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FMB tool for populating maps quickly - Printable Version

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FMB tool for populating maps quickly - tsb47 - 24.09.2008

So, this may be old news, but--

You can use map-FMB to populate your textures using saved *.static templates.

METHOD

Open a blank map with a 8 x 8 pix box (1600 x 1600 m area) of the texture you want to populate, populate the texture area with objects. File > Save as > [template name].static. Exit. Copy that *.static file from root/Maps/[location] to ...MODS/Maps/[location] (as you might usually do with a template). Enter FMB again. Go your map. Choose the map texture from the objects menu you want to populate. Right click anywhere on map. Choose "Insert static as pattern". Choose your template. Click and....

Presto... Populated! Just in time for you to pat yourself on the back, hop in your bomber and depopulate again!

FURTHER FEATURES

you can also

1) apply more than one *.static template to a texture using the "insert static as pattern" command (I think we should start referring to this as "patterning a texture with a *.static template"). To do this, all you need to do is repeat the process above, using a different *.static template.

2) remove a *.static template pattern from a texture (i.e. depattern a texture with a *.stactic template). To do this, one essentially reverse the "apply" process. In the objects menu select the tile type you want to remove the *.static template pattern from. Right click on the map. Click "remove static as pattern". Select the *.static template you want to remove from the tile. Click OK. Voila.

LIMITATIONS

please note lowfighters comments on limitations

lowfighter Wrote:No old news, we didn't know so thanks for sharing!

Not sure how this will work populating large areas with a large number of objects, as you probably know the map-FMB (at least the one we have) can't open maps with actors.static larger than say 750 KB. So I expect that it will crash also if you populate a map using the method you describe if the amount of objects placed on the map is too large... I'm not sure, needs to be tested of course...

Lowfighter is right. If the patterning process causes the actors.static to exceed the 750kb limit the game will crash.

tsb47

- Nocturnum - 24.09.2008

I don't completely understand what this means but I think it sounds damned handy info. Thanks for posting

- lowfighter - 24.09.2008

No old news, we didn't know so thanks for sharing!

Not sure how this will work populating large areas with a large number of objects, as you probably know the map-FMB (at least the one we have) can't open maps with actors.static larger than say 750 KB. So I expect that it will crash also if you populate a map using the method you describe if the amount of objects placed on the map is too large... I'm not sure, needs to be tested of course...

- tsb47 - 24.09.2008

Lowfighter, i would say you're right, although I haven't tested it. Might be best to use the in-FMB population method for sparsely populated areas, then use autopop to grow cities, then the actors tool to cut and edit.

- delvpier - 24.09.2008

lowfighter Wrote:No old news, we didn't know so thanks for sharing!

Same for me... I didn't know... I was allways wondering how to use this right-click command "Insert pattern as static"

If I had known this feature... it would have been easier to populate my maps than using Autopop tool... quite versatile...

Thanks for information, this is a really good one !

- 6S.Maraz - 24.09.2008

Yes, it seems much easier than Autopop for populating towns and cities... I must try it...
Maraz

- tsb47 - 24.09.2008

More news, I should have mentioned that you can also

1) apply more than one *.static template to a texture using the "insert static as pattern" command (I think we should start referring to this as "patterning a texture with a *.static template"). To do this, all you need to do is repeat the process above, using a different *.static template.

2) remove a *.static template pattern from a texture (i.e. depattern a texture with a *.stactic template). To do this, one essentially reverse the "apply" process. In the objects menu select the tile type you want to remove the *.static template pattern from. Right click on the map. Click "remove static as pattern". Select the *.static template you want to remove from the tile. Click OK. Voila.

I am still trying to figure out what the "Load As..." and "Load As Spawn" commands in the amp FMB menu do. I have had some thoughts, but don't want to speculate until I have worked it out completely. Does anyone know? Does anyone know what the "Fill" command (default key command = "F") does?

Cheers

tsb47

- delvpier - 25.09.2008

tsb47 Wrote:I am still trying to figure out what the "Load As..." and "Load As Spawn" commands in the amp FMB menu do. I have had some thoughts, but don't want to speculate until I have worked it out completely. Does anyone know? Does anyone know what the "Fill" command (default key command = "F") does?

No, as I know, "Load As" and "Load As Spawn" are still undocumented...

For "Fill", if you're talking about Height Fill and Blur, I think that with Fill, when you take a tile size of 3-5-7-9, all the points move the same way... and with Blur, there is more like a gradient of points... to give an dispersal effect of heights in the tile... I don't know if I'm understandable... Belgian French speaking :wink:

Thank you, your informations are of great interest.

- delvpier - 25.09.2008

After test... really usefull to know that feature

... but I think it needs to be investigated further... to get rules...

I mean, it is not so easy to use. For example, following instructions and making template.static from a 8 x 8 pixels square... you have to be clever when populating this square of texture because when you want to use it on two squares of 4 x 4 (for example) you don't get the same result...
The game engine doesn't apply textures allways the same way... textures are cut in segments and applied segment by segment (everybody knows...). It seems to follow some rules...(?)
So the final result of "Insert pattern as static" is not the same for two squares of the same size... and you have to think about before... :wink:

It works also if you make template from a square of other size... let's try from a highly populated 4 x 4 pixels square and use this template on a bigger square of 64 x 64... only some parts of this square will be populated...

Template can be made from many sizes : 4 x 4, 8 x 8, 16 x 16, 32 x 32..... and applied on different size surfaces...

I think we should make many different tests to get the rules... it would be interesting :wink:

Great discovery, thank you.

Yes, I know, I'm boring with all these posts... - delvpier - 25.09.2008

:wink:

BUT THIS DISCOVERY HAS A TERRIFIC CONSEQUENCE...

It is the best way to share sceneries between people... you can use the template.static made with one map ( any...) to populate one other (any...)

What you have to do is simply to paste template.static in both map folders : mods\mapmods\mods\nameofmap and root\map\nameofmap

So now we can have templates for all what we want... let's make a template of one airfield or a nice Switzerland village... we have simply to send template.static (specifying on which texture it was made)

... for import, simple... paste template in both folders, modify load.ini and give one slot for specified texture... and use "Insert pattern as static"... I tried, it works...

tsb47, I don't know if others realize importance of this discovery... but for me it is one of the best for Il-2 community Big Grin

- tsb47 - 26.09.2008

Thanks, its nice to be appreciated.

I haven't done extensive testing with it.

Lowfighter's warning about the actors.static is likely to be valid, although only a problem for larger maps, or those with heavily populated areas. I'll try it with the battle of france this weekend. I expect my computer to crash like a zeke full of .50 cal.

I don't know about the rules il2 uses to (1) decide which part of a texture.tga to apply to a tile with designated that texture in map_t (and load.ini) or (2) decide which part of a template.static to apply the tile when performing the "insert static as pattern". If anyone could enlighten us this would be useful.

However, what i do know is that if you paint the 8 x 8 pix box of your texture in a blank map's map_t, populate that with objects to use as your template (make sure you're map has nothing else) then do the process described above, your template should fit perfectly to the texture whenever you use it.

Re: Fill function. Thanks for the info on the Height>Fill function. I was referring more to the function that is bound to key "F" in config.ini. I don't think that is the Height>Fill function. I think it might be something else, but not sure what. Pressing "F" in FMB doesn't seem to do anything.

Re: Load As Spawn. This appears to just load the Aerodrome AI points from an actors.static into the map loaded into FMB at the time. Not sure whether it also loads Airbase plates.

Thanks all.

Just PM me if you want a more step-by-step description of the template making / patterning process.

Tsb47