Can someone make me a DEM?

A

AMTRAKwannabe

Norfolk & Western Lives
Hi, I want a DEM of the Alaska Railroad, the full route from Seward to Eilson AFB, with a satellite image overlay. I now most of you are going to say do it yourself with a link to TransDEM, but I can't afford it. I can't really afford anything in the winter and my parents don't support digital downloads at all. I can repay you with Beta and Alpha releases of the route.

Best Regards,
AMTRAKwannabe
alaska-railroad-map.jpg
 
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Get yourself TransDem. It's about $34 after converting from Euros.

With that you can make any DEM you want. The learning curve isn't as steep as you think.

John
 
Well there is an alternative. Learn HOG and how to use Micro Dem.

I can't help you here because I haven't used either in ages.

John
 
I think you might want two DEMs, 470 miles of highly detailed greatness is truly well 470 miles of highly detailed greatness but, I would not want anybody's FPS being 10 in driver. That's my input. BUT, if you think your machine can handle it, talk to jrfolco, he has made DEM's for people before. And remember, a smile and kind word will get you far, but a smile, kind word, and a gun will get you much, much further. Good luck on your endeavors.
 
Nearly 500 miles of route must surely warrant at least one 'please'? I often see such requests but rarely feel inclined to offer to create a DEM in the absence of that single word.
 
The Viewfinder site would cover Alaska, albeit not to the highest resolution.

And agree 100% with pfx - a 500 mile route represents a massive commitment, to the extent the OP should at least be thinking about investing in Transdem themselves not gimmie pigging on the backs of others who bought and paid for it. Frankly I'll believe the end result of the finished route when I see it, on this one.
 
I would say wait and buy TransDem. It's worth every penny and more. The guys here are really nice, but this sure sounds like a big job. My route is 75 miles and it took me about 8 months of 10-12 hours days, everyday, to complete it. I'm retired... I'd still be working on it if I weren't. I don't think I EVER want to go through that again! Come to think of it, I'm still messing around with it!

Cheers....Rick
 
I dont think he is asking anyone to produce the route or scenery etc - just provide him with a dem so he can do the rest.
 
The available data for Alaska has improved quite recently, and is still in progress. (Ref: http://nationalmap.gov/alaska/ami_source_data.html) So, it would be best to DIY because then you can grab the latest and greatest. Sometimes I think about just bringing Denali into surveyor to see if it would fit. :) The railroad itself gets to the highest point nearby at 2300 feet.

It is a big route in many ways, that's for sure! If the OP really wants to give it a shot, I think picking a small section would be a start. Narrowing down an era would help too, since there have been so many major changes over the years.

p.s. Much of Alaska still has low resolution data as well as limited or poor Google and Bing sat images. In some cases, I've found better Bing images than Google, and most train-sim tools use Google. I haven't played with Alaska maps in a couple of years, and the data has improved even since then, especially along the rail belt.
 
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I dont think he is asking anyone to produce the route or scenery etc - just provide him with a dem so he can do the rest
Click to expand...

I think it's the manner of asking plus the fact this is a hugely ambitious proposition likely to end up as vapourware, which has led to the rather sceptical reactions.
 
rickf77 said:
I would say wait and buy TransDem. It's worth every penny and more. The guys here are really nice, but this sure sounds like a big job. My route is 75 miles and it took me about 8 months of 10-12 hours days, everyday, to complete it. I'm retired... I'd still be working on it if I weren't. I don't think I EVER want to go through that again! Come to think of it, I'm still messing around with it!

Cheers....Rick
Click to expand...

Well said, Rick. :)

My personal route of 180 miles has taken me 10 years to complete and it's still not completed!

John
 
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