Standard vs Distant Mountains - A Comparison

[PapaXpress]

Ah. So they are closer than they appear. With my route I think my problem is that the range across the bay is about 20 miles away.

Does anyone know if we can adjust the draw distance?

[Paragon]

Ah. So they are closer than they appear. With my route I think my problem is that the range across the bay is about 20 miles away.

Does anyone know if we can adjust the draw distance?

The distant terrain seems to fall off within the sim's draw distance, which is 4km, yes?

As for setting it, I have not yet found it, if it exists. What is interesting is the sim generates no other files that the TgPcDx textures. The original terrain files (xy.bin) remain untouched, and there are no separate blueprint or geometry files generated.

I think the concept, however, is workable. Two enhancements would make it much more realistic: increase the distant terrain texture size from 256 x 256 to 1024 x 1024, perhaps selectable by the user. And a tool like RW Decal that gets the data seamlessly. I would gladly donate to THAT effort.

A third would allow whole, just gorgeous routes to appear with the frequency of rain: teach the mix map how to automatically interpret satellite data. Maybe by, what? TS2016, TS2017 latest?

[Paragon]

I am slowly expanding the distant terrain from satellite imagery.

Just the little amount of driving I've done, and despite the low-rez interpretation, I have to say, this has transformed my route in ways that can only be shown. It gives me the basis for ground textures that will seamlessly blend into the distance.

DistantTerrain12.jpg

DistantTerrain13.jpg

[Bananarama]

In my experiments, I noticed a small problem with DM, which consisted of a narrow line extending fully from east to west at the far end of generated terrain. On Tehachapi, this lines cuts through Sand Cut (irony?), and on Cajon, through an area just north of Victorville. I also noted that the DM would become "scrambled", where textures wouldn't match where you would expect (snow caps on mountain tops, for example). It's not consistent, however, as jumping from one locale and back would change the order of the textures - sometimes it would be OK - other time not so (memory issue?). Nevertheless, even with bugs, DM make a huge improvement to the overall look of routes that have 'em.

[Paragon]

In my experiments, I noticed a small problem with DM, which consisted of a narrow line extending fully from east to west at the far end of generated terrain. On Tehachapi, this lines cuts through Sand Cut (irony?), and on Cajon, through an area just north of Victorville. I also noted that the DM would become "scrambled", where textures wouldn't match where you would expect (snow caps on mountain tops, for example). It's not consistent, however, as jumping from one locale and back would change the order of the textures - sometimes it would be OK - other time not so (memory issue?). Nevertheless, even with bugs, DM make a huge improvement to the overall look of routes that have 'em.

Yes I get those lines too. Most often they are errors in my edging where I left a piece of my ruler in the image. The major challenge though has been cobbling together square 8km x 8km tiles from google maps where the projection is curved, at least so far as the pathway tool goes. I have had to do a lot of "repair strips" to get things to line up. Luckily, this is where the low rez 256 x 256 images help: hard to see the seams.

I did try to spoof a tile. I created a 512 x 512 TgPcDx and replaced one of the 256 x 256 tiles. I saw no change in the results. It's still, as you said earlier, "like melted ice cream." But it least it's the right color of ice cream!

The vistas are what have my attention. Not possible previously, and my route really needs them.

[Stonelouse]

hello and many thanks to everybody in this thread for providing insight into the new distant mountains,
they definately seem to be a big improvement for mountaineous routes and thanks to your help i could set them up easily.

here is a large volcano from 30 kms away:
(never mind the experimental skybox and default ground textures)

DM1.jpg

i came across one serious problem however, with a route set along a coastal area.
it appears that the route editor won't really create any DEM-terrain at sea level,
which until now was logically unneccessary since there was nothing to see here.

however, since the distant terrain is created from the previously DEMed terrain,
the editor does not create any distant terrain at sea level and thus i was stuck
with the old terrain in parts.

this screenshot shows the problem and the obvious contrast between the old and the new terrain.
oh the hideous distant terrain colour is back! and those holes in the sea!

DM2.jpg

after thinking for a bit i came up with the idea of simply lowering the whole srtm files by 2 metres and thus
convincing the route editor to create DEM terrain out at sea as well.

it took me the last three days to figure out an (inexpensive) way of doing this because i couldn't
find any free DEM editor that would save HGTs and the bilXsrtm toll won't work on my machine,
but now i've finally got around to get it done with the help of microdem and global mapper.
while the free download version of global mapper has lots of limitations, it does succesfully save HGT files!

so first i opened the original HGT files in microdem and used the "edit > single grid arithmetic > raise/lower z values" function to lower the whole terrain by 2 metres.
then i saved the DEM as a .bil file from microdem and finally i opened the .bil in global mapper and exported it via "file > export > export elevation grid format" as an SRTM .hgt file again.

et voila, the editor thinks there is terrain to draw and distant terrain can be successfully created at sea level:

DM3.jpg

i hope this might be helpful to others wo have the same problem.

besides this issue, i have the same problem with the black line running east-west somewhere in the middle of a hgt tile.

and a another bit of information which hasn't been mentioned on this thread yet, the draw distance of the distant terrain appears to be 50 kms or 31 miles,
which however means that a lot of terrain has to be DEMed in mountaineas regions which seems to increase the route folder size quite alot.

cheers,
stonelouse

[Bananarama]

and a another bit of information which hasn't been mentioned on this thread yet, the draw distance of the distant terrain appears to be 50 kms or 31 miles,

My own testing puts DT draw distance at 30~32km, about where the mountains begin to flash.

[Stonelouse]

and a another bit of information which hasn't been mentioned on this thread yet, the draw distance of the distant terrain appears to be 50 kms or 31 miles,

My own testing puts DT draw distance at 30~32km, about where the mountains begin to flash.

hi,

what do you have the view distance set to in the graphical settings? i have mine set to maximum detail and i can definately see mountains as far as 50 kms away.

here is the view from the village of puerto octay across lake llanquihue in southern chile:

DM4.jpg

[Bananarama]

I have Highest Detail for view distance. My thought on 30~32km was from a large mountain contained in my DEM files, and moved closer and then farther away to see when the mountain appeared and disappeared. Thanks to a Steam verification glitch I no longer have the route, but will check when I generate a new set of terrain.