How do I create environmental textures?

[Libris]

Hello everybody,

I am totaly new here and in the world of Trainz. What I was trying to do, was to replicate my town, or at least a part of it, in Surveyor. My plan was:
1. use Google Earth to extract images of my town with the 500m long line in the middle.
2. use these images in Surveyor as a base texture over which I would work my way creating landscape, running tracks and roads in the way they are in reality (the 500m line is for size reference, I theoreticaly could use the ruler tool in the Surveyor to work out the scale needed)
3. then fill the map with proper textures.

So I ran into a problem - how do I create environmental textures out of a .jpg file?

I am very sorry if this question was already discussed about, I did use the Search by the way.

Thank you for your help,
and exuse me my terrible English.

Cheers,
Libris

 

[vulcan]

I did a tutorial on using Goggle Earth to make scenery ground texture files for a full baseboard, download the pdf here:

http://ianztrainz.com/images/UsingGoogleEarth.zip

Ian

 

[Libris]

Thank you! That's exactly what I needed.

 

[vulcan]

No problem

Ian

 

[Mick_Berg]

I did a tutorial on using Goggle Earth to make scenery ground texture files for a full baseboard, download the pdf here:

http://www.ianztrainz.com.au/Trainz Using Google Earth.zip

Ian

Does this method allow for different terrain heights (topology)? Or does the baseboard have to be flat?
Thanks,
Mick Berg.

 

[vulcan]

Hello Mick,

No, it does not provide assistance or information for ground elevations, you need to use DEM data techniques for that.

The texture from Google Earth is placed on a flat scenery plane and can be raised, or lowered below ground. The plane is a temporary object and can be deleted before uploading the map to the DLS.

It is best only for placing objects, buildings and track etc for correct location, it is not really a ground texture to replace those in Trainz. We used the technique in creating the correct geometry and orientation for the stations in Trainz Classics on the Harlem line.

Ian

 

[Mick_Berg]

Hello Mick,

No, it does not provide assistance or information for ground elevations, you need to use DEM data techniques for that.
Ian

So what's the difference between your technique and making a basemap?
Thanks,
Mick Berg.

 

[vulcan]

Sorry Mick, I haven't used Basemap, but I understand it is for a 1km square grid, and the textures could be taken from a map with contours. It is probably just as simple, you replace a standard texture file on an already created object, with a scan of your map. It also is flat.

For my purposes, I just wanted a 720m square plane to match a baseboard size.

The basemap tutorial is here:

http://www.g0akh.f2s.com/Trainz/Basemap_tutorial.html

Ian

 

[Libris]

That worked like a charm, thank you! One problem though, if I put the plane below the ground, I cant see it, if I put it above, I can't see the tracks being laid, if I put it on the surface, it flickers strangely. Nevertheless, thank you very much!

 

[Libris]

Oh, I just figured that out - I needed to enable the wireframe option.

 

[Libris]

One more question - is it possible to change the direction of the compass? I mean, the North is facing the wrong way compared to reality.

 

[Mick_Berg]

Sorry Mick, I haven't used Basemap, but I understand it is for a 1km square grid, and the textures could be taken from a map with contours. It is probably just as simple, you replace a standard texture file on an already created object, with a scan of your map. It also is flat.

For my purposes, I just wanted a 720m square plane to match a baseboard size.

The basemap tutorial is here:

http://www.g0akh.f2s.com/Trainz/Basemap_tutorial.html

Ian

Yes, I've used basemaps as guides, but as they are flat, they are no good for the actual terrain. What I would like to know is if there is a way to apply a texture such as a Google Earth map to an actual terrain, with all its ups and downs.
Thanks,
Mick Berg.

 

[vulcan]

Libris,

In Google Earth you can rotate the compass in the top right corner, with the mouse, but it does not allow fine adjustment. You could set an approximate angle before you take the screenshots.

A better way is to make the mosaic of screenshots in Paint Shop and then rotate the complete picture to an accurate angle. You can then use the grid settings as in the tutorial, to cut the rotated picture into the required sizes. Of course you may have to take more screenshots from Google Earth to cover the baseboards, now at an angle.

If you do rotate the picture in Paint Shop, make a note of the exact rotation angle, you may have to come back later to add more pictures at the edges from Google Earth, and you can rotate the new screenshots to the exact angle.

Mick, I know of no way to make the texture follow a ground surface created in Surveyor.

Ian

 

[ish6]

I did a tutorial on using Goggle Earth to make scenery ground texture files for a full baseboard, download the pdf here:

http://www.ianztrainz.com.au/Trainz Using Google Earth.zip

Ian

Thank you sir .... great addition to the world of trainz!!

Ishie :wave: