landnrailroader
12-07-2006, 08:37 PM
Colleagues,
I had specifically E-mailed KUJU concerning what sort of method would be available to Extrude (or Extract) terrain, semi-automatically as we can now do in MSTS using the low cost DEMEX software.
I received an answer today to the effect that RailSimulator will use NASA SRTM data to extract scenery, i.e. elevations. I would suppose they are doing this because it is available worldwide, thus you could use it anywhere to create a route. I do have some misgivings about it, though because I was also told they were using 90M data which seems awful coarse to me. When using MSTS, I use the USGS seamless digital terrain data which is 30M or in some cases 10M, and I get a noticeably better result with 10M data. They say it will be a one button operation.
According to KUJU, the data is freely available, but I guess it depends on what your defintion of free is. The only place I have found it is a quasi-government operation that SELLS it on DVD for $60 a pop. Note, however, that 1 DVD covers everything in the US, south of roughly Chicago, and another covers the rest plus Canada. Some of you with time on your hands might see if there is a FREE source. KUJU also indicated that they might provide it in the game package if NASA did not object - since it is public domain, i.e. you and I have already paid for it (here in the US anyway) I doubt they could object. But on the other hand, it would be too much data to provide it all with the game, but KUJU might provide, shall we say, regional DVDs of the data.
KUJU had previously mentoned that waypoint markers could be generated from GPS data, so presumably we will know the format of the required file for that, and can probably massage data from UsaPhotomaps or something similar to digitize our centerlines.
Jerry Sullivan
I had specifically E-mailed KUJU concerning what sort of method would be available to Extrude (or Extract) terrain, semi-automatically as we can now do in MSTS using the low cost DEMEX software.
I received an answer today to the effect that RailSimulator will use NASA SRTM data to extract scenery, i.e. elevations. I would suppose they are doing this because it is available worldwide, thus you could use it anywhere to create a route. I do have some misgivings about it, though because I was also told they were using 90M data which seems awful coarse to me. When using MSTS, I use the USGS seamless digital terrain data which is 30M or in some cases 10M, and I get a noticeably better result with 10M data. They say it will be a one button operation.
According to KUJU, the data is freely available, but I guess it depends on what your defintion of free is. The only place I have found it is a quasi-government operation that SELLS it on DVD for $60 a pop. Note, however, that 1 DVD covers everything in the US, south of roughly Chicago, and another covers the rest plus Canada. Some of you with time on your hands might see if there is a FREE source. KUJU also indicated that they might provide it in the game package if NASA did not object - since it is public domain, i.e. you and I have already paid for it (here in the US anyway) I doubt they could object. But on the other hand, it would be too much data to provide it all with the game, but KUJU might provide, shall we say, regional DVDs of the data.
KUJU had previously mentoned that waypoint markers could be generated from GPS data, so presumably we will know the format of the required file for that, and can probably massage data from UsaPhotomaps or something similar to digitize our centerlines.
Jerry Sullivan