Showing topographic lines on City Navigator maps?

[quicksilver35]

Hello. I'm trying to get my Garmin Drive 5 to display topographic lines while also allowing me to use the City Navigator (and other maps) that comes with the GPS. I would like to use the TYP file to make all of the roads and everything transparent, so that only the topographic lines appear. When I try to make everything in the TYP file transparent except the contour lines themselves, a gray background appears and blocks the view of the other maps on the device. I tried editing the polygon 0x4b, (which I believe is the background polygon or something of that degree,) but nothing happened. I've tried using GMapTools, but that still didn't do anything. It seems that the topographic map has the highest priority to be displayed. Any suggestions?

[Boyd]

To create a transparent map overlay you would usually remove the background object and set map draw priority to 31, which is the maximum. The City Navigator map has a draw priority of 30 and will cover up any maps with a lower priority.

But I don't understand exactly what you're doing. Do you have an existing topo map that you're trying to adapt for this? It would be better to create a transparent overlay that only contains elevation contour lines.

However I'm not sure this will work on recent Nuvi and Drive models. My observation (based on my own automotive devices from 2012-2013) is that transparent overlay maps don't work. I have asked here and elsewhere whether transparent overlays work on recent Nuvi and Drive devices and nobody has responded that they do.

Let us know if you get this working. I should note that this site frowns on any discussion of modifying Garmin products or making changes to maps that were created by others however.

[quicksilver35]

I'll try fiddeling around and seeing what I could do about that. Maybe within the/next week. But just to help the solution come about quicker, what is the, "background object" that you spoke about? Would that be a specific polygon or polyline in the TYP file? How would I access information about this object?

[Boyd]

The background object is a polygon of type 0x4b that defines the boundaries of the map. As I mentioned before, the management of this site prefers that we do not discuss techniques for modifying the work of others.

Before spending a lot of time on this, I suggest you try an existing transparent map to see if it works properly on your Garmin Drive device since all of this is in vain if transparent maps don't work. You can find transparent maps by going here and checking the "transparent" box in "Search by map features". https://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/

[Boyd]

FWIW, here's a thread that appears to support my observation that transparent maps don't work on Garmin automotive units: https://forums.gpsfiledepot.com/index.php?topic=4425.0

There is another technique that should work however and it is much simpler. Find a topo map that you like and change it's draw priority to 31 (this can be done with gmaptool). Enable it and City Navigator at the same time on your GPS. This will show the topo map on the screen but will use the routing and search features from the City Navigator map (which will be hidden under the topo).

I create my own topo maps this way. For example: http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/294/

[quicksilver35]

I can't seem to find the "draw priority"  category that you are talking about. Is "Draw Order" and "Draw Priority" the same thing?
I have been able to show both the Topo contours and the City Navigator maps at the same time like how I'm trying to do. But, for the life of me, I don't know what kind of things I fiddled with to actually make it work. I'm trying to somehow do it again.

[Boyd]

Where are you seeing these terms? If you are looking at .typ files, then "draw order" refers to how polygons in the map stack on top of each other, it will have no effect on what you are doing.

I am talking about the gmaptool program. Add a map file to gmaptool, click "Write", check the draw priority box and you can enter a value between 0 and 31. City Navigator has a priority of 30. If you set the priority of another map to 31, it will cover up City Navigator when they're both enabled.

[quicksilver35]

About time!! Got it to work finally.
So, after I was using GMapTool, I was able to get it. There is one slight glitch that I have, but at this point, I'm not going to try to fix it. Maybe on down the road when I have more time.
So, what's wrong though is that when you zoom out far enough, the contour lines disappear. But, even when going fast down the road (let's say an interstate, it will zoom out slightly,) it's still going to show it. I'll attach some pictures of what I'm talking about in another post.
Pretty much all that was needed was to just use Gmaptool for this. Thanks for the help Boyd! I really appreciate it! If you would like for me to go in depth about what needs to be done, I could, but I would need your permission, as it is the Gpsfiledepot's policy to not discuss the modifying of other's work.

[quicksilver35]

So, this is with the City Navigator maps. Likewise, I have an OSM map that I used and it showed the Topographic lines on it.

[quicksilver35]

OSM map: Sorry for the low quality. Had to adjust memory size.

[Red90]

FWIW, here's a thread that appears to support my observation that transparent maps don't work on Garmin automotive units.

I make transparent maps and they work on every Nuvi that I've used.

[Boyd]

OK thanks, that's good to know.