Too large!
I didn't realize how large an FT3 map file was going to be when I exported it to CC3. I'm trying to build a world map, and I found an FT3 map I love. So I export it it into CC3... and it's huge! I can't place symbols and I can't really do... anything, it seems. Is there any way to resize the map? I keep searching and searching and nothing comes up. I am perfectly happy to lose literally all detail save the continents, since none of the detail except the landmasses seem to be exported anyway. None of the ice or anything, at least, which is the only other detail I want. Can someone please help me?
Comments
When you export a CC3 map from FT, you can pick the setting you want to use. In that same dialog there is an Edit button. If you click that button a series of new dialogs will appear in which you can change all the characteristics of that setting. The third dialog has a slide bar where you can reduce the level of detail in the output map, so you can go through all the dialogs and leave everything else as it is, but just reduce the size by reducing the detail.
Alternatively, if you already have an export that is too detailed you can explode the multipolies using the explode button (just once for each contour or coastline) and using the SIMPLIFY keyboard command to remove nodes that are closer together than the distance you specify when prompted by the command line.
It's a lot easier to do this one sheet at a time, so hide all other sheets, work on that contour, then move onto the next one, and so on.
FT3 is good at keeping multiple maps consistent in scale and relative positioning on a globe and is also good at providing different map projections for different sizes of maps, if desired. FT3 is really bad at knowing what's important to you. As you have discovered, FT3 will happily generate huge amounts of data that probably isn't important to you. As Sue points out, FT3 has tools that let you generate just enough data to make the important parts of your maps.
There are a lot of different presets in the Campaign Cartographer Export tool. It sounds like you're interested in the "Coastline Only" preset for now. The climate map might also be interesting for you as well. You can also save an image file of your area of interest (File>>Save As and pick an image type) and then manually insert that image into your CC3+ file as a background.
One thing to watch out for is the "File>>Export World>>Multiple Files..." tool. It can generate literally thousands of little maps, each about as useful as the next. I really do caution against using this tool because it's just too much data. If you want repeatable maps of your world, I instead recommend using named views (View>>Add View when you have an area of interest, and View>>View Window to show the defined views). When you get a collection of views of your world that you like, then you can export those views as a batch using the "Export As CC3" button on the View Window.
I've used it to export a continent as a png file. Then import that into a small island template and use it as a guide for an island map.