Ships, Harbours, ship and harbour animation

Updated working link

09 07 2017
link removed as no longer have my website

I have been using srtm2 data to create the terrain and rivers but the script seems to have altered with 3 times as many vertices which might lockup computer. Also there is a mention of data licence so don’t understand if any restrictions. I think it is still free? Perhaps somebody might advise or perhaps I will look for alternative as smaller area OK for harbours. Download…don’t open zip and install whole zip file into Blender as add on.
Before using the previous version 20 km route was about 100,000 vertices and now many times that with the latest version. The Australian version I think still works but only up to Blender 2.49b…
B

https://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/

Yup, I would say that this is the right forum for this thread.

What version of blender did you use to make these? Looks like 2.49? You may want to update at some stage but they do work find in 2.78.

Do you mind if I play around with the graphics of this over the next few days?

For those that are lazy like me:
Instructions:
, (comma) and . (fullstop) operates up/down for roaming camera : forward/backward/left/right operated by arrow keys
The drivable ships/boats…mainly keys… wasd,tfgh,ijkl

Download Links as of 20-5-2017:
- 00 Isle of Man 02

I used to use 2.49b years ago and Australian script that only worked up to 2.49, and worked between the current Blender for the srtm2. Last couple of years changed to this new script as in link in post.
This again this has now changed hosted by a seperate company? But puzzled what to use for sscript at present as vertices not adjustable and huge amount now and not sure if still free.

Blender all now 2.78c or latest version for good few years.
Also use 3DEM for height map as useful for merged basic texture which you can set colours for any height.
About 15 years old but still works OK.
Isle of Man route added seperate texture rocky coast.
Solway01 added scenario.
Some of smaller 20km to 25km routes have more detail.

Copy and paste works well so use what you want from the routes or adapt them or, whatever.
Roaming camera only made one and copied and pasted 61 times.
If you want any of the routes Solway Firth around to Thames I can put a few online and replace whats currently online
Same with the 16 x 20mb to 25mb.

Thanks

Barry

You can host images and smaller zip files (up to 15mb) here at blenderartists (little buttons at the top of the reply box for images, advanced edit and down below an orange box “manage attachments”).

A couple months back I played around with importing geotiff data into blender as a heightmap. You can download the heightmaps from earthexplorer, though the website is absolutely horrid to use. Then it’s a case of the displace and decimate modifiers to get it to the required detail level.
Example using non-void-filled data (so it has some glitches) from some arbitary place:



The RAM requirements of doing this are quite high, as you’re working with over 1 million polies at several points.

Thanks for the links. OK with my site for now but will keep an eye on usage.
Don’t want to get too involved it gets complicated with the height maps etc.

From the Nasa site link download the srtm2 (hgt) files required (bottom left corner). Bottom of page ‘version 2’ section.
The srtm2 files link below(hgt) . Bottom page srtm2 Version 2 released : Version 2/1 : srtm3 : Eurasia : There is a map on another page for sections to chose. Other sections Australia/Africa, etc…if any use.

Then I used 3DEM and you convert to utm, crop area and merge colour etc. Copy the lat and long from corners. Save as USGS DEM
I started using 3DEM in 2004 I think. I tried a download of 3DEM from a site which downloaded OK. Not installed it again as already have it installed. 4 meg

With the script you can just use OpenStreetMap for co-ordinates then copy them into script with hgt files in folder. No need to use 3DEM except to make an ordinary colour merged texture map, …only problem now is the new updated script though. The previous version made about 125,000 vertices at 25 km. Latest version many times this.
B

https://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/

http://freegeographytools.com/2009/3dem-website-is-gone-but-3dem-still-available-here

I found a small tutorial of mine from 4 years back about making a greyscale height map on on ONE metre plane using 3DEM and greyscale in Blender, for up to about 20,000 meters I think? This was trainsim forums. Forgotten all about it and using Blender grey scale modifier. With maritime routes They don’t need to be very accurate unlike train routes with train tracks over the terrain. I will try it again and see if it works…if I can remember how the modifier works. I am using windows 7 so don’t know if 3DEM will work with windows 10 etc.
Barry

http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic.php?f=291&t=133493

Tried the greyscale displace on 1 meter plane again.
Seems to work fine but imagine intermediate heights will be approx.
Perhaps let me know if 3DEM works in windows 10.Barry

Experimenting further with greyscale map and 3DEM for coastal. 8 sub-divides was about 64,000 vertices I think. At 9 subdivides at 263,000. I could lose up to about half of them with limited dissolve of seabed, etc. Is there a function to reduce the quantity at 9 subdivides?

I might change to using just greyscale and 3DEM as getting tedious with terrain script alterations .
Half and hour could be enough to make each basic route. Further info if wanted. I have no idea for the setting ‘strength’, if anybody can help.

So making maritime routes might not be difficult at all as opposed to making games, athough might not be exactly accurate. Once you make one route in Blender they only take a few minutes to make the mesh using the image as a plane. Copy and paste (windows 7) my roaming camera, animated water also. Boats and ships will all copy and paste from route to route although you might have to re-texture from my textures. Also any info?..can you control the quantity of vertices in subdivides using the image as a plane and displace modifier. 8 subdivides make about 64,000 vertices but 9 make about 240,000. Up to 125,000 about right at 20 km to 25 km route although you can subdivide areas if 64,000 or so vertices along the rivers and coastline, etc.

Barry

I made a full isle of Man route trying out this method. Example only link of of Isle of Man reduced size greyscale image as jpeg. I used tga to make the route using greyscale from a one meter ‘image as plane’ then the modifier displace function. You would need a few more details maybe, if requested, and perhaps somebody could advise any hints about this method. 8 subdivides about max. 9 is too many at 260,000 or so vertices unless there is way to adjust them with the subdivide to less before the terrain is generate. You can used ‘limited dissolve’ etc but would be good if you could adjust them?

B

Link deleted to my site as no longer have my website

You’re after the decimate modifier to reduce the polycount in a sensible way. The earlier screenshot was a subdivision of 10, the displace, and then a “collapse” decimate of 0.1
That resulted in about 100,000 polies

I think you can control where/how much the decimate modifier works decimates using vertex groups, but I’d have to check.

Tried out the decimator… limited dissolve removes vertices from seabed up to half depending on what the shape of the coastal terrain is like. I can also thin out the distant terrain with it. I will make another route using the greyscale method and see what I think at x 9 subdivides. Another try x 9 subdivides at 263,000 vertices then set decimator at 0.8 would reduce to around 210,000 then limited dissolve for seabed and areas of distant terrain might be about right. Also that will give me quite a fine mesh size for the river courses and coastal.

Thanks Barry

As obviously on these forums the emphasis is small games etc even though Blender seems quite capable of make simulations and routes up to 45 km in size in my maritime routes. Also thousands of different scenarios could be created within a route, as my routes are available for download and that is up to you. You can use triggers and touch, visible and invisible, etc , trigger animations to start and bridges to rise and open, etc, etc. It would be interesting if you could add to these routes and post about what you have done which might give me some ideas. Shipwrecks could also be made.

Anyway this post was about the available downloads. They run in sequence from the Solway Forth around to the river Thames so about quarter of the UK coastline. There are 45 large size 25km to 45 km. routes and 16 small size River Wyre around to Barmouth North Wales up to 25km size.

The 5 currently online are large size approx…25km to 45 km and follow the coastline up to the river Wyre. I will remove the 5 large size online maybe in a few days then change to the next 4 or five in sequence moving around the coastline of the UK. I might include a few of the small size that has content on them.

Could somebody try 3DEM with windows 10 as I am using windows 7 and let me know if it still works. See my previous posts for the link to download it. You can open the srtm2 satellite files with it hgt. Easy then to make a greyscale map with it 0 to 255, (set shadows to zero). Then the displace function in Blender can create large routes. Tried up to 45 km size so far with it. Each route could be made in half an hour or so.

If queries, POST regarding grey scale terrain as a route, or the making of maritime routes (without complexity). I could make the greyscale black to white as a download and you make the route. tga seems to work ok with the displace function but I also need to try a png file.

Barry.

P.S. Does anybody at all make ships on these forums?
At least a few people seem to be looking at my site…from 31 countries according to the stats.

I will start to remake some of the routes using greyscale as the Blender script has altered and not suitable for what I make.
As the current updated srtm2 script seems to have changed course routes and remakes will use greyscale.

Barry

As the routes are also for download I am no longer making scenarios such as collect crewman or cargoes using the visible/invisble functions. No realism in it, so leave it to others to make them in the routes if they wish.

What I would be interesting, as I do not need now to use ‘limited dissolve’ on seabed with the greyscale method, I can make the deep water channels and sandbanks. With drivable is there a SIMPLE method to stop the boat if it runs aground rather than it climbing over sandbanks etc, using the logic bricks. Using offset collision box and ‘rigid body’ settings for ‘floating’ and drivable which works quite realistically. That would add to the realism. Also how to restart the grounded boat, maybe set so you could withdraw backwards off the sandbanks into the deeper water?

Also as mentioned if you download 3DEM (link in previous posts) does it sill work in ‘Window’ 10?

Thanks Barry.

Removed downloads and uploaded new Gretna route. This route is uploaded and available for download at the time of writing. Also included a png greyscale map which you could ‘save as’. S Scenarios discontinued as you can always make your own if you wish. Also I will discontinue the AI ship routes which used timeline and logic bricks which again if you wish you can make yourself.

The important part is more realism for the harbours and surroundings although difficult to know what era to set. The scenarios and AI are just surface decoration so I will also forget them and not waste my time with the ‘game’ element. Route uses drivable schooner and sailing flat. I will probably keep a fewroutes online for download which will change from time to time.

Any queries post if relevant. Barry.

I have my doubts about the future of the Blender Game Engine as regards serious simulations as opposed to endless ‘small games’.
Pity really as Blender seems to have a good basis for expanding the functions for ‘serious’ true to real life simulations.
You can contact me on the UKTS forums in ship simulator or Blender Forums ‘should’ anybody be interested in basic maritime route making in Blender. Not worthwhile for me to post further. END .

B

Change of plan. If you want any further details relating to these maritime routes, or any queries post and will try and help.
The script I used previously for making the terrain using srtm2 data has altered, so unable to use for my routes. I have changed to greyscale method which works well and will be remaking these routes.
All will be made with greyscale to create terrain based on satellite data. By this method now independant of the scripts.

Routes start again a Solway and first is Gretna now available for download and includes a few trees, etc. Routes will be up to 25 km approx. but no larger size will be available as they will eventually be replaced. All the other routes now removed from download.

Routes sequence starts from 01 at the beginning and the end altered for the version to 0a. When updated it will be changed to 0b,0c, etc. Further routes will be made and will put them on the Internet for download as and when available.

I am no longer including scenarios as they are easy to make such as collect or deliver cargoes etc. If you want a ‘game’ element you can always make your own scenarios. With AI ship routes these are made using the timeline. Again these also are also easy to make so I won’t be including them, especially when there might be possible changes to the GE.

The era I will make as pretend is now perhaps sometime during the reign of Queen Victoria so that can include sail, paddle steamers and steamships. It is too difficult trying to find what the old harbours might have looked like up to about 1815. The emphasis will be on ‘pretend’ real life as regards the dock and harbour layouts, etc. I will include 1 or more driveable boats/ships in each route, using the displaced collision box method and ships set to ‘rigid body’.

Barry

Routes will mainly be basic until I reach the Thames (again) as all now re-created with greyscale map and up to 25km approx.
After/if I reach the Thames I will begin the updates. The name is just to help to place the route in the sequence order anticlockwise.
Available maritime routes for download
01gretna : includes Annan harbour
02silloth : Basic.

Barry

Available maritime routes for download : 29 05 2017
01gretna : includes Annan harbour
02silloth : Basic.
03workington : Basic

B