Live Mapping: Height Transitions in Dungeons and Caverns
Loopysue
ProFantasy 🖼️ 40 images Cartographer
Hi everyone! :)
This week, Ralf will be answering another topic request by taking a look at creating visual height differences in dungeon and cavern maps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLgKmy3ooPY
All sessions are recorded (minus the chat), so if you miss the session you won't necessarily see what the questions were, but you can still see the video at a later date - either on Youtube or right here.
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30 minutes! :D
So I started watching this and was happy to see he did the color knockout approach (which I did a post on awhile back). I think on some list I also suggested more on how to show variation in height. Guess I need to flag this one :)
I used that knockout effect for the underground portion of the dwarven village and mines that I am working on. I love how easy that approach makes it to expand or revise your map if you do little patches at a time
I also used that approach for the interior of my ziggurat temple — and even more cutouts for floors below (for the pit trap, higher up on multistory rooms, etc.). It’s a great approach.
Creepy Crypts also uses the same method, only the knockout is placed on 2 sheets with different sheet effects and different fills, so you get a rocky or cobbly wall lining the cavity you knock out. It was probably a little bit too confusing for an annual style for new mappers, but the basic concept of eating holes in the dirt and rock will hopefully become more mainstream as it frees us all from cave entrance issues and having to make floor masks.
So, what's the timeline on the addons that Ralf mentioned near the end of the video? Yesterday? :)
Here is the little DD3 update I promised with the additional sheets, effects and drawing tools to do cut-out caves and corridors, as well as height transitions. Unzip over your CC3+ programdata folder and overwrite the existing files. I'll also update the main DD3 installer to include these.
I use the Colour Key effect all the time on my dungeon maps. For commission work (which I've been very slack with recently, sorry Dave, I will get them done!) my basic methodology is:
Insert sketch, Draw walls, Wall Mask complete drawing (add COLOUR KEY effect to sheet), place WALLS sheet below the WALLS MASK sheet so the walls are on top, trace non-secret rooms, change layer for secret rooms (GM Only ususally) and then trace them. Move sheets so Mask is back on top of walls. Quick and easy depending on complexity of the map. Then it's the more time consuming part of stocking the Dungeon...
Thanks a lot!
So, I install to the location noted and start a new dungeon map in the DD3 style and should see the new sheets etc. ?
That is correct :)
Yeah, that's what I thought. No dice over here.
I can wait for the new installer, perhaps.
You can if you want, but unzipping that zip file in the location Ralf gave is a quicker way of doing the same thing.
I've done it, and there is a message saying that files were replaced, but no go.
I expect that will be the updated drawing tools at the very least.
Let us know if there are any issues.
Sorry for being so vague earlier, but I was mobile.
I do not have the cave cut out in my drawing tools, nor do I have any of the sheets discussed in the video. I can create these things myself following the wonderful (as always) video.
But, perhaps I misunderstand what the intent is/was. 1) I unzip the file in the location specified, open up CC3+, new map, Dungeons, DD3 Dungeon ... and the new map should have the sheets and drawing tools already populated in a manner that is sorta close to what is shown in the video?
Has anyone else had anyluck?
EDIT: I've got Cave, Cut-out.dto, and 3 other files in C:\ProgramData\Profantasy\CC3Plus\System\Drawtools
EDIT: I've got Cave, Cut-out.dto, and 3 other files in C:\ProgramData\Profantasy\CC3Plus\System\Drawtools
Seems like there is an error in the zip. I haven't installed this myself, but those .dto files certainly shouldn't have ended up in the root of the drawtools folder, they should be inside the appropriate style folder.
@Ralf can probably put out an updated version
Ah, indeed. Here is the fixed version.
Do we have to remove the previous update?
No need. You can delete the extra drawingtools in the wrong folder (root of Drawtools) if you want, but they won't break anything if left there.