Can someone help me with making DEM Routs

[Dylanviey]

I'm trying to make a DEM route of NH&I RR (New Hope & Ivyland Railroad) and i want it to be ultra realistic and accurate. so i decided to give making a DEM a try. i downloaded a Tutorial for it but right now I'm having a hard time finding a DEM file of the railroad. Could someone help show me how to get a hold of a DEM file?



BTW if anyone would like to help out by modeling some buildings or some steam locomotives for me feel free to PM me or Email me.
and here's a little info about the route it self http://northamericantrainz.freeforums.org/viewtopic.php?t=45

 

[polywogs]

http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/mgdl/?rel=cext&action=Saint+Clair

found the state of Michigan here

 

[geophil]

For best results I recommend high resolution NED DEMs as provided by USGS Seamless Server: http://seamless.usgs.gov/website/Seamless/

Go for 1/3 arc sec which equals the Trainz terrain spacing of 10m. A word of warning: Depending on the length of your route data volume can be substantial.

Download NED DEMs in GeoTIFF format for maximum vertical resolution.

If processing with MicroDEM/HOG (not the only tool around ), use the "piglet" function (part of HOG). Otherwise you will loose most of the vertical detail.

geophil

 

[backyard]

Here's what I found...

8) Hello Dylanviey,

Thanks, for your desire, to run a prototypical route, using digital elevation mapping, to acquire the actual routing, elevations, scenery, etc.

I tried the method you wish to use, and became confused by the learning curve.

Some other Route Creators, have mastered the technique.

One, goes by the kuid:59012 fishlipsatwork. His name is Paul Haglund, and has many routes available on the DLS.

Another method, is to use a payware program, TransDEM, that has a Trainz compatible feature, called TranzDEM.

It is available, for €21.90(twenty-one point nine Euros, USD $32.50), very worth it...

This utility, has a instruction manual, complete with tutorials, that I printed in my language, and made a book, for using at my leisure.

The source for the maps, is exactly as advised, by geophil.

You can make the map, and use the topo maps for tiles for adding the scenery.

This can be accomplished easily, in a short amount of time. You may also add your choice of track to your route, then go to Surveyor, and fill in the details.

And any questions you have, please use this topic you have started, so we can help!

This can get you started, and who knows what routes you may wish to create next?

 

[Dylanviey]

wow thanks for the quick reply. right now i have 4 routes i wish to build (NH&I being my favorite I'm starting that one first) If i come across any stumbling blocks I'll ask.

 

[Dylanviey]

ok now my problem is getting the file from a .tif to a .gnd. and with and with the info about where the tracks and roads should be laid. it seamed pretty simple but apparently it's not as simple as it looked.

 

[geophil]

Now, converting between .tif and .gnd is very much dependent on the tool or tool-set you are going to use.

With MicroDEM/HOG, you will open the .tif in MicroDEM, convert to UTM, crop and re-sample and then export to an intermediate format. The tutorials explain this for .tga but you will loose a lot of detail. At the back-end you will run HOG which essential converts the .tga to .gnd. The alternative is an intermediate .xyz format. In both cases you are completely responsible for proper scale and size. With MicroDEM/HOG your cartographic map will be TIGER, with some manual image processing involved again.


TransDEM is an alternative to MicroDEM/HOG. This is a payware tool. In TransDEM you open the DEM (.tif), use the mouse to define an export region and export to Trainz, which will create your .gnd file and also the others needed for a route. Usually you will include a cartographic map as well. With TransDEM you have several map options. The easiest is accessing a map tile server like Google Maps, Microsoft Visual Earth or Yahoo Maps. Locate what your need, draw a few lines with the built-in editor to peg-out the course of your route and let TransDEM do the rest.

See here and links in my signature for more info on TransDEM.

geophil

 

[Dylanviey]

i did everything up to converting from TGA to gnd when i try it in HOG i get "error: template file tile_blank.dat not found or failed to open." idk if it's an problem with HOG or that I'm doing something wrong.

 

[Dermmy]

Although HOG allows you to browse to the location of the tga images, they MUST be in the same folder as the 'blank.dat' file. Simplest way is to place the image files in the HOG program folder....

Andy

 

[geophil]

This is a bug in HOG. Easiest way around this is to place all input and output data into the HOG directory (the one with Hog.exe).

Edit: oops, too late :hehe:

 

[Dylanviey]

k thanks y'all now that i know that I'll get back to making the NH&I DEM route


Edit: IT WORKS!!!!! next problem getting CMP to work ........i don't think anyone can help me with that lol

 

[backyard]

...ok, lets run it!

8) I love the New Hope & Ivyland GP30!

 

[Dylanviey]

ya I'm also working on a DEM NH&I Route to go with NH&I #2189 (the GP30) and a NH&I C30-7, NH&I Sw1 (building that one from scratch hopefully) and a hole mess of NH&I rolling stock. right now that GP30 is the closest to compaction. I'm also having authentic sounds for it.

any reskins routes or custom content i make will be posted on the link under my sig picture. BTW is anyone would like to help out making some steam locomotives and/or buildings for the route just ask. i also have planed on making a hole bunch of LV content as well.

 

[Dylanviey]

yo thanks again guys i got CMP to work (after reinstalling and spending a full 4hrs reinstalling my downloaded content). now i just need to figure out how at add those lines that show where the tracks and roads go. the "how to" i have dosen't tell me how to get from the .dbf (or what ever the file format is it came in like 4 different formats) to the .tga could someone tell me how i do that?

 

[rwk]

Can't wait to see more PA tourist RR's in Trainz! Are you doing steam 2-8-0 #40, too? And Reading coaches repainted for NH&I with ridable interiors? Or, a custom New Hope station with the pointed roof?

 

[Dylanviey]

Can't wait to see more PA tourist RR's in Trainz! Are you doing steam 2-8-0 #40, too? And Reading coaches repainted for NH&I with ridable interiors? Or, a custom New Hope station with the pointed roof?

I'm planing on doing #40 (not any time soon yet) I'm planing on doing those reading coaches. I'm just doing anything i can reskin right now. any content i make for NH&I will be posted on that web site link below my sig picture.