REINOS IMORTAIS - Small City

Hello folks.

I am doing a map of a settlement and want some suggestions. I want 2 main featurews on it: 1) water (done) 2) Altitude.

My problme is with the last one. I have done the rivers but cannot get a ellegant solution for the altitude. I want to draw the city in a big hill in the middle of the map and to indicat others smnall hills all around to justify the rivers course. Suggestions?
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Comments

  • RalfRalf Administrator, ProFantasy 🖼️ 18 images Mapmaker
    I would normally depict contours by incrementally brighter areas. I don't think they are in the template already, but the "Solid white" transparency fills can be used for this.

    Import them via Tools > Import Bitmap Fills. You'll find the PNGs in Bitmaps/Transparencies. Layer a few polygons of with the Solid White 10 fill on top of each other to see whether that gets the effect you are after.
  • Thank you Ralf. I will try it and see how it turns out.
  • Look at some of the maps Gandwarf did a few years back.
    He did a great way to make hills.I still use the setting he gave back then.
  • Posted By: Henrie61Look at some of the maps Gandwarf did a few years back.
    He did a great way to make hills.I still use the setting he gave back then.
    How do I search for it? ... The search tools are not giving me much luck.
  • Here you go , this is his tutorial on how to make cliffs :)

    Alternatively you could use the Jon Roberts style which has some shadows to make hills.
  • Thank you Moskva. I tryed to like the JR City Style but failed =). I will first see how simple curves do the job and then, if needed, try all the options that you guys are giving me.
  • Mateus090985Mateus090985 Traveler
    edited February 2013
    Posted By: RalfI would normally depict contours by incrementally brighter areas. I don't think they are in the template already, but the "Solid white" transparency fills can be used for this.

    Import them via Tools > Import Bitmap Fills. You'll find the PNGs in Bitmaps/Transparencies. Layer a few polygons of with the Solid White 10 fill on top of each other to see whether that gets the effect you are after.
    That is great! Is doing exactly what I wanted! I may even try it for my world map to see how it fits there.
  • Mateus090985Mateus090985 Traveler
    edited February 2013
    So, what you guys think about this:

    EDIT: The image is not uploading... VERY strange... so here is the link to my dropbox (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/37717003/REINOS IMORTAIS - Challenge 1 000 x 800 0.5.PNG)

    Here is the menssage that I am receiving:

    "A fatal, non-recoverable error has occurred
    Technical information (for support personel):

    Error Message
    Unable to send email. The SMTP server reported the following error:
    Affected Elements
    Email.ServerParse();

    The error occurred on or near: 535 5.7.8 Error: authentication failed: UGFzc3dvcmQ6

    For additional support documentation, visit the Lussumo Documentation website at: lussumo.com/docs"
  • edited February 2013
    I like the look of the colouring, but the tiered nature of the hill looks more like war game terrain. What if you added an edge fade that would make it blend together better and look like it's gradually rising.

    I really like the look of the water.
  • edited February 2013
    edited out double post

    ugh something is wrong with the forum software. it's giving ugly errors when ever I hit post, though apparently posting
  • Posted By: Vecnathtiered
    I will see what I can do. Thank for the suggestions.
  • Small update. I am trying some vstiatons in the effects and to add more layers.
  • RalfRalf Administrator, ProFantasy 🖼️ 18 images Mapmaker
    That is looking pretty neat. Are you using a Drop Shadow or a Wall Shadow?
  • I am using multiple sheeets (one for each contour). Effects are: Bevel (2 / 20 / 0 / 0); Wall Shadow (12 / 20 / 10); Edge Fade Inner (7/ 100 / 0)
  • I've tried to do similar things before - gotta be careful with the effect order - a wall shadow below an edge fade on the list essentially nullifies the edge fade by giving you a hard edge.

    Think what you have looks really cool - particularly if your trying to make it look like a sharp cliff face.

    If the goal is to have smoother transitions, I try using an glow effect (set to inside) that goes above the edge fade on the list and has a longer radius than the edge fade...this way the edge of the object is still faded but also has a slight black glow coming in from the edge.
  • Oh! I did not knowe that the orders of the effescts made difference! Thank you for that. Now my life is AWaY easier (even if with a new task).

    You mean this order on the effects?
  • yep. The way you have it now, the bevel will be applied first, then the glow, then the edge fade, and then the wall shadow. So, you need to make sure that if you want the earlier effects to show up, the sizes are bigger than those that come later.

    i.e. if you bevel radius was set at 2 and your edge fade was set at 7, then your bevel effect is erased by your edge fade - so you would need to set your bevel at a value greater than 7. Likewise, the glow effect size would have to be bigger than 7.

    Another thing that I recently started experimenting with for hills is to add an RGB matrix effect. If your using a texture fill, you can load the RGB setting for darken to make the lower elevation sheets darker than the others.
  • Here guys, some update. I used some suggestions from Anomiecoalition for the effects on the hills. What you guys think?
  • Mateus090985Mateus090985 Traveler
    edited March 2013
    I am done with the terrain. Suggestions for improvement? What is the best next step? Roads?
  • edited March 2013
    Damn that looks like a lot of work to get those hills done like that. It gives the idea as if this were a city say in a Norwegian Fjord. With the water and the cliffs all around.
    Turned out a very interesting map to place a city , I'm curious how this will turn out.


    I prefer to start with the main roads to other cities and since there are many rivers look for the logical places (narrow crossings). Maybe a castle on the hill/mountain in the middle to protect the highground overlooking the city.
  • I'm too astounded to say anythnig.
  • DogtagDogtag Moderator, Betatester Traveler
    edited March 2013
    That looks amazing! It almost looks like a photo of one of those 3-D puzzles or something!

    The only disadvantage I can think of to using this technique is that it depicts the different terrain heights as absolutes, similar to the way hills were done in Neverwinter Nights, for anyone who's played that game. Hills kind of appear like step pyramids.

    That said, the effect is breathtakingly gorgeous! Bravo!!

    ~Dogtag
  • Posted By: DogtagThat looks amazing! It almost looks like a photo of one of those 3-D puzzles or something!

    The only disadvantage I can think of to using this technique is that it depicts the different terrain heights as absolutes, similar to the way hills were done in Neverwinter Nights, for anyone who's played that game. Hills kind of appear like step pyramids.

    That said, the effect is breathtakinglygorgeous! Bravo!!

    ~Dogtag
    Yes, that is something that I am not so happy about it. But, I hope that when I put roads, houses, wall and tress, the hills will look more "natural". Lets see how it goes.
  • I can't go futher in the project! =(. That is why I never finished a city map, I ALWAYS get stuck when putting roads... But I will definely try to finish this one!
  • Try looking for a real city placed in such a location. Get the map as a picture, add it your file, trace over... For my latest city, I used the map of Provins, a medieval city in France, as a base for the streets.

    Very nice 3D effect but where exactly will the city be? Looks more like mountains than city relief. What caused this deep groove bottom left? I almost expect a river to run through...
  • Mateus090985Mateus090985 Traveler
    edited March 2013
    Thanks for the tips Joachim. Each contour is 2m high and is to be a very uneven, but strategically important location. The city will be in the "open areas" next to where all rivers met. The big groove was planed as the result of mineration.
  • Well, as I said, the effect is very nice but IMHO doesn't reflect a 2m interval unless the map is only 80m wide...
    Rather than the bevel, I'd try an edge fade effect on each level, as hinted above. Try placing the effect under the drop/wall shadow than over, the effects order being important.
    By mineration do you mean mining?
  • Mateus090985Mateus090985 Traveler
    edited March 2013
    I will try some variations on the effects. And yes (I am sorry) by "mineration" I meant mining =)
  • edited March 2013
    Mining makes sense, right ;)
  • Mateus090985Mateus090985 Traveler
    edited March 2013
    This is what I get trying the tutorial on page 280 of Tome of Ultimate Mapping...

    Suggestions? I am trying to get it right for more tham 1 hour...
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