Beginner Questions Part II: Symbol installation and management

3. While on the topic of symbols, I'm hoping you guys can offer me suggestions on how best to install and organize them. Here are a couple of my problems:

CSUAC: When I downloaded these files, I extracted them as instructed in the readme, and now I have /symbols/CSUAC/(set name). Within each of those folders is another identically named (set name) folder (don't ask me why) and then inside THAT folder is a string of (objects).fsc files and an /artwork/(objects) directory, each (objects) folder containing the set of *.png symbols that I assume should be connected to the (objects).fsc file that matches the (objects) folder the *.png symbol is located in. The problem seems to be that if I open up one of those (objects).fsc files through CC3, I get nothing but red X's. I can get to the symbols by going into an artwork folder and choosing a particular *.png symbol, but somehow I don't think that's the way it's supposed to work. Can someone tell me how my CSUAC symbols are supposed to be installed in the directory?

And other installs: I pulled a handful of symbol packs off the profantasy library, but now I'm a little confused on what to do with them. How should they be extracted and where precisely should they go?

Management: An example - last night, I was working on a dungeon map of an abbey and I wanted a fence to go around a field. I found a set of fences somehow (by digging through all of the folders of images), but later, when I wanted to add "fences" to the inside of my barn, damned if I couldn't find those images anywhere. In other words, I'm having a lot of trouble getting a grasp of how the symbols are organized. It seems I have city symbols in two spots (in /cities and in /symbols I think?), trees are all over the place and I can never find the top-down ones when I need them (I think they might be in 5 different locations, including 2 CSUAC directories), and I still can't find the tower that Gandwarf had us use in his CD3 tutorial, which seems to be different than the ones included in the castles symbols pack (I should go back and look at his tutorial, but I haven't gotten around to doing that yet). So, please, give me some hints and tips - how do you guys keep track of your symbols? Can you move them around in the directories without screwing up the programs? Please, help me out, here!

Comments

  • Posted By: lady2beetle3. While on the topic of symbols, I'm hoping you guys can offer me suggestions on how best to install and organize them. Here are a couple of my problems:

    CSUAC: When I downloaded these files, I extracted them as instructed in the readme, and now I have /symbols/CSUAC/(set name). Within each of those folders is another identically named (set name) folder (don't ask me why) and then inside THAT folder is a string of (objects).fsc files and an /artwork/(objects) directory, each (objects) folder containing the set of *.png symbols that I assume should be connected to the (objects).fsc file that matches the (objects) folder the *.png symbol is located in. The problem seems to be that if I open up one of those (objects).fsc files through CC3, I get nothing but red X's. I can get to the symbols by going into an artwork folder and choosing a particular *.png symbol, but somehow I don't think that's the way it's supposed to work. Can someone tell me how my CSUAC symbols are supposed to be installed in the directory?

    Please confirm that you have extracted the CSUAC symbol files into the Profantasy/CC3/Symbols/CSUAC directory. If you have, and are running Vista, try extracting them to a temporary location then dragging them into the correct directory. One user reported that this was the only way he could get them to work. I've no idea why.
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 46 images Cartographer
    Posted By: lady2beetleWithin each of those folders is another identically named (set name) folder (don't ask me why)
    This is caused by the way you unzip the files. Most graphical unzipping-utilities feels like creating a folder based on the name of the archive, and then placing everything inside it.
    When people distributes archives with a complete file structure inside, this is generally undesired behavior. In such cases, you either need to tell your unzip utility not to do this, or after extracting, just drag the contents out of this directory, to it's parent directory.
    Posted By: lady2beetleAnd other installs: I pulled a handful of symbol packs off the profantasy library, but now I'm a little confused on what to do with them. How should they be extracted and where precisely should they go?
    Put them in the Symbols\User directory inside your main directory. Then, when you need them, use the open symbol catalog button (immediately above the symbol catalog itself) to browse for them.

    ProFantasy supplied symbols are located inside the Symbol directory, and organized according to map type. "Dungeons" for dungeon/floorplan maps, "Cities" for city maps, "Maps" for overland maps, and so on. While you sometimes wish to use symbols from another type, they generally fits best with their own type. For example, dungeon and city maps symbols are seen top-down, while overland maps symbols are seen from the side. Further organizing within these directories depends. Usually, if there are several styles available for that type of map, they will each have their own directory at this level.

    And no, you cannot move them around, as this will cause the symbol catalog buttons in CC3 to stop working.
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