xentrix

THIS TUTORIAL HAS BEEN EDITED, TO INCLUDE THE USE OF FantastiCoast. A VBScript THAT WAS USED HAS BEEN REMOVED AND REPLACED BY FantastiCoast. Hello all! I've developed a way to get real world data from Google Earth (actually the data is provided by CGIAR-CSI and appears on Google Earth with the use of a kmz plugin) and create a map. It involves the use of FantastiCoast, an application I've made, that creates an image file to use in SC4Terraformer or SC4Mapper or SC4 itself (not recommended). The results are quite good. Check out a screenshot from the greater Athens area, just as it came out from my process and not terraformed at all! Software you will need: Google Earth The SRTM Digital Elevation Data from srtm.csi.cgiar.org There is a download link in that page, named "Google Link" that downloads a file named srtm41.kmz FantastiCoast, attached at the end of this post SC4Terraformer or SC4Mapper SimCity 4 Steps to make your map: 1. Open Google Earth by booting SRTM Data After you download srtm41.kmz (41 means version 4.1, it will probably be updated sometime...), save it in a folder and double click it. It will open Google Earth, with SRTM data loaded. Enable the place in the sidebar and you will see the results on the map 2. Locate the area you want and download the data you need I will use the area of Athens that you see in the beginning of this tutorial. So, click on the green icon of the tile you are interested in. If you need data from more tiles, read further. Then, click on the link and watch the results Next, enable the Data checkbox in the sidebar, inside elevation preview --> Global legend and you will see the links for the data of the subtiles enabled By clicking on the square icon next to the the "Data" label, you can download the precious data! It is an .asc file. For my example, I used the data from 4 subtiles, because the area I wanted was in the middle of them. So, I downloaded srtm_41_05_4_3.asc, srtm_41_05_4_4.asc, srtm_41_05_5_3.asc and srtm_41_05_5_4.asc *** As I mentioned earlier, if you need data from subtiles of 2 different tiles, go get them! Now you know how. You can now close Google Earth. There is one extra optional step which is not covered by this tutorial: Using DEM data in a GIS application (ie Global Mapper) to get a correct scale. Look at the end of this post for further details. 3. Use FantastiCoast to create the bitmaps Go to the end of this post, download and install FantastiCoast. * You need Microsoft's .NET Framework 4 to run FantastiCoast ... You can read usage instruction for FantastiCoast here In short, open the .asc file and click "Launch". Then save the file as bmp or png or 16bit png. It is ready for SC4Terraformer or SC4Mapper! If you downloaded more than one file, repeat for the rest. You can see a downsized sample (originals are 4,11MB, 1200x1200 pixels): *** Do not forget: SC4Terraformer and SC4Mapper, just like SC4, need bitmaps of a specific size (64 pixels per km + 1 pixel, ie 1025x1025 for 16x16 km). You will get better results if you crop and stitch them instead of resizing them before using them in SC4T/SC4M/SC4. Do not let SC4T/SC4M resize the picture because the terrain will look very spikey. Ok, I guess experienced map makers know what to do next... However, I continue the tutorial, just in case you need more help. 4. [optional] Stitch the bitmaps, in case you need data from more than one Using a picture editor, you can stitch the pictures made by the script. For those who wonder, NO, they are not distorted, you can stitch them just by placing them one next to another. Here is an example of a 2400x2400 picture 5. Crop the final picture Now we have a bigger picture which contains the area we wanted. After we stitch the pictures, we have to crop the final picture to the size we need (1025x1025 pixels is the standard for a 16x16 map). The rule is 64 pixels * mapsize + 1 so for a mapsize of 16x16 km we need a 1025x1025 picture and for a mapsize of 16x32 we need a 1025x2049 etc. Of course you can also resize instead of cropping but remember: Resizing always results in some kind of distortion, so you would better avoid it as much as possible. If you have to do it, do it only once and remember that you will probably have to Equalize the map in SC4T, in order to reduce some spikes you will get from the distortion. So, after cropping my final picture to a 1025x1025 bitmap (I don't thing you need a screenshot for this), I am ready to go with SC4T. 6. Use SC4Terraformer or SC4Mapper I have only used SC4T because I have some installation problem with SC4M. However, there is no big difference. Open SC4T, choose a Region you have created in the game for your new map, and click "Import image" under "Global tools". Pick your final image, click OK and them RGB and... voila! You have your new map, ready to play! ...well, almost! Sometimes you might need to use "Equalize" just once, because the map will look a bit spikey. Judge by your own. After saving, you can open the tiles one by one in the game (DO NOT USE RECONCILE!) and "save and exit to region", to render the map correctly. 7. Some finishing you have to do The satellite data does not distinguish water masses such as rivers and lakes. You will have to create them on your own. Usually, they are visible as flat areas (lakes) and banks (rivers). --- The scaling problem --- - SRTM Digital Elevation Data has 90m precision. It is not bad, but it is much less data than the supposed size of the maps you create. Actually, your final map is downscaled by 16:90, meaning it is about 5 times shrinked. In my map, an area of approx 90x90 km, was turned into a map of 16x16. There are solutions, one of which is approached by MallowTheCloud in his "Making Accurate-Scale Real-World Maps" tutorial. I will try to write a complete tutorial on the whole process soon. Another solution of course, would be to resize the picture, regardless of the reduced precision. Try it, it might not be too bad... I hope you find this tutorial useful and you enjoy your new maps! xentrix PS: I'd love to see some screenshots of any map you might create by this method, especially if you find anything weird with FantastiCoast. Thanks in advance! FantastiCoast v1.0.0 setup.exe.zip

That's because "the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) is an international research effort that obtained digital elevation models on a near-global scale from 56° S to 60° N"... but I don't see any "memory failure" in this!

Hi Erso. Could you be more specific? What application gives you the "memory failure"?

Hi ankhor1, could you post the dimensions of your region and of the config file? If you are sure that they are correct, could you also post the region file itself? PS: Sorry for the late response, I don't have an internet connection these days, due to moving to a new house.

No, it's not dead. What do you click???

I'm not sure if SC4 can read jpgs. It can read png files for sure. In addition, it's not a good idea to use jpg for maps. So, try to save it as grayscale png. Why don't you use the tool I introduced, FantastiCoast. It can be used as a converter and it DOES save 8-bit pngs in the correct format. You only have to save your file as bmp in paint, because FantastiCoast does not accept jpg. https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=120&threadid=117322&enterthread=y

I'm not sure if SC4 can read jpgs. It can read png files for sure. In addition, it's not a good idea to use jpg for maps. So, try to save it as grayscale png. Why don't you use the tool I introduced, FantastiCoast. It can be used as a converter and it DOES save 8-bit pngs in the correct format. You only have to save your file as bmp in paint, because FantastiCoast does not accept jpg. https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=120&threadid=117322&enterthread=y

Hi Gold Panda! I guess the size is wrong. Is it 1021x1021 pixels? For a map of 16x16 tiles, it should be 1025x1025 pixels. The rule is: tiles x 64 + 1

Hi Gold Panda! I guess the size is wrong. Is it 1021x1021 pixels? For a map of 16x16 tiles, it should be 1025x1025 pixels. The rule is: tiles x 64 + 1

I have news: FantastiCoast is ready!!!!!!!! You can read its presentation here. I have also updated this tutorial. If you used it, please read again from step 3 and on. You can consider the VBscript that was here obsolete. un1, thanks! It really is an honour to get an article on the Omnibus. But I have to prepare a full tutorial, including an important step I have omitted so far. It will not take me long. I will get back to you.

SirRaunaldi, the application is not very intelligent but it does take different slopes into consideration. It actually "extends" the shoreline by calculating one by one the next tiles, based on the elevation of the previous. In this way, yes, steep shores are steeper than beaches. This method is called interpolation and it is considered to be the simplest, yet quite efficient. Working on the last details. I think it will be ready in the next 2 days.

Hi again! Pabbivus, do you have Vista? According to SirRaunaldi's feedback, Vista does not run the script. But you could wait for the application I'm working on. It is a real application (exe) and it makes the conversion. Just be a bit patient. SirRaunaldi, I had the same problem. This app I'm working on deals exactly with this problem. It creates a refined sea bottom, without touching the land. Take a look: The map as I got it from my script or Global Mapper (this is jpg only for demonstration, downgraded quality): Then, after processing it with my app, I get a smoothed sea bottom: Look at the difference: Like it? Just wait for the application...

Hi joshriddle. I think you make 2 mistakes: 1. You use jpg 2. You resize I would not recommend the use of jpg if you want data integrity. Jpg is a lossy algorithm. It always decreases image accuracy, to decrease the size of the file. I would say that the use of jpg for this task is unacceptable. Terraformer and Mapper can read bmp and png files, which are lossless. What tool do you use for resizing? If you need a tool to edit your picture (crop, resize, save in diiferent format etc), there are countless excellent freeware applications. I use FastStone (image viewer with lots of extra features, including simple editing tasks, replaces Windows Image Viewer) and I am very happy with it. Anyway, please read again step #5. I don't recommend resizing...

Sorry, wrong link. I updated it https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=120&threadid=81562&enterthread=y

algis 242, I'm sorry but it runs fine on my pc. I also have XP 32, SP3. Are you sure you copied the script correctly? Try to open it (right click and Edit) to see if it looks messed up. Otherwise, wait a little bit for my other solution or try Global Mapper with the attached custom shader file. It produces the same image if you follow the instructions (only for Global Mapper) here: https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=120&threadid=81562&enterthread=y Global Mapper custom shader for SC4.zip

Hi all! Sorry for replying late but I was busy working on some much better idea. For now, @drunkapple: sorry, I don't understand very well this thing about voids. Are these the areas for which there is no data? I don't see any gaps (voids?) in the data I downloaded but I see that some familiar mountainous areas of Athens are a bit deformed... Is this what you are talking about? Also, my script does not perform any scaling. It just translates the elevation data to pixel colors... Anyway, I found out that Global Mapper does all this stuff much better. The application I am preparing is based on Global Mapper's output. Just be patient... @SirRaunaldi: I am still stuck with XP. If you can make corrections, please, be my guest. Otherwise, jump to Global Mapper. @algis242: Please tell me which subtile asc file (srtm_xx_xx_x_x.asc) did you use? I'll be back soon