1/3-arc terrain data

[wlenz781]

At my new job I have access to the arcGIS Pro application from ESRI. Does anyone know how to use this app to create 1/3-arc geographical data for TS20xx?

[BoostedFridge]

At my new job I have access to the arcGIS Pro application from ESRI. Does anyone know how to use this app to create 1/3-arc geographical data for TS20xx?

ArcGIS's role in the process of creating high resolution terrain for the game is to 'stitch together' multiple DEM source files, into one continuous map file. (see below for a picture of six lat/long files combined into one) This process is detailed in several threads on this forum, as well as in the second part of the DEM tutorial by BNSFsubdivision (also available on these forums). The free program QGIS does the same, but its interface is a little more crude than ArcGIS.

Merge Output.JPG

Unfortunately the 'missing link' in the process of getting this high resolution DEM into Railworks is the program ReDem by Zugware. This nifty utility takes the high resolution DEM source file and converts it into thousands of terrain bin files; one for each tile in the game. For some reason Zugware removed the utility for sale from its site about three years ago. The message below has been on their site since, with no signs of the 'new version' forthcoming.

Zugware.JPG

[wlenz781]

Sadly, it seems that to get the really detailed terrain data it always comes back to ReDEM which I neither got when it was available and is not coming back. I am going to enroll in a class next semester on C++ programming for games. This is only an introductory course, and I have a lot to learn about programming, but I hope to learn to create some of this stuff myself. I know that learning programming and scripting will help to create some quality content for the game.