Help with custom icons

[Jason_AZ]

Firstly, apologies if this is covered somewhere else and I missed it.

I have a 720 running app 7.221 (8572/040301)
(aside: I haven't upgraded because I keep hearing about choppy speech and other bugs with V.8)

I'm trying to create custom icons for a POI categories (In this example Starbucks)

I've read every thread I could find on this forum group and visited users pages that give step by step directions.

I've found threads in these forums that say the icons must be:

22x22 pixels, 24x24 pixels
72 dpi
8 bit color, 16 bit color,24 bit color

I've tried using Adobe Photoshop, doing a Windows System, indexed color, bitmap with both pixel counts (22 and 24).

I've tried using MS Paint 22x22 72 dpi, 24x24 72 dpi

The file names are the same (OV2 and BMP).

Here is where the weirdness begins:

- The custom bitmap shows up fine in the "show POI category on map" interface
- The custom bitmap shows up when I do a "navigate to" on the screen where I select which particular POI (which Starbucks)I want.
- The custom bitmaps do **NOT** show up on the map in "Browse Map" or the normal driving mode.

I know they should be on the map because the "navigate to" system finds one in my neighborhood.

What gives? This is driving me nutty.

I've attached an example. I realize there are much better Starbucks icons available but I'm trying to understand the process so I can create other ones.

Thanks in advance for assistance!
- J

 

[canderson]

- The custom bitmaps do **NOT** show up on the map in "Browse Map" or the normal driving mode.

I know they should be on the map because the "navigate to" system finds one in my neighborhood.

First, stick with 22x22. 16 colors should be plenty for most things.

Here I am at work and cannot remember exact screen sequences ...

You need to manually enable your new POI type (OV2 file) for both viewing on maps and regular nav screen. It's one of the many configurable options. Off the top of my head (and it's just that), go to Browse Maps, and under the options there, you should be able to find the POI display option, and under that, you should be able to check the box that will appear next to your new POI type so that it is displayed.

 

[Jason_AZ]

First, stick with 22x22. 16 colors should be plenty for most things.

Here I am at work and cannot remember exact screen sequences ...

You need to manually enable your new POI type (OV2 file) for both viewing on maps and regular nav screen. It's one of the many configurable options. Off the top of my head (and it's just that), go to Browse Maps, and under the options there, you should be able to find the POI display option, and under that, you should be able to check the box that will appear next to your new POI type so that it is displayed.

Thanks for the response. I double checked
CHANGE PREFERENCES > SHOW POI ON MAP
and
BROWSE MAP > OPTIONS > POINTS OF INTEREST checkbox
and
BROWSE MAP > OPTIONS > POI button > Starbucks

They are all active and I'm still not seeing the icons on the navigate or browse map mode.

 

[dhn]

Try a pin reset.

 

[Jason_AZ]

Try a pin reset.

I tried the pin reset. The unit turned off when I used a paper clip to press the reset button on the bottom. I turned it back on and still have the problem with not seeing the icons.

Is there a limit to how many POI can be in a category? This database has about 9K.

Outputing a CSV file with TYRE, the entries look like this in Excel:

-80.3247 25.7965 Starbucks"" 0

I did a little more tinkering and
NAVIGATE TO ... > POINT OF INTEREST > POI NEAR YOU finds entries in the custom POI category.

but . . .
interestingly

NAVIGATE TO ... > POINT OF INTEREST > POI IN CITY finds no entries
NAVIGATE TO ... > POINT OF INTEREST > POI NEAR HOME finds entries

Still no icons on navigate mode and browse map mode

 

[dhn]

Well, the supplied .bmp's with my 810 map are 8 bit colour and 22x22. Custom ones I've downloaded are 24x24 and 24 bit colour. So, clearly, both are acceptable.

Is the Starbuck's poi file one you downloaded for which you want an associated .bmp or is it a category included in the original map's poi.dat and crpoi.dat files?

If a custom poi file, then double check the name of both the .bmp and .poi file is exactly the same.

I don't know why I think you are finding included Starbuck's rather than your own when you do see them in certain views.

If the .bmp doesn't match exactly the name of an associated .poi file, then you see a red box, instead of an actual symbol. If you aren't even seeing a red box, then I wonder if you are even seeing your own poi's.

 

[Jason_AZ]

Well, the supplied .bmp's with my 810 map are 8 bit colour and 22x22. Custom ones I've downloaded are 24x24 and 24 bit colour. So, clearly, both are acceptable.

Is the Starbuck's poi file one you downloaded for which you want an associated .bmp or is it a category included in the original map's poi.dat and crpoi.dat files?

If a custom poi file, then double check the name of both the .bmp and .poi file is exactly the same.

I don't know why I think you are finding included Starbuck's rather than your own when you do see them in certain views.

If the .bmp doesn't match exactly the name of an associated .poi file, then you see a red box, instead of an actual symbol. If you aren't even seeing a red box, then I wonder if you are even seeing your own poi's.

I downloaded the Starbucks file from:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/12311
It is not included in the original maps POI.

Double checked the file names. Copied and pasted here:
Starbucks.bmp
Starbucks.ov2

I don't see the red box.
I do see the built in POI's when I turn them on.
I have another set of custom downloaded POI/associated bitmaps installed that work fine (AZ Free_Wifi). The icons show up in all views and all NAVIGATE TO ... searches find them.

Wierd.

 

[Jason_AZ]

Progress !!

Progress !!

Thanks for all the ideas.

I was suspicious about how many POIs could be in a custom category so I pared the database down to just the Tucson area Starbucks by working with the lat-lon coordinates in Excel CSV format than reconverted them to .ov2.

Now they show up.

Problem solved, sort of.

Does anyone know what the maximum number of entries a custom POI group is? Has anyone had success with a group of approximately 8000 entries?

 

[dhn]

There IS a size factor. At one time, TomTom said one could add 'up to' 300 poi categories. Testing showed that no more than 170 categories could work at once.

Similarly, the size of EACH poi category comes into play. What the maximum is? Don't know. May depend upon the size of other custom categories installed.

Don't forget that, as you are driving, the processor must evaluate EACH poi in a category and determine whether it should show in the next map view or not. Looks as if you hit the limit ....

 

[canderson]

There IS a size factor. At one time, TomTom said one could add 'up to' 300 poi categories. Testing showed that no more than 170 categories could work at once.

Similarly, the size of EACH poi category comes into play. What the maximum is? Don't know. May depend upon the size of other custom categories installed.

Would have to be the latter, if it's a factor. I've got one custom POI with over 3,000 entries in it. I can believe that there's some limit to the total categories the firmware is expecting to display for selection and juggle ... guess 170 doesn't surprise me.

However, total POI (not file, total points) count should NOT be a factor until POI's are actually "enabled" for use. The TT would have no care about the count POIs in disabled categories. What would bite eventually would be the total number of potential points enabled at once. The TT must juggle all of the points within all currently enabled POI categories all the time in order to sort out which should be displayed at a given moment. That'd take a good bit of both processing power and memory.

 

[Jason_AZ]

Would have to be the latter, if it's a factor. I've got one custom POI with over 3,000 entries in it. I can believe that there's some limit to the total categories the firmware is expecting to display for selection and juggle ... guess 170 doesn't surprise me.

However, total POI (not file, total points) count should NOT be a factor until POI's are actually "enabled" for use. The TT would have no care about the count POIs in disabled categories. What would bite eventually would be the total number of potential points enabled at once. The TT must juggle all of the points within all currently enabled POI categories all the time in order to sort out which should be displayed at a given moment. That'd take a good bit of both processing power and memory.

Bah ! Computers are supposed to be good at doing lots of math and stuff really fast. Kidding. I think the issue is closed. I'll have to break larger databases like this into Eastern US / Western US or something like that.

 

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POI not showing on TT720

Have used POI factory for over a year now, and POI edit for conversions on my XL one. My 720 shows a few POI's and I have used both my custom downloads and TT's. What I discovered last night and today is, the icons show up when I have a route planned but not when I am driving without a designated route. I'll be driving by a Starbucks or Mickey D's or anything else, and if I quickly select Navigate to somewhere, the icons show up. Weird things happening. I have stayed with original firmware after learning all the problems with 8.3. Have not talked to support yet, but will get around to it.