Conversion of Control Image Base (CIB) files to MultiGen-Paradigm
Inc Digital Elevation Data (DED) Files
The following procedure explains how to convert CIB
files to DED files that are useable by MultiGen-Paradigm Inc Creator
Terrain PRO to create terrain skins. Clicking on any of the image will download
a larger copy of the image.
The DED files can be further converted into DTED files
using Hummingbird Computing Inc’s fileconvert.exe utility. An evaluation version of this
utility can be downloaded from the File Convert Product Page.
This procedures uses the NIMA’s Fusion 2.1 Final, Adobe
Photoshop with MultiGen-Paradigm Inc’s (MPI) RGB plug-ins, and MPI’s
image2ded.exe program. Fusion
2.1 Final is distributed as a part of NIMA’ MUSE package.
STEP 1: Import the CIB file into Fusion
2.1 Final
Select Fusion 2.1 Final from the NIMAMUSE 2.1
menu.
Open a new map file in Fusion using the New selection under
the File menu.
This will open another window within the Fusion
window.
Next you need to import your CIB file. To accomplish this under the
Data menu select Raster Products and then select
CIB.
Next select the TOC file for the CIB you want to
import.
Fusion will now display a dialog box with a number of
selections dealing with map center, scale and image size. Generally the default values are
adequate, so accept them by clicking the OK button.
This will cause a white area to be displayed within the
map window. Use your mouse
to click in the center of the white area and Fusion will expand the gray
scale CIB to the appropriate size.
STEP 2:
Exporting a BMP version of the CIB
The next step in the process is to export a BMP file of
the CIB. This is
accomplished by selecting the Export Map Image selection under
the Data menu and then selecting the An BMP option. BMP option is used because Adobe
Photoshop does not recognize the files produced by the NIMAMUSE Raster
or TIFF options as valid graphics files.
Once the Data, Export Map Image, An
BMP option selection has been made a dialog box asking for a file
name will appear. In this
example the image was save as ft_leonardwood.bmp.
STEP 3: Converting the BMP file into a RGB
file.
This step assumes that you have moved the MPI
Photoshop RGB Plugins, RGBFormat.8BI, and PBMFormat.8BI, from their
default location of \MultiGen\Creator directory to the
\Adobe\Photoshop\Plug-Ins\Import-Export directory.
Open
the BMP file that you created using Fusion by using Adobe Photoshop’s
File, Open menu selections.
Next
save the BMP file as a RGB file using Adobe Photoshop’s File, Save
As menu selections.
STEP 4: Converting the RGB file to a MPI DED
file
For this step you will need to open an MSDOS
window. Under Windows NT
you accomplish this from the Start, Programs menus and then click
on Command Prompt.
The image3ded.exe program is by default installed in the
\multigen\creator directory.
While you can run the program from this location, it is easier to
change directory to the location where you saved your RGB file when you
were using Photoshop. The
following is an example of just such a operation for an RGB file named
ft_leonardwood.rgb, located in the N:\terrain\cib\ft_leonardwood
directory and image2ded.exe located in the M:\multigen\creator
directory.
The MSDOS commands used in this example are:
N:
cd
\terrain\cib\ft_leonardwood
m:\multigen\creator\image2ded
ft_leonardwood.rgb
Once image2ded.exe has finished you will have a file
that has filename the same as the input RGB file and a file extension of
DED. This file can then be
imported into MultiGen Creator Terrain Pro to make a terrain skin. Alternatively, it can be
converted into a DTED using Hummingbird Computing Inc’s fileconvert.exe
utility and then be used in a number of other applications that use DTED
files as inputs.
