Aaaaaahhhhh! Help me save my map (deleted trace map)

Alric

I was working on recreating a map of Mirkwood for my "One Ring" campaign. I have a scan of the old ICE maps and I imported them as a background and I was tracing over the maps to create my own version.

After many hours I'm about half done and then I accidently deleted the map I was tracing over. I didn't realize that I had done that (the map layer was hidden so I could check the look of the map with effects) and went to mt game leaving the map on my computer for several hours (and many autosaves).

Now I have no trace map to finish the map with, and I really don't want to start over from scratch.

I can re-import the map but it is impossible to get it lined up and scaled properly. When ever I select the map everything else disappears so I have no visual guide.

Is there a secret trick that will help me get things lined up again?

Monsen

To get the map scaled properly when you re-insert it, use the distance tool to do some measurements.
- First, measure the distance between two distinct points on your trace
- Then measure the distance between the same two points in the inserted image
The scale factor you now need to apply to the inserted image is now equal to the distance measured on your trace divided by the distance on the image. Use the non-visual scale [SCALE] to scale the image, and simply type in the scale factor you calculated when asked. This ensures for a precise scaling. (Technically, you don't even need to calculate the scale factor yourself, you can type in the actual equation instead of the answer when CC3 asks for scale factor, and it will calculate it for you.) Note that it is important to do as precise measurements as possible here, and that you need several decimals for the scale factor, don't round the answer to one or two decimals.

To place it precisely, you can use a similar trick. First, determine an exact point of some distinct feature in your trace. Now, use the non-visual move [MOVE] command on your inserted image. When CC3 asks for the move from point, click on the same feature in the image, and then when you are asked for the To point, simply type in the coordinates you determined for that feature just previously. This should move the image so that that feature on the image lines up with the same feature on your trace.

By using CC3's features like this, you should get a precise placement, without having to rely on visual guides during the process.

JimP

I make many of my maps that way. I import the map I'm tracing over on the grid sheet and create a bmp layer for it as well. After I draw something in, I save as filename01_001 and then hide the imported pic to see if I have things lined up. If not, I use the CC3 tools like drag and node edit to move it into place. I save as often. That way if I mess up a map, and I have done that many times as I map when I'm tired, I have a series of saved as maps to go back to. So I typically have over one hundred versions as I make changes. I don't make lots of changes for each save as map. By the time I am done, it could go from filename01_0001 to filename01_0150.

That has been a map saver for me more than once.

Alric

It,s not perfect, but it should be good enough to get the map done. Thanks for the help.

fpearl

I have not been using CC3 very long. I am finding it very challenging... possibly because I know Photoshop so well. However, i think this is a fundamental weakness of CC3: It is difficult, compared to other illustration programs, to scale and move entities. It can certainly be done, as Monson wrote above, but the procedure is labor intensive, non-intuitive, and very challenging for novices. I am hopeful that as I gain experience I will be able to do simple things like the original poster is attempting.

Monsen

@fpearl:
The biggest problem with what the original poster was experiencing was that he needed it to line exactly up with existing entities, and that he didn't know how much it needed to be scaled to accomplish this. Thus we needed a dew extra steps to gather the required information first. For normal scaling you don't have to resort to all the measurement and such, you can simply use the normal visual scale method (the one you get when you left click on the scale button in the toolbar), and determine the size simply by moving your mouse.
But it is important to understand that CC3 is not an image editor, but a CAD package. This does mean that many things will be different from how you do it in an image editor like photoshop, and the learning curve can be a bit steeper because it is unfamiliar. I have the same problem with Photoshop. I find it's interface absolutely horrible and completely unintuitive, and the learning curve annoyingly steep. CC3's true power becomes more and more appearance as you get more familiar with the program however, and you'll learn to appreciate CC3's ways of dong things.