Car files

Is there a program or a method to open up the car files and see what is inside? I was just wondering if a N3 car file could be opened and export any kind of graphic for the paint job and then find away to import it in to a N2 car file.

you open, export and import all withen in the game in the "paint shop" -- Kevin Anderson --------------------------------------------------- DK-Racing #15 K_Anderson ------------------------------------------------- http://www.awtech.net/ http://www.nascar-3.com/

>you open, export and import all withen in the game in the "paint shop" I've also been wondering about the .car file extension, and how the folks at various sites are creating these when they post new cars. I know how to use paint shop to import & export, and view paint jobs etc, etc.... but nobody really seems to be saying how these .car files are actually created or if they can be opened up once created (other than simply exporting the .pcx paint scheme). The reason I wonder, is simply because people are obviously packing more into a .car file than just the .pcx..... the driver photo can be included as well. Therefore instead of having to import a .pcx paint job, then load up a seperate .tga photo for the driver, you are able to simply place a .car file into your cars folder. I noticed this when I downloaded the terrific Iroc carset from www.theuspits.com/iwcccars/nascar3.html . The carset includes a seperate .car file for each car, and somewhere within that .car file is the .pcx paintjob for the car, and a .tga for the drivers photo. I think some of us are simply wondering how they are doing that and creating that .car file extension in the process? And is it possible to open them back up if you wanted to for whatever reason? Also curious, Burke Wells

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> >you open, export and import all withen in the game in the "paint shop" > I've also been wondering about the .car file extension, and how the folks at > various sites are creating these when they post new cars. I know how to use > paint shop to import & export, and view paint jobs etc, etc.... but nobody > really seems to be saying how these .car files are actually created or if > they can be opened up once created (other than simply exporting the .pcx > paint scheme). The reason I wonder, is simply because people are obviously > packing more into a .car file than just the .pcx..... the driver photo can > be included as well. Therefore instead of having to import a .pcx paint job, > then load up a seperate .tga photo for the driver, you are able to simply > place a .car file into your cars folder. I noticed this when I downloaded > the terrific Iroc carset from www.theuspits.com/iwcccars/nascar3.html . The > carset includes a seperate .car file for each car, and somewhere within that > .car file is the .pcx paintjob for the car, and a .tga for the drivers > photo. I think some of us are simply wondering how they are doing that and > creating that .car file extension in the process? And is it possible to open > them back up if you wanted to for whatever reason? > Also curious, > Burke Wells

Bravo dude, this is exactly what I was asking, although I should have been more explicit. My whole thing is if there is away to open the N3 file and extract the .pcx for the car, I would like to see if I can use if for N50th. I don't have N3 yet. I understand that the .car file for N3 are not compatable with N2/N50th.

Yes it can be done, but the pcx file graphics are changed a little in their placement. Pieces of the car are moved around so they find in a 256x256 array instead of the ~400x~300 in the pcx. Here is a description of the internals of a .car file. It's not 100% complete or accurate, but it should get you on your way. Nascar3 Car File Format Example is from c99_3.car Size in Bytes Data Meaning 8 ' RAC',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 150116 Size of File following less the 12 bytes 8 'OFNI',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 1607 Size of Section 4 6 ??? Championship and Official Nascar Driver indicators 1 3 Car Number 1 0 Chassis (0 = Chevy, 1 = Pontiac, 2 = Ford) 1 0 ??? 4 495 Car Power Min 4 575 Car Power Max 4 495 Car Traction Min 4 570 Car Traction Max 4 100 Car Drag Min 4 110 Car Drag Max 4 800 Agression Min 4 999 Agression Max 4 450 Short Track Min 4 900 Short Track Max 4 500 Road Course Min 4 925 Road Course Max 4 625 Superspeedway Min 4 995 Superspeeday Max 4 0 ??? 4 0 ??? 4 100 Qualifying Min 4 750 Qualifying Max 68 17(0) ??? 4 14 Length of Full Name 13 Dale Earnhardt Full Name 4 11 Length of Short Name 11 D Earnhardt Short Name 4 26 Length of Team Name 26 GM Goodwrench... Team Name 4 14 Length of Home Town 14 Kannapolis, NC Home Town 4 3 Length of Country 3 USA Country 4 7 Length of Birthdate 7 4/29/51 Birthdate 4 24 Length of Team Owner 24 Richard Child... Team Owner 4 526 Length of Bio 526 One of NASCAR... Bio Text 4 709 Length of Team Info 709 Although Rich... Team Info Text <not shown in N3> 4 86 Length of Stats 86 33 1... Stats 1 32 Filler to get 32 bit aligned 8 'JBOC',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 87376 Size of ??? 8 ' PIM',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 87280 Size of ??? 8 'DHPM',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 18 Size of Section 1 2 ? 4 8 ? 4 8 ? 4 60 ? 4 1024 ? 1 0 ? 2 32 Filler to get 32 bit Aligned 8 'PAMB',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 65576 Size of Section 8 'DHMB',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 14 Size of Section 1 2 4 256 4 256 4 256 1 0 2 32,32 Filler to get 32 bit aligned 8 'ATAD',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 65536 Size of Section 65536 = 256x256 65536 x,x,x,x,x,x,x... Graphic Data 1 Byte per pixel 8 'PAMB',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 16424 Size of Section 8 'DHMB',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 14 Size of Section 1 2 4 128 4 128 4 128 1 0 2 32,32 Filler to get 32 bit Aligned 8 'ATAD',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 16384 Size of Section 16384 = 128x128 16384 x,x,x,x,x,x,x... Graphic Data 1 byte per pixel 8 'PAMB',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 4136 Size of Section 8 'DHMB',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 14 Size of Section 1 2 4 64 4 64 4 64 1 0 2 32,32 Filler to get 32 bit aligned 8 'ATAD',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 4096 Size of Section 4096 = 64x64 4096 x,x,x,x,x,x,x... Graphic Data 1 byte per pixel 8 'PAMB',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 1064 Size of Section 8 'DHMB',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 14 Size of Section 1 2 4 32 4 32 4 32 1 0 2 32,32 Filler to get 32 bit aligned 8 'ATAD',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 1024 Size of Section 1024 = 32x32 1024 x,x,x,x,x,x,x... Graphic Data 1 byte per pixel 8 'PERC',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 72 Size of Section 72 x,x,x,x,x,x,x ??? looks like 36 2 byte values 8 'PERP',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 256 256 x,x,x,x,x,x,x... ??? looks like 256 1 byte values 8 'PAMB',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 60828 Section Size 8 'DHMB',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 14 Section Size 1 5 4 181 4 167 4 364 1 0 2 32,32 Filler to get 32 bit aligned 8 'ATAD',0,0,0,0 Section Heading 4 60788 Size of Section 60788 x,x,x,x,x,x,x... Graphic Data 2 bytes per pixel D/A Fischer <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > Burke Wells wrote: > > Kevin Anderson wrote in message ... > > >you open, export and import all withen in the game in the "paint shop" > > I've also been wondering about the .car file extension, and how the folks at > > various sites are creating these when they post new cars. I know how to use > > paint shop to import & export, and view paint jobs etc, etc.... but nobody > > really seems to be saying how these .car files are actually created or if > > they can be opened up once created (other than simply exporting the .pcx > > paint scheme). The reason I wonder, is simply because people are obviously > > packing more into a .car file than just the .pcx..... the driver photo can > > be included as well. Therefore instead of having to import a .pcx paint job, > > then load up a seperate .tga photo for the driver, you are able to simply > > place a .car file into your cars folder. I noticed this when I downloaded > > the terrific Iroc carset from www.theuspits.com/iwcccars/nascar3.html . The > > carset includes a seperate .car file for each car, and somewhere within that > > .car file is the .pcx paintjob for the car, and a .tga for the drivers > > photo. I think some of us are simply wondering how they are doing that and > > creating that .car file extension in the process? And is it possible to open

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> > them back up if you wanted to for whatever reason? > > Also curious, > > Burke Wells > > [email hidden] > Bravo dude, this is exactly what I was asking, although I should have been

more > explicit. My whole thing is if there is away to open the N3 file and extract > the .pcx for the car, I would like to see if I can use if for N50th. I don't > have N3 yet. I understand that the .car file for N3 are not compatable with > N2/N50th.

Hi Mike, Thanks for the interesting info. I had no idea that much stuff was in a .car file. If you don't mind me asking, just how exactly did you open the .car file up to see all that data? And how are people packing this info to create the .car file? Some type of pack/unpack program, or what? Burke

Not unpacked. I used something simular to a hex editor to view the file. Most of what I've done so far is to pull info out of the .car, not to put info into it. But using the file description, and some experimentation, you should be able to create a .car file from "scratch". > Hi Mike, > Thanks for the interesting info. I had no idea that much stuff was in a .car > file. If you don't mind me asking, just how exactly did you open the .car > file up to see all that data? And how are people packing this info to create

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> the .car file? Some type of pack/unpack program, or what? > Burke > >Yes it can be done, but the pcx file graphics are changed a little in

their

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> >placement. Pieces of the car are moved around so they find in a 256x256 > >array instead of the ~400x~300 in the pcx. > >Here is a description of the internals of a .car file. It's not 100% > >complete or accurate, but it should get you on your way. > >Nascar3 Car File Format > >Example is from c99_3.car