Assetto Corsa Dashcam Mod



Topic Overview
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1.) Introduction
2.) Prerequisites
3.) Install Assetto Corsa
4.) Install Content Manager
5.) Install Custom Shaders Patch
6.) Install Pure
7.) Install C13 AEGIS
8.) Install ReShade
9.) Install Shutoko Revival Project Track
10.) Install Custom Traffic
11.) Install AssettoServer
12.) Content Manager Configuration
13.) Install comfy map to enable teleportation
14.) Install Overtake Script
15.) Install Dashcam Speed Overlay
16.) Install MrAssettoapp
17.) Remove the yellow flag
18.) Configure Dashcam View
19.) Run Game
20.) Server Commands
21.) Backup and Restore all settings
22.) How to record Assetto Corsa replays for later video editing
23.) Install NVIDIA ShadowPlay
24.) Record the final video based on the Assetto Corsa replay file
25.) Final Video Editing
26.) Credits

1.) Introduction
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Weeks ago I found some gameplay videos on YouTube, where a realistic dashcam mod for Assetto Corsa was promoted. To be honest I thought the videos were all fake at first. To prove the fake videos, I investigated further into the modding process and got some unexpected results. I never thought a nearly 10 year old game can look that realistic in the year 2024!

This tutorial will show you step by step what is needed to create a dashcam modification for the sim racing game Assetto Corsa developed by Kunos Simulazioni. Because I researched many hours to get the pieces together, I will try to give away the collected info for free, in the hope that this guide maybe helpful to others.

Be warned that I am no professional modder. I am not even an amateur, only a guy trying to spread some knowledge to others. Feel free to criticize as you like and maybe take this tutorial and make it better.

The following are some sample videos I recorded during the last few days. Feel free to leave a comment and maybe a like:
Before you ask, all videos are recorded with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 GPU! With a few tricks you do not need a high end graphics card to make this work, at least in full HD.

I used Windows 10 x64 Version 22H2 as the base operating system for the modification. In theory every OS that is supported by Assetto Corsa should work with these types of mods.

2.) Prerequisites
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Prerequisites

This tutorial uses the following software. It is recommended to download this software before starting the Assetto Corsa Dashcam Mod. As a user I like to have the possibility to follow tutorials on an offline machine. This way we can replicate all the changes without relying on packages that can only be downloaded via the internet. Therefore I supply some packages on Google Drive and my SourceForge site for better offline availability in the future.

3.) Install Assetto Corsa
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Assetto Corsa

There are 2 options for installing Assetto Corsa. You can buy the game on Steam or, if you want to test the modification without corrupting your productive gaming system, you can download a release called "Assetto Corsa MULTi5-ElAmigos". I myself own a legal copy of the Assetto Corsa Ultimate Edition, because it is worth every penny, but for testing mods I prefer to use an offline system without the risk to get my Steam account banned. Therefore I used the before mentioned release for my tests.

Warning!
Be aware that we have to use a ReShade Depth of Field filter to make the dashcam mod look real later on. Because the retail ReShade will not allow the usage of the DoF filter in game to stop cheating, we have to use an unlocked and patched version of ReShade. This version may get you banned if used on your productive gaming system. I will show you an alternative solution in the ReShade section later on.

If you use a Steam installation you can skip this topic and continue with the next one. To install the Assetto Corsa ElAmigos release do the following:
You can also install to any other target directory as long as you change the target path in the steps to follow. For simplicity I use the directory "C:\AssettoCorsa" in the example. For a Steam installation this directory will normally be located at "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\assettocorsa". If you are unsure you can get the directory location in the following way:

4.) Install Content Manager
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Content Manager

Content Manager is a custom launcher and content management app for Assetto Corsa. The basic (lite) version is free and contains all features we need for the mod.

5.) Install Custom Shaders Patch
------------------------------------

Custom Shaders Patch

Custom Shaders Patch is an extension for Assetto Corsa, which adds dynamic lights, weather effects, car extensions and many more features. It is a must have for every Assetto Corsa addict. I used the preview version 0.2.3 for this tutorial, but a newer version should also work. Pay attention that realistic rain is only included in the paid preview version of CSP. I fully recommend the paid preview version, because the rain really gives that extra touch of reality when it comes to thunder and lightning. If you can live without rain you can also get the free version.

6.) Install Pure
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Pure

Pure is a very advanced weather simulation system for Assetto Corsa. It contains a weather planner app and configuration. You can simulate nearly any weather condition with this software and every version gets better. You have to also pay 1$ for Pure, which is absolutely worth the price!

7.) Install C13 AEGIS
------------------------

C13AEGIS

C13 AEGIS is one of the most advanced post processing filters for Assetto Corsa. It ensures optimal immersion with precise glare and saturation control. Version 1.65 was released for free! We use the paid version 1.83 for our modification.

8.) Install ReShade
----------------------

ReShade

The standard version of ReShade blocks access to the depth buffer in online games. Because we run our own server ReShade thinks it runs in online mode and blocks the Depth of Field filter. Therefore we can not get the dashcam like look with a nice depth of field. To work around this limitation we have to use the official ReShade with full add-on support. The version I use for my tests is v6.1.1. This version allows access to the depth buffer and the Depth of Field filter works like expected.

Attention: If you play online with ReShade with full add-on support, you may get banned in some online games! This was also the reason I used an offline version of Assetto Corsa, although I own the original game in my Steam library.

If you want to use this tutorial with a Steam installation you have one additional option. In this case I recommend you use the standard ReShade v6.1.1 and apply the ReShade filters on the recorded Assetto Corsa replay file. This has the disadvantage that you can not use the ReShade effects in game, but you will be able to apply the effects later at replay time in case you want to record a video.

To do an online install with an active internet connection of ReShade do the following steps:
To do an offline install of ReShade do the following steps: "ReShade.ini" will set the shaders and textures search path and disable ReShade on startup of the game initially with the parameter "NoReloadOnInit=1". This is recommended, because our dashcam camera view might blur some important Assetto Corsa controls with the enabled depth of field filter.

9.) Install Shutoko Revival Project Track
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Shutoko Revival Project

The Shutoko Revival Project track also known as Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway is the most popular track mod for Assetto Corsa. SRP v0.9.2 PTB2 is the public test build of the track.

10.) Install Custom Traffic
-----------------------------

Custom Traffic

In my videos I also use the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, which is present in the original directory "C:\AssettoCorsa\content\cars" with the name "ks_porsche_911_gt3_rs". This car is also linked inside the file "C:\AssettoCorsa\server\cfg\entry_list.ini", but not included in my traffic archive. Therefore you have to make sure that the car is present in the cars folder.

Attention: If we would only use the Traffic Planner tool without running a dedicated AssettoServer, the traffic cars are missing in the replay! With the Traffic Planner you have to record the video directly when the game runs, because the replay does not show any traffic cars. This is the main reason why we setup an AssettoServer in the following topic.


11.) Install AssettoServer
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AssettoServer

AssettoServer is a custom Assetto Corsa server with a focus on freeroam. It supports highly configurable AI Traffic and delivers dynamic weather in combination with Custom Shaders Patch.
The following steps will enable teleport and color changing of the player car via the light bulb icon of the in game chat application. If you want to enable speed traps for the Shutoko Revival Project track do the following optional steps.

12.) Content Manager Configuration
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Content Manager Configuration

The following settings for Content Manager may seem a bit overwhelming, but I want to detail to you every little setting I changed in order to make Assetto Corsa look like real. For the Custom Shaders Patch you can import the preset file from the download link. Pay attention that these settings may be dependant on the used hardware. So for example if you do not use an NVIDIA GPU like I do, you should change a few settings below. Therefore it is advisable, that you check each setting to be compatible with your hardware.
The following settings can be imported by choosing my preset file "KSCustomShadersPatchPreset.ini". For the sake of completeness I list all settings that were changed from the default standard below.

13.) Install comfy map to enable teleportation
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comfy map

Comfy map app will enable teleportation for the Shutoko Revival Project Track. This is necessary, because the map is really huge and we do not always want to start at the standard location Tatsumi PA. To install comfy map do the following:
We can also teleport using the in game chat application. Select the light blub to teleport or change the color of the player car.

14.) Install Overtake Script
------------------------------

The overtake script is a simple version of the No Hesi servers overtake scripts. You get points for overtaking traffic cars.

15.) Install Dashcam Speed Overlay
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The dashcam speed overlay displays the actual speed in a dashcam like way.

16.) Install MrAssettoapp
-----------------------------

MrAssettoapp is an excellent app to test the server traffic parameters in game if you want the traffic to be light, heavy or very dense.
We can test the server parameters and change them in game now. Simply login with the command "/admin mypassword" in the MrAssettoapp at the bottom text field. After that set the values you want to change in the number text fields and press on the value name to activate the value on the server. After that we should use comfymap to teleport to some other or the same location. This seems to reset the traffic to the set value and we can test the traffic density instantly.

I sucessfully used the following value combinations for light, heavy and very dense traffic.
The official public No Hesi servers use "MaxSpeedKph: 85" and "RightLaneOffsetKph: 15". In my opinion the right lane offset may be to slow, because if two traffic cars are besides each other, it takes quite a while until you can do an overtaking maneuver. Therefore I set my max speed to 80 and the right lane offset to 20. This results in a right lane speed of 100 km/h.

Attention: The traffic density also depends on the number of lanes on the track. If we have three lanes like for Tatsumi PA the traffic flows better than if we have only two lanes. Flowing dense traffic for 3 lanes may become undrivable traffic on two lanes.

17.) Remove the yellow flag
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Yellow Flag

If we drive in traffic we may see the yellow flag on the top left corner very often. To disable the yellow flag simply rename the file "C:\AssettoCorsa\content\gui\flags\yellowFlag.png" to "yellowFlag.png_orig". After that the yellow flag is not displayed anymore.


18.) Configure Dashcam View
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Dashcam

To configure the dashcam view and match my videos on YouTube, you have to do the following changes:
These settings change the first person cockpit camera to be a dashcam. The reason for this is that the realistic camera shake of Neck FX will only work with the cockpit camera and not the real in game dashcam. We should avoid looking at the driver, because he has no head anymore after the change!

To configure your own settings like dashcam or passenger view you have to change the settings in game like so:

19.) Run Game
-----------------

Run Game

We can now run the game in Multiplayer in combination with our own server. If your Windows Firewall blocks all programs like mine, then you should create an outbound firewall rule for Content Manager and the path "C:\Users\[UserName]\Desktop\Content Manager.exe". Pay attention that if you choose the path in Windows Firewall with the "Browse..." button, the path may be created with the %USERPROFILE% environment variable like "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\Content Manager.exe". This does not seem to work at all. Therefore you would have to enter the full path to the executable. We do not have to create an inbound firewall rule for "AssettoServer.exe".
You now have the exact same settings as in my videos and the dashcam should work. If you want to create a replay video, you should enable rain with the admin command or manually start and stop the wipers, because otherwise the windshield wipers do not function. The time and weather can be added in the replay later on by using Pure Planner and overwriting the original server weather captured inside the replay. We also should drive with a camera where we see a lot of far traffic coming and switch to the dashcam only in the replay. This way it looks like an alien drives the car, which knows the traffic cars before we really see it from the dashcam view. I used my 2nd chase camera settings for recording the replays. I also drive by daylight and switch to night in the replays, because you really see better in the day, especially for risky overtaking maneuvers!


20.) Server Commands
--------------------------

Server Commands

In game you can type the following commands in the admin console before you select the drive symbol or, if in game, you can type them in the chat application.
The weather is not running on the server at all. The server simply sends a string to the client and tells it what weather should be set in Custom Shaders Patch. If we have Pure enabled the client uses Pure, if we have SOL enabled it uses SOL.


21.) Backup and Restore all settings
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Backup and Restore

After all above changes have been applied it would be a good time to backup all the settings. This way you will be able to restore them later on if you reinstall your machine or want to copy Assetto Corsa to another computer.

To save everything we did you have to backup the following 3 directories:
For a restore simply copy these 3 directories back to their original location.


22.) How to record Assetto Corsa replays for later video editing
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Recording Replays

The last 3 topics in this tutorial show you how I record my YouTube videos for a smooth 60 fps replay with only an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 GPU. First we have to change a few video settings in Content Manager to reduce the load during replay recording and get a better performance on capturing. Values in braces are the original values we set on Content Manager configuration. These values are restored later on before we start the video recording.

23.) Install NVIDIA ShadowPlay
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NVIDIA Shadowplay

24.) Record the final video based on the Assetto Corsa replay file
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Record Final Video

Attention: On the first loaded replay we most times have a frame drop at the beginning if the first traffic car is displayed! I think this is related to the traffic cars loading in game. Simply stopping the replay after the first frame drop and start recording again solves the problem.

Now we change the video settings back to normal and very good quality in Content Manager.

25.) Final Video Editing
--------------------------

Final Video Editing

I edited the final video in Adobe Premiere, added some music and the police chatter of "Need for Speed Most Wanted 2005". In videos 2 and 3 the driver voices of the Shadow Warrior and Duke Nukem are added. In addition I created a custom dashcam overlay in Adobe After Effects. These pieces together make up some great atmosphere.


26.) Credits
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Credits

Last but not least many thanks and much respect to all the people that inspired me to write this tutorial. Please forgive me if I forgot some modder or developer. This was not by intention only by accident! Many thanks to the modding community of Assetto Corsa!

My configuration files can be downloaded from Google Drive and Sourceforge.

To donate you can send Bitcoins to: 
bc1q35fe5et2xj93h47x6n83063kztff4vgp49ggxa
Bitcoin QR-Code

Thanks for your attention and interest in this topic.
Greets Kai Schtrom

Version 1.1 June 9, 2024