New icons needed for the simplePowertrainControl UI app

Hi, i'd like to use three new icons for the simplePowertrainControl UI app :

powertrain_transfercase_fwd
powertrain_transfercase_rwd
powertrain_transfercase_awd

This is to make a custom transfercase with a separate Low Range / High Range and RWD, FWD, AWD selection.

Actually i'm using two connected / disconnected icons for the front and rear shafts, but using that for the RWD, FWD, AWD selection process is long and confuse.

Using a single icon and keyboard shortcut for RWD, FWD and AWD selection would be a lot better. The good point using the new LUA transfercase control is that it is possible to select differentials modes at the same time (it is required to lock the center differential when in RWD or FWD modes).


I tried to find those icons in the BeamNG folders, but they seem to be burred inside a svg-symbols.svg file and / or generated on the fly.

Would it be possible to have that for the next version ? Or perhaps give me some advice to create that if it is possible ?

As a side note, a powertrain_transfercase_neutral icon would be useful to better mimic the real transfercases, and mandatory for cars like the Toyota J80 and some older models that have a mechanical winch connected on the transfercase power take-off as a trim option. When you are using the winch, you must put the transfercase in neutral and connect the Power Take-off shaft so that car wheels do not turn.

In the real world, most offroad cars have a neutral position for the transfercase, and it is mandatory to go through it to switch from low to high range. More, there is often a synchronizer device in the transfercase for switching from low to high, but no synchronizer for switching from high to low.

This mean that for most offroad cars, you need to stop the vehicule to switch to low range. Transfercase sync dammage is not actually simulated in BeamNG.


Thanks a lot.
--- Post updated ---
Edit : i did manage to get that working using other icons, but i can't get the Range and 4WD Mode on different buttons. Seems that when i use the Full4WD controller, the Toggle Range Status control does not work anymore. I can set a keyboard shortcut for it, but it will control the 4WD mode. Any tip to get that working ?

Here are the 3 drive modes, not touching the Hi/Low Range selection, but automatically selecting center diff lock for RWD and FWD and shafts disconnects (Shafts icons are hidden) :



I'd like to be able to control the Range selector with a separate controller button. And use this kind of icons for the drive mode selector (using the full4wd selector) :

 

Edit : i was able to get the Range selector as an independent control using the Full4Wd controller. I did comment line 37 inside full4wd.lua and add this code :

--c.previousDriveMode()
powertrain.toggleDeviceMode("rangebox")
gui.message("Range status: "..rangeBox.mode, 10, "vehicle.powertrain.rangestatus")

Back to work to implement two other independent controls for front and rear differentials locks.

 

what do you mean 'full4wd selector'?

I have local code that toggles range selection, 2wd/4wd and front / rear diff locks independently (4 buttons total). I may get around to submitting it at some point.
Unfortunately it seems very difficult to make the UI reflect the range/Xwd status when using these independent toggles though.

 

When i say full4wd selector i mean a 4wd selector where we can choose between AWD, RWD, FWD. Not only AWD / RWD.

It is not so difficult to toggle those UI icons from elsewhere, I did it in my advanced transmission mod. When i push on the drive mode button in the UI it switch automatically between three modes : AWD, RWD, FWD. I gave access to this wd modes too on my StreamDeck.

But finally i did find more comfortable to use the center diff Bias setting, i'm using two buttons on the StreamDeck to increment or decrement it, so that i can have AWD, RWD, FWD and all other steps in between with 5% increments.

Can be seen here, the three upper left buttons are used to control the Wheel Drive mode :

Other buttons on this screen are used to control the differentials modes, and four wheels steering modes.



I have a few other buttons on a second stream Deck from where i can adjust in realtime the differential parameters, Drive and Coast TBR as well as Preload :



And another page on the StreamDeck XL, more dedicated to independant linelocks for breaks, and independent tire pressure control.



The independant linelocks was the more difficult thing to implement (it is not natively supported).

 

That looks very promising! I would love to try this. Are these publicly available mods?

 

It is not so easy to make it public because it is very long to adapt the advanced transmission to all vehicles. And the advanced 4 wheel steering with tank turn only works on a couple vehicles.

 

This would be a talk for the Developers actually, I wish I knew who did the UI in the game, but I like your thinking the Simple Powertrain Control UI app needs to be improved and what you have done here with new icons is a decent start actually, makes it more understandable of whats going on with the icons you have gone for

 

Would you be able to share the files involved though, so others may find inspiration from the large amounts of time you have undoubtedly invested in making this work on your end?