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hi,
i installed 2 days ago the beta2 version. congratulations !!!
config : XP-2Go RAM, ATOM 1.6GHz.
I'm not a regatta_gamer but i try to use VRTool to root my real boat with weather..

i saw some small issues :
.grib files from ugrib
.1/I's better to select le boundaries with entiered number : 10; -5 and save the setup. after in VRtool you can easely compared the differents values..
.2/On Xp, you must save the grid file under root C:\grib_file. if not, the import proceed VRTool doesn't work properly, and the starting_time of the grib is worth.
.weather routing:
1/ to start the routing at the good hour, you must well synchronize the grib and the procedure. For that , you must in the property pannel/other set the "wind update time" with the grib_updatetime (add the offset with GMT and local time).
.For Omar : could you open the parameter "next updat time" because in ugrib it's 6hours and not 12 as you freeze in the pannel.
.polares for my sailboat.
1/i succeded to convert a xls file to csv file. For me , le minimum windspeed starts with 33kns with boatspeed close to 4kns. It dosn't work properly, so i add a line wind=10kns with boatspeed=0,1. I think it's better for interpolation because the results for VRTool has been more realistic. (before , the boat sailed against the wind...)
It s to difficult with my english to describ the protocol,. Il can shoot some pc_screen if somebody needs..
2/ the issue is that to use the file , you must copy the file under programFile\VRTool and change the name to PolaresVOC.csv. The MyPolares.csv doesn't work.

So, now, the weather routing works properly , even if i'm not sure that the endly result is totaly comparable with professional routing software... But, I want again congratuled Omar for the high technical sofware.

@

Omar,

I tried for fun (now I am not engage in any race for MP/VR game) your new version. It is great!!!


I have just some suggestions for the routing part:

- I am using some world grib files. it should be better to keep the possibilities to select a rectangular zone for decoding,
- When I used some grib files directly from NOAA with timestamp> 174h, the program crashed. It seems you have limited the time stamp at 171 or 174h. Could be possible to extend up to 180h,
- Degrib soft can decode "grib2" file (my soft grib2xml can too) but I obtain some errors with your soft.

You are closed to have routing routines as the commercial one. Could be great:
- if you will extend the using up to the interpolation in the space (relative position with the 4 closed grib coordinates) and for the time (interpolation between 2 timestamp values). Doing that, your soft can be used for other virtual sail games,
- to let the user to change or not the speed wind value in order to match with MP/VR race. 5 I saw you encountered some discrepancies between the game and VRTool, as grib2vrtool works fine, I can send to you the part of the related coding.

Regards,

Version 1.8 is available for download (15-dec-09)
Download the full installer from:

http://www.tecepe.com.br/nav/vrtool/download.htm

New features:
* Boats in the chart now have sails ( little dolphins may pop here and there too )
* Import gribs from zyGrib ( vrtool uses bzip2.exe internally to decompress bz2 )
* weather routing ( let the computer do the thinking )

>> bzip2 and degrib will be installed in vrtool directory by the installer.
http://www.bzip.org
http://www.zygrib.org

Omar,

I found that if I don't delete the previous VRTool instalation (1.70), and try to upgrade to version 1.80 without do it first, the new weather tool function always crash. But if I delete the previous VRTool instalation, and do a clean instalation, the new VRTool 1.80 works.

So, I don't know why, but I think that is important to do a clean instalation, or the weather function may get problems...

My computer is a Core 2 Quad 8200, 6 GB RAM, 2 hard drive (250 GB and 500 GB), Windows XP SP3

Aqui em português para explicar melhor, meu inglês para escrever é péssimo:

Descobri que se eu não deletar a instalação anterior do VRTool (1.70 ou mesmo as betas 1.80), e tentar instalar o novo 1.80 na mesma pasta, ou mesmo em outra pasta separada (tipo deixar a versão anterior na pasta /vrtool e instalar a nova em /vrtool 1.8), tanto faz, sempre o programa trava quando tento usar a ferramenta Weather... Tive de deletar tudo o que havia, limpar o registro do Windows, e então instalar a versão 1.80 para que esta parasse de travar... Não imagino porque, mas acho que você deveria conferir isso, e eventualmente recomendar a remoção total da versão anterior para quem estiver tendo problemas.

Great finding !

I had the same problem of crash with weather routing.
I have de-installed Vrtool and installed the new version.
This de-install/re-install process seems to have cleaned the problem, on my Win XP-512Mb Ram PC.

Note - I kept my .nav file and polar file, no need to reinit them.

Oups, I was too optimistic: after a first reinstallation, the weather routing worked.
But, after having closed Vrtool and restarted it on day later, it doesn't work any more (same crash as before)


As I don't want to stay on a failure, I have again deinstalled VrTool and reinstalled it.
After reinstall, Weather routing worked again.

In addition, a small request for improvement for the weather routing: it would be nice to get in the data of the WR_best points, the boat bearing that shall be taken from Point N to Point N+1

this morning, I can't load wind files and boat file from Virtual Regatta. There 's any files in plugtmp
Lasterday, it was ok.

Is there someone whis this problem this morning ?

Sorry for my english, but I'm french

Hi,
I Have the same problem, the get-user file isn't stored on the computer any more, it isn't visible with cache viewer or httpfox.
The boat data must be somewhere else but where ?

Look's like we will have to input by hand the boat position

I think there's been a Firefox update which has broken the import routine.

I think, the changes comes from Virtual Regatta and not from Firefox or VRtool