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Map_c questions? - Printable Version

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Map_c questions? - mandrill7 - 01.02.2009

I used Clockwatcher's Microdem tutorial to create a map_h and map_c of the Belarus-Smolensk-Bryansk area.

The map_h appears okay. The map_c however came out "speckled" with dozens of tiny little dots. I painted them off and left the larger dark markings intact, as they were obviously lakes. Is this correct?

The rivers did not seem to appear on the map_c. As they are large and important, how do I put them back in and how do I make sure they line up properly with my eventual map_t?

- Skunkmeister - 01.02.2009

There are lots of things such as this that you will have to manually paint on your maps.

Dont worry about map_T correlating to rivers, really it doesnt matter.

- Redwulf__32 - 01.02.2009

A couple of tricks I learned doing the map_c file for my Denmark map I have in the works.

When doing the map_c from MicroDem make sure you have "Set lakes to sealevel" checked, this makes lakes, rivers, etc. not at sealevel come out black (which is what you want). However, when making your map_h file leave the "Set lakes to sealevel" unchecked, failing to do so you'll end up with the Indiana Jones style "dreaded canyons of death" for all bodies of water above sealevel (they'll be pushed to sealevel).

The "speckles" you get on the MicroDem reflectance map are artifacts stemming from the radar imaging data aka "clutter". Clutter filtering is applied by MicroDem but it isn't perfect.

I used the MicroDem map_c as a *basis* for my final map_c and used Google Maps to capture and overlay the "real" coastline. Be warned, it's tedious and a bit tricky (different map projections used) but also very worthwhile IMHO. If you're going for realism, this is the way.

BTW which area are you mapping? I grew up just outside of Hamilton, Ont. so ...... I was thinking .... Great Lakes perhaps??? 8)

- mandrill7 - 01.02.2009

No, I'm doing Smolensk/ Bryansk/ Belarus, so that I can build it into a useful map over time.

The Great Lakes would be fun, but (like most other snobby Torontonians) I'd feel tempted to put a large black hole over Hamilton! At least with Southern Ontario, I wouldn't have to spend an afternoon at the library trying to figure out where the Russian steppe begins and what it looks like!

BTW, I couldn't quite figure out Clockwatcher's tutorial on making the map_t out of the Microdem process. My latest theory is that I just copy and rename the map_h.

- Skunkmeister - 01.02.2009

mandrill7 Wrote:BTW, I couldn't quite figure out Clockwatcher's tutorial on making the map_t out of the Microdem process. My latest theory is that I just copy and rename the map_h.

Then your map will not load. Map_T does not like blurred pixels, which map_h is full of.

- Redwulf__32 - 01.02.2009

ClockWatcher's map_t technique is basically the same as the map_h procedure. The map_t procedure assigns map_t pixel values between 0 (lowland) and 15 (country3) based on the MicroDem elevation. Using the map_h as a map_t will probably work (IMHO) but give some highly interesting results Tongue

Get a better map_h profile for MicroDem here.

Built my map_t from scratch, bottom up. First the coastline and sea using values 30 (Coastriver) and 28 (Water), using a quarterscale map_c helps, next the ground layer, used a high pass filtering of map_h to distinguish between cultivated and non-cultivated land (high pixel value = steep ground, low pixel value = flat ground), set non-cultivated in Denmark/Germany to a rough grasslands tile, set non-cultivated in Sweden/on Bornholm using a rough, cliffy tile. Cultivated land was filled using a fractal pattern to break the repetition with values between 0 and 5 assigning appropriate "agricultural" tiles (Slovakia map tiles). After that forest areas were overlayered (thnx Google Maps, same tedious technique as my map_c file). Fine tuning with cities, villages, beaches and so on in the expanded FMB.

Hope this helps....

- Redwulf__32 - 01.02.2009

removed - extra post

- Redwulf__32 - 01.02.2009

removed - see above

- mandrill7 - 01.02.2009

So I guess every guy in this thread is a Canajn....

BTW, I found these in the Net. Seems a reasonable price, although the maps won't be period.

http://mapstor.com/