Nighttime battle map
Hi, amazing people of the forum. I am having a little difficulty getting an effective looking battlemap. What I am trying to achieve is a nighttime battlemap that looks like the only source of light is the campfire. I am really struggling to achieve the correct color and light effect. I have included the .FCW so please feel free to take a look and anyone is free to use if they want as well.
Thanks in Advance
Thanks in Advance
Comments
I worked out fairly quickly that light levels are relative, whether the image is a painting or a map. This means that you can make the firelight as bright as you like, as long as it fades away towards the edge. This brightens the edge of the map, but because the edge is still darker than the centre the light will still look like it is coming from the fire.
The other thing you can do is create a grid of very dim soft bluish lights (VERY dim) that goes right across the map and generates a soft moonlight type light in those otherwise black shadows. These lights must be dim, and mustn't cast noticeable shadows anywhere. Its ambient light - scattered environmental light, which is usually bluish in nature. This will also brighten the entire map so you can see what's what, without making it look like its daylight. How can it be daylight, when the brightest point relatively speaking, is the fire? That's what the brain interprets.
Obviously, I'm very open to criticism and suggestions from improvements. see attached.
I meant add a whole grid of blue lights evenly spaced across the map, say 5 by 5 (25 lights in all). You would have to modulate them so that the light was even over the map and lit the darkness behind each tree. (I'm not sure that is actually possible - lighting the shadows, but I can't remember)
I'm just messing around with grass textures at the moment. I might have to have a go at this myself to see if what I'm describing is possible.
PS really appreciate the input and time you have taken to have a look.
I've also completely forgotten how to use lighting! LOL!
Its the check box called (surprisingly enough) Cursor snap in the dialog that comes up if you right click the Grid button. (Doh)
With a shorter range so it hits only the nearest trees or only to the places where the travellers sit?
But keep the other shadows as it is.
Just a thought.
Thank you for both versions of your map. I think I'm a little bit closer to being able to produce such effects myself, thanks.
One question tho. I'm trying to "save as" a version of your map to use for a VTT encounter (jpeg), but am having some issues. In some cases, i get a nicely rendered horizontal strip (but not the whole image) going down the center of the map, and with other settings, I get blotchy patches.
Can I ask what your exact "save as" setting were for the images you posted in this thread?
My issue is not with level of detail, but rather an either incomplete rendering of the scene or one with inconsistent blocks of shadow.
Here is a jpeg, but I have the same issue with png format. In this image, the scene is being cut.
What number do you get in the command line when you type "EXPORTSETMPPP" and press enter?
If its only 4000000 (6 zeros), type 40000000 (7 zeros) and hit enter again, and then try your render. What it does is massively increase the size of the swathe of map the PC scans in one go. With any luck it will do it all in a single scan, which should do away with that blackness. The blackness is being caused by the PC not seeing lights that aren't in that particular scan, even though the light from them is falling into the area.
Watcha trying to do, fix problems?
Thank you for your help! That seemed to solve the issue.
Thanks.
It will also help when you have a map with large Edge Fade Inner effects in it.
You can reset the number any time you like back to the 6 zero number, or even a different number altogether, just by using that command.