How to install? – Video
How to install? – Text
1. Save the 3 files you downloaded from the website where you bought the addon in a safe folder on your drive. Name this folder ‘The Roads Must Roll’.
2. Open the Blender file, go to the header menu and click on: Edit > Preferences
3. Under File Paths > Asset Libraries, click on the ‘+’ icon on the right
4. Select the folder where you saved the files earlier
5. Confirm by clicking ‘Add Asset Library’
6. For the Import Method I recommend ‘Append (reuse data)’.
7. Click on the three horizontal stripes in the bottom left corner and click on ‘Save Preferences’
8. Close the preferences window and save your file by going to: File > Save
9. You can now close this file and open any other Blender File on your computer.
10. In the Blender file you want to work in, change a window to the Asset Browser and choose ‘The Roads Must Roll’ from the list of catalogs.
You will now see the thumbnails representing the assets.
If you don’t see this catalog list, press ‘T’ on your keyboard while your cursor is in the Asset Browser window.
Simply drag a thumbnail into your 3D viewport to import an asset.
Tips & Tricks
How to Update?
1. If you chose ‘Append (Reuse Data)’ as the import method in the asset browser.
(This is the method I recommend using in my instructions)
Simply delete the old 3 files and replace them with the newer version files.
Don’t change the name or location of the folder.
It’s that simple!
2. You chose ‘Link’ as the import method in the asset browser.
To keep the links in your projects intact, just leave the old files in their original folder without making any changes.
Download the new version of the files and repeat the same installation process, but give the folder where you save them a new name (for example: The Roads Must Roll v 1_31″).
Select this new folder as the path to your “The Roads Must Roll” Asset Library (Edit > Preferences > File Paths).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I import a preset traffic junction so that I can still edit the individual elements?
1. Drag the preset thumbnail into your 3D viewport.
2. At the bottom left in the 3D viewport a collapsed pop-up window appears with the title ‘Add Collection’.
3. Click this window open and uncheck ‘instance’. You will now be able to edit the individual objects in the collection.
Can I convert the roads to a mesh?
Yes, but there are a few limitations.
The following material elements will currently not convert:
- The white lines on the asphalt when they are part of the asphalt material
- The white lines on the parking lanes
- Bike lanes texture mapping
- Zebra and bike lane crossings in the shader
To fix this, do the following:
1. Select the road
2. In the modifier panel, go to the following panel: ‘Lines – General’.
Now, choose ‘Lines as Geometry’.
This way you will still be able to see the white lines on the road as a mesh. Attention: this will not be applied on the white lines on parking lanes, bike paths and zebra and bike crossings. The white lines there will stay a part of the materials.
3. When the road changes direction and goes up or down at the same time, the lines may ‘disappear’ under the surface of the asphalt.
You can counteract this by playing with 3 settings:
Under the ‘General – Performance’ panel:
– Increase the resolution of the curve
– Increase the subdivision of the road surface
Important: don’t change these settings too much, as this also increases the number of polygons in the final mesh
Under the ‘Lines – General’ panel:
– Adjust the height of the lines as geometry
4. In the modifier panel, go to the bottom of the list and open the “Convert to Mesh Preparation” panel. Check “Realize Instances“
5. Right click on your road in the 3D viewport and select ‘Convert To > Mesh‘
Your road will now be a mesh.
Can I export the roads to another software package?
Yes, but with a limitation: the mesh will transfer correctly, but the materials and UV mapping won’t.
The Roads Must Roll uses complex procedural materials that can only be read by Blender.
First, follow the method described in the question above to convert the road to a mesh, then export the file in your desired format.
For example, for Unreal Engine, you would export it as an .fbx file.
How can I apply the main road modifier to a Bezier curve?
1. If you have not already done so: import the main road modifier from the Asset browser
2. Create a Bezier curve that is large enough to create a road (apply the scale with ‘CTRL + A’ if necessary)
3. Select your Bezier curve, go to the modifier panel and click on ‘Add Modifier’ > ‘Geometry Nodes’
4. Click on the Nodetree icon next tot the button that says ‘new’ and select ‘AA – TheRoadsMustRoll – Road A’
5. The main road modifier is now applied to your Bezier Curve
Can I use my own collection of cars?
Yes, you can!
In the Modifier panel, go to the “Cars – General Settings” section and look for the “User Car Collection” field.
Select the car collection you created.
I selected my own collection of cars, but the cars have the wrong rotation.
Solution 1
- Ensure all your cars are oriented with their front side facing the same direction. Also make sure your cars are sized correctly.
- Select all your cars, then press CTRL + A (CMD + A on a Mac), and choose Apply -> Rotation & Scale from the menu.
- In the N panel, under ‘Item’, the three rotation values should now be set to 0, and the scale values to 1.00
Solution 2
If all your cars are facing the same direction, but not the correct direction, do the following:
- In the Modifier panel, go to the “Cars – General” panel.
- Find “Rotate User Car Coll.” and change the value to rotate your cars in the correct direction.
Can cars drive on the left-hand side, as in the UK, Japan, Australia, India, …?
Yes! The direction of the cars can be changed per lane.
Is this a traffic simulation where vehicles interact with each other and the environment?
You can easily animate cars on each road object individually, with adjustable parameters like density, seed, spacing, and speed. Each road object is based on a single curve.
However, this is currently not a full traffic simulation, as vehicles do not interact with traffic lights, intersections, or each other.
If you want to animate cars driving through an intersection, you will need to do this manually. It is my intention to provide an easier solution for this in the future.
Currently, the wheels of the cars do not rotate when the cars are in motion.
What’s New?
Version 1.30
16-12-2024
- The option to have wet materials with adjustable puddles and other customizable settings
- Expanded material options for all surface types
- Improved realism in materials
- Variations for damaged surfaces
- Ability to add your own textures
- Continuous traffic flow on preset intersections
- New procedural asset for traffic animations
- Numerous small menu improvements
- Minor performance enhancements
- Super-resolution option
- Updated procedural assets
Version 1.22
27-09-2024
I’ve added the option to have the white (and yellow) lines on the asphalt as geometry, as an alternative to having them directly in the asphalt material. You can also adjust the height of these lines. This is good news if you want to convert the road to a mesh. See FAQ
At the very bottom of the settings in the main road modifier panel, I’ve created a new panel called “Convert to Mesh Preparation” Here, you can check the ‘Realize Instances’ box. For more details, see the FAQ section on this page.
If you’ve chosen a custom car collection, you can now rotate all the cars simultaneously around their own axes. Car asset collections aren’t always aligned the same way.
You can also use your own tree collection now.
Increasing the subdivision of the road surface now works more effectively.
Version 1.21
22-09-2024
Resolved a minor issue where the diagonal bars on the overhead signs were disappearing.