This handy Python Script will automatically extract, and merge all of the Ground Cover Asset Configurations (grass billboards) from any set of extracted map folders and create a new file to use in a new map. You will still need to manually copy all material files and media asset files to the proper folders for this to work.

How to use:

Create a safe copy of the custom map you are working on so you can roll back any changes you make using this script.
Create a new folder on your hard drive and name it something like "C:\VanillaMaps". You should be able to find them in your SteamApps directory. Mine is located here: H:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\BeamNG.drive\content\levels
Extract each map zip file to its own subdirectory within "C:\VanillaMaps"
Place the "MergeGroundCover.py" file at the root of "C:\VanillaMaps"
Edit the Python file with your favorite text editor. Change directory path on line 4 to match the top level directory you created in step one. The default value in the Python Script is currently: input_dir = '/BeamNG/Mods/'. In this case, it should be updated to: input_dir = '/VanillaMaps'
Run the Python Script in a terminal window. If you don't know how to do this, you probably shouldn't be running this script.
If everything runs as planned you should see a new file called 'items.level.merged.json' in the root of C:\VanillaMaps.
Open that file in your text editor.
Open your existing ground cover file from your map in your text editor. Mine is here: H:\BeamNG_Mods\0.28\mods\unpacked\pxl_basetemplate1\levels\pxl_basetemplate1\main\MissionGroup\level_object\vegetation
Add the contents of the items.level.merged.json file to your map's version of items.level.merged.json in the vegetation folder
Restart your map and you should see the new ground types listed in your scene tree view of the editor. See the "SampleExtractedGrasses" file attached to this post.
You will need to manually assign the grasses to your ground models by selecting the grass type in the scene tree, then look for the "layers" attribute in the types dropdown, and type in the name of your terrain material to assign the grass to that material. See the "WhereToAssignToMapMaterials file attached to this post.
I will probably do a video on this at some point to visually walk you through this process. This script is pretty flexible and can be used for other similar tasks with some minor tweaks.
This script is provided as is. I am not responsible for any mis-use or consequences of running this script. Python scripts can be very powerful and destructive if you don't know what you're doing. Use at your own risk.
Let me know if you find this content useful. I have other scripts I can post if there is an appetite for it.

Python Version Used for Dev: 3.11.2

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