Another TransDEM Issue

[Len12]

As noted in another thread I'm doing a route from Paris to Arras. I've encountered a problem in exporting.

The map tiles consist of over 400 tiles. I keep the tiles in a folder on another drive.

When I fire up TransDEM I load up the DEM for the area, no problem. I then load up the 'lgb' (combined raster file of over 400 tiles). The combined raster has loaded as the images from Paris to Arras are all there.

I load the vector route which is the traced route through those 400 plus tiles. Again that appears properly in blue. I create a rectangle or mask for the entire route and follow the settings suggested in the tutorial.

I then click the Texture Export Dialogue and get the following message:"Inconsistent files names and/or missing files for one or more map folders" and notes the editing folder of Trainz2009. Click pass that. The actual amount of baseboards the mask covers are 78 East-West and 245 North-South. I click ok for export. I then get the error "Errors writing file: Map Files Export"

I have a suspicion this may be related to a limit of 25 tiles for each export task. If it is (leaving aside the first error for the moment) I've tried the route filter with 2 tiles each side and that still gets the same error. On the other hand I don't understand the first message about inconsistent file names.

Anybody have a solution to this? Thanks.

 

[Lots_Trains]

Hi

Personally I've never been able to export more than a couple of UTM tiles at one time, usally I get TransDem to place the 1st couple them place them manually after that.

One thing I have noticed from you pic is I would grop the DEM down a bit, running excessive areas of DEM soaks up the Mem I have found and make TransDem a little unstable.

Cheers

Lots

 

[Len12]

Personally I've never been able to export more than a couple of UTM tiles at one time

Do you mean you've had errors with more than a few at a time?

 

[Lots_Trains]

Yes correct

 

[Jerker]

G'day Len12,

Suffering from exactly the same issues as you some time ago, I sent off a personal e-mail to "the good" Doctor, himself. Here is his response...

Hi Garry,

no problem. If I'm at home I'll provide support - or at least try to.

Most likely this is a memory issue. Your route will be something like 350 km or more in length. Sometimes this works, but only with small scale map clippings. More often it does not. TransDEM allocates a significant amount of additional temporary memory during export. It might not get enough.

I suggest to reduce the size of the export mask and export as two or more modules. TransDEM supports seamless merging if you set the mask to the same baseboard coordinates with a bit of overlapping. The "info" file, generated by TransDEM, will store the coordinates of all module edges as a hint for positioning the mask for the next module.

What do you mean you had to transform the raster map? To the adjacent UTM zone as proposed by TransDEM? If yes, your route will probably touch two UTM zones and TransDEM tries to cope with this. If your DEM lies in one zone and your map(s) in the other one of the two sources has to be transformed.

Regards, Roland


...unfortunately, as good as this advice is, it failed to allow me to export the map in question (a map of over 600 kilometers that covers more than one zone - which I think is the real issue) and I am still unable to accomplish this to this day. I would definiately crop down the DEM as suggested by Lots_Trains above - it only needs to be as large as the maximum area required to cover the amount of terrain that will be exported, certainly no larger than the two rectangles created by the co-ordinate lines that surround the Track Spline in the image. Use the 'scissors tool' to acheive this...

Jerker {}

 

[Vern]

How many tiles have you set to export either side of the vector line? If it's set to a value of (e.g) 5 (as I recently did for a US project I'm working on) in practice you may find up to (e.g) 7 generated where the track vector runs at an angle across the board. As a bare tile is around 200kb in size, reducing the export width by one or two tiles will make a difference. The draw distance may end up being less than desired but that is offset by the fact the end product will be a long route.

BTW I assume you have restricted Transdem to create just the boards needed around your route, not the whole DEM area?

 

[Len12]

Thanks guys. When you say crop the dem what does that entail? I set the mask rectangle to cover the route which does create a situation where there is large areas of dem. I'll set the route filter to 1 either side and see what happens.

Jerker thanks for that response. I was going to email the prof. himself but looks like that is the problem. I did contemplate merging of modules but I see that doesn't seem to work.

 

[Len12]

I set the route filter to 1 and that didn't help. I then halved the route with the mask with 1 route filter and that didn't help, same error. I set the mask to a sixth of the route same error. What gives?

I copped the dem but that didn't work.

 

[Len12]

Guys this works if you don't load the raster map. Load the dem and vector route and it will make the route absent the map tiles. I guess you could roughly work with making your own map tiles (such as google images) and laying some down in the relevant areas manually.

 

[geophil]

Those raster map clippings may consume a huge amount of memory. Try to put less than 100 clippings into one group (.lgb file). My usual number is 50 to 70 clippings. Only load the group which you are going to export in a single step.

You can export UTM tiles in stages, even to the same Trainz module. Adjust the rectangular mask to the area you are exporting in each step. Overlapping of tiles should not cause trouble as TransDEM is able to ignore duplicate tiles.

When you export UTM tiles make sure you have both the rectangular mask and route vector data. Both serve as a filter. The 25 tile limit will apply if no vector data is loaded.

Do not delete any of the UTM tiles created in the "scenery" folder (to be imported into Trainz with CMP/CM2) before you have finished all the geo data work. This is to prevent accidental reuse of UTM tile KUIDs by TransDEM.


Problems with group files (*.lgb) may occur if not all clippings are located in the same directory. Missing files will also trigger such a message. If in doubt, re-create or edit the group (it's a simple text file).

 

[Lots_Trains]

Hi

I guess you could roughly work with making your own map tiles (such as google images) and laying some down in the relevant areas manually.

I still use TransDem to make the google tiles and then place them manually after the 1st couple have been placed by TransDem. I just fined it easier that way.

Cheers

Lots

 

[Len12]

Those raster map clippings may consume a huge amount of memory. Try to put less than 100 clippings into one group (.lgb file). My usual number is 50 to 70 clippings. Only load the group which you are going to export in a single step.

You can export UTM tiles in stages, even to the same Trainz module. Adjust the rectangular mask to the area you are exporting in each step. Overlapping of tiles should not cause trouble as TransDEM is able to ignore duplicate tiles.

When you export UTM tiles make sure you have both the rectangular mask and route vector data. Both serve as a filter. The 25 tile limit will apply if no vector data is loaded.

Do not delete any of the UTM tiles created in the "scenery" folder (to be imported into Trainz with CMP/CM2) before you have finished all the geo data work. This is to prevent accidental reuse of UTM tile KUIDs by TransDEM.


Problems with group files (*.lgb) may occur if not all clippings are located in the same directory. Missing files will also trigger such a message. If in doubt, re-create or edit the group (it's a simple text file).

Thanks. I have a few questions. If I use the same route name by loading the DEM, X clippings (raster map), and vector route on consecutive occasions will this be a problem (you may be indicating this but I'm not clear)? Just saving over the same route with lets say 50 clippings at a time and leaving the mask in the same location. If the problem is with the amount of clippings why should I have to move the mask? As it is the mask I use is over the entire route and as I stated this makes the vector route (with track) nicely with the DEM.

 

[geophil]

If I use the same route name by loading the DEM, X clippings (raster map), and vector route on consecutive occasions will this be a problem (you may be indicating this but I'm not clear)?

Not a problem - except with TS2009 and a route which had already been imported to Trainz and has been edited in Surveyor (solved in the upcoming version). This means you can export UTM tiles and vector data to the same Trainz route again. TransDEM will read the Trainz route data, retain everything which is already there and only add new data, tiles or vectors. There will be a warning message if you export to a Trainz route which has not been created in the same TransDEM session. But this message is to prevent you from inadvertently adding data to the wrong route.

Just saving over the same route with lets say 50 clippings at a time and leaving the mask in the same location.

Might trigger up to 50 message boxes (not sure) informing you that a particular tile is already there and will be ignored.

If the problem is with the amount of clippings why should I have to move the mask?

Will make the export procedure much more efficient.

As it is the mask I use is over the entire route and as I stated this makes the vector route (with track) nicely with the DEM.

Memory consumption is a combination of the DEM (not needed for UTM tile export) and the map clippings loaded and then the export function itself. The latter will first backup the data temporarily then iteratively re-sample the clippings to the scale required for each tile. This requires additional memory. Loading fewer map clippings in the first place will leave more memory for the export task.

 

[Len12]

geophil

Thanks for that. I'll try with the reduced clippings and those recommendations.

 

[Len12]

I tried 50 tiles and I get the same error. I'll try less.

 

[Len12]

15 works fine but I'll increase the amount slowly and see what the limit is for this route.

 

[Len12]

I tried 20 clippings at a time and it was working fine until at the 200 or so mark I got an export error for a number of gnd files. I tried to commit the route to Trainz and it hung up Trainz although it created the folder of the route it would not commit it to Trainz. The scenery folder committed fine. I'm really stuck here. I might try to set some clippings only for the beginning and end of the route. Several:

"error writing section to .gnd file" errors.

 

[geophil]

Just to avoid misunderstanding:

In the first step you create one Trainz route module, exporting the DEM, some medium scale map overlay as a ground texture and also some vector data for your route as a baseboard filter and a ground texture.

You then load groups of large scale map clippings or aerial images in TransDEM and export them as UTM tiles in a series of export steps to the same module created in the first step, moving the mask along.

 

[Len12]

When you say "medium scale map overlay" are you indicating, for example, a google map of the entire route?

 

[geophil]

When you say "medium scale map overlay" are you indicating, for example, a google map of the entire route?

Yes, using TransDEM Map Tile Client with Google Maps, MS Virtual Earth or Open Street Map, at zoom level 14, would be the easiest.