[Regulars' table] Zusi Alternative Championship Cologne

[Jason-M]

Keep me informed Vern on what you find out as I will also try and work my way through it.

[Roland Ziegler]

Vern,
TSTF was one of the tools that inspired me when I started with TransDEM and TransDEM will be the first of my tools up for translation. TransDEM is my route building pre-processing tool. You can read/import DEMs in MicroDEM, SRTM, ASTER tif and xyz formats and manipulate them. You can create new or refine existing DEMs by (sort of) tracing contour lines, somewhat easier to handle than in TSTF. Geo-referencing of background topographic maps is also a bit easier than with TSTF, and you can base your geo-referencing on OSGB36 coordinates, the British grid. Furthermore you can draw (peg out) a route with TransDEM that serves as the basis for later elaboration.

[Vern]

Trans Dem sounds just the ticket for producing something like Fort William to Mallaig. I don't mind "hand bashing" level terrain, e.g. around London but I know from the pre-DEM (and TSTF/TS Tools) days with MSTS getting the terrain correct in complex mountain areas is the hardest part.

At the moment my main task will be to understand how the terrain is matched to the track vectors in Zusi. Am I correct in thinking with TransDem you still need to create the track first or can you prepare the terrain first then work through it with the track sections?

[Roland Ziegler]

Track and other vector based features like roads a and rivers are always first. The terrain will adapt to the permanent way. Theoretically embankments or cuttings are created for you automatically, but such auto-creations never look convincing.

[Vern]

I was just musing how one actually gets the heights correct, e.g. your first piece of track might be laid in Zusi at sea level but in reality is perhaps 20 or 30 metres above sea level. I presume you can match a specific location in your landscape matrix to a specific location on the track plan? Otherwise if your track is too low, everything will end up in a cutting when it shouldn't be - if you get my meaning.

As I said this is probably getting a bit advanced and I need to complete the basic tutorial but it is good to plan ahead and know how certain challenges can bec met.

[Roland Ziegler]

Laying track is a 3-dimensional thing. The elevations should be right from the beginning. However, you can raise and lower the whole route or part of it later, but I would see this as a (important) repair option only.

Track elevations are something where the raw route comes into play. When you peg-out the route in TransDEM, you can transfer the DEM elevations to those raw route vectors, something to start with for elaborating the final route, like MSTS markers, except that the Zusi raw route has a 3rd dim.

And you will have railway infrastructure data sources as well, I'm sure. Station elevations and gradients help a lot, let alone track plans.

[Carsten Hölscher]

I usually pick out a raw line in the digital map (in Germany TOP50), convert the vectors into a str-file (by Ziegler-Streckenkonverter) and then add the z-value by a DEM and the Ziegler-Geländeformer. I then have a raw Zusi-track in 3D and the rest of the work is done in the Zusi-Route-Editor.
First you build only one main-track without turnouts or sidings. You can take a few points (the stations) where the height is known and set the routevectors to this height, the curves are fitted in with the Ziegler Absteckrechner (direct import/export to the Zusi-Editor is only one mouseclick) until the main-track has the correct position and gradients...

Carsten

[Carsten Hölscher]

I will provide a seperate download which only consists of the English translation (programme and documentation) this week.

the translations are now available as a separate download on Zusi.de (if you don't want to download all add-ons just to get the translation).
Extract the zip-file in your Zusi-folder, the German docu will be overwritten.

Carsten

[Jason-M]

I will provide a seperate download which only consists of the English translation (programme and documentation) this week.

the translations are now available as a separate download on Zusi.de (if you don't want to download all add-ons just to get the translation).
Extract the zip-file in your Zusi-folder, the German docu will be overwritten.

Carsten

Thanks Carsten.

[Jason-M]

Carsten the English zip file is corrupted?

[Carsten Hölscher]

Christian gave me a hint, that four files were missing, so I just try to upload it again, but ftp doesn't work properly at the moment (only 28% of 290 kB in 20 minutes...).

I will post another message, when the upload succeeded.

Carsten

[Carsten Hölscher]

after reconnection the ftp was as fast as usual, so the file is now available.

Carsten

[Jason-M]

after reconnection the ftp was as fast as usual, so the file is now available.

Carsten

That's better thanks Carsten.

[Roland Zühlke]

Dear all,

we just changed the championship to alternative championship at a regulars' table.

Best reagrds,

Roland

[Mike Miles]

It gets really gloomy here in the winter.... I am still driving and banging my spacebar when my computer screams "SIFA! SIFA!."

Interesting concept this championship at Köln. I wonder how many English speaking people will be there?

[Roland Zühlke]

You could be the first one, Mike .

The english announcement is just to make sure that also the Zusi fans from abroad are able to read the things going on at my page.

Best regards,

Roland

[Roland Zühlke]

Uuuh, I'm really late, I know...
We had a wonderfull time at the alternative championship lying more than three weeks behind us. For all of you who are interested in the way to the final and like to drive on the championship routes with the championship schedules, please take a look at the site http://www.zusi.rzuehlke.de/eng/meis2005/index.htm .

Best regards,

Roland