A few questions on creating and importing symbols
Ciel
Traveler
So I'm a bit confused on several points when it comes to adding new symbols, either by creating them from scratch or importing PNGs.
On importing PNGs:
1. For my street/city map, I want an arrow that I can place to indicate a one-way street. I found a few that might work - when importing them as PNGs, they are tiny. Now, they can of course be scaled up to a perfectly reasonable size (in Symbol Manager > Scale), but the thing is, when I save and close my map, then reopen it, the imported symbol is back to the original (tiny) size when I try to use it again. How can I make it so that a symbol's default scale/size is permanently saved?
2. Speaking of permanently saving: what exactly am I doing when I import a PNG, with regard to the symbol catalog? I added the arrow symbols, but when I create a new map using the same style, no arrows are there. Did I essentially create a new symbol catalog when I imported those PNG arrows? If so, where would I find it to open it up when I start a new city map in this style?
On creating a new symbol from scratch:
1. What is the best way to start this process? Start a brand-new "map" in CC3, but choose "symbol catalog" as the type being created? What's the difference between doing that vs. opening an existing map, clicking "New" in the symbol manager and opening up a window to draw a new symbol?
2. At some point I'm going to want to create some custom symbols for things like train lines. For certain symbols, I'd want to have letters or text inside a rectangle with rounded edges.
I.e. this kind of thing: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deutsche_Bahn_AG-Logo.svg
When creating shapes and lines in CC3, is there some way to create a box with rounded edges like that? Or am I better off trying to create such symbols in Gimp or a similar image editor and then importing them into CC3?
Thanks as always!
On importing PNGs:
1. For my street/city map, I want an arrow that I can place to indicate a one-way street. I found a few that might work - when importing them as PNGs, they are tiny. Now, they can of course be scaled up to a perfectly reasonable size (in Symbol Manager > Scale), but the thing is, when I save and close my map, then reopen it, the imported symbol is back to the original (tiny) size when I try to use it again. How can I make it so that a symbol's default scale/size is permanently saved?
2. Speaking of permanently saving: what exactly am I doing when I import a PNG, with regard to the symbol catalog? I added the arrow symbols, but when I create a new map using the same style, no arrows are there. Did I essentially create a new symbol catalog when I imported those PNG arrows? If so, where would I find it to open it up when I start a new city map in this style?
On creating a new symbol from scratch:
1. What is the best way to start this process? Start a brand-new "map" in CC3, but choose "symbol catalog" as the type being created? What's the difference between doing that vs. opening an existing map, clicking "New" in the symbol manager and opening up a window to draw a new symbol?
2. At some point I'm going to want to create some custom symbols for things like train lines. For certain symbols, I'd want to have letters or text inside a rectangle with rounded edges.
I.e. this kind of thing: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deutsche_Bahn_AG-Logo.svg
When creating shapes and lines in CC3, is there some way to create a box with rounded edges like that? Or am I better off trying to create such symbols in Gimp or a similar image editor and then importing them into CC3?
Thanks as always!
Comments
2. When you import png's, they are added as symbols in the current file, so if you do it from your map, they are only stored in that single map. To make them more easily available, put them in a symbol catalog. You can create one from the symbol manager, just pick the symbols, and then click 'save as catalog'. Or you can start with a blank symbol catalog instead from the new map wizard and import them there instead of directly to your map.
1. The symbol catalog files are cleaner, they don't carry as much baggage as for example fill styles and pre-defined symbols (most maps already comes with several symbols in the list)
2. Both approaches would work, but since CC3+ doesn't have rectangle shapes with rounded corners, you need to piece the box together from arcs and lines.
1. Hmm... that's what I did, Symbol Manager > find the symbol > scale. I change the numbers as many times as I need until the symbol is exactly the size I want it. Save, close map, reopen map, go to place that symbol... it's tiny again. Microscopic, honestly - it's completely invisible unless I hold Ctrl while placing it to scale it WAY up (or zoom in to a ridiculous degree.) Something must be off cause it doesn't matter what I do to it in Symbol Manager > Scale, it's still tiny again when I save/close/reopen. Could I have made some error when importing it in the first place that's causing it to always revert back to that size?
2. Oh I see, they are stored with each individual map if added that way. I see the "save as catalog" option, so I can do that when I add new symbols - just select all the symbols that came with the Modern City style, plus my new ones, and make a new catalog that has all of them.
Creating from scratch:
1. I see, so ideally one would want to create a new symbol catalog as opposed to creating new symbols from inside the map? Or... wait. I guess I'm still a little confused on this point. When I go to New > Symbol Catalog, I'm creating one symbol aren't I? It gives me a big blank drawing canvas with all the usual CC3 tools. So I make a symbol... how does that then translate to "a catalog?" How would I save that symbol, create more, and then make the brand-new symbols I made to an existing catalog (so that I could, as I mentioned above, have a single catalog to use that has the Modern City default symbols, my imported PNGs, and any made-from-scratch symbols, all in one catalog?)
I tried looking in the CC3 manual for some of this, but if it's there I missed it.
ALSO: I've noticed you mentioned "CC3+" - I assume that's meant to essentially mean "CC3 or CC3+", but does CC3+ actually change how any of this works? I am still using base CC3; I never fully upgraded because I'm not sure of the status of the specific annuals I use the most. Is there somewhere I can look at that, to see which ones were made CC3+ compatible and which ones still haven't been?
Gonna have to figure out how to use them all, and get CC3+ updated... I took a break from mapping and wasn't paying attention to CC3+ developments for several months, then when I got back to it I just opened old CC3 back up and immediately went back to mapping in it.
2. Yes.
1. No. When you make a symbol catalog from the new map wizard, you are making an entire symbol catalog. You can put one symbol into there, or many. Also, when it comes to symbols in CC3+, remember they must be defined. Whatever you draw in that drawing window in that new symbol catalog doesn't automatically become a symbol, anything you draw here is simply ignored. To make something you draw into a symbol, you must do Symbols -> Define Symbol.
And yes, there is no difference to this procedure between CC3 and CC3+. I've just gotten into the habit of writing CC3+
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5Lhz-QLpX0&t=0s