Transdem & trainz 2009

[geophil]

Frank,

if I recalll this correctly, it affects additions to an existing route. I do understand that the ability to add splines and UTM tiles at a later stage is an important feature for many TransDEM users. This feature should come back with the next TransDEM version. However, we are all in Auran's hand and if they decide to introduce more file format changes I have to catch up again.

The latest TS2009 patch end of January introduced new file versions for .gnd, .obs, and .trk and, in a way, also for config.txt. You would now need to temporarily substitute all the files, except for .bmk to bypass the file format issues.

I am still working on the necessary modifications in TransDEM but have reached a state similar to the one before the last TS2009 patch, meaning most of my tests succeed again.

 

[Approach_Medium]

Frank,

if I recalll this correctly, it affects additions to an existing route. I do understand that the ability to add splines and UTM tiles at a later stage is an important feature for many TransDEM users. This feature should come back with the next TransDEM version. However, we are all in Auran's hand and if they decide to introduce more file format changes I have to catch up again.

The latest TS2009 patch end of January introduced new file versions for .gnd, .obs, and .trk and, in a way, also for config.txt. You would now need to temporarily substitute all the files, except for .bmk to bypass the file format issues.

I am still working on the necessary modifications in TransDEM but have reached a state similar to the one before the last TS2009 patch, meaning most of my tests succeed again.

Thanks Geophil;
I truly understand what you are up against. I will wait patiently for the next ver of Transdem, and hope that Auran doesn't change formats again with SP2, which they are working on for TS2009 WBE.
In the mean time, I will continue to work on my route, but will not place any new roads, since that is really the only thing I need Transdem for right now.

Again, thanks for your work, and for your reply to my question.

FW

 

[beavi501]

thanks for your help. I can now get utm overlays to show in trainz surveyor 2009. The utm ovelay seems to be partly submerged due to ground elevations. I can raise the UTM tile using object height propertys but when i add details to my map you cannot see what you are doing because with the UTM tile raises it obscures the view beneath it

 

[beavi501]

Is there any workaround to avoid the problem above regarding UTM tiles being partially submerged in the ground? If th UTM tiles are raised then the view of objects placed on the ground beneath is obscured so you cannot see what you are doing

 

[backyard]

It's so very near...

You will have to find the "show grid" button atop the page in Surveyor...

In grid view, you can see the UTM Tiles if they are imported.

Usually the UTM Tiles will show up & a left click will lower them to the default under grid view....

Did I say default? You can assign the view using the TrainzDEM Export utility to set the UTM Tiles to whatever level you wish.

What a marvelous Digital Elevation Modeling Utility TransDEM is!

Thanks Roland...!

Allen/Backyard

 

[geophil]

The third option in TransDEM besides ground textures and UTM tiles is vector data. Vector maps will be the long-term future anyway. Open Street Map is showing the way. Currently, though, you would trace line-style features in TransDEM yourself, railway lines, roads and rivers, and export to Trainz as splines.

 

[beavi501]

So basicly you are saying forget about using UTM ovrlay and just use vector maps to trace tracks etc? will give that a go and see what happens

 

[Approach_Medium]

Will a new version of Transdem support Garmin's MapSource by any chance?
I have found that these (GPS) maps are a lot more accurate than GE for distances.

Example: Since I have installed SP1 for TS2009 and cannot export splines or anything else from Transdem, I am going through the tedious process of taking measurements from the road map and using TS rulers am placing the roads as close as I can get them to their actual position.

When using GE to measure, I get serious errors. GE always comes up short.
Perhaps if I am using a much lower eye alt, the maps would be more accurate, however, I don't want to spend the rest of my life doing this.
I switched to Garmin City Select NA ver 7 and am now getting much more accurate distances. Garmin maps are generated from GPS, not air images, so they should understandably be more accurate.

That said however, my original track splines were laid using Transdem and GE, and they came out very close to actual.
I suspect that Transdem "knows" how to use GE, and I do not<g>.

One word of warning for anyone using Transdem with TS2009.
DO NOT INSTALL SP1!!!
Transdem will not export or import anything from TS2009 SP1.
I learned this too late, and you cannot move a route back from SP1 to pre-SP1. It appears that all of the map files have changed in SP1.

FW

 

[markbin]

Google earth uses the mercator projection; This means that the distances are only correct near the equator. All the rest is stretched; the further from the equator the more stretched. If you use GE you can best convert GEO to UTM.

 

[geophil]

Google Maps - like the other "Map Tile" systems - uses Mercator. Google Earth is based on the same data. However, for presentation the data is un-projected and then transformed to a Vertical Perspective projection.

Inaccuracies in raster data, however, will have to do with the original georeferencing of ortho-imagery.

Garmin maps, I'm afraid, will not be an option for TransDEM. Garmin has licensed the maps from NAVTEQ and others for use with Garmin only.

The future lies elsewhere: "Share-alike" copyrighted Open Street Map. In its raster form, access to Open Street Map in TransDEM had been made possible with version 1.3. In its vector form support will become a task for TransDEM in the long term, not for the next version.


Route file format issues with TS2009:

• The original TS2009 WBE release changed the .gnd file format compared to Classics and TS2006.
• SP1 changed the .gnd file format again.
• The patch end of January changed route file formats .gnd, .obs and .trk.

config.txt was also affected regarding tag values.

The next version of TransDEM will concentrate on the "final" TS2009 route file formats, currently subsumed as "Build 3.0". It will not support any of the intermediate formats.