Mapping Real World Locations in Trainz, Accurately

[BigBoyFan4006]

I'm looking for a third party program that will allow me to map any chosen location on Trainz as accurately as possible. I'm wanting to make a fantasy route of the area I live in, and I'm not very good at landscaping. Any help is appreciated!

 

[AMTRAKwannabe]

TranzDEM.
http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?108393-TransDEM-2-5-now-available

 

[gawpo50]

I'm looking for a third party program that will allow me to map any chosen location on Trainz as accurately as possible. I'm wanting to make a fantasy route of the area I live in, and I'm not very good at landscaping. Any help is appreciated!

Get TransDEM, cost approx 30 USD

 

[steamboateng]

TransDEM will convert real world height data (DEM data), and UTM data (similar to longitude and latitude) into accurate Trainz maps. In the U.S., the data is free for download from the USGS sites. TransDEM is a dynamite program, which will not only generate accurate Trainz maps, but will save countless hours in building terrain features for a route.

 

[Derekc75]

TransDEM is the answer

TransDEM for sure. I just completed a route that crosses the US/Canada border. I downloaded free DEMs from both countries and then super-imposed the free topographic map images from both countries on top. This creates an amazingly accurate basic route. The TransDEM website has an active forum for questions and Roland Zeigler, author of TransDEM, is very good at answering any questions you might have as you learn the program. For about $30 US it just makes perfect sense to use this software.

 

[JCitron]

I can say that it's really, really awesome and amazing! The program can now handle Geo-PDF format, meaning those PDF images of older out-of-date topographic maps available from the USGS website. It skews the map properly so they are oriented in the proper angle for the longitude and latitude and placement. It's amazing to take a current DEM and place a topographic map from 1944 on it and have everything line up properly. The height information too is quite accurate. Smoothing values do affect this, but at any rate they are still very close. Pick a point on the created Trainz route and compare that to Google Earth. The height is sometimes within a few meters of each other!

Once you've go the process down, you can generate huge DEM-based routes in minutes.

John

 

[BigBoyFan4006]

Once you've go the process down, you can generate huge DEM-based routes in minutes.

And to think I've been trying create routes the wrong way this whole time.