SH3Gen Maps

[BigWalleye]

Just discovered SH3Gen. (How did I miss it for so long?) Easy to add and working fine. It looks to add a lot of detail and atmosphere. (Apologies to Arletty!)

One problem I have: When I try to open the Map Room charts using the Tatuk GIS Viewer, I get all the layers of data, but no terrain. Does anyone here know what I might have missed. I followed the instructions carefully (several times) and everything else is there. Anybody help?

[AndreasT]

What is SH3Gen? Never heard of it.

[BigWalleye]

Take a look here for information:

www.google.com/webhp?source=search_app#q=sh3gen

[rudewarrior]

I'm not absolutely sure, but I think I had to run Tatuk GIS under XP compatibility mode. SH3 Gen is pretty old.

[WallysWorld]

I have the same issue with SH3Gen too: no terrain detail on the GIS map. I think there might be a terrain.exe file from Global Explorer that updates the terrain files for use with TatukGIS, but it's not available anymore from Global Explorer's website.

First post below mentions a terrain.exe file to download to fix this:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=106314&highlight=sh3gen&langid=5

[BigWalleye]

Yup! That seems to be the problem. Now does anybody have a working terrain.gml that they would be willing to share? I'd sure be grateful.

[ohmygollygosh]

Yup! That seems to be the problem. Now does anybody have a working terrain.gml that they would be willing to share? I'd sure be grateful.


I don't think you want terrain.gml if you have the latest viewer.

It is my understanding that you want the second release of sh3Gen v0.8.2 which use terrain.shp instead. The download section seem to have the original version which don't work with the newer viewers.

This link points to an old version of the viewer. You will be able to see the coast line with this.
http://www.christian-wendt.org/tatukgis.zip
I found the above link in this thread.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=88438&page=31

I also would appreciate a link to download sh3Gen which use terrain.shp as the newer TatukGIS viewers have better functionality to work with.

[rudewarrior]

I just checked and it is on Maik's SH3 Mods Archives. You can get to it by going into the stickied post and scroll down a few posts until you see his sig. It lists the link and the password to get in. Look for it under the author GlobalExplorer. It is v0.8.2 which works for me. I would link it here, but I don't know if it is appropriate, but it is easy enough to find, and knowing where to get access to Maik's archives is a good thing to know anyway! :up:

[BigWalleye]

Big salute to Ohmygollygosh! :salute: The link http://www.christian-wendt.org/tatukgis.zip for the old version of TatukGIS Viewer did the trick! It downloads TatukGIS Viewer Version 1.8.6.341, dated 2/27/2007, which works fine with the .gml files that SH3Gen v0.8.2 generates. The current version of the Viewer is 4.13.2.10935, dated 3/8/2014, and it will not recognize the terrain.gml file that SH3Gen v 0.8.2 generates. AFAIK, there is no version of SH3Gen available at this time that will produce .shp files. Fortunately the link to the old GIS Viewer is still live. Thanks again, Ohmygollygosh, for finding and sharing it.

I'm going to look for a file converter to go from .gml to .shp. If it's a relatively simple task, that would be the way to avoid being stuck with orphan software.

Thank you, everyone else, for your response and assistance. SubSim is a great place, and people like you all, who are always willing to help, make it great! :yeah::yeah::yeah:

[GreyBeard]

This thread, http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=167745&langid=1 , although designed for SH4, may be of use, or at least some interest, to any of you attempting to use SH3 Gen and the Tatukgis Viewer, since it is related to the Viewer and written by the author, GlobalExplorer. Just kind of stumbled upon it, thought I'd pass it along. :salute:
(http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=167745&langid=1)

[WallysWorld]

After installing the older version of the Viewer, I also can report that everything is working.

I'll add my very grateful thanks for everyone's help.

[BigWalleye]

Followed the link to GlobalExplorer's SH4 Tracking Room Thread. Additional useful material there, too. Since it's for SH4-OM, the maps are all usable in SH3. But there is a link to download another, different version of the TatukGIS Viewer, 1.13.1.370. More recent than the version 1.8.6.341 on the link Ohmygollygosh posted above. It works fine for the SH4 Tracking Room maps, but no cigar for the SH3Gen maps. Same problem - no terrain. However v1.8.6.341 seems to work just fine for the SH4 Tracking Room maps, so I think I don't need to keep two different versions. Much thanks to Greybeard for pointing out this very useful 4 year old tool, which had gotten under my radar.

[Pisces]

I've uploaded a pack containing the latest v0.82 SH3Gen program, as wel as a GlobalExplorer's old website documentation. So everybody can see what it is all about after extracting it (and opening the index.html).

The free Tatukgis viewer can still be downloaded after registration on their site: (just did myself, but untested due to lack of SH3Gen maps yet)
http://www.tatukgis.com/Downloads/TrialFreeVersions.aspx

I'll ask it to get uploaded to the Subsim download section aswel.

Expect it to be here:

http://ricojansen.nl/downloads/SH3Gen_pack.7z About 9 MB.

[Pisces]

I've never seen any screenshots of SH3Gen maps containing any 3d terrain. Neither can I remember that Global Explorer promised such a feature. You don't even need it. There's not much terrain in the sea to walk onto you know. So, not really sure what you are looking for. It does what it is supposed to do: make 2D maps with SH3 intel.

With the latest free TatukGIS viewer. (image resized 50%)

http://ricojansen.nl/image/sh3gen.jpg

[BigWalleye]

I've never seen any screenshots of SH3Gen maps containing any 3d terrain. Neither can I remember that Global Explorer promised such a feature. So, not sure what you are looking for. It does what it is supposed to do: make 2D maps with SH3 intel.

With the latest free TatukGIS viewer.

http://ricojansen.nl/image/sh3gen.jpg

Pisces, I can't speak for anyone else, but I never said anything about 3D terrain maps. Using the latest free TatukGIS Viewer, v 4.13.1.10709, I couldn't display the terrain.gml files produced by SH3Gen for the Tracking Room. In other words, I saw no terrain at all. None. Zip. Just a lot of symbology for bases, ships and traffic, but with no terrain to provide a reference. (As in that green stuff on the image you attached.) Sorry to have offended you, but to me that did not seem to be what it is supposed to do.

I have reinstalled both SH3Gen and TatukGIS Viewer several times. I believe I have correctly followed the directions, as provided, at least one of those times. I have been able to display the complete maps produced by v 0.8.2 using Viewer v 1.8.6.341, but not using v4.13.1.10709 (or v 1.13.1.317 either) Since you can display complete maps using v 4.13.1.10709, I would appreciate if you could share how you do so, and what steps not included in the SH3Gen documentation are necessary to do so. Thanks.

Actually, Pisces, RL nautical charts provide very little or no information about land terrain, just shorelines and occasionally, a few landmarks visible from the water. The area of land masses on a typical nautical chart is used as space for tide charts, seasonal prevailing wind charts, and other information pertinent to the mariner. One would never expect to see colored topographic contours on a nautical chart, at least not the USHO charts I am familiar with.

[Pisces]

I'm not offended. Don't worry.

I guess I didn't really understand what you meant with that terrain file. I still don't know what that file is supposed to do. [EDIT: Nevermind, :know: land contours ] But do understand that you don't get filled in land on the map. And that, yes, doesn't add up.

I didn't do anything special to get it working. I think I never had the TatukGIS viewer on this instance of Windows 7 OS on my computer before. So doubt that it is due to lingering settings from previous usage. Even then, I can't remember doing anything special to it.

After finding this thread I assembled the pack mentioned in my first post up here. Just combine the files I still had on my drive into 1 7zip file. I noticed you had problems with the latest TatukGIS viewer so I decided I had to test it on my own. So I registered and downloaded and installed the latest viewer. (this might be it, as usually I do not install applications in Program Files, but assign my own path outside of it) Then I tried to open those SH4 maps mentioned before (already had them on my disk somewhere) to check, and noticed they too opened nicely. So then I reinstalled SH3Gen v0.82. (didn't have that upto now, or this: again not in Program Files) Then ran SH3Gen and set the path to the Silent Hunter folder in the menu Settings/General. Then made it select my latest SH3 savegame (:oops: .. november 2011), and let it generate the intel data. And eventually it asks if the map should be exported for the the Tatukgis Viewer. On mine it shows a checkmark to automaticaly launch Tatukgis. And pressing the Export button does this. Hence my screenshot above.

So, other than the "Program Files"-routine for both TatukGIS and SH3Gen I can't imagine what might go wrong on your end.

That said, I did notice a readme.txt in the map folder SH3Gen/User Data/Commandername/savegamename that mentions the "terrain.gml" file. But nothing that really helps I think. As I didn't have to.

Note on the location of terrain.gml and disk space
--------------------------------------------------

Every data folder holds a copy terrain.gml, the complete terrain data, and therefore uses an extra 36.5 Mb. There is sound reason to do so, however, as this way the terrain will always be available, even if the user moves the data folder or uninstalls Sh3Gen.

If you understand how the GIS manages layers it's better to reference the default instance of terrain.gml in the Sh3Gen Tracking Room folder or another one in the User Data folder.

I will soon offer instructions and help how this can be done easily. I am not doing it now, however. Suffice to say that it can be done from within the viewer.

[BigWalleye]

:-?Have always had SH3Gen in in its own folder on the root. Installed TatukGIS Viewer v4.13.1.10902 to a folder on the root. No joy. As long as I can use SH3Gen with v1.8.6.341, I'm happy, so I won't pursue this matter any further right now.

BTW, v1.8.6.341 was always installed in Program Files (x86) and works fine from there.:-?

Oh, yeah, and I wasn't worried.

[WallysWorld]

I downloaded the SH3Gen version that Pisces posted and it does create the terrain.shp files. I then installed TatukGIS version 2.9.5037 (I didn't want to register for the newest version) and the tracking room map loads fine with the terrain showing.

Many thanks for posting that link to the second version of Sh3Gen 0.8.2, Pisces.

[Pisces]

... I'm happy, so I won't pursue this matter any further right now....I noticed the terrain can be disabled with a checkmark in the Legend window that opens with the map. Maybe you accidentaly disabled something. (or wasn't enabled by default)
http://ricojansen.nl/image/tatukgis_SH3Gen_terrain.jpg

[BigWalleye]

Sound suggestion, except that the terrain checkbox does not appear when I use v4.13.1.10709. (And I did scroll to the full extent of the legend menu just to be sure.) The check box, and the terrain, are there in v1.8.6.341.

Tried to add a new layer containing the terrain.gml. V4.13.1.10709 says it's an unrecognised format.:O:

The map viewer works in the older version. Onkle Karl says that, since my boat is ready, I should quit messing around and get back to sea. And he signs my time sheet.:salute:

[Pisces]

Ofcourse. This not working for you is weird though.

[ohmygollygosh]

Ofcourse. This not working for you is weird though.

It probably seem weird because your copy of sh3gen version 0.82 is different to the 0.82 in the download section. It is the same program name, with same version number but it is different.

Your version which you shared in post 13 handles .shp (shape) files which the newer TatukGis viewers demand.

The sh3gen 0.82 which BigWalleye and myself have still create .gml (geographical mark up language) files. This file type stopped being supported by TatukGis after version 1.8.6.341

I remember Global Explorer explained in a post somewhere that he didn't give his program a new version number because he didn't change the main executable but some support files.

Anyway, I would like to thank you Pisces because you have completely solved my problem. Unlike BigWalleye I prefer to use the lastest viewer with this mod. Which thanks to you I now can.

[BigWalleye]

<graphic of light bulb lighting>

Ohmygollygosh, score another one!

[Nerazzurri]

Elementary question :oops: - the contacts generated on the map, are those where ships are/possibly are when the map is generated or where a ship could be located at some point in the near future??