Posted By: Gathar...I think it would be really cool to zoom on the book, see it contains a map of the planet, zoom on it until you get to the actual region, zoom again to find the dungeon, then zoom once more until you see in the dungeon the book that contains a map, then start zooming on it...
So cool it would be hot
Posted By: QuentenSue, I can't see the grubs and bees
Posted By: GatharI'm probably quite non reasonable, but I think it would be really cool to zoom on the book, see it contains a map of the planet, zoom on it until you get to the actual region, zoom again to find the dungeon, then zoom once more until you see in the dungeon the book that contains a map, then start zooming on i
Using vector graphics, this would be possible, if not particularly practical. Not with unlimited levels though.
I've thought of another way to deal with the size of the city versus scale problem - the one where my city has had to be shrunk, just so that I can render it all in one go.
First I thought that I would cut it up into grid squares 2x2 or even 3x3 (not the map, but the way I render it out to upload), but then I thought of the way that detail road maps are done in road atlases - how areas of interest, like the docks , or the palace, or some other area makes a map, and how these frequently overlap.
I'm considering going back to the 5000 px square size (a simple matter of scaling it all up again that takes about 5 seconds), and establishing 'render rectangles' marking out key areas of the city, and making a series of maps of the city from the one city map.
That would only be for display here at the forum. The FCW would be the entire city.
Posted By: LoopysueI'm considering going back to the 5000 px square size (a simple matter of scaling it all up again that takes about 5 seconds), and establishing 'render rectangles' marking out key areas of the city, and making a series of maps of the city from the one city map.
That would only be for display here at the forum. The FCW would be the entire city.
I would actually suggest making this as a series of fcw's. One for the entire city, but without the extreme detail level. Then separate zoom-in maps of interesting areas in the city, using a very high detail level (not just higher detail textures, but additional symbols and everything to make more detailed scenes). This will result in a complete city map, that while still pretty, is also more friendly to lower end machines, and some truly beautiful city sections as seperate maps (which also are computer friendly, because they simply doesn't contain the entire city). These maps would be hyperlinked the same way as the rest of the atlas, so you can just click through into them. It also means you wont have to put the same extreme effort into every single section of the city.
Being me, however, I will make the 5000 px map complete, then slice copies of it up into smaller portions - each with a small overlap with its neighbours. I will then create the main reference map last of all by reducing one of those copies to about 1250 px square and grossly simplifying it.
If I delete the STRUCTURES (SHADING) layer on the small scale reference map, will I leave behind just the layout of the buildings like an OS map?
Ah but your computer will love it. I'm hoping the entire thing, catalogue, pngs and fills of all resolutions, will be a whole lot less than the 50MB limit I set for myself for the project to make it less of a bind downloading it - positively lightweight in fact, since I won't be using much else. The maps should be fairly fast to move around in (I hope)
Posted By: LoopysueThe maps should be fairly fast to move around in (I hope)
Remember that that amount of entities and effects are more important for performance than sheer file size. City maps are generally rather slow from the start, because they contain many entities and effects. Even a plain CD3 Bitmap A city is rather slow on most computers, especially when it gets a bit large (like your city seems to be).
I'm already planning to use minimal effects - deep thought currently going into just exactly how many sheets I really need to create the ocean effect. Right at the moment I've got it down to just 2, from the 4 I used in Merelan City. There are also only 2 effects on each of those sheets, rather than 4. The cost is that the water may look a bit plain in comparison with Merelan city (I used blend modes to get that effect), but it will be a lot faster.
Merelan City was taking nearly a minute to zoom when working on the final details with the effects turned on (which I had to do because the map was unrecognisable without them). I also had 8 full sets of landscape stacked, one on top of another to get the full effect of the cliffs (8 rock sheets, 16 grass sheets, 8 road sheets, 32 building sheets - two sets of buildings, each split into 8 island levels with different shadow settings for being in the shade or the sunlight... etc). There will only be 2 landscape levels in Sanctuary.
Question: If I use automatic buildings instead of standard symbols, will that make the situation worse, or better?
Oh thanks for working that out, Remy! I didn't realise you would have to try it and see. I thought you would already know.
So if they make less demand on the system, house for house, its actually a good thing that I was thinking of using them for the more densely populated areas
After a lot of steps in both directions (forward and backward) I've more or less got the main parts of the water in place.
Remy has very generously done all the symbol and fill set up over the weekend, so now that I have the basics in place I should start to move a lot faster now.
I'm guessing you are referring to the last but one image I posted?
Those are the very same tree symbols that Remy has so kindly arranged into a catalogue that will eventually be available in the Atlas resources, so that you will be able to open the City of Sanctuary map and see it without any red crosses
As I understand it (and my understanding is never more than vague when it comes to software) the catalogue will be set up so that you can use it to create other maps in the Atlas folder, but it won't work if you just dump it and the pngs in the usual CC3 folders. That's just an unfortunate side effect of setting it up so that it WILL work with the Atlas set up.
....
Since I'm here and typing away, I wonder if anyone knows how to draw one of those onion domes you see a lot of on Russian Orthodox churches - a dome with a spire coming out of it. I have a fancy to make one in shaded polygons to use around the palace to make it look a bit more special.
Ok well... I know how to draw the flat version. I just haven't got the foggiest idea how to sort out what angle each plate should be tilted at (between vertical and flat, that is), when I redraw this thing in CC3.
I'm really tired now, and I'm not sure if its the fading light or the thinking I had to do to work out how to do it! LOL! Geometry - particularly 3D geometry, is not a subject I really care to get into unless I have no choice.
Anyhow - its done now, and because its just a bunch of shaded polys I can change the fill and use it with different roof types.
If you ever want to use it in other maps you will be able to copy and paste it from the FCW
The truth is, though, that the trees are mashed together from a large set of Blender renders, and although I certainly did the geometry all by myself the beauty of the dome is all down to CC3 shaded polygons, and CD3 slate roof texture
I did so much thinking and dome building today that I only had a small amount of time left to start laying things out before I was too tired.
This is the palace on top of the rock, on which the hanging gardens will grow, and from which the waterfalls will gush.
When I started using more than one colour on the new onion domes it became obvious that I needed to do them with more segments. The shading isn't that good on some of them because of the stripes and patterns I tried using, but I'm not going to worry too much about it now. Maybe there's a possibility for a dome symbol set further down the road, but not with this map.
Comments
First I thought that I would cut it up into grid squares 2x2 or even 3x3 (not the map, but the way I render it out to upload), but then I thought of the way that detail road maps are done in road atlases - how areas of interest, like the docks , or the palace, or some other area makes a map, and how these frequently overlap.
I'm considering going back to the 5000 px square size (a simple matter of scaling it all up again that takes about 5 seconds), and establishing 'render rectangles' marking out key areas of the city, and making a series of maps of the city from the one city map.
That would only be for display here at the forum. The FCW would be the entire city.
Any thoughts on that idea?
This will result in a complete city map, that while still pretty, is also more friendly to lower end machines, and some truly beautiful city sections as seperate maps (which also are computer friendly, because they simply doesn't contain the entire city). These maps would be hyperlinked the same way as the rest of the atlas, so you can just click through into them.
It also means you wont have to put the same extreme effort into every single section of the city.
Being me, however, I will make the 5000 px map complete, then slice copies of it up into smaller portions - each with a small overlap with its neighbours. I will then create the main reference map last of all by reducing one of those copies to about 1250 px square and grossly simplifying it.
If I delete the STRUCTURES (SHADING) layer on the small scale reference map, will I leave behind just the layout of the buildings like an OS map?
I'm already planning to use minimal effects - deep thought currently going into just exactly how many sheets I really need to create the ocean effect. Right at the moment I've got it down to just 2, from the 4 I used in Merelan City. There are also only 2 effects on each of those sheets, rather than 4. The cost is that the water may look a bit plain in comparison with Merelan city (I used blend modes to get that effect), but it will be a lot faster.
Merelan City was taking nearly a minute to zoom when working on the final details with the effects turned on (which I had to do because the map was unrecognisable without them). I also had 8 full sets of landscape stacked, one on top of another to get the full effect of the cliffs (8 rock sheets, 16 grass sheets, 8 road sheets, 32 building sheets - two sets of buildings, each split into 8 island levels with different shadow settings for being in the shade or the sunlight... etc). There will only be 2 landscape levels in Sanctuary.
Question: If I use automatic buildings instead of standard symbols, will that make the situation worse, or better?
I'm working on the basics at the moment - layout, ocean, how to show the relief, etc...
Hope to post a general update soon
So if they make less demand on the system, house for house, its actually a good thing that I was thinking of using them for the more densely populated areas
Remy has very generously done all the symbol and fill set up over the weekend, so now that I have the basics in place I should start to move a lot faster now.
(Well that's the theory anyway
I'm guessing you are referring to the last but one image I posted?
Those are the very same tree symbols that Remy has so kindly arranged into a catalogue that will eventually be available in the Atlas resources, so that you will be able to open the City of Sanctuary map and see it without any red crosses
As I understand it (and my understanding is never more than vague when it comes to software) the catalogue will be set up so that you can use it to create other maps in the Atlas folder, but it won't work if you just dump it and the pngs in the usual CC3 folders. That's just an unfortunate side effect of setting it up so that it WILL work with the Atlas set up.
....
Since I'm here and typing away, I wonder if anyone knows how to draw one of those onion domes you see a lot of on Russian Orthodox churches - a dome with a spire coming out of it. I have a fancy to make one in shaded polygons to use around the palace to make it look a bit more special.
Any geometrically inspired ideas?
Does this look about right?
I'm really tired now, and I'm not sure if its the fading light or the thinking I had to do to work out how to do it! LOL! Geometry - particularly 3D geometry, is not a subject I really care to get into unless I have no choice.
Anyhow - its done now, and because its just a bunch of shaded polys I can change the fill and use it with different roof types.
If you ever want to use it in other maps you will be able to copy and paste it from the FCW
The truth is, though, that the trees are mashed together from a large set of Blender renders, and although I certainly did the geometry all by myself the beauty of the dome is all down to CC3 shaded polygons, and CD3 slate roof texture
This is the palace on top of the rock, on which the hanging gardens will grow, and from which the waterfalls will gush.
When I started using more than one colour on the new onion domes it became obvious that I needed to do them with more segments. The shading isn't that good on some of them because of the stripes and patterns I tried using, but I'm not going to worry too much about it now. Maybe there's a possibility for a dome symbol set further down the road, but not with this map.