Google Earth Discoveries for Map Makers!

[Cpl Steiner]

Hi,

I've discovered some great tools to help with designing scenario maps using Google Earth.

The first one is something called "GE Path" (see link) which allows you to create 8m x 8m overlay grids at any location in Google Earth.

GE Path

[Edit] My original instructions involved editing KML files but the following is better.

Instructions:

Right-click on "My Places" within Google Earth and add a new folder called something like "CMSF_Map". Now when you add placemarks to the map they will be put in this folder. Add a placemark for the top-left corner of your map and another for the bottom-right corner. Now right-click over the CMSF_Map folder and select "Save Places As". When saving, choose the "KML" format instead of "KMZ".

Launch "GE Path" and open the KML file created. Now check the "Make Grid" checkbox in GE Path and enter 0.008 for the "Distance between Lines" parameter. Click "Run" and it will prompt you for a filename to create another KML file. If you double click this file it will be opened in Google Earth and show an 8m grid (see below). How cool is that!

The next amazing tool I've discovered is a website that allows you to generate topographical map overlays for Google Earth. Unfortunately it only does this for locations in America or Canada. However, you could always pretend it's in Syria or Iraq if you pick some nondescript patch of the Arizona desert or something!

Here's the link:

GPS Visualizer

The site generates a .KMZ file that can be loaded in Google Earth. Just double-click it and it will launch Google Earth and zoom to the location. If you select the "USGS Topo Map" option, you get output like this:

If you combine the output of these two tools, I think you will agree that the possibilities it opens up for CM:SF map makers are considerable.

Here are some more discoveries I've made today that are of use to map designers. For these, you need to turn on the "Terrain" layer in Google Earth.

1. Once you've created a grid over your chosen battle space, you can get a much better appreciation of the contours of the ground because of the grid. If you set Google Earth to use "Elevation Exaggeration" the effect is even more noticeable (see below).

2. In addition, you can put placemarks down on the map and right-click on them to set their altitude to "Absolute" and check the "Extend to ground" checkbox. You can then increase and decrease the altitude of the placemark in metres until it is showing above the terrain mesh. The altitude will then be the altitude of that point above sea level in metres, minus the small line extending the point to the ground (see below).

By placing a few points like this you can get an idea of exactly how high above sea level the highest and lowest points of your map are.

From p106 of the CM:SF game manual, each elevation level represents a height difference of exactly 1m, so with a few absolute altitude placemarks on your map you should be able to accurately set the elevation levels of your CM:SF map in metres above sea level (maybe adjusting the whole map upwards or downwards as appropriate).

[ May 25, 2008, 03:13 AM: Message edited by: Cpl Steiner ]

[Combatintman]

Cpl Steiner,

Great spot - will certainly be giving the first one a spin.

[Field Marshal Blücher]

GE Path is broken for me, which is a real shame as I was looking forward to using this technique.

[Cpl Steiner]

Originally posted by Field Marshal Blücher:

GE Path is broken for me, which is a real shame as I was looking forward to using this technique.

In what way is it broken? I got some sort of "missing dll" message the first time I ran it but it went away when I installed something called "Register DLL Tool". I didn't even run the second program - it just seemed to sort itself out. The GE Path site mentions this near the bottom of the page.

The page also mentions that the program requires "VB6 Runtime" to be installed. Perhaps this is the problem?

[ May 24, 2008, 09:31 PM: Message edited by: Cpl Steiner ]

[Paper Tiger]

I wish I'd had this when I made the map for Hasrabit. The town map for the finale was done from a real location and I had to measure the distance between the houses to get the appearance right. It was slow work but, when I finished, I got a real surprise when I raised the camera to the maximum viewing height and looked down. It really looked like my photo; not exactly, but close enough.

It's funny but when I was measuring the buildings, so many of them were 8, 16 or 24 metres in length with the gaps between them around 8m too. It's a good job they went with an 8x8 grid rather than a 10x10 one.

[Field Marshal Blücher]

Originally posted by Cpl Steiner:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Field Marshal Blücher:

GE Path is broken for me, which is a real shame as I was looking forward to using this technique.

In what way is it broken? I got some sort of "missing dll" message the first time I ran it but it went away when I installed something called "Register DLL Tool". I didn't even run the second program - it just seemed to sort itself out. The GE Path site mentions this near the bottom of the page.

The page also mentions that the program requires "VB6 Runtime" to be installed. Perhaps this is the problem? </font>

[Cpl Steiner]

Originally posted by Field Marshal Blücher:

EDIT: I found a utility that's supposed to fix my problem.

Great! Let me know if you get it working.

[Cpl Steiner]

Here are some more discoveries...

[EDIT] I've now pasted these into the first post of this thread so all my Google Earth tips are in one place.

P.S. - If Normal Dude is willing, he could combine his tips with mine as a single document and put it all on CMMODS. I really think Normal Dude deserves most of the credit for this as all I've really done is think of ways of doing the grid in Google Earth rather than in Photoshop and discuss some of the advantages of this approach over Photoshop.

[ May 25, 2008, 03:17 AM: Message edited by: Cpl Steiner ]

[SgtMuhammed]

Very nice. Now if they would expand the topo site to the rest of the world.

[ChrisND]

Originally posted by Cpl Steiner:

[EDIT]

P.S. - If Normal Dude is willing, he could combine his tips with mine as a single document and put it all on CMMODS. I really think Normal Dude deserves most of the credit for this as all I've really done is think of ways of doing the grid in Google Earth rather than in Photoshop and discuss some of the advantages of this approach over Photoshop.

I am currently making a map for my campaign, and documenting it while I go. So I will have a PDF of how I did it in detail sometime this week.

[bodkin]

What is this KML file format? Does it contain x,y,z data for use in other programs like ESRI GIS products?

8x8 is pretty good resolution, I doubt such free access to useable topographic data is possible beyond it's intended use in GE but I'll have to look into it.

[ChrisND]

Originally posted by Normal Dude:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Cpl Steiner:

[EDIT]

P.S. - If Normal Dude is willing, he could combine his tips with mine as a single document and put it all on CMMODS. I really think Normal Dude deserves most of the credit for this as all I've really done is think of ways of doing the grid in Google Earth rather than in Photoshop and discuss some of the advantages of this approach over Photoshop.

I am currently making a map for my campaign, and documenting it while I go. So I will have a PDF of how I did it in detail sometime this week. </font>Actually, I have to delay this for a bit. I have finals coming up and this needs to go on the shelf for a couple of weeks.

[Cpl Steiner]

bodkin,

You can edit the KML files in notepad - they are just plain text. In fact, it looks like XML to me, a very common format for storing data. I haven't looked at the contents of the file in any great detail though.

Normal Dude,

No problem - the community can wait! I'd help out if I could but I have studies of my own to contend with at the moment (web applications course).

[Combatintman]

Cpl Steiner,

Finally got round to playing with the GE Path tool - I've got to say it truly rocks! I've done more on a map in about an hour than I have using any other method.

[Cpl Steiner]

Originally posted by Combatintman:

Cpl Steiner,

Finally got round to playing with the GE Path tool - I've got to say it truly rocks! I've done more on a map in about an hour than I have using any other method.

Thanks for your comments. I'm glad you found it useful.

[Stuart Galbraith]

its got to be said, this is an excellent tool, and many thanks for pointing it out.

At the risk of being a pain, dont suppose you have had any time to put together that pdf?

[medlinke]

I just get an error that says, "Specified Module Cannot Be Found."

I ran the fixdll tool and installed the vb 6 runtime libraries.

Any other ideas?

[ChrisND]

At the risk of being a pain, dont suppose you have had any time to put together that pdf?

At the moment I simply do not have the time. It is on my to-do though.

[Stuart Galbraith]

At the moment I simply do not have the time. It is on my to-do though.

No problem, just glad ive got it to play with.

I had trouble installing it myself. If you look in the tech support it advises installing something called Active X cab. I had trouble installing that too (I eventually managed it using Vistas advised settings), but after I had it installed GE path worked fine.