Yes the maps assistant is getting there.
I have now made a full slideshow of my northern Peru trip back in 2008, including an animated map made with the help of maps assistant. I had to export this as an MP4 file, since I wanted to make the slideshow itself in FM5, for various reasons.
Next up might be a “long” version of my trip to Uzbekistan/Turkmenistan in 2019, complete with maps, and created entirely in FM6b!
Stan: no Ken Burns Effect 
I just started a new slideshow we’ve been putting off called “Lions, Tigers, and Bears” of our trips to Kenya, India, Svalbard, China, and Alaska. I would LIKE to use FM 6 but I’m afraid it’s just not ready, although there are a number of tricky things I wanted to do that FM 5 can’t. There was a Map thing I wanted to try, but apparently there are limits to overall distances that FM 6 can’t do (due to Apple calls, not directly FM 6’s fault). I can work around them using FM 5 (but it won’t look as good) – or just wait some more while playing with FM 6.
So how does this work?I created my route in Google MyMaps. However hard I tried I could not iron out an absurd detour at one point in my route. Here is how that segment looks in Maps Assistant. I would like to edit it to go in a straight line. Is there any way to do it other than click on every single dot on the route one by one to move it? It would be nice to edit the start point and then the endpoint:
I’m assuming you tried a Command-Click on each point in that “detour” to DELETE it, but that didn’t work? You mentioned not wanting to click on every single dot one by one to “move” it – you didn’t say delete – but you’d still have to click on each one. That would leave you with an unusual “straight” segment in the middle of a naturally-looking route, anyway (or you could leave a few points and move those). Either way, it’s strange that you got that “absurd” detour added. Was this from a .gpx route file? Could be a glitch from your GPS if you used one, erroneous signals during that part of the route (although that looks like miles off of-course waypoints).
It’s actually a journey I made by high-speed train, so would have been pretty much a straight line. However, Google My Maps is unable to plot train journeys and for some reason comes up with this detour on the road route. It’s a bypass of some sort and, interestingly, doesn’t look as pronounced when I look at the same area on Google Maps itself.
Anyway, I did click and move or delete individual points on Map Assistant to get it looking more like a direct route. I was unable to identify the train tracks when zooming in on the map.
As I think I said in an earlier post, I don’t have a GPS (except what’s in my phone) so have taught myself how to import routes from Google My Maps.
Here’s how it currently looks. The start and end points are at the top right and the route includes two flights. I have still to add place names etc.
I had trouble with routes on our trip to China. I was trying to track everywhere we went every day and those days we were on bullet trains we’d go through a tunnel and either lose the signal completely, or the GPS would get creative and make up a route on its own 
I use Garmin Basecamp to store all my track data and had to fix those goofy (or missing sections). And it’s difficult to use Google Earth or any map software (I use OpenStreetMaps on my GPS if needed), because those underground or tunnel sections aren’t usually mapped out. And not all maps show train rails.
Hi,
thanks for the feature, I really like it.
Here some comments to make it even better 
- at least for my taste:
In general is a great piece of software you made. The limitation to e.g. six picturelayers is sometimes really „limiting“
In response to the track files, I’ve also suggested using more than one .gpx file on a map. There is a sort of cheeky way to do that – create a map layer and load the .gpx file. Now create ANOTHER map layer on another slide, reproducing the exact same map dimensions and locations as the previous construct. Load the .gpx file on the new map. Then go back to the Timeline, copy the second map layer and paste it on top of the first map layer on the first slide. Now adjust opacity, timing, and color of the route, etc. it’s a kludgy work-around, but that “might” get you what you need. But your original request would be great if it was implemented more easily.
As for the “limitation to e.g. six picture layers” – that’s gone away in the new FM 6.0bx. You can include pretty much as many layers as you want on a single slide (both images AND text layers). That was definitely limiting on FM 5, but no longer. You probably don’t want to go crazy though – it might slow the playback down a bit trying to fetch all those layers at once. But I’ve included, I think, up to TWELVE layers and they all displayed correctly.
Have just been working with the Map Assistant the past week. Am very impressed with it. Was able to create 4,000 mile trip route without too many problems. Took some practice to get used to it but am finding my way around pretty good now. It was easy to add locations on the map but there were some locations like the Carlsbad Caverns I had to add manually on the slide instead of the map. Wish prominent locations like that were part of the Locations you can add directly from the Map Assistant. Otherwise great! Thanks for adding this feature. I think what I would like to see is more Points of Interest added to the mapping options - at least the major one - the Grand Canyon is available but not the White Sand, Painted Desert, or Carlsbad Caverns.
