Train-Sim.Com
MSTS Route Design

There Has Got To Be An Easier Way To Create Route Marke

Started by pdave1s 9 posts 6 min read

There Has Got To Be An Easier Way To Create Route Marke – image 1

Notice to all visitors and members of the Train-Sim.Com message forums:
If you plan on using a signature banner in your posts, we would like to remind you that there is a maximum size for banners. That maximum is 450 pixels wide by 120 pixels high, and not to exceed 25k. Your compliance is appreciated. FORUM RULES Problems? There are two common reasons for problems with logging in and posting messages. The first is that you are running a firewall that prevents your messages from being sent to the server. The other is that you have cookies disabled; the DCForum software requires cookies to work properly.

Previous Topic | Next Topic

Printer-friendly copy Email this topic to a friend

Reading Topic #6298

pdave1sMember since Jul-26-02 · 141 posts

I have been using wpt2mkr.exe tocreate my markers, sometimes they show up, next time i load the route in re they dont, can anyone suggest a better way?
I generate my markerfiles in microdem, and save them as both dbf, and unicode textDave

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

RE: THERE HAS GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY TO CREATE ROUTE M, lenglel, Aug-30-02, 08:09 AM, (1) RE: THERE HAS GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY TO CREATE ROUTE M, davidbeach, Aug-30-02, 03:27 PM, (2) RE: THERE HAS GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY TO CREATE ROUTE M, calr, Aug-30-02, 04:11 PM, (3) RE: THERE HAS GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY TO CREATE ROUTE M, Railfan727, Aug-31-02, 08:47 AM, (4) RE: THERE HAS GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY TO CREATE ROUTE M, Hawk, Aug-31-02, 08:57 AM, (5) RE: THERE HAS GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY TO CREATE ROUTE M, GraemeJ, Sep-01-02, 08:12 AM, (6) RE: AN EASIER WAY - wrong email addr ??, GraemeJ, Sep-05-02, 07:01 AM, (7) RE: THERE HAS GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY TO CREATE ROUTE M, landnrailroader, Sep-05-02, 09:18 AM, (8)

Conferences | Topics | Previous Topic | Next Topic

lenglelCharter Member · 25 posts

RE: THERE HAS GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY TO CREATE ROUTE M

I think that may be a bug in the route editor,
are the markers there when you first load the
route and disappear when you move around?

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

calrCharter Member · 1065 posts

RE: THERE HAS GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY TO CREATE ROUTE M

There Has Got To Be An Easier Way To Create Route Marke – image 3

I use MakeMarker and it works great. You can have several different map and marker files. The hardest part is scanning the map and registering it into the program. There Has Got To Be An Easier Way To Create Route Marke – image 4
Cal Rasmussen
Beaverton, ORColumbia Gorge Route (The Dalles Dam 90% done)

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Railfan727Charter Member · 355 posts

RE: THERE HAS GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY TO CREATE ROUTE M

I wrote my own .mkr file, using coordinates found by direct measuring from a DeLorme topographical map (which happens to be in the WGS84 datum, same as that used by MSTS). I computed scale factors (in degrees per inch) for both latitude and longitude, and measured the distances from key points on the track to the nearest gridline. Multiplication by the scale factors, followed by addition to the number of degrees represented by the gridline, gave me the coordinates.Here's an example:On the Ohio map, the lines of longitude are 1.88 inches apart. The lines are spaced at 5-minute intervals (.0833 degrees). .0833/1.88 gives a scale factor of .0448 degrees per inch.Similarly, the scale factor for longitude is .0341 degrees to the inch.The grade crossing at Route 118 in Ansonia is 1.18 inches west of the 84.5833-degree line of longitude. 1.18 times .0833 is .098294. 84.5833 + .098294, rounded to 4 decimal places, is 84.6816.The same crossing is 1.33 inches north of 40.1667 degrees north latitude. 1.33 times .0341 is 0.045353. .045353 + 40.1667 (again rounded) is 40.2121.NOTE: If you're measuring south or east from a gridline, remember to subtract your measurements, rather than adding.From the information, we can write a line for the .mkr file (a standard unicode text file, like many of the others we deal with).If you're writing your own marker file from scratch, be sure to include the header (SIMISA....). For best results, copy it from another route's marker file (since every marker file has the same header). This header enables MSTS to recognize the file.Our line (continuing the example above) would look like this:Marker( -84.6816 40.2121 HIGHWAY_118 2)Every line begins with the word Marker.
The first entry is the longitude coordinate. In the Western Hemisphere, longitude is negative.The next entry is the latitude coordinate. In the Northern Hemisphere, latitude is positive.The next entry is the location name (I used the names of intersecting roads, railroads, or waterways for mine). If your name includes spaces, either use underscores (_), or enclose this entry in quotes.The final entry is the type of marker to be displayed. Type "2" (0 and 1 are the others) is a pole with a blue and white flag. This is the type I recommend, since the others include a large "blanket" that covers up a huge portion of ground and makes it impossible to see what you're doing.Using this method, I was able to place my track within 50 feet of its intended location (since I used DEM data to create my terrain, the actual right-of-way showed up very clearly in some places). It was time-consuming, but very accurate.Bruce BridgesConrail Indianapolis Line Route coming soon!!!

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

HawkCharter Member · 733 posts

RE: THERE HAS GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY TO CREATE ROUTE M

LAST EDITED ON Aug-31-02 AT 08:58 AM (EDT)

Yea! What he said. (and I thought I was good in math. You lost me on the third line. )
Hawk
It's the "Orange Blossom Special" bringing my baby home.

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

GraemeJMember since Jul-22-02 · 13 posts

RE: THERE HAS GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY TO CREATE ROUTE M

Yeh,
It's a bug .. I use our in-house software we created for marker extraction.. from various sources and choice of methods.. one allows us to scan in from a map.. it then calculates the scale of the map and lon. lat. offsets. Lines / marks of particular colour contrast auto-generate the marker files (of 5 different markers - can define towns/ stations). Distance between rail markers is defined by the user. It also calculates the long. lat. error factors between MSTS geo-extract and map co-ords. If there was a demand for such we may choose to release the software package as shareware.. http://www.waihi.co.nz/trainsim/index.htm

GraemeJ

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

GraemeJMember since Jul-22-02 · 13 posts

RE: AN EASIER WAY - wrong email addr ??

Dave,
Thanks for contacting via form BUT.. replying via the email address you gave fails as a non-existing addr...

GraemeJ

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

landnrailroaderCharter Member · 420 posts

RE: THERE HAS GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY TO CREATE ROUTE M

It is a bug in the RE. I find that I can move around a little with markers staying where they belong, but usually after going into one or two new tiles, i.e. the big ones with blue outlines, the markers either wander around, or disappear. Solution is to get out of RE, and go back in. It may be memory related as well, since I had a lot more trouble when I had 64Mbt of memory, than when I upgraded to 512. Before, about 1 move would blow away the markers.J. H. Sullivan, P.E. (retired)

Alert | IP


[ Home | MSTS Forum | MSTS FAQ | File Library ] Copyright © 2002 by Nels Anderson. All Rights Reserved.

Restored from the Train-Sim.Com archive, captured November 15, 2002. About this archive.