24.09.2008, 07:58
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 is right. If the patterning process causes the actors.static to exceed the 750kb limit the game will crash.
tsb47
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