Computer software?

[AverysSpring]

Could someone give me an idea of what software is used to make the 2d course maps? Currently experimenting with a Google earth Sat image with a layer over it to draw in 2d items in their correct position and then remove the google earth layer...can someone tell me if there is an ezier way?

 

[tstack10]

Not now but after my technology in classroom training I will. Sounds
like a good class idea. Find and design disc golf course!

 

[AverysSpring]

Anyone else? Still looking for ideas/software

 

[RussMB]

I just finished my first Course map, but that is exactly how I did it. I just built my layers on top of a google earth image in Photoshop essentials. Here's how mine turned out. I literally just posted this thread not to long ago.

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17413

I used the Google earth image as my template, and just worked off that.

 

[Peterb]

what's wrong with using google my maps? You can share it easily with friends, who, if you allow them, can edit the data. I'm a professional geographer, course designer, and I use it all the time.

 

[skeeter]

Here is a nice program that you can expand upon that I use at work. It is called ArcGIS Explorer. For example, you can upload GPS Coords of your course layout, draw in tee pads, flight paths, baskets, whatever, till your heart's content. After that I would export your layout to scale and digitize it with a free drafting program like AutoCAD 2004 or something like that. You can find them for free if you look. Digitizing them will get you a nice shop-style drawing and would be nice for presentations etc. Or just keep your course layout on the aerial. I have a course layout right now that I plan on proposing to the my local Park & Rec. Of course its no final layout its just for illustration purposes. Have fun!!!!

 

[AverysSpring]

at first, i thought, yeah...let me walk out here with my tom tom and get GPS cords of the tee boxes and baskets, input them into gEarth, and then draw lines...then i realized my tom tom was only accurate within 10 meters, ontop of that, they are designed to work at a moving speed...so that was a no go...it would litterally take a surveyor with differential gps equipment =\
i guess a gEarth overlay is as good as its gonna get!

 

[skeeter]

Yeah I would not suggest a TomTom for GPS location, you'd want a sub-meter GPS for that. There are plenty of handhelds out there that offer sub-meter accuracy but then again your 'survey' is only as good as the equipment. Also, GPS accuracy with hand held units is seasonally driven! If your buddy has a nice handheld, wait till the fall when the leaves have dropped to locate what you want. Otherwise like you said, hire a surveyor. My guess that will cost you between $500 and $2000 based on the scope of work and detail.

 

[jimbosprint]

Adobe Illustrator. Industry standard for graphic design.

 

[Lewis]

I use Google Maps and The Gimp, which is a freeware competitor of Adobe Photoshop. I just don't have hundreds of $$$ to shell out for Adobe software.

If you've got a heavily wooded course where satellite photographs make it hard to judge locations, the aerial images on Bing.com might do better. Of course that depends on what time of year the photos were taken. But if your course is heavily wooded, you're not likely to get GPS locations within several meters anyway. I agree that the best time to take GPS coordinates in is the Fall or Winter when the leaves are off the trees. Also be sure to do it on a day when the sky is clear. There are all sorts of factors that affect GPS accuracy.

 

[grodney]

Nothing fancy, but I use Microsoft Visio.

I place an aerial image in Visio, then put Visio objects on top of it. Then when I'm all done, I remove the aerial.

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course_files/3036/7ec7e21c.gif

Google Docs has a new FREE visio-like drawing program. Although I haven't tried to insert an aerial in that one.

 

[billnchristy]

I use excel. Especially now with 2007, can export to PDF, website, etc. The beauty is they are scalable and you don't lose resolution and it is easy as hell to use.

 

[Lewis]

Also OpenOffice has a "Draw" application in its suite. I love me some freeware.

But I'm curious, BillnChristy... how do you draw with Excel? I imagine you reducing the cells down to tiny little dimensions and then coloring them like pixels. But that seems crazy.

 

[billnchristy]

Here is an example:

The grove

 

[jdggna]

Here is an example:

The grove

wtf? How did you get pictures and shiz into Excel? I thought it was just a spreadsheet thing...also, where did you get your pictures that you used?

 

[billnchristy]

I made the graphical components using the shapes and shading.

You can bring in pictures and do pretty much anything in excel.

 

[Lewis]

What about the hand-drawn gray stuff?

 

[billnchristy]

Just lines that are made many pixels fat.

 

[homebrew]

Adobe Illustrator. Industry standard for graphic design.

this.

 

[Lewis]

Just lines that are made many pixels fat.

Duh but what tool did you use to draw them? I didn't know you could draw on Excel spreadsheets!