So this is the other idea I've been bouncing around for a while now, trying to come up with a fairly simple way to make tracks that gives us more control and options than we currently have but can be as simple as connecting straight bits to corner bits.
GT Slot Car / Scalextric Style Track Designer
The idea is to have a fairly simple programme separate from GT5 that can be used to better create our own custom race tracks, circuits and "point to point" road courses using a basic piece by piece track building tool similar to how we used to build the old slot car tracks.
How It Works
1: Select scenery and track type
Much like those in the current Course Generator, you can choose a basic style like Toscana, Eifel or Mt Aso that sets the type of road surface, guard rails / fences / walls, generaly scenery and such. You can also choose the type of track you want, either a circuit style or point to point road course.
2: Create your track
Obviously there will be some required sections depending on the type of course you're making, if it's a regular circuit type then you will have to include the start / finish with pits section, for point to point road courses you'll need a start line and a finish line.
Much like with slot car tracks you have a "track parts" list, corners of differing set angles, required pieces like the start / finish lines (with or without pits depending on course type), special sections like bridges / elevated turns / crossovers and such, straight pieces and so on with a "custom" option in each subsection to set your own angles, lengths, etc where appropriate.
As you place each track piece you can further adjust things like elevation (incline / decline), camber / banking, width and so on. Sections can be individually adjusted after the course is created too so if you wanted to get the layout first then add in elevation and adjust corner banking afterwards you can.
3: Test your track
Once you've created your track you can test it, first a quick debug test will make sure you have all the required sections and that everything connects properly and assuming it passes successfully you'll be able to drive some test laps in a car.
Since this is an external programme I wouldn't expect more than a couple of test cars, perhaps if it were sponsored by Nissan then we could get a handful of Premium Nissans to choose from.
If you're happy you can save / export the track to install into GT5 (perhaps like other DLC or through an integrated course management tool), share it with friends that also have the creator or return to the track editor.
As well as making individual one off tracks it could have the option of creating a large track and splitting it into multiple layouts much like Cape Ring, Suzuka or Montegi have different layouts marked out of sections of the main track.
Future Development
Firstly this could open another avenue for future DLC packs:
generic scenery packs: mountain / cliff roads
urban
forest
desert
real world scenery: Grand Canyon
Mediterranean village
American coastal highways
Swiss mountains
special track pieces: track bridge / tunnel sections
elevated corkscrew / loops (like at Cape Ring)
bigger bridges over scenery like rivers
tunnels through scenery like cliffs or hills
This programme could also be used as a bridge product for GT6, so any tracks we make now for GT5 could be imported into GT6 and reused. It could even be a tool made specifically to create tracks usable in both games, instead of including it in GT6 they could offer it to us now at a nominal DLC type cost.