FT3 bug
jbclaypool
Newcomer
In two different projects I've seen an odd bug in FT3. Both projects involved drawing continents using a picture overlay. At some point in the editing process, the bug expands the land by about 30 pixels. Typically the land height in the expanded area is 0-500ft. Only way to really get rid of it is to tediously paint the water values back in. Even then it must be repainted repeatedly: the land pixels regenerate as I'm painting.
Both maps done at limit of editing resolution (8190). Both on the order of 1 Gbyte in size.
Anyone else seen this?
Answers
Can you show us a couple of screen shots - a sort of 'before' and 'after' situation?
I haven't ever seen anything you describe, but I'm used to the way the brushes work.
Which brushes are you using? Smooth has a tendency to create some rather strange artefacts if it is used too much in the same place.
Pdf here shows the areas after I tried to select them and apply an altitude change. Previously they were all green, albeit a different shade than the rest of the land areas. I haven't started painting yet, but if like the last time I'll have to chase pixels all over the screen as they go away and then pop up elsewhere.
It looks like you might have changed the altitude to a value close to zero for continental shelves (guessing here). That can result in some of the data points showing as land and others as sea in that characteristically speckled pattern. Try setting the altitude to -10, or +10, depending on whether you want land or sea there.
Actually changed the value to -1000 ft. It was after a lot of modify/save operations that it suddenly changed to 0 to +500ft.
Also after it happened, selected the faulty area and reset the altitude to -1000 ft. That's what resulted in the mottled look on the pdf. Last time it happened I went in to paint the areas and ended up playing pixel chase as small land dots popped up away from the brush.
I'm not sure I really understand what the problem is here.
I'm hoping that one of our more technical mappers might jump in and explain.
How are you creating the land areas? Are you using Tools>>Global Set>>Altitude Value in your process?
Initially do an area select. Expand by 20 pixels and set altitude to -1000ft. Return to initial area and set altitude to 100ft. Contract 2 pixels and raise land offset by 1000ft. Other operations like moundtains, increase roughness, etc. Plus many saves in between. The bug shows up very late in process.
Basically I just started over and am coming at it with Simple Create. Does Simple Create require a burn into surface at the end?
With that process, you might do better to start with Burn In To Surface right away (before the first area select) so you're not fighting the roughness artifacts that setting altitude will do. I haven't been able to replicate the kind of bug that you're seeing, but that could just be that I'm not doing enough operations or in the right sequence to trigger what's happening to you.
You can use Burn In To Surface after you're done with Simple Create, but it shouldn't be required. Whether you would want to use it is up to you.