Microdem: The Best DEM Program with the best result!

gforce · Post by **gforce** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 1:11 pm

I found this program:

Microdem

This is surely a very (best) good program to read your DEM data.
Before we had always totaly out of focus mountains, with this program you've got everything you wanted!!!
I found this on the railroad tycoon 3 website,
here's the link:
http://www.railroadtycoon.info/forum/vi ... .php?t=217
there's also a small tutorial:
http://www.users.qwest.net/~greames/AZRR%20NAZRR%20Blog

And believe me, it works perfect!!!
in short what to do is:
- Install Microdem: http://www.usna.edu/Users/oceano/pguth/ ... emdown.htm
- Load the demo map, or your dem data
- Transfer this data into grayscale (wich will surpress the shadow data that you usually get)
- Put off, the grid and measure data,
export the file as targa...
- The rest as usual, copy the heigtmap in a targa file of railroads and enjoy the result

(the program has unlimited possibilities!!!)

willie g · Post by **willie g** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 6:35 pm

I downloaded and installed the MicroDem program. It opens the demo file of the hang canyon area but I keep getting a "Not acceptable DEM" and "Not acceptable Image" error when I try to open the files from the GTOPO website (the ones suggested in the wiki).
Can you open these files?
-willie g

gforce · Post by **gforce** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 9:11 pm

You're right, there must be different kind of DEM data. This is pretty annoying, but normally you should be able to save the dem data in another format and load that one with microdem...

There are also other dem-data on the internet, wich will work without a problem...,
i also used the other programs with the gotopo data before, but the result was for me very disappointed... with microdem, if you have the dem, the hills or mountains are directly fully usable without any addaption...

Big Papa · Post by **Big Papa** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 9:34 pm

This is awesome. Thank-you G-force. I am so happy I can hardly contain myself.

Till now I have been just using what I can find by searching google.

You need the .gz files. (1:250,000\Alphabetical list - start hunting)
http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/DEM/250/
In MICRODEM:
File\Open DEM (select your downloaded .gz file from link above)
Right Click (on picture)-display parameter-elevation-check gray scale-Ok
File\save image [image name](Targa file type)
Here is an example

By the way, Moab Utah is mine!

Keep in mind these are very localized. But the terrain comes in very nice!

Big Papa · Post by **Big Papa** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:18 pm

Here is a tga of the grand canyon, more of the north rim so you'll have to make up city names. Pop it in a 225 map size. For anyone that wants it.

Big Papa

gforce · Post by **gforce** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:38 pm

Great! you've found some maps...

I'm also pretty happy whit it! it works fine...
But it can be hard to find a map and still it is possible:
maybe here already a good link
http://www.webgis.com/terr_us75m.html

ps: i've read somewhere there have been problems with the transfer of dem data to anewer version wich invokes problem with some dem-data

fe. the data of america via the link works fine USGS data
but from the worldmap wich is GTOPO30 type has problems
if someone find a good link or converter, please post

Big Papa · Post by **Big Papa** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:58 pm

gforce,

That link you just posted is the Bomb!

Obviously the seeker needs to know what they are looking for. If you never been there, then it is hard to know what it looks like and difficult to know what you are looking for. But for me this is like Christmas morning.

Big Papa

willie g · Post by **willie g** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:29 am

The Help file in MicroDem has a table of sites to find maps. It does say that the gtopo maps have to be "imported" (as opposed to just opened, I guess) - has something to do with extraneous data that needs to be stripped from the files first... but it looks like there's quite a few resources.
-willie g

gforce · Post by **gforce** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 12:57 pm

Here's what you can do:
Open the GTOPO30 file in 3DEM
Save this as "GEOTIFF DEM DATA"
Start Microdem
File -> Open DEM (select your saved file)

IT WORKS

In microdem:
- Right click on the image you loaded:
- Select: display parameter -> elevation
- Select Gray scale
- Adapt the zRange (i do this , because i think the result is too black) -> in Specified change the minimum z-range value fe. from -30 to -2000 (this will give a brighter light grey)
- Save the image as targa-data (or other)
- Copy-paste this image into your map_railrtoads.targa file on the height map section
- Load this map via editor or play railroads...

(i will post an example later)

(remark the GTOPO Files are not of such a good quality! heightmaps are much more precise and better for resulting mountains, search for those hgt files, i've got some beuatifull results with 'the alpes' (=mountains in italy)) (the quality can be 1inch 10-30meter precise)

ps:
- If you do a zoom on microdem-dem data and you save your imaghe afterwrads it will be of much better quality then if you saved the file and do a zoom later with photoshop... ! The file will also be much gretaer
- to get rid off the overlay information (like a grid) go to Modify -> Map Marginalia and surpress the labels and grid, otherwise the saved image will have those labels saved with!

gforce · Post by **gforce** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 3:35 pm

SOME LINKS:
http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/
http://www.atdi-us.com/sdtsdata.htm (tested and works in microdem)

gforce · Post by **gforce** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 10:26 pm

LET's call THIS THE BEST LINK FOUND SO FAR:
http://glcfapp.umiacs.umd.edu:8080/esdi/index.jsp
have a look at the explanation on the website:
You just have to specify the region and the data type you want and he will provide you with the list of maps needed to download to get the full picture
(i'm using for the moment geotiff as datatype (wich is big) but accurate and works with microdem)
i've been consuming gigabytes today...

I've also installed global mapper (registred version, (costly)) wich is awesome because each datatype can be readed, those i port to microdem and generate overthere a grayscale...
ps: check out global mapper (if you can register)

gforce · Post by **gforce** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:17 pm

Here an example of the website

Dr Frag · Post by **Dr Frag** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 7:59 pm

FYI, you can open GTOPO30 data in MicroDEM but you have to open the .HDR file and not the .DEM file.

gforce · Post by **gforce** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 11:26 pm

you're so right dr frag, thanx alot, it means alot!!!

Dr Frag · Post by **Dr Frag** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:11 pm

Although MicroDEM is a little unstable it does make nice grayscale images. I have taken the time to download the SRTM-30 data which the Help file says is better than the GTOPO30 data. I have also gone to the trouble (MicroDEM crashes a lot) of making the 1 degree tiles so I can use the graphical interface for selecting map areas. I have packaged up the files needed if anyone wants to check this out as it makes loading your map data really easy.

1. Download this file to your system. 216MB
2. Create a SRTM-30 folder in your mapdata folder.
3. Extract the above archive into the SRTM-30 folder.
4. Open MicroDEM and choose File-->Open DEM.
5. Browse to the SRTM-30 folder and load the 30SecIndex.DIX file - You should get a nice green map of the world.
6. Click the Subset & zoom button and drag a box roughly around the area you want.
7. Now click the DEM button and drag a box around the area you want for your map.
8. MicroDEM will bring up the Data Manipulation window and Merge your tiles and then draw your map.
9. Make sure the resulting image contains all of the area you intended because MicroDEM does not always seem to merge all the tiles needed for your map and you may need to go back and increase the area you selected to include the missing tiles.

I also use a Modify-->Map area-->Custom image size much larger than the Railroads image map so I can use a graphics program to do the final Crop & Resize.

Disclaimer: MicroDEM crashed on me a lot during the creation of the 1 degree tiles so I can't be sure the data is complete but I believe it is all there. I will try it at home and see what I come up with.