TransDEM/Hand of God download help

N

Nonstopmaximum

New member
While looking up the Basemapz program to help out with building real world locations on to the game I saw someone mention there was a TransDEM program for terrain building, but unfortunately it seems to have problems installing on my PC as it always comes up with several errors saying patch job logical error. I also found an older how to webpage on installing the MicroDEM and Hand of God program alternatives. While the MicroDEM download page was still available and installed flawlessly, the website Hand of God was hosted on appears to be long dead. Is there another site to download it from?
 
HOG stuff came from TrainzLuvr. I'm not sure if that website exists anymore. If not, look for it on Archive.org. Hopefully the downloads still exist because sometimes they break.

The old HOG method while okay for freelance routes based on DEM terrain, it really is highly inaccurate. If you are able to obtain and create the TIGER maps, you'll find that the maps will place roads and rails in rivers, over hillsides, and other places due to the image not quite lining up with the actual landscape.

Now TransDEM is not a freeware program. If you were attempting to install the downloads on the website, these are only the updates, and the program needs to be purchased before the updates will work.

http://www.rolandziegler.de/StreckeUndLandschaft/startseiteTransDEMEngl.htm

The program costs around $28 USD and is well worth the investment and goes far beyond what can be accomplished with the old method.

Be warned, however, there is a bit of a learning curve and there are more options than needed.
 
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Hog Textures have been on the DLS since 2011......

You needed the online Trainz tutorial for Microdem but the site has long gone, think its on the Wayback Machine however it was for an older version of Microdem so some of the instructions were wrong. The newer versions of Microdem don't work as well with Hog as well so it was advised to use an older version. Hog program probably won't work in Win10 anyway. Afraid I deleted my copies of Hog and Microdem years ago when I got Transdem, far better method.

Anyway the Trainzluvr is still there as is the HOG program download if anyone wants it, download does work...... after disabling Firefox's Enhanced Tracking! http://trainz.luvr.net/filegrab.php?file=projects/tolaris/390/hog118.zip
 
I found it on my old laptop (that runs WIN10) and the zip file I had unzipped and the program started up with no problems. I did not try generating terrain from an old image file or using the PIGLET aux program. But I think it should work ok under WIN10. I'll add the program unzips into and runs in any folder you want so no Program Files (86) folder problems and I would not extract it into that folder either.

I have to disagree with my old friend John. HOG can produce accurate terrain and routes. The TIGER data he mentions was not as accurate as people had hoped and most didn't understand that. There were potential datum problems which could make differences of a few meters difference to over 100 if not handled correctly. It was however readily available and fairly easy to use but it was hardly the most accurate. And any method that uses Trainz ground textures to paint the lines on the terrain is just adding another +/- 10 m resolution on top of the limits of the data it's displaying. I used the TIGER data as a general guide and used more accurate data where I could. It's better to use geo referenced images on scenery tiles and Transdem has built in capability for that and a lot of other things.

I always used the latest MicroDem program with HOG and don't recall any problems but it's been 4 or 5 years since I used it.

If you are interested in building DEM based routeS for Trainz and you have the cash I recommend that you buy Transdem. Roland Ziegler aka geophil has a thread in the payware forum on Transdem 2.6 - the latest version. You can find it here.

Bob Pearson

[edit] PS While I'm thinking of it. MicroDem isn't all that easy to master (probably the same order as Transdem) and HOG only takes 1 or 2 image files you create with MD and generates a gnd file for Trainz and uses ground textures to paint low resolution lines on it. You have to create any other scenery tiles (images) to help in making the route and accurately position them. IMO it is much harder to use this pair than TD by itself and the result won't be as good. If you want to add to the original route in the future using MD/HOG it is almost impossible to do. Transdem can do it fairly easily and make a seamless merge.
 
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From what I can vaguely remember, having had a long think about it as it was 11 years since I used it! I got it the wrong way round, the newer Microdem versions use Meters whereas the older ones were in Feet and had an extra somewhat complex step required to convert to meters, it was the old instructions that were the problem not the newer versions.

Transdem is a much better investment though and is able to use the 5m grid. Transdem is only 10m
 
Valid email address

JCitron said:
HOG stuff came from TrainzLuvr. I'm not sure if that website exists anymore. If not, look for it on Archive.org. Hopefully the downloads still exist because sometimes they break.

The old HOG method while okay for freelance routes based on DEM terrain, it really is highly inaccurate. If you are able to obtain and create the TIGER maps, you'll find that the maps will place roads and rails in rivers, over hillsides, and other places due to the image not quite lining up with the actual landscape.

Now TransDEM is not a freeware program. If you were attempting to install the downloads on the website, these are only the updates, and the program needs to be purchased before the updates will work.

http://www.rolandziegler.de/StreckeUndLandschaft/startseiteTransDEMEngl.htm

The program costs around $28 USD and is well worth the investment and goes far beyond what can be accomplished with the old method.

Be warned, however, there is a bit of a learning curve and there are more options than needed.
Click to expand...


This is not a recognizable Email address in my server. Any sugestions for contacting? Thanks, Rob
 
Or should I say the email address on his site is not valid. That link sends me to the same invalid email address on his website.
 
OK I got it finally! I guess if you can figure out how to order it, you will be able to use it!
 
As I recall, (it's been two years) I just sent an email to [email address removed, because you don't want him to enjoy loads of spam] and told him I wanted to buy. He responded with an email with instructions and an invoice. The instructions will tell you use paypal to pay the invoice.

More common nowadays is to pay with a credit card on a web site but his method works.
 
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Please remove the email address from the post, or Roland will get tons of spam mail. His website has the mail address intentionally disguised to avoid spam.

Peter
 
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