Satellite Images

[Unkn0wn 10]

Hi, i have been messing with these satellite images for the last 3 days. I get my images for google earth but i noticed that they dont come out to be too acurate. I was wondering if there is a way to improve the way it picks the terrain up from the image if its brightness or image quality ect.

[phaeden 0]

Can you explain how you are getting them and what you mean by "too acurate"?

[Unkn0wn 10]

im getting them from google map and i use photoshop to grayscale it and set it at 16b the darker spots on the image become water on visitor 3 and also the mountains look very sharp i dont know if its the image quailty tho

EDIT: Also the height of everything looks messed up

Edited February 9, 2010 by Unkn0wn

[phaeden 0]

Correct me if I am wrong but are you using visible sat images to make a mask_lco? If that is case, the image will be off. I recommend getting the DEM data for the area you are creating. It will me it much easier.

[Unkn0wn 10]

Yea, im using visible sat images ill look into DEM data. Also, Do you know where i can get DEM data i found a program called dlgv32 i dont know if that will work but ill give it a try. Thanks man i appreciate your help.

[phaeden 0]

There are a few places to get DEM. What area are you planning on mapping out?

If it is in the USA, then you can generally get higher resolution DEM, which means better looking maps.

[ZeroG 23]

Ah, i think ure using the method of AUSSIE's tutorial to acquire terrain from satimage. But it will trick u a little, I guess, as every bright spot will be a hill but on satimages bright spots are fields etc. I for myself dont like the method.

I recommend the GE method instead with that ambiotek plugin...far easier and higher quality of DEM than Earth Explorer...for EUROPE at least...for america the situation is far better, as Phaeden already stated.

Look into my thread under point 2.1. There is almost everything u need to start with DEM...

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=94222

[hsvmann78 10]

Ensure your terrain.pbl has the correct min & maxheight as corresponds to your terrain. I know I forgot to change it once and couldn't figure out why a terrain generated in l3dt had peaks of 3000+ m but in Visitor I might as well be walking in the plains of Saskatchewan.

[phaeden 0]

I'll try to write up a tutorial on how I have done it.

[Unkn0wn 10]

Alright man thanks for all the help i appreciate it.

[Unkn0wn 10]

i was just wondering where is a good place to get dem data images from

[ZeroG 23]

The easiest way is to install google maps and the ambiotek plugin, regarding for WORLD places. For the US, u should try the NASA Earth Explorer page, as u can look for 30m resolution heightmaps there...for all the rest of the world, there is only 90m resolution from NASA SRTM available for FREE...for better resolution in Germany for example, u have to pay quite a high fee!

Write me a PM if u experience problems..

Regards

[Planck 1]

Try here:

http://data.geocomm.com/catalog/index.html

Planck

[phaeden 0]

Here is the beginning of the tutorial: It is no where near complete but it should at least give you something to work with....

By Phaeden [uSMC]

February 2010

To begin with, I would like to thank all the people that have come before me in figuring things out. The list is long and you know all of them if you are reading this tutorial. However, Opteryx, Sgt. Ace, Q (Kyu), and the men of the USMC Warriors have been instrumental in helping me gain an understanding of how Visitor and the config files work. I also want to thank BIS for releasing the tools which have allowed us to spend countless hours staring at a monitor and cursing every few minutes.

Second, if you are considering making an island, I have two things to say to you. First, congratulations! It is a fun and exciting prospect during which time you will learn a lot. Second, I recommend that you immediately seek counseling and ask your family and friends to help turn you away from the evil path you have started. There is still time to turn back. Run, run while you still can. If you are married, please seriously take this as a warning that it can switch from a “little hobby†to something that consumes you. You will likely go through all the stages of grief and loss (several times if you are typical). Ok, enough warning. If you are still here, we should get on with it.

The Purpose of this Tutorial:

This tutorial is written assuming that you a trying to recreate a real world location within Armed Assault 2. It is also written with the understanding that you are, more or less, an initiate, novice or adept at island making. The island making masters are far beyond the scope and scale of this tutorial.

Terminology:

When I say, “island,†I am referring not only to a body of land surrounded on all sides but also any combination of land and water or simply all land. Please don’t get confused when I refer to an “island†within this tutorial that has absolutely no water on or around it (such as the case with wgl_palms and wgl_irwin).

Step 1:

Make sure you have enough free memory and RAM on your computer. You will need at least 20-40 GB of free memory during this island making process. While it is possible to make an island with less available memory, it makes it so much easier when you can save multiple copies along the process in case you have to take one or more steps backwards (which is highly likely). Additionally, if you have limited amounts of RAM, working with Visitor and larger files will take a very long time. I recommend you have at least 4 GB RAM up and running.

Step 2:

Set up your hard drive (or drives) in such a way that your folders will be organized and easy to follow. For example, you will need to set up the P: drive in accordance with BIS documentation but it is also recommended that you have other folders elsewhere on your computer for backup and manipulation purposes.

Step 3:

Make sure that you have a considerable amount of uninterrupted (or uninterruptable) free time for the next little while. That “little while†can vary greatly depending upon the size and complexity of your island. If you are making a little desert island so you fly around and go, “Oh… look what I made, a little desert island,†you will likely only need a few afternoons of casual work. If, however, you are making a serious island with airports, road networks, etc, you can plan on spending months (years?) working on your island.

Step 4:

Now, you are ready to get started. First, seriously consider what type of terrain you would like to model. Before you even think about a specific area you may wish to consider how different terrain configurations can affect game play. While it may seem like a great idea to model a very rugged, mountainous terrain (to replicate, say, the highlands of Afghanistan), but one needs to consider the “playability†of such a terrain. In real life, that area real sucks to fight in. In the game, it is almost impossible to move around (save by helicopter). As a result, players will not enjoy fighting/playing on that terrain. Conversely, a completely flat terrain is also not enjoyable as a gaming environment. It is up to you what type of terrain you will model, but understand that making a few good choices now will save you a lot of time and headache later.

Select area that you wish to model

Obtain DEM data from USGS (http://data.geocomm.com/dem/demdownload.html) or other similar source

If within the USA, select the state and county in which your selected location exists.

I use Digital Elevation Models (DEM) - 24K for my islands.

http://161.58.59.215/mf/data/mapfinder/states/CA/CA_Quad.pdf

Open MicroDem (http://www.usna.edu/Users/oceano/pguth/website/microdem/microdem.htm)

Click on the Open DEM or File < Open < Open DEM

Select the DEM data file (i.e. 3916662.DEM.SDTS.TAR) (no need to extract it)

Right click on the Map

Display Parameter (at the top)

Elevation

Set the Range to the high and low for the region (to make sure that the gray scale is consistent across all DEM data sections)

Under Display colors select Gray Scale, click OK

Under File < Save Map As Image < As GEOTIFF Gray scale

Open the GeoTiff in Photoshop

Merge the images together

use various techniques to remove/blend any border lines

Import into Visitor

====================

Feedback is welcomed and appreciated. I will post this as a separate thread once it is ready.

[Unkn0wn 10]

Alright very cool thanks for the help guys.