DEM terrain trouble

[wridenour]

Hi,
I'm having a bit of trouble with DEM terrain based layouts in Trainz. Ok,when I create two DEM layouts that are meant to be merged into one (such as Washington East DEM and Washington West DEM), when I try to merge the two layouts, the Tiger lines and terrain just won't line up on the two layouts. It's as though the DEM terrains weren't placed properly on the baseboards. Can someone help me?
thanks,
wridenour

 

[StorkNest]

I'd have to start by asking how you downloaded the data. Did you use Quads or Seamless? If Seamless, did you download it all in one file or seperately?

For example, if you downloaded Seamless in two seperate downloads, when you draw the box for the area of data you want, you might have had a space between the downloaded bits, you can also overlap.

 

[wridenour]

Quads or Seamless? I'm afraid that I don't know what those are.
wridenour

 

[StorkNest]

Did you create the two DEMs or are they from someone else?

 

[Dermmy]

Hi Wridenour,

I am assuming you created your DEM routes using HOG. If not skip to the next post

HOG creates routes by calculating positions from the top left corner of the map. The overall size of the route is constrained by multiples the 720meter square 'baseboard'. Therefore it is extremely unlikely that two routes created separately even from 'adjoining' data will merge seamlessly.

They should however be close to right. Maybe a single row of 'blank' baseboards inserted between the two DEM routes and terrained by hand could make up any alignment difference. Or possibly 'fudging' the track alignment at the 'join' would be enough.

HOG can be used to create huge routes. There should really be no need to 'merge' unless it is decided to enlarge an already textured route....

Andy

EDIT - a late thought just occurred. If you are using 'Quads' for your DEM data (as per Wewain's tute) did you know you can merge quads into one DEM file using Microdem??

 

[wridenour]

Thanks Dermmy. Yes I am useing the hog. I did know that you can merge two DEMs with Microdem but Microdem always crashes on me when I try to do it.
wridenour

 

[StorkNest]

If you are willing to do a bit of work, it might be possible, once you save the images from MicroDEM but before using HOG, when you convert the image files in a paint program you could merge them there, then HOG would generate one terrain file not two. You would have to open both images, check image size on each, modify one to include the combined image size, then copy&paste one image into the other. Do this for both TIGER and Elevation data, save the larger file and try them inn HOG, if HOG generates terrain, it should be a closer to seamless merge than generating two files.

 

[Dermmy]

Thanks Dermmy. Yes I am useing the hog. I did know that you can merge two DEMs with Microdem but Microdem always crashes on me when I try to do it.
wridenour

I find I can only merge about 6 quads without a crash in Microdem, but the funny thing is that you can merge the merged DEM's without a problem. My Clovis route was merged from a total of about 36 Quads, and I have a couple of 'Terrain Only' routes that were made from over 50. I just keep merging the merges till I get there....

Andy

 

[cascaderailroad]

About DEM's

Sorry to steal your thread, and derail you train of thought...but I just noticed on the Guarc Site: all the HOG Textures for TRS04 & TRS06 (atop the Fishlipsatwork DEM page). Using the CMP-DLS in TRS06, to import the CDP pack of all the HOG textures. Making the installation of HOG textures 1000% easier than the previous tedious proceedure of: (creating a Ground, and Hog folder, and moving certain files, leaving other files behind...) It was a real pain. But the hog textures are easy to import as a CDP file, straight into the DLS, and all you have to do is "Commit" them ! Now everyone can enjoy working with a DEM ! As the HOG textures are now so easy to install. I just wish we had more fine talented DEM creators like Fishlipsatwork and DC Fox, but to name just a few.