How can I fill a polygon created with the line tool?

deadseid

I am working on a map for my d&d game. It consists of a peninsula surrounded by sea on three sides. I am new to the program and still have quite a bit to learn, but for now I have a pressing question.

The peninsula I have created is on it's own sheet called CITY BORDER. I made the mistake of creating it with the line tool. I have come up with a shape I really like, and do not want to have to recreate it with the polygon tool. However, I can not seem to figure out how to fill the interior of the shape without doing so. All of the lines I used have been grouped to make one flowing border, and fractalised to look natural. As I stated above, I am quite new to CC3, and so this process took me some length of time to get it just right. I would hate to have to scrap all of my work and start over, so if anyone can offer a bit of insight, I would be extremely grateful. I have searched the forums, and can not seem to find any topics that cover this particular issue. Thanks in advance.

-Ben

Monsen

Firstly, ungroup any groups.

Then it depends on what you have done with the lines. Lines made by the line tool cannot be fractalized, so I assume you have already made them into a path. If you haven't, you need to use Line to Path [LTP2] on them to convert your individual line segments to a Path. (Convert all of them to a path in one go, this makes a continuous path)

If you converted each line to an individual path when you fractalized (Meaning your coastline now consists of many individual entities instead of a long path), you need to use Combine Path [CMB] to merge them into one continous path

Finally, use Path to Poly [CLOSEPATH] on the now combined coastline. It will turn into a closed polygon. Now you can use change properties on it to set the appropriate fill styles and so on.

All of the commands I mentioned above can be found by right-clicking on the Fractalize button (Or the Explode button).

deadseid

Well, I'd love to report a success story, but every time i try to use Line to Path, or combine paths, the program crashes. Not particularly thrilled about that.

Monsen

Using Line to Path on a heavily fractalized path can lead to that, but in that case, they are probably already a path, not a line, and you can skip that step.
Step 2 (Combine Path) is only required if your entire coastline is NOT selected when you select part of it. If you can select the whole coastline in one step, you can skip this step as well.

deadseid

Once ungrouped, the coastline consists of a number of fractalized paths. Combining these paths, even two at a time, crashes the program. This may have something to do with the size of the map and the speed of my machine. But I am afraid combining the paths is essential, as attempting path to poly without doing so causes the program to close each path as it's own polygon, filling both the inside and outside of the landmass border, depending on the curve of the path. I do thank you for your considerable insight, as you have in fact taught me something I would not have figured out on my own.

Your lesson has led me to wonder, however. What greater purpose do paths serve in CC3? What is their primary function, and how do they integrate with the other tools? (Feel free to let someone else field this if you don't care to. You've already helped me quite considerably.)

Joachim de Ravenbel

Posted By: deadseidpath to poly without doing so causes the program to close each path as it's own polygon

That means that each path already closes on itself, I think. Line to Path usually only fills a path when the last point is the same as the first, or the lines intersect. I always have to use the Close Path command (or Path to poly in the right-click explode menu) when it is not the case.

Turning lines to path has many uses :
i) only a path may be turned to a closed polygon (in fact, in memory, path and polygon are almost the same)
ii) it saves memory (each line is recorded as two points whereas in a path each point only occurs once)
iii) easier to edit (for the same reason, if you keep connecting lines and want to move a point, you must move it on both lines, if you want to change the color, you must change each line...)

JimP

ltp2 fixed one of my Doriant problems. Hurrah ! Then changed line width to zero. Another Hurrah !

I'm getting there.

mr.frodobaggins

Well.. hmm. I made the polygon with the polygon tool like a good boy and set the fill style but all i can get is the fill style affecting the width of the lines? Where did I go wrong i wonder? I've tried the above commands just in case the software thinks it's not a real polygon but none of that worked (probably because it is a real polygon). I was initially tring to fill with a wood pine bitmap but i've noticed not even a solid colour will work except to recolour the lines. It's unfortunate that this kind of thing is taking so much time. Just about any piss-ant software can make a filled polygon. Any one got an idea?