Creating terrain elevations etc.

[jfriedrich]

Hi all,

I have a few questions about creating terrain and elevations etc. How do you guys do it, freehand or other means?
I am aware of transdem and the fact that it is payware. Is it easy to use? Does it work with canadian maps?

Is there another way to do it? Is there a lite version of transdem (I'm on a budget)? Or should I just stick to creating flat routes?

Thanks for any help,
Regards,
Jordan

 

[BLACKWATCH]

For imaginary routes freehand, for real life routes I use Google Earth & the built in rulers.

 

[jfriedrich]

You can pull elevations from google earth?

What I'm trying to do is model CN's Cayuga subdivision as it passes through my town. What's left of it is now run/owned by a short line railroad.

Thanks again,
Jordan

 

[JCitron]

You can also create height maps (displacement maps) using grayscale images. There are some pre-built one already made. Use one of those as an example and make your own. In the past I have used Bryce to make a grayscale terrain. I then copied and pasted the preview image into a photo-editor and stretched it and scaled it to what I wanted. I also used the opportunity to anti-alias the edges to get rid of any stepping. I then cloned one of the built-in displacement maps and substituted my information for the built-in stuff. The results were pretty good.

An alternatives to using Bryce are to draw the image using a paint tool. You could even import a photo and convert it to grayscale if you want. I also have an ancient utility supplied by a former Trainzer Charlie White Dog. A friend of his created it for us. This is Trainz Zurveyor and it has an interface in it with dials to adjust heights and randomness of your terrain. I'm not sure if this utility is available anymore as I haven't needed to download it since 2005. I found it the other day when I was going through some old backup CDs. It still works and works well for TS12.

John

 

[Cayden]

I do it free hand. For a description (tutorial), see:

http://www.doug56.net/MBC/

Cayden

 

[geophil]

Is it easy to use? Does it work with canadian maps?

See here for a series of video tutorials on processing Canadian geo data for Trainz: http://forum.transdem.de/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=10

 

[steamboateng]

The relatively small cost of TransDem is well worth the investment. You will save countless hours in developing a route. You also have the ability to overlay georeferenced topo maps and Google Earth maps onto your route. The initial learning curve is rather steep, insofar as learning the vocabulary, but the actual route generation is quite simple. It works something like this: 1) Download applicable DEM data; 2) Generate a DEM map in TransDem; 3) Georeferenc topo maps or Google Earth maps; 4) Trace a route; 5) Input Trainz version and select various terrain/map options; 6) Generate the map and overlay in Trainz.
A sample of a finished map in Trainz is here:
http://s1251.beta.photobucket.com/user/steamboateng/media/TransDemScenery_HoosacTunnelEast.mp4.html

 

[Blutorse4792]

I don't know if it works with Trainz 2012, but "MicroDEM" is free. It's a bit more moody than TransDEM, though.

 

[clam1952]

Yes microdem does work with TS12 however the latest version is slightly different to the only tutorial available.

 

[obirek]

I do it free hand by copying and pasting some small terrain templates.

But I also have a question - Do you make terrain before laying track down or the other way around?

 

[steamboateng]

Terrain first, then lay grades, then track.

 

[frogpipe]

When doing my M&Pa route, I made large tiles from vintage map images to show where the track ran, then laid the track, then gave the whole run the 1.8% grade my sources said it had, then used the smooth spline tool to bring the land up to that slope.

Once that was all done, I started forming the land by hand, attempting to recreate the terrain relative to the tracks.

Frankly it was hell, I'm hoping to try a DEM next...

 

[Jrrrail]

I think that works better.

 

[steamboateng]

I think TransDem works better.

 

[geophil]

I don't know if it works with Trainz 2012, but "MicroDEM" is free. It's a bit more moody than TransDEM, though.

Does it work with canadian maps?

The classic MicroDEM/HOG process relies on US census TIGER maps which - supposedly - are not available for Canada.

 

[Vern]

There really is no substitute for Transdem if you want accurate terrain and maps to build on at your fingertip in Surveyor to start building a route.

 

[RRSignal]

TransDEM is the way to go. Not only do you get accurate elevations, but you get basemaps (as raster maps) to trace out lines and even the locations of buildings, at least in the U.S.

 

[steamboateng]

Yeah! I can picture a Canadian Trainzer conjuring up Rocky Mountain DEM's to to the strains of Gordan Lightfoot's 'Canadian Railroad Trilogy'!

 

[BobCass]

Here is a picture of how I create my mountain terrain..First Lay a strip of track where the peak would be..Next use the Vertical Height button(first you want to set your Height at say 1000m) Left click on circle each end..Next use Track smoothing tool, Left click on track and terrain will come up to meet it..Then use Plateau toll, set sensitive to about 50%, set circle to about 50%..Then work it down by pulling circle towards you..Working on the Height you have created..

 

[BobCass]

This is How I have created all of my terrain..