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I'm a relative newbie at using USAPhotoMaps. Thus far all is performing admirably. Currently laying rail on a route that has looooong tangents. I've just finished a 16 mile run w/towns/switching and the mainline is pretty much "spot on" with the markers. HOWEVER, I've just approached a place where the markers change directions ever so slightly. There's SUPPOSED to be another 8 miles of tangent... but what causes the markers to shift in angle?Is this an anomaly that I'll have to live with and make compromises with the track, or is there a way to tweak the markers around to account for this?Input based on your experiences appreciated.Andre Ming
Somebody will give you a more technical reason but basically it's just errors, deviations, twisting, and different origins for data.To cure your deviation, just use something like an 8000m radius 1 degree curve - you barely notice it, if at all, and cures slight deviations magnificently.I had to do a 13000m radius curve that was 10 miles long. No 13000m in the library so I varied between a 15000m and an 8000m and it's within just a couple of metres on every marker! The curve is continuous, exactly what I want, and you hardly notice the transition between 8000 and 15000.Geoff M.
Thanks for the input, Geoff. I was wrong, it is more than just a half degree this time. I've "adjusted" to account for this syndrome on on other long tangent, and was able to accomplish it with a 2000m .010 section of dynamic. (It was out on the single track mainline in the middle of nowhere: Barely perceptible.)This time though, it looks like the entire string of markers diverge about 4 degrees... at the worst possible place: In the middle of the second largest yard on the subdivision. I haven't decided exactly what to do as yet. The "compensated" yard doesn't meet with my approval. I may move this version to a different folder, revert to the previous back up, and try something different. Trouble is, if I try to adjust the route once past this long, drawn-out town, the mainline will be several hundred meters off the markers. Can't really adjust before town... or the in-town markers are thrown off, complicating the process of creating the town trackage/roads.Ah, the compromises all the polyglot of "drifts/glitches/inaccuracies" the various programs force upon us.Andre Ming
Andre - how well do the markers fit with the terrain? To me, that's the key issue. The prototype is going to follow the terrain to maintain grade, and when you're in the sim, how well the track and the terrain match will be what people notice. Naturally, you don't want to see a big "S" curve where one doesn't exist in the real world, but if the terrain provides the flexibility (that is, it's flat!), obviously the easiest way to remedy the situation is to gradually make your way back to the markers (assuming they line up with the terrain). If the markers don't follow the terrain, then it's a different issue. You may be able to do some adjustment of the second set of markers by using 2 different marker files - one before the yard and one after. If I were faced with this problem, I'd probably adjust the direction of the yard so that it lines up with the terrain on each end, even if it meant tossing the city markers. Those aren't as critical in my mind as the main route markers.It seems to me that no matter what, you'll need to tie the route to the terrain. Maybe I'm only seeing this from the perspective of mountain routes, where following the terrain is critical, but the realism of the game comes when you're going around the mountain or hill or through the valley, and you don't really notice if the track is at the correct lat/long. The stuff in town is all relative to the mainline as well, so if you use that as your benchmark, the route should look OK once it's done.It's like a good coat of paint - amazing what it'll cover up.Andy
Hi Andre, although I haven't experienced your problem, I have found an area where the photo image does not align with the topo map. When I place marker on the highest resolution photo image and then switch to the map, the markers are too far north. I am only using USAPhotoMaps to place scenery and trees so it is easy to adjust. Cal Rasmussen Beaverton, OR cal.rasmussen@verizon.netColumbia Gorge Route (Phase 1 80% Completed)
Thanks Andy and Cal for some input. Thinking it over, I'm not at all happy with adjusting at the yard. I think I'll take my chances on getting through town on a tangent and adjust once back down to a single track main... maybe even all the way to the next curve and adjust there.Cal: I've been using USAPM too with the photos at highest magnification. It's as if the entire marker sequence simply pivoted about 2 degrees or so. Very strange.Andy: Fortunately, this prairie terrain is much more forgiving to major adjustments/shifts than the mountain routes you and I are familiar with. However, even then, there ARE subtlties that need to be accounted for. However at SOME point in time, I will need to get back to the original mainline markers so I can accurately place "signiature" features. (i.e.towns/major industries.)Mountains or prairie, building a prototype line is no easy task, even with all the excellent helps/tools we have. Andre
