Map building tutorial - Printable Version

+- All-Aircraft-Simulations (https://allaircraftsimulations.com)
+-- Forum: IL2 MAP MODS Download & Discussion (https://allaircraftsimulations.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=269)
+--- Forum: IL2 MAP MODS Tools for building. (https://allaircraftsimulations.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=308)
+--- Thread: Map building tutorial (/showthread.php?tid=60954)

---

Discontinuity of city texture - kevinp - 22.07.2010

I could find nothing wrong with your map. All the city textures look OK.

Maybe it's a fault in your conf.ini file. If you still have the problem you could send me a copy of the conf.ini so I can compare it with mine.

---

Re: Discontinuity of city texture - Uzin - 23.07.2010

kevinp Wrote:I could find nothing wrong with your map. All the city textures look OK.

Maybe it's a fault in your conf.ini file. If you still have the problem you could send me a copy of the conf.ini so I can compare it with mine.

Here is my conf.ini file :

---

Re: Map building tutorial - Uzin - 23.07.2010

May I attract your attention to the following lines below , which are suspected to be the reason of cross-influencing the city textures? When the lines defunctioned by double slash were active, the discontinuities were present, and after introducing the double slash, the towns seem to be repaired. You might try it.

[FIELDS]
//LowLand0 = land/Pacific/Okinawa.tga,2 //land/summer/LowLand_1.tga,2
LowLand0 = land/Pacific/Okinawa.tga,2 //land/summer/LowLand_1.tga
//LowLand1 = land/summer/grnd/grasssand2.tga,2
LowLand1 = land/summer/grnd/grasssand2.tga
LowLand2 =
LowLand3 =

//MidLand0 = land/Pacific/Chichigrass.tga //land/summer/grnd/fields_grnd_02.tga,2
MidLand0 = land/Pacific/Chichigrass.tga //land/summer/grnd/fields_grnd_02.tga

---

Discontinuity of city texture - kevinp - 24.07.2010

Does this mean you have fixed it. If so that's great because I have no idea why the problem exists.

---

Re: Map building tutorial - bigans - 07.08.2010

Hi Kevin,
thank you for the tutorial map builder and for the time that you spend for teaching us how building a map.

At page 34 the link below
(The link is inoperative)
doesn't work and i'm not able to find ACTORS TOOL on this site or by internet, could you post a new link if it exists?

Ciao from Italy

---

Actors tool - kevinp - 07.08.2010

I did a search & found the site where you can download the tool. You will have to figure out how to use it yourself because I have never used it.
http://www.filefront.com/13736224/Zuti_ActorsManagement.exe

---

Re: Map building tutorial - bigans - 08.08.2010

Thank you again, i'm working with my first Manam, so everything is ok till page 34, where I read about the Actors Tool. So I hope not to use it on Manam map. Anyway it must be used in order to rejoin multiple actors file when we build big map with much objects, is it true?

Ciao from Italy

---

Actors tool - kevinp - 08.08.2010

True, although you can make things a easier for yourself by using the modified il2fb.exe which allows you to load maps with much bigger actors files.

Download it from SAS
http://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,2475.0.html

---

Re: Map building tutorial - rustydawg - 09.08.2010

Kevinp, Thank You for the tutorial. I just finished the Manam Map and followed your in structions to the "T" and it turned out perfect.

So I tried to do a Map of South East Arizona where I live, I'll put the Douglas Army Airbase, and few others in the area on it.

My only problem is when I do the ed_Map_T.tga and the _f And_h.tga's, I don't have a ocean to color red/or black. And I have a impossible time trying to line the layers up to make the different colors on the map for the mountains and lowlands, like you did with the volcano track in the tutorial. The part where the water is grey(RGB7), land dark grey(RGB31), and volcano track black(RGB0).

Also is there a way to line up a map with a satillite image (temporarily) to get the area where the mountains and roads and washes are? And maybe use that to get the mountain textures and others area's.

I looked at viking4570 map of the Grand Canyon map_T_x.tga and it is extremely detailed. I'm sure he didn't hit and miss to add all that detail, (that's what I basically did with my first South East Arizona Map). My map_T.tga is one solid color black. So every thing is the same color as the Volacano Track on Manam.

The land in this area should be basically the same as vikings Grand Canyon Map.

Thank you in advance,

rustydawg

P.S. I noticed Vikings Grand canyon map did have a ocean level where there's Lake Mead.

---

Texture placement - kevinp - 10.08.2010

Just to be clear about what your difficulty is, you want to paint the textures directly onto map_T but you have no guide such as a coastline or river to show you where they should go.

I'm thinking about your problem. I don't have a simple answer yet because I only make maps of islands.

---

Re: Map building tutorial - rustydawg - 10.08.2010

I do notice that almost all the maps have a body of water that's ocean level to line everything up.

Vikings Grand Canyon map has Lake Mead to the east. I just wonder how viking did the map_T.tga with all the different RGB's colors and such fine detail(Peaks are where they should be as well as lowlands, dry washes and roads.)?

And I checked out the Hankow Map ands its very detailed also. The person who did it said it took only 3 hours!!! It took me about a half hour to draw the Volacno track on Manam....LOL

I wonder if I could just draw a jagged line in a corner with the Sea level colorRGB7, I believe, and use that to line things up?

Then when I want to add all the different RGB's for Mountain tops and dry washes,roads...etc. reduce the opacity of map_T.tga and put a satellite image under that in a temp layer(in Gimp), to get the location of everything, then draw the RGB's on the map_T.tga?

I hope I got all the .tga letters right.

Thank You for the fast reply.

Best regards,
rustydawg

---

Re: Map building tutorial - agracier - 10.08.2010

rustydawg Wrote:And I checked out the Hankow Map ands its very detailed also. The person who did it said it took only 3 hours!!! It took me about a half hour to draw the Volacno track on Manam....LOL

I made the Hankow map but I´m danged if I remember ever saying anywhere that t only took 3 hours to make ... More like 3 months times 3 ... ha ha ha.

Anyway, since this map was indeed without any ocean frontage anywhere to use as an aligning point, I ended up using the Yangtze river as a more or less rough guide on how to fit the ed_m01 maps over the other maps ... now THAT aspect may have taken 3 hours because it was something that was almost likely to drive me crazy.

I had the same trouble on the Chaco map as well, with no ocean frontage, and in this case with no distinct rivers either to align up with. Here I aligned with heights and mountain peaks and most like smudged a little bit as well. And for an East Front map request I did the same with a large river.

So with inland maps you have to find some kind of very defining point geographical , preferably 2 or more, and use these as aligning points. It´s a very hit and miss method, but with enough patience you´ll usually get there.

I would say though that for first maps, it´s best to start with relatively easy areas with a bit of ocean frontage, to help align things up easily.

---

Re: Map building tutorial - rustydawg - 10.08.2010

agracier, the part about the ed_m01 is probably what I was reading, about the 3 hour time. :oops:

And the ed_m01 map is the one that I was wondering if it would work, and you answered my question. It's just a little time consuming. I do have distinctive mountain peaks in my area I could align.

My first try was funny, I used the lowlands like ocean and ended up with the Grand Canyons of canyons with ocean in all the lowland areas....LOL, and you could see the towns and tree and roads in the canyon walls of the different levels from thr RGB values, thats when I clearly knew (and saw) what the RGB number values meant.

Thank You,

rustydawg

I have to wait to try it, I just discovered the Ultr@pac 2.01 patch and I'm in the middle of downloading and installing it, and I deleted my IL-2 Map maker game, because I'm going to redo it as the IL-2 Ultr@pac 2.01 Map maker game.

And get more practice making kevinp's Manam map, again.

---

Re: Map building tutorial - pupax - 12.08.2010

Hi Kevinp,
thanks for sharing your know-how
At first attempt I managed to complete manam project following your intruction and succesfully opened the map in FMB.
Second step was to refining the map smoothing the coasts blurring the perimeter of island in mymap_c. Accomplished
Third step missed was to tune up the look of the map adding shallow-water areas like in your tut pages 82-83. If I well understood rgb values from 1 to 127 (in mymap_c) represent water deep, so I draw gray toned stripes along the coasts but nothing changed in FMB (regenerated correctly map_c and tga_table). So I tried rgb tones more and more lightened. but only at values like 200, 230 and 255 I obtain a visible change in FMB. I draw in mymap_c several squares filled in different rgb values but What I get is just a patch textured in whiteish colour (like frozen water/river).
Any ideas? I didn't changed any other map, I changed only map_c
Thanks for your support

---

Shallow water - kevinp - 12.08.2010

Open map_T & make sure all the water is RGB 31. If there is nothing wrong with map_T then you will need to send me your map so I can try & find out what is wrong.

---