HOW TO: Build a Lidar golf course for PGA2k21.
Jul 20, 2022 19:10:22 GMT -5
sroel908, paddyjk19, and 2 more like this
Post by Heisenberg on Jul 20, 2022 19:10:22 GMT -5
When I first learnt how to do this a couple of years ago, I found it a little tricky to find all the different information scattered over the forum. A community member recently asked for some detailed advice on how to build a lidar course so I figured rather than just go through it with them on a PM, I’d post it here so anyone who wants to give it a try has all the information and links in one place.
If any members in here note that I missed something or got something wrong, let me know and I’ll adjust this post.
WHAT YOU NEED:
• A PC - won't work with console
• A copy of TGC2019
• A copy of PGA2k21
• ‘Chad’s Tool’ which is the software created by an awesome community member who enabled all of this to happen. Please consider donating to his Paypal when you download it (https://www.paypal.me/chaddev.)
• Some very good images and preferably flyovers of every hole on your course.
• An understanding on how to use Open Street Maps (OSM) or the willingness to learn (https://www.openstreetmap.org/ ).
• An understanding on how to obtain lidar data for your course or the willingness to learn.
• 50-100+ hours of patience (unless you just want to do a bad job)
So if you don’t have all of the above, I wouldn’t even bother starting. If you do, below is the step by step instructions on what to do and where to find the more detailed information required.
STEP 1.
Install TGC2019 and PGA2k21. Unfortunately we need to install TGC2019 because the creater of the software used to import the lidar data is no longer part of the community (afaik) and he didn’t update it for the new game (last update was May 2020). So basically you’ll need to import the lidar data to TGC2019 (once you’ve learnt how), publish the raw lidar course and then “import legacy course” from TGC2019 in PGA2k21. If/when the new game comes out we may even need to do the process again a third time (?).
STEP 2.
Download Chad’s Tool to your PC. I’m certain it’s safe and I’ve had it on my PC for a couple of years but install it at your own risk. You can get it here - Chad's Tool & Tutorial
You only need to click on the latest tgc_gui_0_3_2.exe file to download it. Just read those instructions in his tutorial as he’s made it very straightforward.
STEP 3.
Follow his instructions within the tutorial. Chad’s tutorial is excellent and will teach you how and where to find the best lidar, how to edit in OSM and then how to put it all together using his tool which in turn will allow you to import it to TGC2019.
STEP 4.
Open up PGA2k21, click on the "Import Legacy Course" option in the designer section and select your raw lidar course from the TGC2019 game. Once you have the raw lidar data imported into the game, you can change to the required theme/background for your course and then begin planting. I strongly advise that if you want your course to be of a tour standard for TGC Tours then you will need to have some very good images and flyovers of every hole on your course so that they can be planted accurately. Not much point building the course without an excellent source to reference from. Search the course’s website and also search it in Google and Youtube for as much detail as you can get your hands on.
Hope that helped to pull it all together for beginners.
SOME ADDITIONAL TIPS FROM MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES:
1. If you’re building a course by the ocean and you need to adjust the direction of the holes so that they’re true to life, Chad’s tool does provide that option to rotate the plot. We can’t currently rotate the themed backgrounds in game so you’ll need to do it with the lidar beforehand.
2. I would advise importing everything from Chad’s tool which is ticked by default in the OSM import section. Even if the trees imported aren’t what you need (which they won’t be) at least you have a good indication of where they need to be placed. I have also imported “add trees from lidar” when I’ve used lidar data for importing land without the need for OSM data. I.e. I only wanted the lidar data to build my own design on the land but wanted the trees so I knew where they were placed in real life.
3. You can also use Chad’s tool to create an RCR even when you don’t have lidar. I have used it a few times just to import the OSM data so that my course holes and infrastructure were laid out perfectly. I then had to measure all out all my elevations manually using Google Earth Pro and sculpt them accordingly in game. It’s extremely time consuming ….but it can be done.
4. If you want to import lidar just to use the land for your own fictional design, I would recommend going through the process and importing it BUT once you work out where you want your holes to be placed, do the process again and cut out all the land that isn’t going to be used in and around your holes. The reason is that the lidar files are very big and if you don’t do that, your planting will take much longer and the course will also load much more slowly in game.
5. If you hit a roadblock on anything at all, just search for it under the lidar help section in the forums. It’s very likely someone else has had the same problem in the past and the answers may have already been covered.
If any members in here note that I missed something or got something wrong, let me know and I’ll adjust this post.
WHAT YOU NEED:
• A PC - won't work with console
• A copy of TGC2019
• A copy of PGA2k21
• ‘Chad’s Tool’ which is the software created by an awesome community member who enabled all of this to happen. Please consider donating to his Paypal when you download it (https://www.paypal.me/chaddev.)
• Some very good images and preferably flyovers of every hole on your course.
• An understanding on how to use Open Street Maps (OSM) or the willingness to learn (https://www.openstreetmap.org/ ).
• An understanding on how to obtain lidar data for your course or the willingness to learn.
• 50-100+ hours of patience (unless you just want to do a bad job)
So if you don’t have all of the above, I wouldn’t even bother starting. If you do, below is the step by step instructions on what to do and where to find the more detailed information required.
STEP 1.
Install TGC2019 and PGA2k21. Unfortunately we need to install TGC2019 because the creater of the software used to import the lidar data is no longer part of the community (afaik) and he didn’t update it for the new game (last update was May 2020). So basically you’ll need to import the lidar data to TGC2019 (once you’ve learnt how), publish the raw lidar course and then “import legacy course” from TGC2019 in PGA2k21. If/when the new game comes out we may even need to do the process again a third time (?).
STEP 2.
Download Chad’s Tool to your PC. I’m certain it’s safe and I’ve had it on my PC for a couple of years but install it at your own risk. You can get it here - Chad's Tool & Tutorial
You only need to click on the latest tgc_gui_0_3_2.exe file to download it. Just read those instructions in his tutorial as he’s made it very straightforward.
STEP 3.
Follow his instructions within the tutorial. Chad’s tutorial is excellent and will teach you how and where to find the best lidar, how to edit in OSM and then how to put it all together using his tool which in turn will allow you to import it to TGC2019.
STEP 4.
Open up PGA2k21, click on the "Import Legacy Course" option in the designer section and select your raw lidar course from the TGC2019 game. Once you have the raw lidar data imported into the game, you can change to the required theme/background for your course and then begin planting. I strongly advise that if you want your course to be of a tour standard for TGC Tours then you will need to have some very good images and flyovers of every hole on your course so that they can be planted accurately. Not much point building the course without an excellent source to reference from. Search the course’s website and also search it in Google and Youtube for as much detail as you can get your hands on.
Hope that helped to pull it all together for beginners.
SOME ADDITIONAL TIPS FROM MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES:
1. If you’re building a course by the ocean and you need to adjust the direction of the holes so that they’re true to life, Chad’s tool does provide that option to rotate the plot. We can’t currently rotate the themed backgrounds in game so you’ll need to do it with the lidar beforehand.
2. I would advise importing everything from Chad’s tool which is ticked by default in the OSM import section. Even if the trees imported aren’t what you need (which they won’t be) at least you have a good indication of where they need to be placed. I have also imported “add trees from lidar” when I’ve used lidar data for importing land without the need for OSM data. I.e. I only wanted the lidar data to build my own design on the land but wanted the trees so I knew where they were placed in real life.
3. You can also use Chad’s tool to create an RCR even when you don’t have lidar. I have used it a few times just to import the OSM data so that my course holes and infrastructure were laid out perfectly. I then had to measure all out all my elevations manually using Google Earth Pro and sculpt them accordingly in game. It’s extremely time consuming ….but it can be done.
4. If you want to import lidar just to use the land for your own fictional design, I would recommend going through the process and importing it BUT once you work out where you want your holes to be placed, do the process again and cut out all the land that isn’t going to be used in and around your holes. The reason is that the lidar files are very big and if you don’t do that, your planting will take much longer and the course will also load much more slowly in game.
5. If you hit a roadblock on anything at all, just search for it under the lidar help section in the forums. It’s very likely someone else has had the same problem in the past and the answers may have already been covered.
