Exporting DEM

[rwarren]

I can't seem to get my DEM to export to Trainz Surveyor.

I have clicked on all the Export buttons, but when I go to Surveyor there is just a blank baseboard.

How do I do this?

Thanks,


Roy

[geophil]

Did you do the Muengsten tutorial (TransDEM Trainz manual, from page 41)?

At which part and which step do you see different behaviour or results?

[rwarren]

I used the Muengsten tutorial as a guide and substituted the coordinates for my route in it's place.

Let me go back and do the tutorial word for word and see what happens.

I've obviously missed someting.

Thanks for the help.

Roy

[rwarren]

OK. I have completed the Muengsten tutorial and everything worked out fine.

Had some trouble with the Content Manager. When I clicked "Open For Edit" the two files weren't there. I clicked "Today" and they appreared. I selected the 3 files and clicked Edit. The Commit function was greyed out. I read somewhere that if you launch Trainz from the Content Manager it would "commit" the entries, so that's what I did. Must have worked.

I can't believe that all that track is already laid. Can't wait to start my route, "The Lancaster & Chester RR".

Should I delete the files that were created in the "editing" and "Scenery" folders?


Thanks for all the help.

[geophil]

OK. I have completed the Muengsten tutorial and everything worked out fine.

Good to here.

Should I delete the files that were created in the "editing" and "Scenery" folders?

Yes, you can delete them. Once you have started work on your route in Trainz Surveyor, the TransDEM-generated files no longer reflect the current state of your route and can be regarded as obsolete.

In case you wish to add more UTM tiles or vector data to route later, you should definitely delete the original files. For such later additions with TransDEM, you will have to re-export your route from Trainz with Content Manager. And Content Manager will not overwrite an existing copy in the destination folder, but create the new export under a cryptic an unrecognisable name instead.

[rwarren]

Thanks Geophil,

Okay, you've answered my next question.

There is a 15 mile route that branches off my main line and I wanted to add that. I did not draw the polyline over this part when I did the original.

So, check me on this to see if I am right.

I delete the files in my UserData\editing folders and the Scenery folder.
I reload the .dem file and the .trf files for the new area.
Draw the polyline for the new route
Export the DEM to Content Manager.

Do I give it a different name?

Draw a mask around the new area and export the UTM tiles. (New name?)
Export Vector Data to create track splines. (New name?)

Go to Content Manage and "commit".

I drove a train over the new route last night, even though there was no scenery. What a great feeling!

I worked on this same route in MS TrainSim for over two years and I know from experience that TransDem has saved me at least 6 months or more time, and hours and hours of agravation.
What a great program.

Thanks,

Roy

[geophil]

You can add UTM tiles and vectors/splines to an existing route (if originally generated by TransDEM and with the Trainz World Origin object unharmed) by exporting the route temporarily in Trainz Content Manager and modifying it with TransDEM. You cannot, however, extend the route this way. Extending a route requires a slightly different approach, very much the way you describe it.

A route extension has to be generated as a new route module in TransDEM. It may use the same geo data as before but it will need a new route name and a new KUID. Merging the extension module with the original module will have to happen in Trainz Surveyor, with the Merge function there. The merge will be seamless, if you pick adjacent baseboards.

Seamless merging is made possible because TransDEM maintains a static mapping between UTM coordinates (its internal geo coordinate system) and Trainz baseboard edges (as long as you stay in the same UTM zone). Even if your two modules accidentally overlap, you do not have to recreate the new module. Simply delete excess baseboards in Surveyor.

There is one catch, though. Surveyor dislocates the World Origin object during the merge. TransDEM has a function to fix it again.

(The Trainz World Origin object is used by TransDEM to retain the geo coordinate mapping in the generated route.)