Import CC3 - Map to Trace Over

dfmoss65

I am re-learning CC3 and have a question. I searched here and in the Tome, etc, for an answer to this but cannot find exactly what I am looking for.

Our DM gives us maps drawn in MS Paint. I want to import one of these and use it as a basis to trace over and produce a new, hopefully better, map in CC3. How do I do that? Are there instructions somewhere that I am simply missing?

Thanks,

Don

Dogtag

Hi Don,

1. Select Draw>Insert File from the menu.
2. Browse for the file you want and then click Open.
3. CC3 may prompt you for the type of path to use to find your tracing image (relative versus absolute). Pick one.
4. Click a starting point on your map where you want the upper left-hand corner of your inserted map to be, and then move the cursor (you don't have to keep the button pressed) to drag out the image. CC3 will give you a "ghosted" version of the image you're inserting so you can see how it will look as you move the cursor.
5. Click again when the tracing image is situated and sized the way you want.

I hope that helps!

Cheers,
~Dogtag

dfmoss65

Thanks, Dogtag! I will give it a shot and see what happens. I will post success, or failure!

Don

Trenloe

In addition to what Dogtag says, I usually create a new sheet (I call it BMP) at the bottom of the sheets list (so it gets drawn last) and insert the file into this sheet. I then put a transparency effect (50% or less) on the BMP sheet and enable effects. I find this makes it easier to see what you've drawn *and* what is on the inserted image at the same time. Then just hide the BMP sheet to see what your map looks like.

dfmoss65

Excellent idea, Trenloe. I will try that.

Thanks!

Don

akosprime

Hi All,

I'm trying to do this as well. I've created a world in FT, I've taken a view of it I like and I've saved it as a BMP image. I've done the steps listed above which have allowed me to insert the bmp file on its own sheet.

However now I'm more than a bit lost on how exactly to trace the outline of my FT terrain. I've tried using the landmass tool, but it seems to want to do its own thing when I try to trace the coast outline from the FT bmp file. Is there some other tool to do this? Is there some trick to using the landmass tool when you're tracing an underlying image? Or, even better, is there some automated way to automatically trace the land outline from a FT image?

Thanks,
Tony

McQ

I haven't found an automated way to trace things, I'll be happy to see if there is.

Have you considered not using the landmass tool and instead using the Path tools? I've opted to use them for the more detailed work. You can build a series of paths, then Left Click the Explode tool and click "Path to Poly," pick your paths, and Fill with whatever you want. Since you'll probably use the Factal Path for most of it, you might run into straight lines, so use the Line tool, and then by Left Clicking the Explode button again, click Line to Path. Going from there can get you almost any Polygon shape you need.

Oh, also, in a pinch, the Multipoly tool works wonders.

akosprime

McQ - thanks, I'll experiment with that this weekend and see if it does what I'm looking for, appreciate the idea.

I've been able to separate the FT land mass from the FT sea mass onto separate sheets, which is nice. I know I'm not supposed to think of things in terms of 'paint' programs instead of the CAD way of doing things, but if I could just take the outline of that land mass as a selection and do a command like 'stroke' I'd at least be able to have an outline of the coast lines which I could then fill in with all the details.

JimP

I don't use trace, but instead use the polygon tool.

As I've mentioned elsewhere in here, I have a template with bitmap fills for each 2500 countour area above sea level.

I import the FT export into such a template.

The draw each contour line with the appropriate bitmap fill.

That is how I did the new northern hempisphere for Crestar I posted in these forums.

Below is the color chart for my surface maps.

JimP

So I use polygon to draw the bitmap fill in for each contour.

When I get done, I delete the imported map/bmp.

Then I go back in and add in mountains, lakes, and rivers, by zooming into areas and making smaller maps.