Using DEM data, how?

[Beppe83]

Hi all (again),

maybe an idiot question regarding DEM data, but it's something I would like to sort out.

Let's say that I downloaded some DEM data (for Italy, my country) and I've put the .hgt files in the right folder. When I get into the editor I should press "T" right? I did this, but nothing happened...absolutely nothing. One thing that came into my mind was, should I go to the coordinates where these .hgt files are referring to? Or it works wherever I am in the editor?

Thanks for the answers in advance.

[hertsbob]

Hi

If you've got the hgt files for the whole of Italy in the correct folder then as long as you're located 'in Italy' in the editor then pressing 't' should raise the terrain.

If you're starting off in the editor at 0.000/0.000 then nothing will happen.

Hope this is of some use.

Cheers

Bob

[AndiS]

Have you created your own route blueprint, with an origin in Italy? If not, look here:
http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic. ... 04&t=98997
http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic. ... 4#p1211104

The important thing is that you set the long/lat in your own blueprint to something in Italy. Those for the UK routes are clearly in UK, the Hagen-Siegen in Germany etc. And the Default Route blueprint is where the Greenwich meridian meets equator, which is also far from Italy.

[bigvern]

Also ISTR the T key rather oddly only works if you're *not* in the terrain menu. Click on the little building icon for scenery items then press "t".

[Beppe83]

Ciao guys,

thanks for your answers, I'll try these advices as soon as possible

[kirkheath]

Can I just ask what is the correct starting process for identifying which DEM files you need inrelation to what areas of the route is. As for example, for my first proper route I would like to do the Foxfield steam railway in staffordshire. The route starting point is at (according to google earth)
Lat: 52°58'32.44"N
Long: 2° 3'56.48"W

And the ending point which is the colliery
Lat: 52°59'57.64"N
Long: 2° 2'13.09"W

Also is it correct to say that in RW the point of origin would be
lat: 52.583244
Long: -2.21309

Thanks, Regards,
Kirk

[AndiS]

Kirk, when the route is short like yours, I would just use one end as the origin to simplify matters for you.

The maths are these:
a°b'c" = a + b/60 + c/3600

In plain English, ° means degree, ' means minute, " means seconds. A degree has as many minutes and seconds as an hour.
RW expects a single number (in degrees), so you need to convert the minutes that GE gives you to degrees by dividing them by 60. Then you add the zero dot something that results from the division to the degrees. You do the same with the seconds, but using 3600 as divisor.

Thus, for 52°58'32.44" the value you enter in RW is 52,97568.

[kirkheath]

Hey again andis appreciate the help, just can't seem to work it out lol

EDIT: after sitting with a dynamo handle next tomy brain and alot of banana eating and headscratching. I successfully managed to work out the correct figure apes can do maths after all

Now just for the longditude - so would this then be -2.03697?

Thanks again!

[AndiS]

Bingo!
The jury awards 10 more bananas to Kirk for getting it right.

[ThTensen]

You don't have to convert the coordinates from GE yourself , but you can GE let that do it for you! Go to to the menu Extra, then select Options. On the tab with 3Dview you can select, among other things, "decimal degees" instead of degrëes, minutes, seconds". I hope i've the (menu)titles correct, because i've only the Dutch version of GE.

Regards,
Dick

[AndiS]

Now that you say it, I remember that, too.

This little experiment proves that you can rather do some maths yourself then find the one thing you need in all the options of a typical computer programme. Unless you happen to remember something you saw a while ago. Or you read a helpful post.

[kirkheath]

Ah right Lol still stops my brain from being lazy!! Now that I have the game co-ordinates I notice the game changes them to suit the game But how do I not find the relevant DEM file names?
Cheers, Kirk

[mikesimpson]

Ah right Lol still stops my brain from being lazy!! Now that I have the game co-ordinates I notice the game changes them to suit the game But how do I not find the relevant DEM file names?
Cheers, Kirk

Hi Kirk,

The .hgt filenames are something like N55W003.hgt where the numbers are the position of the bottom left hand corner of the area covered, i.e. 55 North, 3 W in the above or 55.00000 -3.00000 as required by the program.

So that covers a box from 55 to 56 north and from 2 to 3 degrees west.

Mike

[kirkheath]

Ah right Lol still stops my brain from being lazy!! Now that I have the game co-ordinates I notice the game changes them to suit the game But how do I not find the relevant DEM file names?
Cheers, Kirk

Hi Kirk,

The .hgt filenames are something like N55W003.hgt where the numbers are the position of the bottom left hand corner of the area covered, i.e. 55 North, 3 W in the above or 55.00000 -3.00000 as required by the program.

So that covers a box from 55 to 56 north and from 2 to 3 degrees west.

Mike

Ah I see thnkyou Mike, wow! this stuff is such a headscratcher still thankyou very much for all your patience and efforts for the super RW tools

[OrpheusRocker]

I've tried everything mentioned in this forum to get the terraform (T) to function, with zero results.
I'm pretty sure the files required which represent a horizontal strip across southern Britain and shown in the screenshot below appear to be in the correct location.

Click the image to zoom in


I located the files from the Eurasia stuff so I'm assuming that, as others have used them, they are correct.

I've even tried a little 'percussive maintenance' on my PC and still no joy.

I've managed today finally to get all my GE decals in and my series markers on display. Sadly, though, the latter had to be accomplished manually with a .CSV file as RW Tools just wouldn't do it. Incidentally, KMLCSV doesn't seem to understand GE's flavour of KML. The whole thing has been a bit of an epic but if I was honest, unless I get the terraform function to work, the toss I lost which made me decide to route-create in RW just may have to be reversed and I'll defect to Trainz 2009WBE/2010EE.

Someone please point out to me where I went wrong with the .HGT stuff and I might just be able to take Christmas Day off.

AndyR