Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Terrain Editor => Topic started by: Strip on August 29, 2009, 07:17:03 AM

Title: Grayscale request....
Post by: Strip on August 29, 2009, 07:17:03 AM
Can someone with easy access to grayscales help a fledgling map maker? I have searched for hours for a solution, everything that looks remotely close requires a transfer of wealth. As a poor, broke, out of work college student I just dont have it.

 :lol

Everything I have found for free has been shaded relief grayscale which is about useless for me. What I need a grayscale elevation map of this location.....39.9152 by -119.6876 for a 64 or 128 mile square terrain. If its high enough res I will crop it myself so you can save time finding the location. I don't have much to offer in return but would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Strip
Title: Re: Grayscale request....
Post by: soda72 on August 29, 2009, 08:12:57 AM
Did you try gimp?
Title: Re: Grayscale request....
Post by: Strip on August 29, 2009, 08:19:35 AM
Are you asking if I tried making the grayscale myself?

If so no, I was hoping to get a accurate elevation map for the terrain. I could make one but it would grossly inaccurate and down right crappy with my artistic skill.

Strip
Title: Re: Grayscale request....
Post by: zmeg on August 29, 2009, 12:17:39 PM



    Is this what you want?

     (http://i918.photobucket.com/albums/ad24/tony7734/strip.jpg)
Title: Re: Grayscale request....
Post by: Denholm on August 29, 2009, 12:23:57 PM
Do you mind me asking how you found that grayscale? Just for fun I try to replicate landscapes. Knowing where to find such elevation maps would be useful.
Title: Re: Grayscale request....
Post by: Strip on August 29, 2009, 12:27:41 PM
Yes!!! Thats exactly what I need.

Tho it looks like its from the Baja area, I cant make out any landmarks? Or the scale is large, looks like I can make out Lake Tahoe but its tiny.

I am curious to zmeg, how did you make/aqquire this? I am trying to replicate the elevations around Reno, Nevada.

Strip
Title: Re: Grayscale request....
Post by: zmeg on August 29, 2009, 12:29:02 PM


    I used the old AH1 mapmaker to create it.
Title: Re: Grayscale request....
Post by: zmeg on August 29, 2009, 12:37:21 PM


  What looks like Baja is the Napa Valley, Reno is near the center of the map. Just save as a greyscale bmp and import at 20,000 feet(default). It covers a 512 x512 mile area as all maps are actually 512 x 512, when you choose you're map size you're really only choosing the size of the clipboard map.
Title: Re: Grayscale request....
Post by: zmeg on August 29, 2009, 02:10:37 PM



 You can overlay this to get your perspective.


   (http://i918.photobucket.com/albums/ad24/tony7734/map.jpg)
Title: Re: Grayscale request....
Post by: Strip on August 29, 2009, 05:07:50 PM

  What looks like Baja is the Napa Valley, Reno is near the center of the map. Just save as a greyscale bmp and import at 20,000 feet(default). It covers a 512 x512 mile area as all maps are actually 512 x 512, when you choose you're map size you're really only choosing the size of the clipboard map.

I didnt know that the physical map stayed the same size, thanks for your input zmeg. Now that I have a better idea of what i am looking at it should work perfectly. I owe ya one!

Thanks,
Strip
Title: Re: Grayscale request....
Post by: 715 on September 06, 2009, 12:33:57 PM
Has anyone found or written a program to read DEM files and spit out greyscale elevation maps for AH?  According to Wikipedia (search under "Digital elevation model") there are several free sources of DEM files that cover the whole world, including ones with 30 meter grid resolution.  I believe AH terrains are on a 1/2 mile = 804 meter elevation grid?
Title: Re: Grayscale request....
Post by: Strip on September 06, 2009, 12:46:28 PM
Couldn't you just create a hires gray scale and scale it in a photo editor?
Title: Re: Grayscale request....
Post by: MotleyCH on September 07, 2009, 01:13:21 AM
Has anyone found or written a program to read DEM files and spit out greyscale elevation maps for AH?  According to Wikipedia (search under "Digital elevation model") there are several free sources of DEM files that cover the whole world, including ones with 30 meter grid resolution.  I believe AH terrains are on a 1/2 mile = 804 meter elevation grid?

http://chawks.com/3dem_setup.exe

You have to adjust the output grey scales..I have made a few Hires BMPs from DEMs with this.
Title: Re: Grayscale request....
Post by: 715 on September 07, 2009, 03:03:56 AM
http://chawks.com/3dem_setup.exe

You have to adjust the output grey scales..I have made a few Hires BMPs from DEMs with this.

Thanks!

I also looked at the USGS Earth Explorer web page (mentioned in another thread I hadn't seen).  It shows greyscale thumbnail JPEGs of elevation maps in 1 deg x 1 deg chunks (about 69 mi x 69 mi, unless I got my math wrong).  The larger versions of the thumbnails (when you click on the small thumbnails) are 512 x 512 pixels.  You would need to grab 64 of these ( 8 x 8 ) for a full scale 512 mile map.  The resolution of the thumbnails is more than enough for AH elevation maps, but not enough for "water" (coastline) maps.  The one problem I see is that each thumbnail is scaled so that white is the maximum altitude for that particular 1 deg chunk.  You'd have to normalize them at the edges.