How to make and import new map tiles to replace older ones

[pdw123]

Could we please have a tutorial or advice on the following:

I want to change some of the map tiles in an existing route because the Google Earth image on part of my route has now improved. The area where I wish to import new tiles covers about half the route in TS 2010.

I guess the following has to happen:
1) Make new Google Earth map tiles for the area of improvement
2) Import these in an existing route in Trainz 2010
3) Delete the obsolete map tiles from the route (but keeping some in the half route where the Google map image is OK.)

Grateful for suggested procedures for this!

pdw

[geophil]

I want to change some of the map tiles in an existing route because the Google Earth image on part of my route has now improved. The area where I wish to import new tiles covers about half the route in TS 2010.

I guess the following has to happen:
1) Make new Google Earth map tiles for the area of improvement
2) Import these in an existing route in Trainz 2010
3) Delete the obsolete map tiles from the route (but keeping some in the half route where the Google map image is OK.)

1. It depends a bit on the current situation. If the tiles created originally still exist in the "scenery" sub-folder of the "editing" directory or not.
2. If not, it is a bit more complicated as it requires this additional step: You first have to delete those UTM tiles from the route which you want to replace, preferably in Surveyor.
3. Then you have to export your Trainz route temporarily with "Open for edit" in Content Manager. Make sure that the destination directory, usually the "Editing" folder, does not already contain a route with the same name, most probably the original one you created with TransDEM in the first place. The older one has to be removed from "Editing", before you export the current version from Content Manager.
4. Run TransDEM to first acquire the new aerial images. Then create new UTM tiles. Select the route you just exported from Trainz, setting tile options to either "Reuse KUID" when tiles still exist in the scenery folder, or "New KUID", if the tiles no longer exist and you already removed the instances of those tiles from the route.
5. In Content Manager import/reimport the new UTM tiles from "scenery". Make sure reimported tiles do actually overwrite existing ones. Commit all changes, which also reimports your route.

Note: With TransDEM 2.1.3.1 this does not yet work for TS12.

TransDEM 2.2 will also bring slightly modified behaviour as new tiles added to the .obs file will cause existing tiles to be removed automatically, provided the relevant TransDEM option is set to "New KUID".

[pdw123]

Many thanks geophil. I will try this in TS 2010..

pdw

[pdw123]

Dear Geophil

Regading:

"Note: With TransDEM 2.1.3.1 this does not yet work for TS12.

TransDEM 2.2 will also bring slightly modified behaviour as new tiles added to the .obs file will cause existing tiles to be removed automatically, provided the relevant TransDEM option is set to "New KUID". "

How will this work in TransDEM 2.4.0.0 and TS12?

Thanks pdw

[geophil]

In TransDEM 2.4, the slightly modified functionality introduced with 2.2 will work with TS12 and TS12 SP1. TS12 and TS12 SP1 each came with subtle changes to the Trainz route file formats. Earlier TransDEM versions cannot read those latest Trainz route file formats and thus cannot replace tiles in existing routes saved in such a later format.

[pdw123]

I want to change some of the map tiles in an existing route because the Google Earth image on part of my route has now improved. The area where I wish to import new tiles covers about half the route in TS 2010.

I guess the following has to happen:
1) Make new Google Earth map tiles for the area of improvement
2) Import these in an existing route in Trainz 2010
3) Delete the obsolete map tiles from the route (but keeping some in the half route where the Google map image is OK.)

1. It depends a bit on the current situation. If the tiles created originally still exist in the "scenery" sub-folder of the "editing" directory or not.
2. If not, it is a bit more complicated as it requires this additional step: You first have to delete those UTM tiles from the route which you want to replace, preferably in Surveyor.
3. Then you have to export your Trainz route temporarily with "Open for edit" in Content Manager. Make sure that the destination directory, usually the "Editing" folder, does not already contain a route with the same name, most probably the original one you created with TransDEM in the first place. The older one has to be removed from "Editing", before you export the current version from Content Manager.
4. Run TransDEM to first acquire the new aerial images. Then create new UTM tiles. Select the route you just exported from Trainz, setting tile options to either "Reuse KUID" when tiles still exist in the scenery folder, or "New KUID", if the tiles no longer exist and you already removed the instances of those tiles from the route.
5. In Content Manager import/reimport the new UTM tiles from "scenery". Make sure reimported tiles do actually overwrite existing ones. Commit all changes, which also reimports your route.

Note: With TransDEM 2.1.3.1 this does not yet work for TS12.

TransDEM 2.2 will also bring slightly modified behaviour as new tiles added to the .obs file will cause existing tiles to be removed automatically, provided the relevant TransDEM option is set to "New KUID".

I have now tried to do the above but using TS12 and TransDEM 2.4.

I do not have the original TransDEM route files etc, - only the DEM map. I have made all the rastermaps and georeferenced them successfully. However I am not sure how to import them successfully into my old route (made with TransDEM 1.2 I think).

I tried this out by trying to import new UTM tiles into a copy of my old route, but could only manage to make a new route (which is fine) but with loosing all the textures, objects and kuids from my old route.

Consequently, I am wondering how it would be possible, having created new UTM files correctly, to import them into the old route without losing all the texturing and building etc from the old route? In total there are about 200 UTM files (I have only tested a small part of the route so far and can import about 9 baseboard areas at one time with TrandDEM on my pc.

In theory I gues I could make 200 UTM tiles and then place them manually in the old route, but imagine this would be a very tedious task! Can you suggest a better alternative??

Many thanks for a fantastic programme by the way!

pdw

[geophil]

I am wondering how it would be possible, having created new UTM files correctly, to import them into the old route without losing all the texturing and building etc from the old route?

You have to make your old route visible to TransDEM. TransDEM cannot change any route inside the Trainz asset database.

Trainz Content Manager has an "Open for Edit" function to make an object or route accessible to the outside world.

There is a short paragraph on this topic in the TransDEM Trainz manual, "Open Content for Editing", on page 45 in the current edition.