[kevinp]

This map making tutorial is very helpful. Thank you.
However, I need a better explanation on how to smooth runways in MapH. Maybe I overlooked it in the tutorial? I'm using Gimp.

Hi CzechTexan

I didn't explain how to smooth runways because it would make the tutorial too long if I went into all those kind of details.

However the best way I have found so far to make the runway smooth is to open your map in the Full Mission Builder, select the "Fill" tool & place the red ball at the end of the runway. Then press Ctrl+left mouse to make a deep hole. Then do the same at the other end of the runway (obviously it doesn't work if the runway is at sea level). Then save it & exit the game.

Open the new "map_h" with Gimp & you should see those two holes as two black squares. Use the Colour picker tool to sample one of the grey squares somewhere in between. Then use the Pencil tool to draw a runway shape between those two black squares. Finish off by filling in the two black squares.

If you find a better way, let me know

Cheers

[farang65]

Well,

I enjoyed the Micrdem part of the tutorial it took me two times before I got it right.
Without the tutorial I would have been guessing everything which would take days possibly a couple of weeks.

Now I'm on Gimp I don't know that program as much as photoshop so learning that as I go.

Ill post the black and white map image today.

I chose this area because

Firstly as a kid I loved the old Baa Baa Black Sheep tv series. I had Espirito Santos Island drilled in to my brain at a very early age.

Secondly there is a lot of very good info on this area from www.pacificwrecks.com

Have looked at the area in Google Earth you can still see some runway strips and the strips that are not seen to well are usually covered in new plantations very large flat ground area.
There are also some W.W.2 huts on Espirito Santos Island which are marked by Google Earth.

Thirdly noone has attempted this area as yet. It was a huge staging area and training area.

The map covers Espirito Santos Island, Malakula Island, Efate Island (Port Villa), Pentecote Island,
Santa Maria Island and Banks Island.

Espirito Santos Island is the biggest island on the map.

Cheers Kirby

[farang65]

Well,
I really really liked Microdem
I am slowly getting use to Gimp.
It's a lot slowere the Photoshop

Today I got the black and white map fineshed and saved it as a tga file.

Total size of tga file 76.7 mb.

I recall Fred's Thailand map was pretty big.

Now on to the next step

C Map tools etc.

Cheers Kirby

[MrOblongo]

Ok, saved the Mymap_c.tga to the CMapV3 folder. Press the Transform.bat and nothing happend. What can be wrong?

[Redwulf__32]

Ok, saved the Mymap_c.tga to the CMapV3 folder. Press the Transform.bat and nothing happend. What can be wrong?

Hi MrOblongo,

Welcome to the madness.

First, make sure your Mymap_c.tga is saved as Greyscale, RLE off. This is important.
Second, the CMap tool by "AAA map-tools creators" gave me lots of problems as well (especially if your map is large).

I wrote my own conversion utility from scratch to address these issues. Although kevinp hasn't included my Map_c Toolbox in his excellent manual, he did include my CoastAlign tool , thnx kevinp. Maybe he didn't know about it.

Get the Map_c Toolbox here (The link is inoperative) and give it a whirl.

Hope this helps ....

[Redwulf__32]

what size can the maps have?

3dwa21

PS: my have 6.288KBs

Hi,

Due to the Targa format and the compression technique used the maximum possible map size is basically limited by the size of the compressed map_c file, not the raw map. The limit is 67107840 bytes or just shy of 64Mbytes. However, the raw map_c file (due to the same limitations imposed by the Targa format) cannot exceed 3276,8 x 3276,8 km (in theory). Pretty large map although I seriously doubt it will compress to less than 64Mbytes unless it's very simple (no twisty rivers/coastlines/lakes)

Hope this helps ...

[kevinp]

Hello Redwulf_32

You are right, I didn't know about your Map_c Toolbox. Is it just for huge maps or will it improve small to medium size maps.


:?:

[MrOblongo]

Well, thanks Redwulf, it worked...got all the files :lol:

Tested the map and...

Poof!

Error ...

Lol, well, will keep trying... this is a new and exciting world!

[Redwulf__32]

Hello Redwulf_32

You are right, I didn't know about your Map_c Toolbox. Is it just for huge maps or will it improve small to medium size maps.


:?:

Hi kevinp,

It works for all sizes, no difference in compression technique compared to the Map_c tools, even does a size check to see if the resulting compressed map_c file would be too large + it'll check your raw map_c and crop it to a multiple of 32 bits in length and height if needed (Align button). 8)

[Redwulf__32]

Well, thanks Redwulf, it worked...got all the files :lol:

Tested the map and...

Poof!

Error ...

Lol, well, will keep trying... this is a new and exciting world!

MrOblongo,

Glad to hear it helped.

When you get errors in the FMB, try bringing up the console with shift-tab, that'll most likely point you to the offending file.

Hope this helps ...

[farang65]

It's great to see Mr. Oblongo and C Texan in here.

I thought I'd tackle a new map project before I moved on to the other map projects
such as Upper Burma.

This way I'll have all the knowledge that goes in to making an original map.
Then adding airfields, roads, train lines etc.

I have been lazy. I have always had maps given to me. Not really knowing what is involved behind making the maps.

Now it's time to turn the tide and learn the whole process.

Kevin your turorial is great. I am sure even Alien 12 could make one as well.

As Mr. Oblongo says it is a new wonderful world.

It definitely keeps me off the streets in Chiang Mai.

RedWolfs c map conversion tool is very good.

I have tried it in the past with the given maps.

Thank you RedWolf for the further explanation on map sizes.

Cheers Kirby

Lamphun

On to map c tools this week end

[MrOblongo]

Got an error in map_t.tga something about it not being 8bits ... (Any idea, or should i restart all again, which i will anyway)

[Redwulf__32]

Got an error in map_t.tga something about it not being 8bits ... (Any idea, or should i restart all again, which i will anyway)

Make sure the map_t file is grayscale with RLE off. Map_c, map_h and map_t all have to be greyscale, RLE off.

I prefer using Corel PhotoPaint for my work but it does not save grayscale correctly (always saves Targa files as indexed). That had me frustrated at first until I found out what the problem was. GIMP will let you convert and save as true grayscale.

Hope this helps ....

ps. Slick trick by LAL_RONE, save your colour Targas as indexed, map loading time will improve considerably.

[CzechTexan]

KevinP thank you for the explanation on how to smooth runways. It works like a charm now. At first I had some minor difficulties. I found that using the pencil's next-to-smallest-circle is best because it colors a larger area than the "one-square--circle." And, selecting the colors in GIMP is a little tricky too because it uses the previous color if you're not careful. Good luck to everyone else with runways!

I'm now busy smoothing surfaces for bunches of airfields.

[farang65]

Well,

I tried the Cmap3 tool to see if it would work and yes it did work for the first try
First time to see one of those programs actually work.

I then trimmed my map down some to reduce the size. Manually croping in Gimp
Then I used Red Wolf's C Map tool
It first aligned my map and got it down to about 50 mb in size
Then it made a map c (The scribble lines) and a map c.tga_table

All going well then the difficulty sets in

Starting on map H I followed the instructions to the letter regarding scale . The first map_h was very small so I am thinking this is good.
I then do the coast align instructions and get an error saying that map_h is not compatable to map_c
ggguuurrrr.
I've used this program on given maps and it works like a charm on a working map..

I tried another way I divided the width and the height by four as map h is supposed to be four times smaller
I tried that and still the same error reading.

My Map Original in pixels is W 5819 xH 8993

My division of both W and H by 4 ended up being W 1455 x H 2248.25

What am I doing wrong?

Do I have to do the coast align now can it wait until the map is finished?

CHEERS KIRBY