How do I get a smooth grade?

[Robert3a0]

OK, here is a quick demo. First a couple of shots from a route I am currently constructing first showing some hills (ignore the flat bit in the foreground I am going to put a town there) while the second shows slopes once they have been covered in forest.

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

For the purpose of demonstration I have used two base boards which I have marked with contour lines

[/URL][/IMG]

Next, from the front I raise each contour from 10 through to 50

[/URL][/IMG]

Next I commence at the highest point (from the back) running the plateu tool across at an angle of about 45 degrees

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

Working steadily down-hill

[/URL][/IMG]

Until I end up with this

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

That took around 10 minutes - with practice you will find you can do a pretty accurate copy from Google Maps using their elevation tool and ruler. TRANSDEM is really good to use but it just does not bring the same level of satisfaction of building by free-hand. I hope this is helpful.
Regards
Bob

 

[geophil]

TRANSDEM is really good to use but it just does not bring the same level of satisfaction of building by free-hand.

If efficiency doesn't count, why not. After all, it's a hobby and we don't have to justify how we spend our time. I always found the manual contour line approach fascinating but also a bit eccentric.

 

[steamboateng]

'Satisfaction' is defined by the user.
It is not a new issue to imply that users of TransDEM somehow lack creativity, imagination or 'satisfaction'.
I argue this point in a blog from last summer; here:
http://forums.auran.com/trainz/entry.php?296-NE-Mass-Route-page-12
As a user of TransDEM for several years, now; I can state that I am quite satisfied!

 

[BobCass]

I agree totally with Robert..I do all free hand stuff..I am not a rivet counter so perhaps that's it..

 

[steamboateng]

I think the rivet count has little to do with it.
How we choose to spend our Trainz time does!

 

[Robert3a0]

Hi SteamboatengI should have said "gives me more satisfaction" - there is nothing wrong with TRANSDEM, it is just a preference thing.

 

[steamboateng]

I understand that! And do what you do and do it well!
It just gets my butt when some people, who for the most part, are totally ignorant of what they're spouting, choose to judge for all of us!

 

[geophil]

I should have said "gives me more satisfaction"

Yes, it's the personal perspective which matters. For me, for instance, with my software development background, it would be the contrary, an experience of frustration, not satisfaction. I would be constantly muttering: why am I doing this by hand? And most probably spend most of the time thinking about possible automation of the process and live out my creativity that way. (Hypothetical, my actual approach was slightly different.)

 

[steamboateng]

It took about 4 days to collect all the maps and info for this:
http://s1251.photobucket.com/user/steamboateng/media/TransDemScenery_HoosacTunnelEast.mp4.html
All 60 miles of it!

 

[mezzoprezzo]

@steamboateng

That video of yours a really nice example of a great outcome.

Presumably you had no need to do any manual smoothing of the contour steps - the curse of the manual method.

I have three prototypical routes on the go, all raised by hand either over UK Ordnance Survey map contours, or from road/river/hedge "contours" made using invisible track over Google Earth imagery painted on basemaps. None are finished, mainly because of the tedium of manually adjusting the grid to get a decent finish after using the Surveyor smooth spline tool, and the extraodinary amount of time needed to do it.

DEM has to be the preferred method for large prototypical routes.

Having said that, the manual method does hone Surveyor skills. It is also strangely therapeutic in small doses!


Cheers
Casper

 

[steamboateng]

Contrary to popular mythology, even a carefully generated TransDEM route requires a fair share of manual terrain manipulation. I use USGS DEM data, freely available to all. It's primarily 1/3 arc sec resolution, which implies a vertical error of about 30 feet. I find the error is about 10 feet on the vertical, which is excellent. There is also an inherent 'smoothing factor' in the tranfer of data to a Trainz map; this tends to spread the elevations a bit and roadbed cuts and fills are usually ill defined. Small streams are rarely defined at all. Track roadbed also has to be layed and smoothed and graded. Trainz roadways cut a swath all their own, again requiring grading and smoothing, And rarely is there a flat plot of land to lay down buildings, industries or stations, even. All things considered, there is quite a bit terrain work to do.
What I don't have to do is build mouintains and hills; which I find to be both tedious and boring.
Most of the terrain around us is not flat. Man and machines do that! I can't see much fun in building gently rolling terrain over several score baseboards.
TransDEM is absolutly the most time saving tool available to Trainzers. In addition it has the functionality of of creating georeferenced topo map or google map overlays or tiles directly into a Trainz generated route.
Don't get me wrong, I certainly don't begrudge those who do all that topology by hand. All power to you; I simply don't have the patience for it. And to be honest, I sometimes wonder why folks do it. To me it's burdensome, taking away time from the fun of Trainz; building and operating a route.
There are some very fine 'hand' made routes on the DLS, and skillfull and talented route creators all about the Trainz universe. I often check out the 'screenies' folks put up. I'm quite impressed with their creativity.