I haven’t documented it with Blender)

Navigate to where the CSVdata folder is (your map root folder), double click to open the folder and select the relevant spline_CSVdata.txt file, once selected,  select the IMPORT CSV tab in the file browser.

A new Collection in the Scene Collection Panel , SplineCSV will have been created and into that the new spline_CSVdata mesh (keeping your original name) will have been placed and the new spline_CSVdata mesh will also have been created in the same position in Blender as it was in your map ready for you to work with, the image below is for reference.

 

All subsequent imports of Spline CSV data will be appended to the SplineCSV Collection retaining their original names

Note:

This Add-on will only create an single edge mesh (no other type of mesh) from a txt file created in the same format as the spline_CSVdata.txt file (i.e. no header), coordinates in the spline_CSVdata.tx have already been converted to the Blender format in the CSV Creator script and can be exported as an i3d or Nurbs curves directly back into Giants Editor.

 

 

Blender 3.2 and above  (other versions may differ in Menu’s and settings)

 

 Do NOT change the location of your mesh,  if it is changed then problems will occur in placement when exporting final road mesh.

(Quick way of getting the mesh in view is with the mesh selected, in the Collections panel, select decimal point on the Keypad)

In Edit Mode ,with the mesh selected open the Tools Panel ‘N’ and select Edit – Loop Tools – Relax (arrow to left of word Relax)

In the dropdown

Interpolation –LinearInput

Iterations ‘ 1 ‘       Note: High values will result in straightening out of curves  

Regular –Selected

And select Relax

This will relax the mesh giving a smoother line along the whole mesh.

Change to Object Mode, with the mesh selected –Select , Object—Convert—Curve , this converts the mesh to a curve ready for use with the Curve Tools.

Select the Curve Icon in the Scene panel (green semi circle) to open the Curve Tools Panel

 

With the curve still selected change to Edit Mode

The new curve first needs to be aligned along the correct axis for the road, to do this you can either select

Control Points—Tilt and type 90 or simply (Ctrl ) -- T -- 90

In the Shape panel of the Curve Tools, select 3D, Fill Mode 'Half',  Curve Deform 'Radius Selected', all other settings can be left as is.

Open the Geometry and Bevel Tabs

Geometry Tab

 Extrude  ‘ 3 ‘        ---this equates to a road bed width of 6 metres , half the desired width

Offset  ‘ 0 ‘            ---value can be left at 0 as this just raises or lowers the mesh by +-1m

Bevel Tab

Select   -- Profile

Depth   ‘ 2  ’           -- this figure is the width of the road edges in metres, in this case 2 for 2m

Resoloution – ‘ 0 ’ --This figure sets the number of subdivisions in the edge mesh should you wish to create

         your  own custom or preset profile.

 

 

You will note that after entering the figure in the Depth box the curve point of origin  is now aligned to the bottom of the edges, this change will need to be catered for when the mesh is finally imported into GE.

The following image shows the result of these transformations.

 

Once you are happy with the basic shape, the curve deformations can now be turned into an editable mesh.

With the curve selected

Object Mode – Object –Convert --- Mesh

The mesh can now be edited in the normal way for example adjusting the bends in the road to be smoother and adding white lines (see Enhancements at the end of the tutorial).

 

Texture

Add the texture you are going to use in the normal way

One quick method I use is in the example below,

Edit mode     –with all the road bed faces selected

UV –Reset     -- adjust the UV map to fit the road bed texture (inset 1 shows full road texture )

Do the same for each of the road edges then,

Edit Mode—Edge Select – and select both outside road edges and raise to a shallower angle (inset 2)

 

Finally Export as an i3d either using the .blend filename or creating your own in File Location

 

Open your map in GE and import the road mesh i3d (in this case it is road01_splineCSV)

Rotate the ‘Y’ axis by -90 and adjust the ‘Y’ Translation of the road mesh to match the  flattened terrain.

Further adjustments (texturing/terrain height) of the road area can now be carried out.

The image below shows the road imported and adjusted, the inset shows a magnified image of the road placement at the indicated location.

 

Note: To enable the AI to work better with the new road mesh, the Collision Mask (Hex) should be set up as follows,

Where

0: "DEFAULT: The default bit",
1: "STATIC_WORLD: Collision with terrain, terrainHeight and static objects",
2: "STATIC_WORLD_WITHOUT_DELTA: Deprecated in FS22: Do not use it anymore!",
3: "STATIC_OBJECTS: Collision with static objects",
4: "STATIC_OBJECT: A static object",
Deselected is 5: "AI_BLOCKING: Blocks the AI",
6: "TRACTOR: Deprecated in FS22: Do not use it anymore!",
7: "COMBINE: Deprecated in FS22: Do not use it anymore!",
18: "AI_DRIVABLE: AI can drive over this node",

 

The above settings are taken from the base game road mesh , although numbers 2,6, and 7 state that they are no longer used it would be prudent to include them anyway as the collision masks may have changed in later game patches.

 

ENHANCEMENTS

 

Adjusting and smoothing blocky curves/bends

Example; Navigate to a curve section you want to adjust in the viewport

Edit Mode

Select the outer edges of the road sections in the bend (3 in this case) and subdivide, number of subdivisions will be dependent on smoothness required.

Open the Tools Panel ‘N’ and select Edit – Loop Tools – Relax (arrow to left of word Relax)

In the dropdown

Interpolation –Linear- Projects vertices on straight line, Cubic uses a natural cubic spline to project the vertices

Input – Parallel (all) --This will also modify any parallel vertices at the same time, if in doubt select,  Section, only

          selected modified.

Iterations ‘ 1 ‘          – No of times tool is run, higher number gives smoother results but straightens out the curve

Regular –Selected –When selected vertices spread evenly along the loop

Select the vertices along the edge of the curve Section, and select Relax

Further smoothing can be carried out by repeating the above process on the relevant section

Finally select all the vertices along one edge of the whole road mesh and then select Relax

This will smooth out the whole road mesh

 

Image below shows the various stages and images 1 and 3 show the before and after result.

 

Adding Custom road markings.

 

Select all the road bed faces (Shift-Alt held - select face) of your finished road mesh, change to Edge select, again with Shift-Alt held deselect left and right hand edges and Subdivide ' 1 '.

Select the new centre edge (Shift-Alt held - select edge) and Shift-D to copy ' P ' Selection to separate from main road mesh, with the new edge mesh selected

Object mode –

Object--Convert--Curve

Curve Tools panel --Shape-- Geometry and set Extrude to ‘ 0.2 ‘ (Extrude value dependent on the width of the road marking texture used)

Edit mode Ctrl 'T ' -90 to correct the axis.

Object mode -- Object--Convert--Mesh

Add texture as normal not forgetting alpha channel settings in Blender

Edit mode -Face select --select all

UV—Reset   -- adjust UV mesh to fit texture

Texture may need to be adjust on the bends but that is easily done in the UV editing window

Finally when satisfied export as i3d.

To do the edge markings (if required), select the left hand or right hand edge and Shift-D to copy ' P ' Selection to separate from main road mesh and continue as above, doing the same for the other edge.

Example below

 

The previous tutorial showed two ways of creating the road mesh from the CSV mesh but I think the above  method is the quickest and easiest way to get the best results.

 

As it is possible to  create a spline in Blender 3.2 and export it as an i3d you can create a set of splines aligned to the road mesh to use in  the Spline Placement script and also for traffic/railway splines

Using the finished road mesh as an example

For Spline Placement

In Edit mode, Edge Select

Shift-Alt select the left or right hand road edge so all the edges are selected.

Shift ‘ D ‘ to copy

With the edge still selected ‘ P ‘ Selection to separate

Object Mode

With the edge selected -- Object –Convert—Curve

Edit Mode

Curve –Set Spline Type – NURBS

Object mode

Open i3d exporter Export Tab and ensure that Nurbs Curves and Shapes are selected

Set up filename and File Location in the Output tab

Export the i3d

Import into map set ‘ Y ‘ rotation to -90 and Edit-- Freeze Transformation –Rotate Only (leave preserve instances selected) height settings do not matter as objects will be placed on the terrain at their point of origin.

Replace any splines in the splinePlacement transform with this new spline and set up the script parameters accordingly.

Example before selecting Object mode and exporting

 

For traffic/railway splines

 

Select all the road bed faces (Shift-Alt held - select face) of your finished road mesh, change to Edge select, again with Shift-Alt held deselect left and right hand edges and Subdivide '3 '. If creating a railroad spline then Subdivide ' 1 '

Subdivide ‘ 3’ is necessary to get the correct location for the traffic splines (midway between centre and edge).

The centre edge line can be used, if required, as a new roadSpline01_CSV to adjust any terrain height after smoothing of road mesh (slight straightening of bends etc).

 

Shift-Alt select edge to the left of the centre of the road mesh so all the edges are selected and continue as above for the splineUtilsPlace adding a further step after the ‘With the edge still selected ‘ P ‘ Selection to separate’ of renaming the mesh to traffic01_left for clarity and continue the method above.

Repeat the procedure for the right hand edge.

Image showing both sets of splines.

 

Once the traffic splines are imported the Translation/Rotation needs to be set up as follows

Translate ‘ X ‘ and ‘ Z ‘ to‘ 0 ‘

Translate ‘Y ‘  to  a suitable value to align it just above the road mesh, in this case -1.9

Rotate ‘ X ‘ and  ‘ Z ‘ to ‘ 0 ‘

Rotate ‘Y ‘  to  -90

Once done freeze (Edit-Freeze Transformation) the Transformation/Rotation settings.

As both traffic splines, after importing are in the same direction, traffic direction can be set by selecting the relevant spline and pressing the ‘ R ‘ key on your keyboard.

All the splines once imported into the map can be edited/ expanded in the normal way.

Note: Regardless of the filename you have given the spline in Blender the name in the scenegraph of GE will be the

name in the Collections Panel of Blender with the suffix.001 in this case road01_splineCSV.001

Below is an example showing the road mesh, markings,  together with the various splines and also objects that have been placed using the Spline Placement script (see Terrain Height, Paint Terrain and Spline Placement scripts (Updated) for details of placement).

spline_csv_importer.zip

NOTE:

These scripts are personal edits of original scripts by various authors ( Stegei, Evgeny Zaitsev, Nicolas Wrobel,TracMax and W_R ) and posted on the FarmerBoysModding site
for members of the FarmerBoysModding community's personal use and not intended for any general public release.
Furthermore they are posted on the understanding that NO monetary gain whatsoever,regardless of source can be made from all or parts of them by any person(s).
Including but not limited to, Patreon, soliciting for or requiring donations for work done for any purpose, posting on a website that gives any form of remuneration per download or view.

Copyright remains with the original creators of these scripts.

 

It would appear there has been some confusion with the new and old versions of these scripts so to avoid any confusion delete any previous versions of these scripts before installing these new versions and read the New Tutorials relevant to the script you are using.

24/05/23 --- Newer versions of some of these scripts available here

 

Installation

First a big thank you to Stegei, Evgeny Zaitsev, Nicolas Wrobel and TracMax  the originators of some of these scripts.

Whats New

All the scripts no longer require the use of the Script Editor and are now executed directly from the script dropdown in GE ,- Select--Scripts

The scripts now contain a set of Set Up scripts (Spline CSV Creator Set Up, Terrain Paint Set Up, Terrain Height Set Up and Spline Placement Transform ).

These have to be run before using the main script as they create in the User Attributes panel of GE the User Attributes required for each script.

They only require to be run once for each spline used whilst editing, also if the map is saved between edits the User Attributes created are also saved to the spline used so the setup script does not have to be run again when the map is opened for subsequent edits.

 

Because of the various changes/updates to all the scripts it is recommended that all previous versions be deleted before installing the new versions.

 

Download and unzip the Updated Spline Scripts.zip, and copy/paste the contents as laid out in the zip directly into

C:\Users\Your Computer name\AppData\Local\GIANTS Editor 64bit 9.0.3\scripts

The Updated Spline Scripts.Zip  contains the following files,  a brief description of each follows, further detailed information is contained in the relevant tutorials.

 

Spline CSV Creator Set Up           Creates in Giants Editor User Attributes Panel the User Attributes for the 

Spline CSV Creator script.

 

Spline CSV Creator                          Creates a new Spline.i3d aligned to the terrain with the CSV distance set by the

CSV Distance attribute in the User Attributes panel,  also created is a

 Spline CSV data .txt both are placed in the new  CSVdata  folder created in the root folder of your map.

Requires Spline CSV Creator Set Up to be executed first.

 

 

 

Terrain Paint Set Up                       This script prints the terrain layer textures numerically in the Giants Editor Console

 log.

It also creates in the Giants Editor User Attributes panel the necessary User Attributes  for the Terrain Paint  script operation..

Terrain Paint                                      For painting along the spline using map terrain textures, different textures can be

 selectedand painted for the centre and left and right edge areas.

Requires Terrain Paint Set Up to be executed first.

Terrain Height Set Up                    Creates in the User Attributes panel of Giants Editor the necessary User Attributes

 for the Terrain Height script

Terrain Height                                  Allows for setting the terrain height using a spline and has independent height

 settings for centre width, left and right edge width.

Requires Terrain Height Set Up to be executed first.

Spline Placement Transform      Creates a splineObjects transform group with the correct hierarchy in the

 Giants Editor Scenegraph and in User Attributes panel the User Attributes necessary

 for the operation of the Spline Placement script.

Spline Placement                           Places objects along a spline at terrain height at fixed or random distances

along/around and either side of the spline

                Requires Spline Placement Transform to be executed first

Spline Placement Delete             Deletes ALL objects in the placedObjects  transform group.

                                -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

Giants Editor Spline Scripts User Attributes

Brief description of the various User Attribute settings, further information available in the relevant tutorial.

 

Note:

If the map is saved the User Attributes created will be saved (complete with settings) to the relevant Transform Group/Object and will be available when the map is reopened, as such to avoid complications with the save if any of the individual User Attributes are deleted (by selecting the red X) then the next time any of the scripts are run a warning will be printed in the Console log, example below

\ WARNING\

                ATTRIBUTES ERROR

                  PLEASE RESELECT

                SPLINE PLACEMENT  TRANSFORM

The User Attributes will then have to be set up again by reselecting the named Set Up script in the above case the error is with the Spline Placement  script

Spline CSV Creator script

User Attributes created after selecting Scripts-- Spline CSV Creator Set Up

Terrain Height script

User Attributes created after selecting Scripts—Terrain Height Set Up

Terrain Paint script        

User Attributes created after selecting Scripts—Terrain Paint Set Up

 

The letters in brackets on the left of each Attribute name are there to ensure correct layout if more than one set of spline attributes are set up on a single spline, the script name is also entered to separate the individual Script Attributes, example below.

Spline Placement script

This script isn’t affected by the multiple attributes problem (shown above)  although it still uses the same spline as the rest the Attributes are assigned to the splinePlacementTransform not the spline itself.

User Attributes created after selecting Scripts—Spline Placement Transform

To avoid errors and having to repeat the various Set Up scripts it is advisable not to delete any of the

User Attributes until work has finished using the particular spline after which they can be all deleted if required.

 

Further information available from the tutorials

 

Export a Spline from Giants Editor Into Blender to Create Roads/Railways (Updated)

Terrain Height, Paint Terrain and Spline Placement scripts (Updated)

 

Note:

Before using any of these scripts on a current Work In Progress (WIP) map, it is recommended that a blank starter map is used to experiment and get familiar with the scripts, settings, executions and results.

Read the New Tutorials as the operation and execution  of all the scripts has changed.

 

 

 

 

 

Updated Spline Scripts_18.12.2022.zip

I have updated these scripts together with new tutoirials, unfortunately due to restrictions on lenght of posts on this forum I am unable to post them until this problem can be sorted.

Suggest you post your query here,

https://gdn.giants-software.com/

 

Blender 2.93 and later

Mapping-- Coordinates --Generated---- now part of the Displacement setting
Influence --Deselct Color Select –Intensity  -- now part of the BSDF shader color/specul;ar etc

However  I am using another method in Blender 3.1 that seems to give  reasonable result

Blender 3.1 (make sure the Render Engine is set to Cycles), (remember to first download and install the Blender Exporter V9.0.1 from https://gdn.giants-software.com/downloads.php)

8kBorderGE image and 8kBorderDem4096 were both created using the snipping tool in Google Earth both saved as RGB pngs

In the first image I have created a mesh (Import Image as Plane) with the 8k RGB border texture and added the 8kBorderDem4096 texture I will use for the displacement

Main settings are

Mapping -- Extension --Extend --this gives a clean edge to the border by extending the edge pixels
Clamp -- Deselected -- this allows the full colour range to be used in the displacement

All other settings can be left as default though it may be necessary, depending on the dem to set the Color Space to Linear to get better results.

 

Next the 8k border mesh has been subdivided 20 times and Displacment modifier added, Texture coordinates must be set to UV although no UV map is required.

and lastly the final settings for alignment to the terrain

In the Item pop out you will notice that the Z Location value is different to the Z value in the Dimensions -134.69 and 138 respectively this is to show the GE border area more clearly otherwise it would be mixed in with the border image.

Regarding the Dimension Z value (138 in this case) this is normally the highest point of your terrain over the whole border area but can differ due to monitor colour settings and displacement strengths so it is always best to adjust to imported GE terrain.
Highest point can easily be found by running cursor over the area in Google Earth and checking the elev figure in the bottom right

Don't forget to set shading to smooth (Object-Shade Smooth) and Ctrl-A (Set Scale and location if mesh reset to 0) before exporting i3d

When time permits I will be overhauling/updating all the tutorials to reflect the latest updates to links and software.

Just tried both,

https://www.usna.edu/Users/oceano/pguth/website/microdem/microdem.htm

and

https://www.usna.edu/Users/oceano/pguth/md_help/html/download_md.htm

 

downloaded setup.exe with no problem

If you need to use another programme I suggest QGIS (free at https://www.qgis.org/en/site/  ) but be warned it is a fully fledged Geospatial programm so will require a bit of familarisation.
 

From the description of your Dem problem it sounds like a 2k dem that has been resized/enlarged to fit a 4k map thereby stretching all the contours.

Also check the unitsPerPixel in your 4k template they should be 2 for correct rendition

Given your previous "problems"  and as you haven't bothered to give any translation settings for that road I would suggest

A. Incorrect terran height adjustment

B. Incorrect road translation/rotation adjustment (in GE or Blender)

C. Both of the above.

Edit : In your image it would appear you have an aerial roadway in the distance which appears to slope in the same direction as your road over the 'flat terrain'.

Create a suitable junction in Blender

How conversant are you with GE and creating mod from game, as one way of increasing the pickup width is to increase the size of the work area in GE this will increase the pick up area but leave the implement the same size.

Another way although not recommended is to modify the workAreaStart/ WorkAreaHeight(actually length)  positions in GE of an ingame vehicle i3d such as the scorpio550 in GE (will be reset on any game update)

Otherwise a google search might turn up one already modified to a wider pickup area

How wide do you want to go, the ingame ELHO has a working width of 5.5m ( approx 18ft)

Did you first set the terrain height for your roads and then use that spline to create the road system in Blender ?

As you are now trying to use a spline to adjust your terrain after creating the roads then it appears you didn't, I suggest you align your spline to the roadway correctly and then use the script or use the terrain sculpt tool to correct your mistakes

From the tutorial

"In the next image I have used the TerrainHeight by spline script to level the terrain ready for the road,"

Another point, you have set the spline to -0.1 in the scenegraph but what settings have you put for mHeightOffset  in the script (if using the modified Set Terrain Height script not the editor default one)

Create your own in Blender, I gave you some links in a previous post and you said "thank you for the refresher" so I presume you will have no problems creating and texturing a roadway to your own specifications.

Where something like that would work very well is in the multiplayer mode where one player is in charge of the ditribution centre and sells the produce on behalf of the farmer(s) getting the best price and paying the farmer after deductions (storage,transport and the distributers profit). Also as this would only be a paper excersise (extra production models would create to many slots for console players) you could have multiple, say grain mills all competing on price for the farmers goods and the player in charge of distribution sells to the highest bidder.

At the moment the farmer only has the direct sell option i.e transport his own goods to the production facility (cutting out the middleman "distibution").

 

C'mon bdbssb I'm sure you have some thoughts on this idea

I take it you mean something along the lines of a distribution warehouse where you deliver all you crops/items to, then they are automatically distributed to whoever needs them and then pays out to the farmer (minus storage and transport costs).

Then there would be no need for any production facilities as there would be no direct interaction between the farmer and factories (which is why Giants introduced production) and everything would be done on paper so to speak, however if this was available as an option to the farmer so he could make the decision where to sell depending on the return he would get it could be a way of adding a bit more variety to the game.

There is your answer your road has too many polygons, try splitting the road into smaller sections  or reduce the number of polygons (both operations done in Blender), for reference see the way the base game roads are implemented, for example the total poly count for the roadsCity in Elmcreek is 69,149 but each transform section is no larger than 6000 and looking at your previous screenshot just one of your roads has close on 63,000.