(GOKU) - Request for information - official TSRE5 (HGT and new generic formats)

[KS44HUN]

Dear Goku,

My name is Krisztián S. from Hungary, and I am the founder and admin of the MSTS/ORTS Hungarian Community (https://www.facebook.com/groups/mstsortsmagyarkozosseg), as well as the owner of the Geekmozo website (https://sites.google.com/view/geekmozo/).

First of all, I’m happy to hear more and more about you, and on behalf of the Hungarian ORTS community, I want to say that we are thrilled that you have recovered and healed. We wish you good health on behalf of all of us! Mr. László Kovács (as Laci1959) was also very happy to see you back again.

I would like to inquire through the official channel regarding the TSRE5 that you are developing:

• Are you planning to integrate additional terrain generation databases, such as Lidar, into the program, apart from the current HGT (which is based on the SRTM database, which, to my knowledge, hasn't been updated for a long time)?
  
  The HGT has proven to be very inaccurate when it comes to the Alföld route, previously built by Ákos Rőfi (as Rofia). In Hungary, there are parts of the railway network where the terrain changes very abruptly, and the HGT is unable to track those changes accurately. It generates flat terrain quite well, but when the area becomes even slightly hilly, the topography becomes very inaccurate. Of course, I am aware that these free options for terrain generation are the best available for track building in MSTS/OR. The map data is constantly changing and becoming more accurate, so what was made 10-15 years ago in the game is now starting to become somewhat inaccurate when compared to the current mapping data.

What are your thoughts on this? How meaningful do you see this issue?

Thank you very much for your response!

Best regards,
Krisztián

[eric]

Many of us here have also requested a different input or resolution for terrain import, for the same reasons you've outlined.

[CSRX]

Yep, some of us have been requesting this for a while. Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to happen.

[pwillard]

Are there really any good DEM sources we can make use of that don't have inherent problems??

Note: The TRAINZ world has a guy that created a product called TRANSDEM for TRAINZ and also the simulator called ZUSI (German) and have always wondered if they would consider adding additional train sims to their supported list.

[scottb613]

Are there really any good DEM sources we can make use of that don't have inherent problems??

Note: The TRAINZ world has a guy that created a product called TRANSDEM for TRAINZ and also the simulator called ZUSI (German) and have always wondered if they would consider adding additional train sims to their supported list.

Hi Pete,

The 1/9 ArcSec (10m) Geotiff DEM from USGS is incredible compared to what we see from even the SRTM HGT data - with full continental US coverage. I've been tinkering with a new LHR - on and off - and - the difference in DEM compared to what Rich had available when he made the original is like night and day - it doesn't even look like the same route. I don't know what data set Rich used but it was pretty poor - I'm sure he used whatever was the best data at the time. Doug used the same DEM on his TriState which also covers the LHR.

Current Issues:

• DEMEX - Geotiff format needs additional processing via VT Builder or QGIS to work.
• DEMEX - 32 Bit App can only load (1) Geotiff at a time.

The ideal solution would be to process in TSRE or whatever Route Editor we have.

If anyone knows the author of DEMEX - perhaps he would consider putting the source on GitHub?

Regards,
Scott

[pwillard]

The ideal solution would be to process in TSRE or whatever Route Editor we have.

Total Agreement. We just need someone who understands it and how to code for it. (certainly not me - I'm clueless.)

Trying to fix that leaves me feeling dumb. https://github.com/sshuair/awesome-gis for example

[eric]

Demex spurce code is likely a lost cause. I don't know anyone who has been in contact with John Stanford in over 10 years.

The only other approach I can think of would be to ask Jeffrey to take a look at code. He knows many of the underlying file structures.

He still lurks here from time to time, but that would need to be a community decision. Some of us experienced financial harm from his actions ten years ago. But... its also been ten years.

[scottb613]

Demex spurce code is likely a lost cause. I don't know anyone who has been in contact with John Stanford in over 10 years.

The only other approach I can think of would be to ask Jeffrey to take a look at code. He knows many of the underlying file structures.

He still lurks here from time to time, but that would need to be a community decision. Some of us experienced financial harm from his actions ten years ago. But... its also been ten years.

Hi Eric,

We're seriously at the point where we can't be too choosy - there appears to be no interest from the development team on creating a new Route Editor or even some teamwork on improving the Route Editor we do have. If he's willing - the source is on GitHub - I don't see how it could harm us. I've got no issue with it.


Regards,
Scott