Course Designer "Optimize Detail"

[masospaghetti]

I have made a few courses in PGA 99, I have a very difficult time completing a 18 hole course without getting errors due to too much course detail. I resorted to making 9 hole courses to work around this.

Is there a better solution to this? I just downloaded PGA 2000, any difference betwee 99 and 2000 in this regard?

Thanks!

[SteveHorn]

masospaghetti
I never played PGA 1999. I can tell you that I started playing PGA 2000 in fall of 2003. I can't recall ever getting an error message saying to much detail and I always play 18 holes.

[masospaghetti]

Thanks for responding. I'm referring to building a course -- is that what you mean?

[SteveHorn]

masospaghetti
Sorry about that. For some reason I thought you were referring to game play not architect design. I optimize everything on the lowest setting possible. Then when I start to get above 500,000, I start optimizing areas outside the course (Woods, basic overall rough outside of the regular rough) on the 2nd to lowest setting. I'll randomly check to make sure I didn't forget to optimize something after smoothing or whatever. Also, you should run the course repair during designing or when finished to remove all unnecessary points.

[masospaghetti]

Interesting! On one of my courses I have 317,000 points and 635,000 faces, I get the dialog box "You need to optimize detail by eliminating unnecessary terrain objects or by using the optimize detail tool."

Any idea why you can get to 500,000+ points and I cannot?

[Jim Hall]

I just ignore that message and keep plowing forward. You might be doing this already but, when I create a hole, I lay down a texture - usually concrete for visibility - over the area the hole will appear in, separating it from the rest of the course. I optimize that area and any part of the hole I have created several times throughout the creation process. I also run course repair several times during the creation of a hole.

[SteveHorn]

masospaghetti
Make sure you save your course while designing frequently. Do as Jim suggest, ignore that message and save save save. If it crashes, then worry about doing extra optimizing as recommended. I don't know why I run into problems at 500,000 points or slightly higher. I'm pretty sure some people have created courses with much higher point counts.

[masospaghetti]

Thanks for the comments.

Jim, how do you deal with cart paths and water elements since they can't cross the boundary around the hole? I have recently tried what you suggested with some success but haven't really figured out how to better integrate paths.

[BrianZ111]

I follow the method DanO came up with (or at least he explained it if he wasn’t the originator of it) for greens but I do it everywhere. That is, once you’re happy with something in a single shape or a nest of shapes, smooth on the lowest setting, then optimize on the lowest setting. Then open the optimize tool again on the shape(s). If it’s 2% or less do one last minimum optimize and you’re done. If not you cancel that and do another smooth and optimize on the lowest settings again. If necessary, repeat until 2% or less comes up. This cleans up wrinkles and preserves the detail with the minimum number of points required. Also run the repair course feature from time to time as well.

In my experience, as long as one single shape doesn’t contain over 100,000 points you’re fine and you can ignore the warning but I would always save multiple versions frequently just in case you need to go back. I do that as much for myself screwing a feature up I like as for the potential for something getting corrupted.

Crossing other shapes with something is a pain, there's no magic bullet. You have to split it at the border and insert and triangle shape in between to get it flush with the border. There will always be a sliver of a crack at the border though so ideally you only do this out of play where it won’t be seen close up but that doesn't always work out.

[Jim Hall]

What Brian said about crossing shapes. And yes, save a lot. I sometimes have as many as 30 files for a single hole (eg. hole 1a, hole 1b, hole 1c, etc.) That way I can always go back to the point prior to something I didn't like.