TransDEM Forum

I found a need to make a new map for a project I'm working on in Tane. Since I only need one map, I'm sticking with Transdem 2.5. I'm slowly refreshing my memory on how to get all the pieces together to get a map exported into Trainz. This is what I have so far.



It made from 2 merged DEM maps.
The vector route map is from Google Earth in a .kmz file format
The raster map are created by merging 20 24K historical topo maps from around 1949/1950.

At this point I do have some question that I haven't been able to figure out yet...
#1.Is there an option to shut off the DEM grid?
#2.Is there a option to shut off the bounding box on the vector route?
#3.If you look close at the 20 Raster maps, some don't line up correctly. Is there a way to fix this or is this the best I can hope for?
#4.Is there a need to trim this map down any further? Or will Transdem do the trimming from here?

Yes, from the View menu or in the tool bar: "Hide DEM". There is also a "Hide raster maps" tool, view menu or toolbar. Or set DEM transparency under Options | Settings | DEM display.
Yes. Options | Settings | Routes
Hard to tell from your screenshot. You can play around with DEM rendering, i.e. increase DEM transparency (see above) and turn on DEM shading. This way you still get enough visual DEM information, but the raster maps stick out more clearly and it'll be easier to say if there are misalignments that should be addressed.
You have your route polylines that will act as a baseboard filter during export via the "Route Filter" setting in the dialog.

Thanks
Here is a look at the raster map alone.

While the different maps are easy to spot, there are obvious cracks between some of the maps.
I zoomed in on those cracks and the cracks do seem to disappear and everything does seem to line up.

I do notice the lines between the separate maps. I don't recall having this problem before which makes me question if I even did the raster maps correctly to begin with? Unfortunately most of your video tutorials for 2.5 are no longer working on this site.

So the questions I have left is are those map dividing lines supposed to be there? And, will they show up on the finished map?

These appear to be the historic USGS topo maps, from GeoPDF format, I guess. In that case TransDEM would do the georeferencing for you. The older maps are usually in Polyconic projection, with a neat line that TransDEM will utilize for clipping. There is nothing you would be able to enhance manually here. If the folks that did the digitizing made some mistakes, you would notice them as more severe and only then you could try to georeference the map yourself. Gaps between maps will normally just be a rendering flaw in TransDEM and should shrink if you zoom in, like in your second screenshot which looks quite alright to me. And export to TransDEM does not use the view your see in the TransDEM window but create its own image.

Ok, Thanks again. I will proceed to the next step.

I just wanted to pop back in to let you know that the exports went well and everything looks good with the maps I made.
The lines between the maps do stay with the map graphics. Here is the same corner as shown above in Trainz.


While I'm here I want to ask once more question of you on a different topic.
I was thinking of creating one more map of the complete northern anthracite region that fans of the area could download from my web site and build to their heart's content. What is your stance on posting Transdem maps up for download?

If your wondering, I have a web site dedicated to the region...
https://blackdiamondworkshop.weebly.com/

That's absolutely fine. Consider what kind of processing these maps underwent. First hand-drawn in India ink, based on terrestrial survey, color-printed on paper. Then, decades later, scanned and made into digital raster images, complemented with new geo-referencing meta data, hand-made again, based on raster pixels. And finally put together by TransDEM, using the georeferencing meta data to reproject into UTM. Each of these steps could easily add an error of 1 pixel or more, but we only see this tiny gap between the map sheets in the final result.


Please only publish your own work, your final and elaborated route, not any template produced by TransDEM. There is a concept in copyright law: Threshold of originality. You surpass this threshold only if your own creativity becomes the dominant factor of the work. Simply using TransDEM the way it is intended to be used does not fullfill the threshold criterion.

What you can do and what other route builders have done several times in the past: Invite people to your route building project and distribute the work among yourselves. Within such a private group feel free to share the TransDEM output.

Now not to be difficult here and using your own "concept in copyright law" "Threshold of originality" One could argue that the Transdem program is more public domain then anything else. The DEM maps are not yours, the Topographic maps are not yours, neither is the Trainz programing. Your program is merely code that brings them together. How much of the finished product reflect on Transdem? How much of that "threshold" is there? Beside a thumbnail, nothing at all. In fact, all one has to do is not mention Transdem at all and nobody would be the wiser. There are other methods of importing DEMs and overlays into Trainz at this point. Personally, I think you are being a little over protective.

Never the less thank you for your time and help with re-freshing my memory on map making.