Flat to Polar Map conversion

Black Plauge · September 2008

Attached is a map of a continent on a world that I'm creating. This particular map was a simple cut and paste job of the continent off of the whole world map into this new map. What I'd like to do with it, however, is convert it to a polar map (the pole for this planet is just off the bottom of this map. I have been able to do this approximately by using the grid I imposed on the map and then creating a new map with a polar grid that I then used to painstakingly approximate the outline of the continent and its features. However, before I go much further, I'd like to know if there's a way to design a macro to do this automatically.[p]

Mathematically, the process is one of taking a line and mapping it to a point (the pole) and then mapping the coordinates of the points making up the various objects into polar coordinates (length along the reference line would represent angle, distance from that line would represent radius) and then back into the rectangular coordinates that CC3 uses (unless it's possible to set the map to use polar coordinates).[p]

Does anyone have any suggestions for how a macro might be written to handle this, or whether it is even possible?

jslayton · September 2008

I don't think that you can do this with a macro. You should, however, be able to do this with an XP command (write the C code, link it, run the command, etc.) If you really want to keep it as a CC3 map then an XP might be the only way to go.

If you can get the FCW data out as, say, a shape file, then you should be able to use something like Flex Projector ( http://www.flexprojector.com ) to reproject the data (it is supposed to do raster images as well, but raster image in = raster image out).

Black Plauge · September 2008

Could I use Python to write the code instead of C? I already program extensively in Python as part of my work and if the coding has to go on outside of CC3 anyway, then I'm lazy enough to not want to learn a new language.

Bidmaron · September 2008

There is no current way to connect Python to CC3. The only effective way to write XPs right now is to use C#, C++, or Visual Basic. The best is C#, although you'll probably have to do some connection code in C++. There is a group of us working on XP expansions (although it's slow-going due to busy lives). There is a fantastic tutorial a fellow named Lee Saunders has done on XPs. You can find it at:
http://home.windstream.net/ls15426/
It is targeted at CC2, but most of it applies to CC3.
--Dale--

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Flat to Polar Map conversion

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