Transdem

[brownie82]

Hi guys this one is for the Aussies mainly, I'm very keen to buy the Transdem program. For those of you that have it is there much Aussie content available for it? Mostly Queensland i am interested in and northern Western Australia. If so where would i find this, I have an email from Ronald Ziegler saying that there available fomr the a NASA site or something but couldnt find munch on it.

Thanx for your time,

Hope someone has some answers for me.

Cheers
Brownie82

 

[Jerker]

G'day Brownie82,

The good doctor is correct, there are both 'online' maps and DEM data available for most of Australia. Without knowing the places he has sent you, I cannot redirect you (which, knowing Roland as I do, is probably ill advised - he WILL [or should that be "VILL"] be correct). I have used the NASA site for DEM with every and continued success, although some 'delving' through the site is required to find the relevant data. You will also need to know, before entering the site, the geographic co-ordinates for the area you are covering, bearing in mind that each 'tile' (read 'file') available there covers an area of 1 degree Latitude x 1 degree Longitude (about 108 x 108 Kilometres). You also have to keep in mind, for example, that if the area you want has co-ordinates of , say, 35 degrees South by 144 degrees West, you need to obtain the S36W144 tile (this is because the tiles are labelled for their bottom right hand corner's co-ordinates and since the first one of these south of the equator is at S01, each subsequent one is 'adjusted' by '1'). Incidentally, you are best advised to look only in the Version 3 section, as this is the latest available data. I see no reason why you should be failing...

Jerker {}

 

[WileeCoyote]

Hi guys, just look here.

WileeCoyote

 

[Jerker]

G'day brownie82,

Firstly, thanks for the link,WileeCoyote, that is, indeed, the place to go. It would seem that they have changed things since the last time I was there, so you (brownie82) should go to the "version 2" 'folder' and then to the "SRTM3" folder and finally to the "Australia" folder to find the data you need...

...not so hard, afterall...

Jerker {}

 

[brownie82]

Hi guys only jsut got back on to the site!! Thanx to both of you guys, I will go and check it out!! Havnt bought it yet but i think i will, wold make my life alot easier!!

Once again Cheers,

Brownie

 

[trains4]

Hi brownie82,
I'm in the same boat as you as I'm trying do line in CQ.I also haven't got transdem yet.
Thanks for the link WileeCoyote,I've found the files I need but windows can't open them.Windows wants to know what program created them,can you help.
Maybe if I can't get this far its not worth trying with transdem as it all seems pretty complicated for someone who only bought a computer to run trains.

 

[Jerker]

G'day trains4,

Indeed, Windows(c) would not know what to do with a heightfields (*.hgt) file if it's commercial existence depended upon it! There are a number of freely available viewers to be found on the internet that would allow you to 'open' such files but these are of little or no use in our application. To work with such files (which, incidentally, are the result obtained after one unzips the *.zip file that is downloaded from the NASA site), one needs a program such as TransDEM, Global Mapper or MicroDEM. Unless one is using TransDEM, the other two (and probably a few others as well) will require the further assistance of a program called HOG. It should be noted that both TransDEM and Global Mapper are payware programs. I will not go into the use of any of these programs, here - there is plenty written about them already (a search through the forums will keep you occupied for months), however, it should be noted that of the three programs mentioned, TransDEM is the easiest to use.

You may have purchased your computer to "simply 'run trains'" but as you are fast discovering, there is so much more to Trainz than just that one activity...

Jerker {}

 

[WileeCoyote]

Hi brownie82,
I'm in the same boat as you as I'm trying do line in CQ.I also haven't got transdem yet.
Thanks for the link WileeCoyote,I've found the files I need but windows can't open them.Windows wants to know what program created them,can you help.
Maybe if I can't get this far its not worth trying with transdem as it all seems pretty complicated for someone who only bought a computer to run trains.

To view this file type requires MicroDEM, and to import it into Trainz requires that and HOG, I do not know the MicroDEM|HOG way of importing DEM maps into Trainz, thats what I use TranzDEM for. If you really want to do it reasonably quickly and easily I would suggest getting TranzDEM, its worth every penny

WileeCoyote

 

[RPearson]

MicroDem and HOG was the only way for a long while. It's still very capable and remains my choice. I also have my own vector to track utility. But Roland's TransDem has a lot of nice features and probably is the easiest of all to use.

Bob Pearson

 

[trains4]

Thanks for the reply guys.
Sounds like I have only gust stood on the meat ants nest and I am about to be struck down with some pain.