Thanks for your help.
I think it could be possible to use driveline.ini as an input, working with a new algorithm to detect curvature (as the data I used as input, the position of track anchors, would be missing). Let's assume we have that. Then I could generate a new "pacenotes.ini". The process of generating new pacenotes would be really easy for the user, as you only have to execute a script with one input file and one output file, without having to extract info by hand from text files.
If that works, the problem I see is that with BTB 0.7 there is still no chance to import the pacenotes so you can make final changes to them. The process of setting pacenotes will be done outside from BTB. Three solutions: 1) generating perfect pacenotes so no further changes are desired, 2) user has to edit by hand pacenotes.ini or 3) change the scripts to make by-hand changes on the pacenotes (move,remove,add) easy.
With BTB 0.6 the option of importing the generated pacenotes would be possible. So final adjustments could be easily done.
there is a 4th solution but is not exactly straight forward and kinda lets BTB out of the loop.
some years ago Kegetys made a tool called
RBRDLL which along with other features it can edit pacenotes ingame.
the issue with using it along with RX tracks is the fact the RX tracks are loaded into the track-41_M slot, so RBRDLL will operate on the file called
track-41_M.dls which means we have some file replacing and renaming to do.
i can see 2 scenarios, first starting with an empty pacenotes.ini, load your track, use the RBRDLL to create and save the pacenotes then extract the notes from dls.
in a second scenario, you start with a pacenotes.ini created by BTB or your script; in this case:
- load the track once to have the \RX_CONTENT\TRACKS\
yourtrack\CACHE\dls.dls produced;
- copy the dls.dls file created in the step above and paste it inside \Richard Burns Rally\Maps\ folder, then rename it as track-41_M.dls.
- load your track again and use RBRDLL to edit and save the pacenotes.
- extract the pacenotes from track-41_M.dls.
what's missing here is a tool to extract the pacenotes from track-41_M.dls into a ini file, you can use the program attached below; use Menu->Open to select track-41_M.dls, a track-41_M.dls.ini file will be created. all you need to do next is to rename this track-41_M.dls.ini into pacenotes.ini and move it into your RX track folder.
i know this by now seems quite ugly and complicated process but i belive is viable with a little patience
.