Some help with BTB.

[G-Kraft]

Just downloaded the trial version of BTB, and also have watched some tutorial videos, but its like to much information at once.

I wonder how to create a xpack, is there a simple way to do it? or do i need many different programs?.

If creating a xpack will be a problem..i hope there are xpack that includes different types of houses and hopefully with different colours.

And how do the background thing work? can i upload own background photos to BTB? what size and format most the photos be then?.

Do i se the height(in metres) on the things i make higher?(like upphill slopes).

Hope i get any answers*

 

[G-Kraft]

Some problems showed up...
I did add a track in GE, and set the route from location to another location(its a open track).
Then its time for the nodes...are they the yellow ones? otherwise i dont know where to find them...
Then i tried to export it to BTB...bu got the message "Not enough data to form track"...

So do you guys have any tips of how to best export "open track" data from Google Earth to BTB? and how to use the nodes..

 

[Fatboymart]

Follow this link to a tutorial from Vman7, it has all you need to know about using Google Earth.

[ame]http://forum.racesimcentral.com/showthread.php?t=324395[/ame]

Martin

 

[G-Kraft]

Can't watch the videos, sorry..

 

[banger]

the videos come with the codec to watch them.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KOUCR8BZ

 

[Satangoss]

In my humble opinion, there's no point to import Google Earth data once that data is created without Z information (Levels).

I think you better import the Google Earth picture and then digitize the track directly into BTB.

 

[G-Kraft]

In my humble opinion, there's no point to import Google Earth data once that data is created without Z information (Levels).

I think you better import the Google Earth picture and then digitize the track directly into BTB.

How do you mean?.

I recently did export my track from Google Earth to BTB, this time it worked! but the track is flat...what can i do about that? it will really be hard work to set some contrast to the track...any way fix it?.

 

[Satangoss]

I'm talking about exactly that issue.

Google Earth KMZ files don't carry the level information. They're all flat (level zero).

This way, I think is better you save the image in Google Earth (Control + Alt + S) and import the image into BTB.

Then, you can create a track based in background image and also can blend it with terrain.

Unfortunately you have to adjust the track level manually. The only way you can get the actual levels of the tracks is importing GPS XYZ data into BTB.

And, even more, Google Earth resolution and precision is bad to reproduces the actual slopes of the track. In some places there's one point each 100 meters and at most one point each 50 meters.

There's a lot of errors in Levels, I extracted the levels from Google Earth using Google Sketchup from a place in my neiborhoods and the terrain goes up where it should go down. This dataset is not enough for a confident track building. If you don't have GPS data, the most accurated way is to have a good onboard video of your track and then adjust the levels based on it.

How do you mean?.

I recently did export my track from Google Earth to BTB, this time it worked! but the track is flat...what can i do about that? it will really be hard work to set some contrast to the track...any way fix it?.

 

[G-Kraft]

So there is no way to export level info while exporting the track? at least using Google Earth i dont manually need to draw the track..

How does it help to import a image from GE to BTB?
And how do i export GPS XYZ data?.

 

[R Soul]

There's a program called Lofty. Someone attached it to one of their posts after I asked for it a couple of months ago:
http://forum.racedepartment.com/bobs-track-builder/17109-download-links-ve-track-starter-lofy.html

You point it to the kml file saved from Google Earth, it can't use a BTB file any more because the file format has changed.

 

[G-Kraft]

Dont know if BTBlofty works....i import my kml file, choose Google Earth, then the process starts.
But i never get to the point where i can save the file, nothing happens when it reach 0-sec.

 

[R Soul]

I've only ever had that problem when using another program while waiting.

 

[G-Kraft]

It do open Google Earth...i dont really know what the problem is

 

[chub_pearson]

There is another site mentioned in the FAQ on the BTB website - www.nearby.org.uk/elevation-kml.php - but that gives pretty wild results.

In reality there is no accurate elevation data available, it's as simple as that alas. Longitude and Latitude are made easy by Google Earth, but up and down is obviously more complex.

The only aids I've found in the past couple of years are:

Get hold of a contour map of the area of your track, such as the Ordnance Survey maps in the UK. That gives you fixed points where the contours cross the track. Set the height of them in BTB, then by selecting each section in between, right clicking and selecting 'Smooth Selected Nodes/By Height' you can get a good starting point for fine tuning.

Also, the height readout from your cursor in Google Earth [bottom left hand corner of the map] can be much more accurate than you'd think. If you write down the height at high and low points of the track and then set the height of them in BTB you can do the same smoothing action as above.

But it's only a starting point. If it's a real track, then onboard videos can be a great help.

 

[G-Kraft]

hmm ok..
I wonder if there is other ways to read road height or elevation data? i have the roads finished, just need somewhat correct contrast to it.

Heard about a tool called "3d route builder" that can be used with Google Earth...someone who have some experience using that?.

I really need any help to get some contrast to my roads, and to build tracks from scratch in BTB is just to hard for a newbie like me..at least IRL roads

 

[G-Kraft]

An another question...
How do i draw a pit-lane when using google earth? after the "main" track is complete, how do i set the pit lane properly afterwards? i want to draw the pit lane, this is a IRL track..

 

[MG-61]

Try Here Goran http://vman7.rccar.dk/

 

[G-Kraft]

thanks, but i have the videos, can't remember that they showed how to draw a pit lane after the main track is clear in Google Earth, if i start to draw one manually it will look crap and totaly out of place...

I also hope that someone can tell me how to set the elevation data correct so i get some shape and contrast to the track.
BTBlofty does not work for me it seems...when it counts down to zero nothing happens, no matter what i choose. Are there other tools for this?.

 

[G-Kraft]

Anyone there?

 

[R Soul]

It's probably best to have one thread for each subject, because when someone sees the current list of threads, they won't know that 'Some help with BTB' is currently about kml files, heights and pit lanes.

In the Import section of the btb help file has this link:
http://www.nearby.org.uk/elevation-kml.php

When it comes to the pitlane, you can make a separate path for it, save it as a kml and then use the Import tool with the current track already loaded. You'll still have to move the points but you can move them all in one go (see the Editing > Moving Track Nodes section of the help file).

 

[G-Kraft]

Thanks, propably will start a new thread then