Unsolved how to move jbeam?

im trying to understand how to move a jbeams like coordinates, if that's how it works, in blender whenever i import all the .dae they're all in the position they should be in, the jbeam in other hand i can't use blender with the plugin only exports jbeam it doesen't import it, when i upload the converted .obj file to nodebeam for reference, it's standing vertically like wha the jbeam is horizontal (btw it's the front IFS from the D15) and so i don't know what to do and there's -20% information about this as there always has been.
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Generally I would do it in Notepad++ (or your own text editor of choice). Then you can change the coordinates manually, hit save, then switch to the BeamNG window, respawn the vehicle and your modifications will be active. You can then use "ctrl+b" to see all of the beams, and "ctrl + n" to see all of the node names. This means you can see in game which node you want to move, move it in the text editor, and then verify that you have done it right by reloading your vehicle.

I would current advise against using any external software for editing jbeam. This is because it tends to make the files very difficult to read and understand. Whereas when you do things in the text editor you can leave comments and give things logical names. These are things that will make your life much easier in the long run.

 

now that's some information,
and is there a specific line in the jbeam that allows me to move all of the suspension components
or do i have to move each one separately

 

Unfortunately, each one separately. However, there aren't that many to change, probably somewhere around 12 front and 12 rear for most vehicles. And there will likely only be 3 different actual values, so once you have done the maths on one of them, you can copy it over to the other nodes with the same original values.

In theory it would be possible to use the variable system with its new maths features to add an offset variable to all of the nodes. This would allow you to tweak them all at the same time, but it is probably not worth the effort and complexity.
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On a slight side note.

I would very much recommend creating a new jbeam file for your mod if you haven't already. So that you are not overwriting any base game content, this will also allow you to keep your part separate and hopefully it will work with future game updates.

Providing you know some basic jbeam, you should be able to copy the component from the original jbeam file into your own, then just fiddle with some parameters and have it as your own part.

 

ye, i was planning to add independent suspension to default vehicles without it as an option so like the moonhawk, D15, Barstow etc
but my modelling game is not max lvl for me to mess around, so i'll just copy the front and get to know how stuff works and go from there

 

I only skimmed the thread (sorry), but here goes:

Do use Notepad++ for most of your jbeam editing, but when it comes time to align a jbeam with a moved mesh you'll probably want to use the NodeBEAM editor. It has many faults (there have been one or two threads discussing those recently), but moving groups of nodes and beams is where it shines.

SteamApps\common\BeamNG.drive\utils\editor

Here is a thread on the subject: https://www.beamng.com/threads/what-is-up-with-the-bneditor.56534/

I don't remember all of the problems. Make many & frequent backups of your files. Copy and paste stuff in and out of the editor. Experiment because not all aspects of the UI work in the way you'd expect. Sorry I don't remember enough to be more helpful. :-|

 

i tried
--edit-- this is better

Gfycat Video - Click to Play - Direct Link

;C

 

Basically the solution to this is "try harder". :-| It's your choice where you try harder, but either way that's my advice.

1. Try harder to explain your problem and what you've done about it:
   1. Share code
   2. demonstrate "before and after"
   3. show screenshots of you actually using the tool I recommended above
   4. etc
2. Try harder to fix it yourself.
   1. How many different things have you tried? I'm sure you can come up with more ideas.
   2. How many official vehicles have you looked at for comparison purposes?
   3. How many mods have you looked at for comparison purposes?
   4. It's possible that you aren't aware of all of the tools available in the game. Have you fully investigated the debug menu and all of it's options?
   5. I'm under the impression that you didn't take my advice from above.
      
   6. I'm under the impression that you haven't spent as much time on the wiki as you should have. You may not have a 100% firm grasp of how nodes and beams work. Nodes are positioned in absolute (to the vehicle) space.
      1. https://wiki.beamng.com/JBeam_Introduction
      2. https://wiki.beamng.com/JBeam_Reference
      3. https://wiki.beamng.com/Vehicle_Creation_Megapage

Personally I recommend that you investigate and/or do all of the things listed above, but not necessarily in that order.

EDIT:

1. I think that adding full independent suspension to the vehicles you mentioned is a very neat and worthwhile project. IRS for the D15 is something I've considered working on myself, very cool.
   
2. This is a VERY ambitious project and you've got a medium to high amount of work ahead of you and a ton of learning. I certainly do not want to scare you away from modding, but you may want to consult with various experienced forum members about slightly less ambitious projects to get started on. I'm sure that this is not your only idea, maybe some are closer to within your grasp?

 

maybe i should start small yes, but damn is it hard i just wish there was a more definite way of going about it, from what i see being able to do any kind of suspension even if you're just copying from a real world model, it still means you have to learn absolutely everything about jbeam then put all that knowledge together somehow, it's just kinda spread apart, half incomplete, conflictive with other stuff etc...
and i don't want to bother other modders because they have better things to do.
well how about this, answering this question for me might help me out:
in what order do i need to learn jbeam in to be able to make functioning rear suspension for a car.
im sure there's a 100% definite way to learn jbeam and accomplish what i want, but it's the time wasted trying to put all that together that's kind of annoying lmao.

the modeling part i'll have to figure out somehow.

thanks.

 

I only have a moment, so I have to keep it brief for this one. Your intention not to bother other modders is admirable... but who did you assume was going to respond to your requests for help? Generally speaking, those who are not either modders or developers would not be qualified so that leaves...

With that out of the way, I don't think there's much of an order that you need to follow. I say that because you need to fully understand jbeam in order to do a suspension. Properly functioning suspensions are one of the hardest aspects of building a car (IRL or in BeamNG). If you're not willing to read and comprehend at LEAST the two jbeam links I posted above (and probably other things from the vehicle creation megapage), then you should pause this project for now. Any knowledgeable modder can tell you that while we reference the wiki, we also look at official content. Those places are where the information is.

Here's another interesting article for you: https://wiki.beamng.com/Introduction_to_Vehicle_Creation There is a ton of information squished into that one short page, maybe that's the best way to bootstrap yourself into "knowing what you don't know". From your post above it sounds like that's what you're really looking for right now. (it certainly won't teach you how to make a functioning suspension, sorry) FYI hubWheels are outdated and should be replaced by pressureWheels. Look at official content and the wiki to better understand pressureWheels. All the info you need is available.

 

I would also agree that suspension is the hardest part. However, moving an existing suspension setup shouldn't be too hard. Building your own however is actually quite tricky, since there is a lot of geometry to design in order to make it drive well.

I would like to put something proper together at some point on the wiki. But it's a lot of work to do and so many other people have tried, each adding yet another incomplete tutorial. Hence why there are so many jbeam guides.

 

at least now i have confirmation that if i indeed DO learn all the jbeam from the wiki i will sooner or later be able to do it, and that all the information is indeed available, vs learning alot of incomplete outdated tuts for weeks and end up with nothing, at least now anyone that comes across this thread has confirmation from a real modder that the info is there.
@aljowen
i understand, there just isn't enough time and even if someone did find enough time to make some tutorial that was good it'll be outdated sooner or later
and like, what if they're people studying in uni, it's just impossible.
Thanks d0ds