Topics

[Player name:]

Player name:

Rubber

 
Ban ID:

#29198

 
Time and date of ban: 5:25PM CDT Feb 24, 2015
Reason of ban: Speedhack
Ban was unfair? Yes
I was banned by: Smokey (anti-cheat)

What actually was happening:
I was driving my monster in LV. someone started flinging my truck in the air with a hack, I started recording, got banned. Ban proof here (once it's done processing):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhto40LXfow&feature=youtu.be

Screenshot:
Taken right before ban:

I confirm that all above information is true and I am aware that posting false information in ban appeal will result in my ban being extended.

[Download:]

Ever get frustrated with getting stuck in the LS tunnel (to the West of the airport) and the SF tunnel (north end of SF)? Here is a fix for it. The only thing I did was change the collision files (.col) for the two items in question. Just download and replace both .col files in your gta3.img file and you'll never get stuck with a truck/trailer again! Hope you all enjoy!

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/download/e5l2engq6r02c2l/tunnel+collision+fixes.rar

This is about Rahail's topic that was locked. What about offering the challenge to ANY vehicle except motorcycles? This would open it up for people to get creative without th chance of smokey interfering. There are ways to go fast with other vehicles...let's see just how creative people are.

I know this is technically not allowed as a suggestion because of "New Gas stations/Areas" can't be suggested, but in order to make the server better, I've decided to suggest this anyway. I'm not sure if it's been suggested before or not.

Why not add the airports to the list of places to unload fuel for petrol missions? It would not only increase the mission freshness, but would decrease the fuel rate for planes. Always being at rate 10 can be kind of annoying. For those nay-sayers out there who say LV Island airport wouldn't be able to get fuel...tough. That's actually semi realistic if the island airport (which is harder to get to) has a higher gas price. It's that way in real life (Look at fuel prices in Hawaii vs. central US, for example).

Just my 2 cents to make things more realistic/fresh. The server needs little updates like this to stay fresh. Doesn't take much to just keep things moving.

This is a CLEO mod that I found and thought it was pretty cool. Simple to install and easy to use. Put the file in your CLEO folder and you're done. Use NUM 8 and NUM 2 to control the color of smoke (hold it for a little while to change the color). Here are a few screens of it in use. For the rainbow ones, I was holding down the key while flying.

Download link: http://gtag.gtagaming.com/mods/57-sky-ink/

This is a project that I have been working on for a LONG time (3 years?) off and on. It is unique and I have never seen another mod like it. I started with a Peterbilt 379 and started chopping and slamming it. I added a pickup truck bed and this is the result. Hope you enjoy! I will release it if anyone is interested. Truck bed has custom wood inlays which add class      This mod gets installed on the yosemite.

[TRUCKS (for road train, petrol, and linerunner)]

I am going to turn this topic into a place for me to post all my mods in one place. Hope you enjoy!


TRUCKS (for road train, petrol, and linerunner)
[hide=Peterbilt 379 Custom, 2 axle, mitre cut stacks]
Standard orientation with Giant mitre cut stacks. Mod works on all trucks. Just about every aspect of this truck was modified, including a custom pained to match interior.






Download link for mitre cut stack version: http://www.mediafire.com/download/dll2sq9ww07rvdc/Pete379Mitrecut.rar

Credits: All credits go to Arlan (it's his base mod). I don't really want to take any credit for simple mod edits like this. I just simply "improved" his mod drastically.
[/hide]

[hide=Peterbilt 379 Custom, 2 axle, turnout stacks]
Version with 45 degree turnout stacks:



Download link for turnout stack version: http://www.mediafire.com/download/cuwpcuzcvq4a9hn/Pete379turnout.rar
[/hide]

[hide=Peterbilt 379 Custom, 2 axle, straight cut stacks]
Version with straight cut stacks:



Download link for straight cut stack version: http://www.mediafire.com/download/xnyil7826i1t7ru/Pete379straighcut.rar

[/hide]
[hide=Kenworth K100 Flat Top version]
Just another modified mod. Made this for a friend who didn't like the standard K100 mod. Took a couple hours of modding. Lots of modifications done, can't remember them all.

Screenshots:





Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/3nplszafvilq36d/K100+flattop.rar
[/hide]

[hide=Smokey and the Bandit Truck+Trailer]
There was no good high quality mod with reflection textures and chrome out there, so I chose to upgrade one of Arlan's mods. I don't take credit for the mod, I only made it "better" and delagged it so it works on any truck. Sorry for the low light pictures, it was dark out  It looks better in the sunlight. Enjoy!!!













Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/q5q28xg41ffidr5/Smokey+and+the+bandit+truck%2Btrailer.rar

[/hide]



TRAILERS (for artic, dumper, and petrol trailers)
[hide=40ft Great Dane tri-axle Custom trailer]
This trailer matches the paint scheme of the first truck above.






Download link for 3 axle trailer: http://www.mediafire.com/download/zvjinvs0yyq37nb/triaxle+40ft+great+dane+fixed.rar
[/hide]

[hide=40ft Great Dane Custom 2-axle trailer]


Download link for 2 axle trailer: http://www.mediafire.com/download/2l7wb3jdgj36x8q/2+axle+40ft+great+dane+fixed.rar
[/hide]


[hide=Tri-axle Peterbilt Petrol trailer]




Download link for 3 axle petrol trailer: http://www.mediafire.com/download/zjxdw4r834vlb2d/triaxle+petrol+trailer.rar
[/hide]


[hide=Low-poly Dumper trailer]




This trailer has 4 'extra' types of loads like dirt, coal, wood chips, and sand. They will spawn with different loads.

Download link for Dumper trailer: http://www.mediafire.com/download/vscdxr0glyxises/Dumper+trailer.rar

[/hide]




UTILITY VEHICLES
[hide=Peterbilt Dump truck (for flatbed)]
Customizations:

   
• Windshield visor
• Tinted windows
• Front Bumper
• Amber and red lights down dumper box
• Big stacks
• Better mud flaps
• Mud flap girl textures added
• Extras added in dumper box: dirt, and two types of coal. They sometimes show up, sometimes the box is empty.
• Different steps under cab
• Different air cleaner with lights
• Different headlights
• Amber lights added to top of cab
• Completely different paint scheme (2-tone)
• All textures were improved, shiny paint, shiny glass, better chrome

Here are some pics:













Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/lmj1tdss05417sd/Pete+dump+truck+%28flatbed%29.rar
[/hide]

[hide=Chevy 3500 Van for Burrito]
I didn't make this mod, only 'improved' it. Added better textures, removed the extras from the back (to reduce # of polys), deleted the damage modeling (also to reduce poly count). Only a few things that I don't like about it: the glass doesn't appear until you turn the engine on (not sure why this is), the wheels are too small, and I don't like the texture on the mirrors. I might get around to fixing them, but here it is for now.

It is a pretty big mod (10Mb for dff), so only download if your computer can handle it.

Screenshots:





Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/eel5r4q4u4362br/Chevy3500van.rar
[/hide]



CARS
[hide=1993 Ford Mustang 5.0L]
Secondary color is the interior color. This has recently become my favorite mod (besides the Shelby Daytona Coupe mod)









Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/60y6xbp53pxcvl6/93+Mustang+5.0L.rar
[/hide]

[hide=1964 Ford Mustang]
Decent 3D model, but could be better. Early mustangs are hard to find.







Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/y763mmh2a7e6s8o/64+mustang.rar
[/hide]

[hide=1968 Dodge Charger R/T]
Very nice mod, looks good in green and black.







Download link:
[/hide]

[hide=1970 Pontiac Firebird]
Another hard to find mod for GTA is the firebird. Interior is the secondary color.








Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/16ogf6rfighinvh/70+Firebird.rar
[/hide]

[hide=1965 Shelby Cobra]
I didn't do anything to this mod. Simply a great mod, but file size is a bit large.








Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/ops76jer7bp7p6i/65+AC+Cobra.rar
[/hide]

[hide=1989 Chevy IROC Camaro]
I did an extensive amount of retexturing to get this to look good. This and the '93 Mustang are perfect counterparts to have in game!







Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/777jx6q8lpns39a/89+IROC+Camaro.rar
[/hide]

[hide=1968 Chevy C3 Stingray Corvette]
This was a pretty average mod before I began. It didn't have shiny textures...no chrome...and no extras. Now look at it. It took me a while, but I added the T-tops as an extra. I also put it on the cheetah because it is tuneable (not that you would want to tune a vette...). Notice the last few images show the car with the T-tops in (first few have them out).











Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/awr9890ddf7s5ys/68+Stingray.rar
[/hide]

[hide=Blacked-out C5 Corvette]
This is a project I did for a friend a while back. Tinted windows, black wheels, and blacked out taillights along with improved textures and blacked out 'Corvette' on the rear. NOTE: the pop-up lights only work if installed on the zr-350 (I installed on the bullet for the images below)





Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/brwpls0y14rnf7s/Blacked+out+C5+Corvette.rar
[/hide]

[hide=Custom Monster body on Rancher]
Custom mod for Fish. He wanted the Monster A body on the Rancher. So here it is. Little bug with the windows so I deleted them lol.







Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/co88ana41k99cwu/Custom+rancher2.rar
[/hide]




MISCELLANEOUS MODS
[hide=camera mod (no crosshairs)]
I made this mod a long time ago and figured I would post it here. I used to take high quality pictures in gta and needed a way to do it. So I took the camera txd and eliminated the "crosshairs" from it. My reason is this: I use FRAPS to take screenshots instead of the camera or screenshot feature in SAMP because FRAPS has a much higher resolution and quality. If you use /camera then hold caps lock, you will see the "crosshairs". They get in the way when I want to take a screenshot with FRAPS. Here is an example of the stock "crosshairs" using FRAPS:




And here is my mod in effect, without the "crosshairs".




Both the above screenshots were taken with FRAPS using /camera. In addition, by using FRAPS through the camera without the "crosshairs", you can make some pretty cool videos, like these:

[xfire]5b0d21[/xfire]
[xfire]5b0d24[/xfire]
[xfire]5b07a7[/xfire]
[xfire]5b00b0[/xfire]
[xfire]628c61[/xfire]

For comparison of quality, look at this screenshot below. It was taken by actually using the camera (and clicking mouse button to take picture) INSTEAD of FRAPS. Compare the quality between the two techniques. Much better resolution using FRAPS and my mod 




Instructions: Just replace the stock camera.txd file in your GTA3.IMG file with the one shown below. Be sure to make backups of the original in case you want to go back.
Hope you all like it! Happy picture taking!

Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/6hds5yiaw60v2fi/camera.txd
[/hide]
[hide=Artic Convoy Trucking skin]
I made this a while back and I'm reposting it here. It is the Convoy Trucking logo on the side of the stock artic trailer. I only replaced one of the 6 images that will appear on the artic1 trailer, so you won't see it at all times. Simple installation: just replace the stock artic1.txd with the one shown below. Enjoy!



Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/v05p4r1neglqlw6/artict1.txd
[/hide]

[hide=Admen Caboose Roadtrain!]
After getting a brilliant idea, I decided to make this. Hope you enjoy! All aboard the Admen Cabooose!

It is paintable with custom high quality (lol) graphics!







Download here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/yltq767m6ob7jeq/cabooserdtrain.rar
[/hide]
[hide=Admen Caboose Artic Trailer!]
This was done as a joke mostly. I was bored. Anyway, enjoy! Thanks to Hobo for the graphics!


This version shows up as an extra:




Other times, it shows up like this:


I have combined both previous versions into one mod and eliminated some bugs (it no longer get stuck on tolls  )

Download here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/k097ld3re3q46v5/admencaboose2.rar
[/hide]

Post your pictures and videos of big convoys you have had or been a part of. This one was from May 2011. Back in the good ole' days.

I made this ring for my girlfriend for Valentine's day. It is made out of steel (this is just a test ring) on a lathe. The real ring will be made of titanium so it is really strong and won't rust. It is blue and purple with silver grooves cut in it. I did the coloring with a torch (it is not paint). The silver thing in the first picture is a collet I made to hold it in the lathe. The last image is the best to see the real color of it.

Apparently staff didnt want me posting a complaint in the complaint section. So I am going to assume I just posted in the wrong section. So I will post it here. Good thing I copied it before they deleted my complaint.

I received a warning for applying to joshys topic regarding staff activity. Why am I not allowed to voice my opinion? It was just one freaking little post related to the topic. I was not going off topic and I did not disrespect anyone. This is just silly. Of course I replied to the same topic with my thoughts on this but after posting I realized I got a warning. However, this post probably wont be approved so nobody will see what I have to say on the matter.

On this note, I will post my thoughts and complaints here... Why are players allowed to view and reply to topics they are not supposed to? To me, the complaints section should be HIGHLY player-oriented since PLAYERS have complaints and have opinions on the matter. So WHY IS THE COMPLAINTS BOARD VISIBLE TO PLAYERS? Just move it to admin board if it doesnt concern players. This incident really pissed me off. Why are staff acting like dictators recently? The forum is here for players. If staff need to discuss something, take it to the staff board... But dont warn players for posting a relevant post on something they CAN post to...

Not only would I like my warn removed, I would like the complaints section just moved to the staff board. And staff: please dont act like you own the place....you dont. The server and forum would be NOTHING without players. I am a multi-donater and really old player here. Over the past year, both the server and forum have become more and more like a dictatorship. Staff members need a reality check. You were all regular players once. How would you feel if you were warned for posting something useful to a topic you have right to post in? This is rediculous....

And please let PLAYERS respond to this topic since it does involve PLAYERS.

In addition, this is from the "read first" topic on the complaints section. It clearly states I have a right to post in that section as long as it is relavent to the topic...

"Problems and complaints are like ANY other report forum!


Thanks to Konali I've been made aware that this isn't an opinionated part of our forums and therefore you can only reply to a thread if it's on-topic and helpful to the thread, otherwise leave it to admins / mods to answer (Depends who's involved)


This is a fair warning to everyone, if we see it in future you can expect forum warnings for disobeying the Report forum rules."

Please remove my warning as I WAS COMPLETLEY ALLOWED TO POST IT.

I received  warning for applying to joshys topic regarding staff activity. Why am I not allowed to voice my opinion? It was just one freaking little post related to the topic. I was not going off topic and I did not disrespect anyone. This is just silly. Of course I replied to the same topic with my thoughts on this but after posting I realized I got a warning. However, this post probably wont be approved so nobody will see what I have to say on the matter.

On this note, I will post my thoughts and complaints here... Why are players allowed to view and reply to topics they are not supposed to? To me, the complaints section should be HIGHLY player-oriented since PLAYERS have complaints and have opinions on the matter. So WHY IS THE COMPLAINTS BOARD VISIBLE TO PLAYERS? Just move it to admin board if it doesnt concern players. This incident really pissed me off. Why are staff acting like dictators recently? The forum is here for players. If staff need to discuss something, take it to the staff board... But dont warn players for posting a relevant post on something they CAN post to...

Not only would I like my warn removed, I would like the complaints section just moved to the staff board. And staff: please dont act like you own the place....you dont. The server and forum would be NOTHING without players. I am a multi-donater and really old player here. Over the past year, both the server and forum have become more and more like a dictatorship. Staff members need a reality check. You were all regular players once. How would you feel if you were warned for posting something useful to a topic you have right to post in? This is rediculous....

And please let PLAYERS respond to this topic since it does involve PLAYERS.

Found this game earlier. Since there are a lot of you here that like off-roading, I figured I would share it with you all. The physics in this game are amazing. It simulates mud and dirt like no other game I've seen. Check out some videos on youtube. It's called SpinTires

Link to demo: http://www.spintires.com/#!/demo

This is not my mod but I wanted to share it with everyone. It is a first person view mod that uses CLEO 4.

Instructions: put the 2 files that are in the "first person mod" folder in your CLEO folder in your GTA SA directory. Note: you MUST have CLEO 4 for this to work!!!

Here are some videos of it working. You can move the mouse to control the view.
[xfire]/61091c[/xfire]

[xfire]/610926[/xfire]

[xfire]/61092b[/xfire]

Uploading more videos in the meantime..

Download here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/wl7y9yzzx1c2w5f/first_person_mod.rar

He said he wanted bigger and bigger stacks...so I made them bigger:

Here is a collection of all the fun times I've had on the server over the past 3+ years here....


http://s1059.photobucket.com/user/RubberofCVT/slideshow/Old%20CT%20screens



One specific image deserves a mention...One day, Goose (Bangor) found a mod of the titanic, and thought it would be funny to put it on the dinghy. We were all on skype (him, me, and RaceRX) and entered the old server (which was still up at the time). I was PM'ing racer that I wanted to get goose with a fake ban as soon as he spawned his dinghy. He didn't have any money to buy a dinghy, so I sent him 9k. This is what he sees when he spawns the dinghy (he sent this screen of another time he tried to spawn it):



The second he spawned the dinghy, I did a fake chat banning him (which is now not allowed on the server for obvious reasons). He was quiet on skype for a few seconds and then said "....are you serious...I just got banned". I was doing everything I could to keep from laughing. I was PM'ing racer in game. This is what it looked like a few seconds after I 'fake banned' Goose:




This was easily one of the top 5 funniest moments in my history here at CT. Good times...

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After getting a brilliant idea, I decided to make this. Hope you enjoy! All aboard the Admen Cabooose!

It is paintable with custom high quality (lol) graphics!







Download here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/yltq767m6ob7jeq/cabooserdtrain.rar

This was done as a joke mostly. I was bored. Anyway, enjoy! Thanks to Hobo for the graphics!


This version shows up as an extra:




Other times, it shows up like this:


I have combined both previous versions into one mod and eliminated some bugs (it no longer get stuck on tolls  )

Download here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/k097ld3re3q46v5/admencaboose2.rar

As many of you have already seen, I was working on a custom truck and trailer. Well...here it is.

Some things to keep in mind: I didn't "create" the mods, only highly modified them. All credits go to their original creators. The truck was made by Arlan.

Here is a list of all modifications made to the truck:
- Redid diamond plate on cab steps, made the diamonds paintable with secondary color
- Enclosed frame with a top frame cap
- Removed headlight reflector plates (the things below headlights)
- Made chrome under cab primary color
- Removed sleeper
- Added low-cut bowtie visor
- Got rid of tow cable holes in bumper
- Removed most of the rivets and screws on the cab to give it a "clean" look and cut down on polycount
- Chromed air cleaners
- Removed horns and equalized cab top lights, made cab top lights secondary color instead of chrome
- Removed CB whips
- Added fuel tanks to be primary color
- Added mitre cut stacks
- Retextured nearly the entire truck, added custom paint scheme
- Accent stripe is actually chrome (not gray like it looks in the images)
- Made interior match primary and secondary paint
- De-lagged the mod

This truck mod works on the Road Train, Petrol, and Linerunner with no lag at all!!!


Now for the trailer. Credits can be found here: http://www.forum.convoytrucking.net/index.php/topic,40276.0.html
Trailer release was from Nado and I got his permission to customize it.

List of modifications made to the trailer:
- Shortened trailer from 48ft to 40ft (because GTA does not like long trailers...)
- Re-scaled the trailer to better fit in the game
- Moved the axles together to lose 'spread axle' look
- Made the reefer an extra so it shows up sometimes, and not others
- Made new chrome texture
- Made paint shiny without the use of ENB
- Added completely custom paint scheme to match the truck (stripe is chrome)
- Adjusted collisions, axle height, and trailer hookup to reduce trailer jump and lag (trailer does NOT lag at all on artic 1 or 3!!!)
(note in the second to last picture below, the left mudflap on the trailer is bugged, I have fixed it already)


Here are some screens of the truck and trailer:











Truck download: http://www.mediafire.com/download/kci2gasr6bejte2/Custom_pete_379.rar

Trailer download: http://www.mediafire.com/download/jmgu5xsyp3gyq5h/Custom_40ft_Great_Dane.rar


Note: I haven't done a 'mod review' yet, because I think someone other than the creator/modder should do the review so it is unbiased. If anyone would be willing to do an honest review on it, let me know and I will add it to this post.

After being away from zmodeler for so long, I wanted to make a custom truck to MY liking, not for anyone elses. I just edited an arlan truck and changed most of the components on it. It has been completely retextured with a custom red and black paint scheme with a chrome trim stripe. Im about half way done with it and ill share it when im done.

This is the truck im modelling it after:



Here are some pics of it in game. Keep in mind that it was dark. It looks a lot better in person. All images were taken with ENB off.







Things edited:
-Redid diamond plate on cab steps, made the diamonds paintable with secondary color
-Enclosed frame with a top frame cap
-Removed headlight reflector plates (the things below headlights)
-Made chrome under cab primary color
-Removed sleeper
-Added low-cut bowtie visor
-got rid of tow cable holes in bumper
-removed most of the rivets and screws on the cab to give it a "clean" look and cut down on polycount
-chromed air cleaners
-removed horns and equalized cab top lights, made cab top lights secondary color instead of chrome
-removed CB whips
-Added fuel tanks to be primary color
-added mitre cut stacks
-retextured nearly the entire truck, added custom paint scheme
-Accent stripe is actually chrome (not gray like it looks in the images)


Things to do:
-delag it (havent been able to test it on the server, so I dont know if it lags or not)
-possibly change wheels/tires
-customize a trailer to go with the truck
-make interior paintable
-change some of the lights around


Also, does anyone have a really nice artic trailer mod? I want to make a custom trailer edit to go along with the truck.

On a side note: look at the first in-game pic. I was in single player and a gang war broke out when I was trying to do my photoshoot lmao.

If you have ever wanted to tint windows on a mod, this tutorial should explain how to do it.

1. To begin, import your mod and all textures. For this tutorial, I'm using this BMW mod. This is what the windows looked like before tinting. Notice how dull and grey they are.


2. Find the correct material for the windows. To find this material, select the window with the polygon editing levels tool and right-click on one of the glass polygons like this:


3.Click on 'Properties'. Expand the options as shown in the window below. In the material selection, note the name and remember it, you will need it in a minute. In this case, the material is 'glass[spec,trans]', but every mod is different.


4. Click on the Material Editor icon.
5. Find the material you just identified as the window material. Here it is on my mod:


6. Click the big white box under the Basic Parameters section in the material editor.
7. When the menu pops up, select black and press 'OK'


8. Click on the 'Alpha Parameters' to expand the options. You should see something like this:


9. Drag the 'Alpha Blending' slider to your liking. You can keep pressing the 'Assign to selection' button at the bottom of the menu to see updates. I like having the alpha at about 185. That makes the windows look like this (keep in mind I have more textures added to the paint and windows, so yours will probably look a bit different):


10. Once you have the settings you like, just click the 'OK' button and you are done. Feel free to play around with colors and alpha amount on the windows. It is a pretty simple texture mod, and should take no more than 5 minutes.

When you first open ZModeler (ZM for short), you should see a screen similar to this one (some windows or toolbars may be in different locations:



This next screenshot is labeled to show the different components of ZM. All of these components will be broken up and explained in greater detail later on in the tutorial.



All of these components are explained in other tutorials (found in the master list of ZModeler tutorials). Be sure to check out individual components for more details!!!

Tutorials for 3DS Max will be posted here. Prometheus is going to be the primary tutorial-maker for 3DS Max because he probably has the most experience using it. I personally want to learn 3DS, so this will be a good opportunity.

Tutorials for 3DS Max will be compiled here as they are made. Any moderator of the child board can feel free and modify this post to include links to all the tutorials about 3DS.

[Also, this is important: THE NAME OF THE DFF FILE YOU ARE EXPORTING MUST MATCH THE NAME ON THE FIRST LINE ON THE MODEL TREE!!!!!]

Exporting mods is easier than importing them. Follow the steps below and you should not have a problem.

1. You should always save your ZModeler work before you export, just in case something goes wrong. I have multiple saves of each mod I import. Every time I make a major adjustment on the mod, I save the file with a descriptive name so I can remember what it is later. For example, after I attach a muffler, I might name the file 'afterattachmuffler'. Anyway, to save the file, just lick on 'File' and 'Save as'. Be sure to use 'Save as' so you can save it as a different name each time you save it.

2. Now that you have your file saved, click on the 'Export model' button. You will get a window like this:


Be sure to check that all the options are the same as in the screenshot, particularly the 'Preferable textures: TGA' and 'DFF Version: San Andreas'.

Also, this is important: THE NAME OF THE DFF FILE YOU ARE EXPORTING MUST MATCH THE NAME ON THE FIRST LINE ON THE MODEL TREE!!!!!
For example, if i was editing the bobcat.dff, I would export it EXACTLY as 'bobcat.dff'. This is the number one leading mistake of new modders. If your mod doesn't work when you go in-game, check this first.

[I cannot stress this enough: It always pays to have the original!!!]

This tutorial will explain in great detail on how to import mods into ZModeler. Keep in mind there are other ways to import mods, but this way has been perfected by me and always works for me. It should work for you also if you follow the steps properly.

As you may know, GTA SA uses both a .TXD and .DFF file to create a mod. The TXD file holds all the textures that the mod uses. You can add and subtract textures from this file. The DFF file is where the 3D model is created, and is the primary file that ZModeler uses.

You will need to get TXD Workshop (available here: http://www.gtagarage.com/mods/show.php?id=8320) to extract textures from TXD files.

1. Create a folder on your desktop (or wherever you want...) and give it a name to suit the project.
2. Inside that folder, create the following folders: 'Original', 'Modded' and 'tgas'. The 'original' folder will contain the original unmodded files of your mod (if you are starting from a base mod). At this time, put the original .TXD and .DFF files in this folder. I cannot stress this enough: It always pays to have the original!!! The 'Modded' folder will contain all the modded versions of your mod, including TXD, DFF, and ZModeler saves. The 'tgas' folder will contain all the TGA files that the mod will use (will be explained in a second).
3.You will need to retrieve a file from your GTA SA main folder which will be used for textures. This file is called 'vehicle.txd' and is located in GTA SA main folder ---> models ---> generic ---> vehicle.txd. Copy this file and paste it in your 'Original' folder that you created.
4. Open TXD Workshop. It will look like this when opened:

5. Click the 'Open TXD' button and select the 'vehicle.txd' file (wherever you put it). It should now look like this:

6. All the textures shown here are all generic textures used on almost every single vehicle in GTA SA. This is the reason why we have to use these textures in ZModeler every time. To get the texture files out of the TXD file, click on the 'Export' Button on the upper right. A pull-down menu will appear. Be sure to select the 'Export all textures to TGA' option, as shown here:

7. Next, select the 'tgas' folder to export the TGA texture files into and click 'OK'.
8. Follow steps 4-7 for your [vehicle name].TXD file for your mod. Each mod TXD file will have different texture files in it. Always be sure all the TGA files are in the same folder ('tgas' folder).
9. Open ZModeler. Click on the 'Textures browser' icon (refer to the Main Toolbar explanation HERE). This menu will show up when you click the texture browser:

10. Click on the 'Add' button on the lower left corner. Select ALL of the TGA files in the 'tgas' folder. If you have done it correctly, you should have all the TGAs from the vehicle.txd and your mod txd file in the same folder. After you add the textures, it should look like this (Here, I only added the vehicle.txd TGAs just to prove a point):

11. Once you have all the textures added in the 'Texture browser', click 'OK'.
12. Now we can import the actual 3D model. To do so, click on the 'Import model' button on the Main Toolbar.
13. Select your mod DFF file (in the 'original' folder that you created). Be sure your options match this screenshot (especially 'Preferable textures: TGA'):

14. Lastly, click 'Import'. You have now successfully imported a mod! If you follow these steps every time, it should always work for you. I suggest making a master folder for all your mods (I have hundreds of mod folders).

[Tool Selection]

Tool Selection
The tool selection area of ZM contains all the tools you will use to edit models. It is comprised of the following tool types: create, display, modify, select, and surface. Each of the tool types and their respective tools are explained in greater detail below.

IMPORTANT: I will not be covering ALL the tools right away. I will cover the important ones first, and fill in the non-important ones later when I have time.

[hide=Create tools]
Create
As the title suggests, the 'Create' tools are used to create things.


Copy: Creates a copy of an object. To use this tool, select it and right click on any object in a viewing window. A copy of the object will be placed in the exact location of the parent object. Notice in the model tree that there is a new layer with the same name as the object copied.

Polygon: This is used to create polygons on existing objects!!!! There are three types of polygon creation: fan, single, and strip. The polygons created are ONLY ONE SIDED. This means you will only be able to see them from one side. You can use this tool to fill in unwanted openings, or create surfaces where there are none.
     
     Fan Polygon
     1. Click on 'Create', 'Polygon', and 'Single'.
     2. Left-click on the Vertex Selection tool (refer to Editing Levels Toolbar to see which one), then left-click on the object you wish to add a polygon to.
     3. Left-click to start the first polygon point and click several more times to create more polygons in a fan shape.
   
     Single polygon
     1. Click on 'Create', 'Polygon', and 'Single'.
     2. Left-click on the Vertex Selection tool (refer to Editing Levels Toolbar to see which one), then left-click on the object you wish to add a polygon to.
     3. Left-click to start the polygon. Click 2 more times to finish the polygon shape. You can move the points around later, if you wish. You can also texture this
     polygon just like any other polygons.

     Strip polygon
     1. Begins the same as the first two types of polygons.
     2. Left-click to place polygon points. This type of polygon creation is best used for creating flat rectangular sections (although, there is an easier way).

Surface: As with polygon, it creates surfaces which can be used to create parts. Unlike polygon tool, however, the surface tool creates a new object instead of requiring a base object to add to.They are also one-sided, so you must make sure you are creating the part in the right view for it to show up. Surfaces can be textured after they are created. There are three types of surfaces to create: Grid, loft, and revolved. I have never needed to use the latter 2, so I won't bother explaining them. If you click the little box to the right of the surface tool, it will give you more options for creating surfaces. These options look like this:


If 'triangles' is selected, the surface will be comprised of triangles. If 'quad' is selected, the surface will be made of quads (quad means four-sided). An example of the differences can be seen below (Triangles on the left, quads on the right):


Grid: A grid is a rectangular-based surface. If you click the little box to the right of the grid tool, you will get these options:


The two inputs required by the user are columns and rows. The number of columns is the number of vertical sections that will be created. Rows specify the horizontal number of sections. An example of these differences can be seen below. The one on the left is comprised of 4 columns and 2 rows. Likewise, one on the left has 2 columns and 4 rows.

To begin creating a grid, set up your options and left-click in a window. Move the mouse and click again. And voila, a grid is created!
[/hide]
==================
[hide=Display]
Display
The display section contains tools and options for changing display variables.


The only tools that are important in the Display section are 'Disable' and 'Enable'. These tools allow you to disable and enable the ability to select and modify points/edges/polygons on objects.

Let's say for example there are two objects that are overlapping and I need to edit just one of them (but can't differentiate between the two...can't select which one I want to edit). If I disable the one that is blocking the object I wish to edit, I will not be able to select or modify that object, but it will still be visible. It is pretty useful when you need to adjust one object relative to another, but don't want that object to get in the way of things.
[/hide]
==================
[hide=Modify]
Modify
The modify tools do exactly that; they modify objects or parts of objects.


[hide=Align]
Align: There are three types of alignment tools: Axis, line, and plane.
     Axis align: Aligns points (verticies) of objects with one of the three axes (X, Y, or Z). In order to do this, follow these steps:
     1. Select the point manipulator on the editing levels toolbar and click on the object you wish to modify (you MUST be in the point editing level to use this
     tool).
     2. Click on the align axis tool.
     3. Select the axis you wish to align points with. Take note of the coordinate system in the lower left corner of each window. The points you select will be put
     into a line that is perpendicular to the axis you select.
     4. Be sure 'Auto' is on (found in the lower right-hand corner of ZM).
     5. Select the points by holding shift to select multiple points. Let's use this next example to prove the point. I drew a standard 8-sided tube, but I wanted
     one side to be flat. I began by selecting the points on the inner diameter first (points 1, 2, and 3 on the first image). Note: I chose X axis to align to. In this
     window, X axis was left/right.

     6. Now that you have the points selected, make sure the 'Selected mode' is on (in the lower right corner).
     7. Hold down the Control key and left-click on one of the points you have selected. The outcome of my example would look like this so far:

     8. Since I want a flat side of the tube, I have to apply steps 5-7 on the outer diameter (points 4, 5, and 6 in the next picture).

After applying step 7, the final outcome is this:


     Line and Plane alignment tools are not really used and are basically self-explanatory.

     Screen alignment aligns all the selected points in the same plane as the view window. For example, I created a cone, but I want it to be flat. To do this, I
     selected the top view and selected all the points on the object like this:


Now, hold Control key and left-click on one of the points that are selected. The result should look like this:


Notice how the object is now flat. This is an easy way to flatten objects very quickly.
[/hide]
[hide=Attach]
Attach: Attach is used to join multiple objects onto the same level on the model tree. I'll use an example to demonstrate.

To begin, you need several objects you wish to combine. Here, I have a sphere, a box, and a cone that I want to join into the same layer. Note the layer tree. There are 3 object layers shown here, before we attach:


Click the small box to the right of the attach tool. You will see a menu that looks like this:


Click on 'Attach multiple'. A menu like this pops up:


To the right of the 'Attach to' section, you will see a 'Change' button. Click on this. The object that you select in this menu will determine which object will be used as the base layer (this is the object that all other objects are attached to). In this example, I selected the Box to be used as the base layer, as shown here:


After selecting 'OK', you will now see this updated menu:


The objects in the list on this menu are the objects that can be attached to the base layer ('Box'). Note that 'Box' is not on the list. This is because we already chose it as the base layer. By holding Control key, you can select multiple objects to be attached. As shown here, I have selected both the cone and the sphere:


After you have your objects selected, click 'OK'. This attaches all the objects that were highlighted. The result is this:


The main thing to note here is the fact that there is only ONE layer in the model tree. That layer is 'Box' because we selected that as the base layer. Also note, now all the objects are combined into a single object, as evidenced by the blue highlighted object on the left screen.

Use this tool when you need to attach parts to a car mod. Let's say you have a new muffler that you made and want to attach it to a car mod. You would choose the chassis as the base layer and attach your muffler to it.
[/hide]
[hide=Break and connect]
Break: Break breaks verticies on objects. Rarely used.
Connect: Connect is the opposite of break, it connects verticies on objects. Rarely used.
[/hide]
[hide=Delete]
Delete: As the name states, it allows the user to delete objects or parts of objects, depending on which editing level you are in. You can delete verticies, edges, polygons, or whole objects. Also, you can use the delete key for a shortcut. When deleting multiple objects (or verticies, edges, etc.) be sure the 'Selected Mode' is ON.
[/hide]
[hide=flip]
Flip: By using flip, you can fix wrong mesh or texture problems easily. Basically, 'Flip' flips the side of a surface that gets textured. Let's say, for example, that I have a license plate that is textured on the back side, instead of the front side. Simply click the 'Flip' tool and click the license plate and the texture will be on the correct side.
[/hide]
[hide=Mirror]
Mirror: As its name suggests, the 'Mirror' tool mirrors a part around a given axis. To use it, be sure to select the right axis you want to flip the part around. To demonstrate, here is an example. I have a cone that I want flipped upside down. This is a side view of the cone before:


To begin, select the 'Mirror' tool. The box to the right of the tool displays these properties (I usually leave them the way they are):


Now, select the axis in which you want to mirror the object. In this case, I selected the Y axis to mirror it vertically. Now click on the part. You should end up with something like this:


The 'Mirror' tool will become very useful when getting into the UV Mapping of parts.
[/hide]
[hide=Move]
Move: Move is probably the most commonly used tool on ZModeler. To use it, select the 'Move' tool on the list. As with many of the other tools, it can be used on objects, polygons, lines, and points. Be sure to check the 'Editing levels toolbar' to see which level you want to edit. Also check 'Auto' and 'Selected Mode' features to make sure they will provide the right function. Keep in mind you can move objects in certain directions (X, Y, or Z), refer to the Coordinate System section if you forgot this.
[/hide]
[hide=Rotate]
Rotate: Another commonly used tool is the 'Rotate' tool. This is used just like the 'Move' tool. You can rotate objects, polygons, edges, and points. I use the 'Rotate' tool most commonly when UV Mapping (explained later in this section).

The main thing to remember when using the 'Rotate' tool is the center about which it rotates. This center point shows up as a little purple X on the screen. This next tutorial should prove the point. Let's say I want to rotate this Box around the lower left corner of it:


Notice the little purple X on the screen. Use the 'Move' tool to move it to the lower left corner of the box. This will make the box pivot around this corner. It should look like this once you move the Purple X to the right location:


Now hold the left mouse button and click on the object to rotate it to the required angle. The result is this:

[/hide]
[hide=Scale]
Scale: By using the 'Scale' tool, you can make objects bigger or smaller. This tool is pretty easy to use; Just select the tool and hold left mouse button and drag the mouse over the object. Keep in mind you can scale in any direction you want. This tool is an absolute MUST for UV Mapping.
[/hide]
[hide=Submesh Tools]
There are a few different tools under the 'Submesh' category. The most important is probably the 'Detach' tool. There is a pretty good example of detaching a part here: http://www.forum.convoytrucking.net/index.php/topic,39431.msg227020.html#msg227020
[/hide]
[/hide]
==================
[hide=Select]
Select
Selection tools give the user options for selecting objects, polygons, edges, or points on objects. A lot of these tools are extremely useful and should never be forgotten. They may not be used very often, but some of them will get you out of a pinch.


There are only a few tools from the list that I use on a regular basis. They are: invert, polyline, and [By Material].

[hide=Invert]
Invert: It selects the opposite of what is currently selected. Let's say you have an object that has 500 polygons and you want to select all but 5 of those polygons. It is faster to first select those 5 polygons then use this 'Invert' selection tool to flip the selection so the other 495 polygons are selected.
[/hide]
[hide=polyline]
Polyline: By using 'Polyline' selection, you can draw a complex shape around the points, edges, or polygons you want to select. Here is another example. Here I have a cone like this:


I want to select only the 3 polygons in the upper right side of the cone. To do this, select 'Polyline' selection and right click multiple times to create the selection pattern. Be sure to close off the selection by right clicking back to the start point. It should look something like this (the blue dotted line is the selection line):


[/hide]
[hide=By Material]
[By Material]: This tool lets you select polygons by the material in which they are textured. The main thing to remember is that you MUST be in the polygon editing level in order to use this tool. To begin using the tool, enter polygon editing level and click on whatever object you wish to edit. Next, click the '[By Material]' selection tool. A menu will show up with a list of all the materials that are used on the mod. Select the material you wish to select on the object, and select 'OK'.

This tool is extremely useful in retexturing a mod.
[/hide]

Unfinished section!
[/hide]
==================
[hide=Surface]
Surface
The surface tools all pertain to texturing of objects in ZM.


Unfinished section!
[/hide]

[Model Tree]

Model Tree
The model tree is a list of all the objects and features in the model. The model tree in the first image above is blank because there is no model imported into ZM. When a model is imported, you can expand and minimize all the features. You can also hide or unhide them to make it easier to see or edit an object. This is done by clicking the little boxes to the left of the layer names. A blue check mark means it is visible.  I will go over an example mod at the end of the tutorial which will hopefully clear things up more.

[Command Line]

Command Line
The command line represents data to the user that may be important. The majority of this data is usually warnings. You will get a warning if a model hasn't imported properly. The most common problem is a missing texture. You can hide the command line by clicking the small red 'X' to the left of the command line.

Also see this post by Polaco on error messages: http://www.forum.convoytrucking.net/index.php/topic,39462.0.html

[Coordinate System]

Coordinate System
The coordinate system, shown in the lower left hand corner of every view window, shows the positions of the 3 coordinates (X, Y, and Z). Always look at this before you choose the coordinates in the 'Axes Selection Toolbar'. For example, the very first picture in this tutorial shows the coordinate system in the lower left hand corner of the Left View window. In this case, Y is up/down and X is left/right. If you change the view window to a different view, the coordinate system will change likewise.

[Before beginning, this tutorial requires knowledge about: Zmodeler Startup screen explainedDisplay Options]

Before beginning, this tutorial requires knowledge about: Zmodeler Startup screen explained


Display Options
The display options feature on ZM allows you to alter the viewports or windows. It is comprised of two pull-down menus. The left pull-down menu is the view type menu. It looks like this:

When the window is in the 3D selection, you can rotate the object with the left mouse button. You can scroll with the middle mouse wheel and pan the screen by holding the middle mouse button down and moving the mouse. When in the 3D view, you cannot edit any model.

The options 'Front' through 'Bottom' designate which direction you view the model from. It's pretty obvious that 'Front' views the model from the front, and 'Top' views it from the top, etc.

The 'User' view option lets you get a 3D view in which you can edit models.

'Perspective' gives you a similar view to the 'User' option. To be honest, I don't even know the differences between the two. 'Perspective' is extremely useful in deleting or editing polygons that are hard to see in any other view.

The 'UV Mapper' view option puts the viewport in the UV mapping mode. It is only used to apply textures to objects. This is a really complicated thing to explain, and can't be done properly until all the other tools are explained. Therefore, it will be explained in greater detail at a later time.

The pull-down menu on the right has more options for the windows. This menu looks like this:

The only important feature on this menu is the grid feature. It creates a grid on the screen. You can make major grid lines (they are farther apart), or minor grid lines (the lines are closer together). Even though I said this is the most important feature on the list...it's really not that important. Frankly, I find grid lines annoying, so I always have them off.