TrackED Questions.......

[Hawk]

Hi guys.

Creating the Centre Line:
I'm having a problem with the "Straight" segment when creating the centre line.

What I want to know is how you can adjust the centre line straight lead segment laterally while creating the centre line?
When I put the first straight segment in I can move it laterally to line it up with the centre of the straight, but when I try to include a straight segment after that 1st one it won't move laterally to line it up with the centre of the track?? Just wondering if it's a bug or whether there is a way to get it to move laterally while creating the centre line?
I usually end up having to create 90% of the centre line with curve segments.

I've included a picture below so you can see what is happening:

[Alone]

I used to change/move the last point of the curve segment to alter the straight line until this segment is in the middle of the track.

[janaucarre]

from what i see on this image you need to go back with the last segment until the straight segemtn will be in the middle. No other skills to do that.

[Hawk]

from what i see on this image you need to go back with the last segment until the straight segemtn will be in the middle. No other skills to do that.

I realise that, that is what I've been doing. Lol.... But that wasn't the question I was asking, The straight segment should be laterally adjustable like it is when the 1st straight segment is placed; any straight segment after the first segment seems to lose it's adjustability to line the segment up with the centre of the track. Any ideas?

Edit: I probably sounded a little abrupt above.... Sorry Janu, I see what your saying mate and thank you for the advice, I appreciate it, but what I was really asking about was why the straight centre line segment placement operater wont allow an X,Z axis movement to easily line up the line onto the straight sections like it does when you place the first straight segment? You see what I mean? It would make placing the centreline SO much easier instead of the pain in the ASS it is now. 

[Hawk]

A "Merge" centre line problem:

When I try to merge the centre line tracked is crashing all the time(Not had this problem before).

I've checked to make sure the centre line is closed.

Any ideas guys?



Problem signature:
  Problem Event Name:   APPCRASH
  Application Name:   tracked.exe
  Application Version:   0.0.0.0
  Application Timestamp:   532dfbdd
  Fault Module Name:   tracked.exe
  Fault Module Version:   0.0.0.0
  Fault Module Timestamp:   532dfbdd
  Exception Code:   c0000005
  Exception Offset:   00051224
  OS Version:   6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.1
  Locale ID:   2057
  Additional Information 1:   0a9e
  Additional Information 2:   0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789
  Additional Information 3:   0a9e
  Additional Information 4:   0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789

[HornetMaX]

Hi guys.

Creating the Centre Line:
I'm having a problem with the "Straight" segment when creating the centre line.

What I want to know is how you can adjust the centre line straight lead segment laterally while creating the centre line?
When I put the first straight segment in I can move it laterally to line it up with the centre of the straight, but when I try to include a straight segment after that 1st one it won't move laterally to line it up with the centre of the track?? Just wondering if it's a bug or whether there is a way to get it to move laterally while creating the centre line?
I usually end up having to create 90% of the centre line with curve segments.

I guess the problem is that there should never be a need for two consecutive straight segments: as straights (in Piboso's definition) have the same angle as the end of the preceding segment, two consecutive straights will be aligned, hence they could be replaced by a single one spanning the length of the two.

So the rule seems to be: always a curve after a straight.

MaX.

[Hawk]

Well, as it is, you can hardly use any straight segments unless you have a very simple track with absolutely straight, straights.

But anyway, the problem with the crashing centreline/merge I still don't know what was the problem, as I closed the centreline and made sure that I started with a straight and ended with a curve segment. But what I did was to totally re-draw the centreline(At much pain!! GGrrrr!! Hate drawing the centreline. Hehe), and tried the merge again and it worked fine this time, so I really don't know what was the problem? Maybe a clue might be in the crash log in the pic in my above post?? To anyone who can figure out what it means . Lol

[HornetMaX]

Well, as it is, you can hardly use any straight segments unless you have a very simple track with absolutely straight, straights.

Really ? I tried once or twice to build a centerline and had no problems at all. You're doing something wrong somewhere, it shouldn't be difficult.

MaX.

[HornetMaX]

Hey Hawk, maybe I've found your problem: when you put a straight segment after a curve segment the direction of the straight may be wrong. I guess that in this situation you would like to move the end point of the straight to put it back where you want.

This is not allowed (it would give a non-continuous centerline, in the mathematical sense): you have to click on the previous (curve) segment and edit its end point: it will affect the direction (and the starting point, of course) of the subsequent straight segment.

MaX.

[Hawk]

Hey Hawk, maybe I've found your problem: when you put a straight segment after a curve segment the direction of the straight may be wrong. I guess that in this situation you would like to move the end point of the straight to put it back where you want.

This is not allowed (it would give a non-continuous centerline, in the mathematical sense): you have to click on the previous (curve) segment and edit its end point: it will affect the direction (and the starting point, of course) of the subsequent straight segment.

MaX.

Yeah your dead right there. But I'd have thought there'd be a way of taking the centre line you mark out, and even if that line was mathematically incorrect, for continuity, there must be a way for an algorithm to take what you have marked out and mathematically correct any errors? It just seems a very time consuming and heath-robinson way to do this centreline? Must be a better way.

[HornetMaX]

Yeah your dead right there. But I'd have thought there'd be a way of taking the centre line you mark out, and even if that line was mathematically incorrect, for continuity, there must be a way for an algorithm to take what you have marked out and mathematically correct any errors? It just seems a very time consuming and heath-robinson way to do this centreline? Must be a better way.

No, the problem is that the line seg following the curve seg must have the same angle as the curve seg end (i.e. it should be tangent to the curve's end).
If you change the line seg end you change that angle, which would change the curve shape, making it much worse than now.

On a typical track (in terms of size) like victoria, creating a centerline should take a few minutes, no more, and should not be complicate at all.
I tried to make a video of me creating it but I cannot get the mouse pointer (nor the pop-up menus) in the captured video so it's pretty useless.

Still, the procedure should be:

• place the curve segment more or less how it should be
• place a straight seg after it, giving it more or less the intended length, even if its direction is not correct
• move the end point of the curve segment until the line segment has the correct direction (and the curve segment has an acceptable shape)

MaX.

[Hawk]

Still, the procedure should be:

• place the curve segment more or less how it should be
• place a straight seg after it, giving it more or less the intended length, even if its direction is not correct
• move the end point of the curve segment until the line segment has the correct direction (and the curve segment has an acceptable shape)

MaX.

Okay. Now I understand that this is the best possible way of applying a centre line on track and the reasons why that is so. I'm just one of those people who are always looking for better and more efficient ways to do things, especially if a procedure is a bind(in my mind) to achieve and implement. 

Thanks for explaining this and posting a step by step for best results, Max... Appreciated