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"Topographic Data 101"

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wildh0rse (184 posts)
Jul-06-01, 02:44 PM (EST) "Topographic Data 101" I have played around with DEM files and SDTS and DRG files loooooong before MSTS or BVE (remember BVE? ). Here's a short but boring Primer.The USGS makes most of this data available on the web for free. Sites such as topozone and terraserver merely serve this data in myriad forms, ie images of different sorts. To view the data, you go to the USGS site and get what's called an SDTS file, which is actaully severla files that need to be 'stirred together' to make a DEM file. Some native DEMs are available, but this is the usual package. A program like 3DEM (freeware!) will enable you to view a color bitmap of the area (a height map actually). Other freeware programs can convert the sdts package into a usable DEM. This DEM can be used as a 3d model by convertuing to 3ds format; this won't be useful when (when?!?!?!?) a DEM importer is disributed. I urge all route builders and designers to get cracking now and download the relevant files and convert them. Get a proggy like AccuTrans3D so you can rotate and view your soon to be little peice of railroad heaven, and plan accordingly. And we wont have a rush on the goverment servers all at once when(ever) the converter is released.
I think we've all had that bad dream where Kuju tells us "Oh, did we forget to tell you? You hold down the shift-y-h-ctrl-space-d, and the DEM converion menu pops up!"Wh Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

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