HiI have bought my first Garmin handheld GPS in September 2008. This is Garmin Vista HCxi unit which has performed very well and batteries lasted over 24 hours in the field. Unit comes with Mapsource software where you can plot your tracks and waypoints on the map. The problem I found is that those maps are 2D therefore you can't see how difficult and steep track is and 3D model to view from any angle is not available. Being software developer for the past 18 years I have decided to write my own 3D software to plot tracks and waypoints.
Screen shots below show various hikes in Cathedral Peak area in Drakensberg, South Africa. The view is directly from the top and shows trail that corresponds to offical hiking map of the area.
However if you change angles of the camera then suddenly you can see 3D tracks and how steep they really are !
Multiple tracks are being shown with waypoints clearly marked
Elevation grid can be displayed to compare tracks gradient which can scale from 100m to 1m
Distance can be seen from square ground grid which can scale from kms to meters
Time simulation will show your position at certain time and any stops are clearly marked displaying elapsed time
This software has been developed to support Windows XP and Vista, 3D support is provided by OpenGL graphics API. Tracks and waypoints must be saved in .GPX format from Mapsource software.
After placing order and making sucessfull credit card payment you will receive download link with username and password. Updates to the software will be available at the same link and you will be notified via email.
Regards,
Tomasz Stochmal
Software Author
GPX stands for GPS Exchange Format. It's the most common file format standard that uses an XML file definition to store waypoints and tracks from GPS units. Most GPS receivers use their own proprietary file format but common protocol allows developers to write tools to read data from device's specific format
Yes, the trick is to export tracks and waypoints in .GPX format
After completing journey you can analyze your track and replay your progress. You should mark interesting places with waypoints so you can locate them on 3D plot
Your tracks are plotted in true 3D view which you can rotate, your "eye" position can be moved and elevation changed, zoom in and out functionality is provided
I have searched and found nothing therefore developed my own solution which is very easy to use
You need to setup your GPS unit to record date and time with each track point which might be off by default
Windows XP or Vista and entry level graphics card supporting OpenGL 1.1 or higher
OpenGL is industry standard for high-quality 3D graphics applications. It's available on a variety of hardware platforms and operating systems
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