Help with Microdem please

[mikitta]

I did everything with Google Earth that needed to be done to extract a contour map and I downloaded it from the site specified all right, got my asci file saved to mapdata\dems, opened up Microdem for the first time, ran the patch and it gave the range data error.

I am running Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit. Do I need to do something specific to make it run in 32 bit - not sure if that's my problem or not.

Any help would be appreciated. I'm not terribly tech savy so please be gentle with me :)

God Bless,
mik

[simsample]

it gave the range data error.
What range data error? It would be useful if you could show a screenshot, Mik.

From the MicroDEM download page:
The program requires a 32 bit version of Windows such as XP and will run on 64 bit Windows in 32 bit mode.

So this shouldn't be the problem!

[mikitta]

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s281/mikitta_43/RangeCheckError.jpg

I'm reinstalling because it is saying I'm missing some DLL's too, notably netCDF.DLL

Well see if that fixes things. Otherwise, I'm baffled.

God Bless,
mik

[simsample]

If it complains of missing DLLs then you need to use the complete install, from here:
http://www.usna.edu/Users/oceano/pguth/microdem/win32/microdem_setup.exe

[mikitta]

I thought I had that :/

Sigh.

SOO muchfun being non-tech savy LOL!

I'll give this a whirl and see if it goes. Thank you Simsample.

God Bless,
mik

[simsample]

You could also try running it in compatibility mode Mik- and try running as an administrator too. *Clutches at straws*

[mikitta]

ok -how do I run in compatibility mode?

Because after A 2 hour download it STILL dosn't work.

Oh, I tried installing it on our older Win 7 computer that is 32 bit and I got the same DLL error. It won't even open there.

/sigh.

God Bless,
mik

[mikitta]

Sigh - after doing the compatability thing - it STILL won't work. I'm missing the .dll file. This is sooooo frustrating!

God Bless,
mik

[mikitta]

Ok, after fiddling with this stupid thing for hours, I'm done. I'll just do my own sculpting by looking at the maps from Google Earth and hand sculpting. Trying to get this darn thing to do what I want it to do is just more trouble than it's worth.

Between this and CAW not working for me right now because I got a copy of Outdoor Living stuff on Saturday and the official release isn't even till tomorrow and I assume there will be an EADM patch tomorrow as well - can I pull out my hair yet?

Just ... grr.

God Bless,
mik

[simsample]

Did you try updating MicroDEM?
http://www.usna.edu/Users/oceano/pguth/website/microdem/microdemdown.htm

To run in compatibility mode:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/316-compatibility-mode.html
To run as an administrator:
http://www.windows7news.com/2010/06/17/how-to-run-a-program-as-administrator/

Also, try installing to a different location on your hard drive- this could perhaps be caused by UAC protection. Try installing to C:\Applications instead?

[mikitta]

Yes, Yes and Yes - and all it did was error out. I'm disappointed I couldn't get it to work, but not devastated :)

I'm a decent sculptor and I can eyeball what I want from Google Earth and do a decent job of rendering it into CAW. If I want to use the Distant Terrain, I have to do my own sculpting anyway.

Thank you for all your help, Simsample - I appreciate all the solutions you suggested to me :)

God Bless,
mik

[simsample]

Ah well, sorry we couldn't get it working, Mik! :(

[mikitta]

Guess what?

Go on, guess.

You never will.


Oh, ok, I'll tell you.

I GOT IT TO WORK LOLOL!!

I don't know WHY what I did worked, but it did. I reinstalled the program, putting it into C\users\Public. Of course it wouldn't run from there, but the basic utility DID open and it wanted to install a DLL so I let it. Then I moved the whole Microdem folder to my C\Program files (the one that does not say 86 on it) and the MapData is OUTSIDE the OS files.

It works. I've got BEAUTIFUL contour maps and I'm working on getting the information from the county seat where I live into a sims 3 map!! I'm TICKLED PINK! I have been wanting to do this town for some time but there are a LOT of hills and a deep cut creek (the longest in the US, in fact) so the scupting was a tad daunting. I'll post a screenshot of my results when I get them!

God Bless,
mik

[mikitta]

Alrighty - I did a DEM of the Port Orchard area of Puget Sound - here it is, looking toward port orchard. I did a bit of blurring and smoothing in PSP before I saved it, which smooths out the contour lines quite a bit, but I think I don't like how it tamps down the mountains. I'll try it again without doing that.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s281/mikitta_43/MapfromHeightData.jpg

It is definitely workable and I like what I came up with. There are true possibilities in making this map into a good neighborhood.


Here are two screen shots from EIG with a slightly different treatment to the TIFF files before sending them through the PNG grinder. Actually NO treatment, this is the raw data from the DEM without any smoothing or blurring in image edit in PSP. I think I like it better than the first picture.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s281/mikitta_43/POHMRIG1.jpg

And here is another perspective of the same world. Notice the contour lines. That's pretty funny :P

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s281/mikitta_43/POHMRIG2.jpg


I've done a hand sculpted rendering of the same area that I think will work better for the project I want to do with this specifically - because I sculpted it to work with the distant terrain, but these renderings into CAW of the actual height data are on the back burner for some different things.

God Bless,
mik

[simsample]

Excellent! Well done for figuring it out, Mik- I guessed the error must be UAC related, and putting it in the public folder sorted out the permissions. :)

[bradyseitz]

I did not know you could data from Google Earth. I use the USGS Seamless Server Data. That only works for the US. Can Google Earth get data from around the world? I think I am gonna have to look into that.

Brady

[simsample]

Brady- the thread describing this process is here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/247783.page

[bradyseitz]

Thanks for the link. I will experiment with that later on.

Brady