Free Routing Software. qtVlm

[maitai]

send it to maitai<at_should_be_replaced>virtual-winds.com

[maitai]

Tore, I got your files.


First thing, you have 2 POIs named WP-1. So in fact you are routing towards Gibraltar...


Second thing, you are using the worst possible polar, oceanExpress. This is a polar from VLM (I have put them all in the distribution), but this boat is hepless upwind. Choose another. more realistic polar. For instance imoca2008 or pogo850. I will remove all fancy polars from the distribution and leave only a few samples.


Next, you have set polar efficiency to 85%, so the poor polar is even worst.


Last thing, if it still does not want to turn the cape, you should move a bit your barrier a bit closer (move the north extremity a bit upper), so qtVlm wont be fooled by the W route. I might later have a look in the code to see if I can improve a bit that case in the routing module.


An option is to quit qtVlm, delete qtVlm.ini, boatAcc.dat and poi.dat and restart. That will make you a clean install with all default options

[maitai]

qtVlm version 3.2.9 is out (QtVlm Download).

Main improvements are the display of raster maps (kap files, not all of them are supported yet), and integration with ocpn (you can copy/paste routes between the 2 programs). You need latest beta of ocpn (3.1.814) to use this feature.

[sinbad7]

maitai..

Downloaded the latest versions of qtVlm and OCPN.
Following Jaspers instructions,I tried to open Edit in Routings but it does NOT open.?
I can not see ANY .kap maps? Do I have to re-install in FULL?

Tore

[sinbad7]

Maitai..

OK, I set up the same route Dover-Gibraltar again and this time it worked perfectly. The copy/paste also worked well and I have the optimized route on my map in OpenCPN. Only thing is,going through 40 knots winds is not adviceable across the Bay of Biscay....

I´ve also set up an easy way to port the optimized .klm route to my Android Galaxy running OruxMaps nav.prog. by PASTING it direct from qtVlm to C:/ORUXMAPS/COPY-PASTE.TXT and save it as Dover-Girbraltar.kml

It is now easy to copy the .kml file and paste it to my OruxMaps/Tracks/
directory accessable on my PC via USB cable.

or alternatively...

Export the route direct from qtVlm as a .gpx file to my OruxMaps/Tracks/
directory accessable on my PC via USB cable. If you could also have an option to export in .kml format it would be PERFECT!!!

P.S. I gave up on the Kristiansand - Kiel route. In spite of everything I tried,I was not able to create the optimized route.

Tore

[sinbad7]

And here is the same enhanced route exported as .gpx to Android OruxMaps.

Tore

[maitai]

Tore,

-There is an option to import/export routes as a file in kml format. Just ask for a .kml file.
-You can load a kap file through the qtVlm menu (qtVlm->kap files management)
-You can specify in the routing module max/min TWS, and qtVlm will avoid the 40kts zone. The routing might not find a solution if there is no way around this grib zone.

[sinbad7]

maitai..

Thanks for the tips...

The .kml chart option does not work for me in Win 7.
I just get a grey square. Any special settings I should be aware of?

Tore

[maitai]

I guess that by .kml you mean .kap...

Some kap are not yet readable by qtVlm, we are working on that. To be precise kap which have no WPX, WPYs and such (bsb 2.0), are not yet recognized. kap files from NOAA for instance are ok.

[sinbad7]

maitai..

Of course,I meant .kap,slip of the key

I could understand that some of the converted .kap charts did not show but I am using standard Admiralty .bsb charts and they do not show??

Using the new copy/paste function,does the optimized route also contain the bearings between wpt´s? If not,OpenCPN should have been able to do so,displaying it with a mouseover,but it does´nt,although the bearings ARE displayed in the Route properties box.

Tore

[maitai]

We are aware some kap wont display, but we decided to release the version anyway. We are working on that. I'll be pleased if you can send me the sample that does not work, just to double-check.

For the heading between WPs I don't know what's the capability of O, I can send more data from qtVlm but with Jesper we decided not to do so for the time being.

[sinbad7]

maitai..

For your interest,I can now quickly and easily move your optimized routes to a very popular Android nav. prog. by the name OruxMaps.

Using your export .kml facility,I place the file in a directory called ORUXMAPS
on my PC. Using two FREE Android programs FTP Server and ES File Explorer I can set up a two way WI-FI link between the ORUXMAPS directory on my PC and the Tracks directory on my Galaxy S II. From here you just copy/paste.

For the time being OruxMaps do not display the date/time and speed data but I have asked the author to add it in the next version.

By clicking the .kml file you can view the date/time and speed of each WPT via Google Earth,which is installed on my Galaxy.

Tore

[sinbad7]

maitai..

On many occations I find that the optimizing network does not move towards the target. Why is this happening. The setting is 180 degrees but yet it only creates a narrow fan,mostly to the left??

Tore

[maitai]

Torre,

I am on vacation this week with no real internet access so I'll have a look at your problems next week.

In the mean time please make sure that you are routing toward the correct POI. Give it a unique name like "ArrivalTest" or whatever, so you are sure you actually route to this point. POIs can have the same name (it's on purpose), so if you are not careful you might in fact be routing to another WP, like it happened to you the other time

[sinbad7]

maitai..

Thanks for the tips,yes there was another POI by the same name on he other side of the world Now all works fine... Any way to get a warning about using duplicate POI´s or just not accept duplicates?

Here is a comment I posted today you might look at when you return:

Jesper..

Both of the pasted files from OCPN,Route and Track are missing the TWD and TWS received from qtVlm. This is valuable information which should also be available in OCPN.

Exporting/saving/pasting a Route or Track file from OCPN consequently does NOT contain this information. WHY?

As mentioned in my earlier posting COURSE is missing in the Route wpt pop-up flag on a mouse-over,and both COURSE ane SPEED are missing in the Track.kml file.

Another point with the pasted qtVlm Track file is that the TWD uses an unauthorized character to indicate ° which looks like a minituarized ´M` but is not recognized by any XML editor.

Hopefully this will be corrected in a future version.

Have a nice holiday!!

Tore