Baseboards And Google images.

tads1

New member
I'm trying to put some Google map images onto baseboards but need a little help.
Ive opened the base board 1km Basemap A and see;-

1km basemap a IM file
1km square a Jpeg
1km square a.texture
config
screenshot


I really have no idea how to get this image in,I have zero skills with 3dmax or anything like that.

Thank's
 
You may want to clone 1km Basemap A

Open your paint program
open google pic
open 1km square a Jpeg
copy google /paste to 1km square a Jpeg
save
 
Thank's Xcrossi,

I now know where I'm going wrong,for some reason I was trying to open the IM file in paint and getting nowhere fast.Frustration set in pretty quick.
Is there any rules or tips for say what height should my google map camera be when taking snaps?

Thanks for the help.it's appreciated.

Daz
 
I think the problem I have is my resolution,16:10 ratio,and Google Earth taking shots at 1024x768 or 1280x720 ,1920x1080.
I may have to use the ruler and change to metres,1000m x 1000m,crop image,then insert into baseboard.

I'm going to have a tinker about this afternoon with the images,will post how I get on.

Thx
 
Some tips

You need to place four lines, like a frame, each 1km long, around the part of the Google earth area you want to have attached to your basemap. Use the GE ruler tool, select Line and metres. Pull each line to exactly 1000m. To ensure that your N/S and E/W lines are truly vertical and horizontal watch the bearing in the ruler box and keep them to the required angle, i.e. 0⁰ or 180⁰ for N/S (depending on which end you start at), and 90⁰ or 270⁰ for your E/W lines.

The GE view height is irrelevant at this stage. Just use the best height the get that square accurately laid, which is usually high up to start with and very close in to join up each subsequent line where they meet at the corners.

Remember to name and save each line.

Use the Google earth rotate/reset function (the R key) which will force the GE image to be absolutely vertical and north up. That will make your lines easier to lay accurately, as will going to Tools>Options>Elevation Exaggeration and changing the default (1.5) to 0.01. That will smooth out the hills and allow your square to lay flat.

Once the square is accurately marked then, and only then, should you attempt to copy it.

I go to 600m elevation which provides a very clear image, but at this height you will only see part of the square. You therefore need to move around cutting the various sections and pasting it into your graphics package. I find MS-Paint easiest for this job. I open two instances of Paint. One to drop in the bits of the 1km square from GE which I then trim and then copy into the second Paint where they are all joined together. From memory there are six cuts required to piece them all together.

It’s important to keep to the 600m height. Any variation between each of the sections will result in misalignment.

Here's a link to a thread where I posted some additional stuff on the subject.
 
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I'm trying to put some Google map images onto baseboards but need a little help.
Ive opened the base board 1km Basemap A and see;-

1km basemap a IM file
1km square a Jpeg
1km square a.texture
config
screenshot


I really have no idea how to get this image in,I have zero skills with 3dmax or anything like that.

Thank's
You may have heard of TransDEM. It will solve your task in a largely automatic fashion. With TransDEM, there are two phases. In the first phase you collect the geo data, like ortho images (e.g Google Earth) or topo maps, with TransDEM already taking care of position and scale. In a second phase you let TransDEM generate the Trainz route for you. Basemaps are called UTM tiles there and TransDEM will produce them assembly line style.

It's not free, though. But it will also terra-form your baseboards at no additional cost. See here for details: http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?108393-TransDEM-2-5-now-available.

Yes, there is a learning curve, but there are step-by-step tutorials to guide you and also lots of other TransDEM users around.
 
Was playing around with Google Earth basemaps today, and came upon a trick of lowering the basemap to about -2.00 or -3.00. You can only see the maps in wireview, but it allows you to quickly add objects and tracks over the map, and quickly switch back from wireview to clearly see your layout.
 
Thank's for the tips and a very helpful tutorial Mezzoprezzo,I'm getting there with Google earth,watched a few Youtube video's,I more or less had the settings setup the way you explained
making sure orientation was correct ect it was just a case of trial and error,a few things I did not do,thanks to your tips everything is fine and enjoying the process of putting everything
together.Thx again.

Daz
 
You may have heard of TransDEM. It will solve your task in a largely automatic fashion. With TransDEM, there are two phases. In the first phase you collect the geo data, like ortho images (e.g Google Earth) or topo maps, with TransDEM already taking care of position and scale. In a second phase you let TransDEM generate the Trainz route for you. Basemaps are called UTM tiles there and TransDEM will produce them assembly line style.

It's not free, though. But it will also terra-form your baseboards at no additional cost. See here for details: http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?108393-TransDEM-2-5-now-available.

Yes, there is a learning curve, but there are step-by-step tutorials to guide you and also lots of other TransDEM users around.


I've been looking at Transdem for a while now Phil,I remember reading a post by Vern highly recommending the software for accurate route building.
Will look at some more videos and tutorials to see whats actually involved with a complex tool like Transdem.Thx

Daz
 
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