Map Background and Scale
I've recently - last week, acutally - bought Campaign Cartographer, and I'm trying my first baby steps. Actually, I'm already so frustrated with the tool that I consider using my 14-day satisfaction guarantee to get my money back. But I haven't given up completely yet; hopefully someone can help me here.
I try to get the background to my tastes. All other layers are both hidden and frozen.
First, what do I have to do to change the background picture of a map? There is a command to change the color easily, but not the picture. Sometimes, I managed to get a dialog that shows me the background including a preview by selecting "change properties" and clicking on the top-left corner of the map, but this is neither reliable nor reproducible, and it seems to work only once per map. Does somebody have a hint?
Second, is it possible to change the scale of the background picture somehow? I use a mixed forest bitmap, which is too small for my map; I'd like to increase the size of the trees, but my tries only changed the area covered by the picture instead. "Scale symbols" seems to have no effect on the background.If I play around with "Drawing Properties" -> "Drawing Units", something changes, but I haven't grasped yet the logic of this dialog.
Third, how to I add a scale that is not in miles? My map is supposed to be 1000x800 meters. Adding a scale in the "new map" wizard is easy, but it's always in miles and never adjusts if the dimensions of the map are changed somehow.
Forth, is there a way to make a map that is 1000x800 meters and have the symbols scale up nicely by default? It looks like they always assume miles and are accordingly tiny. That's probably the summary question of the three others, above.
Thanks a lot,
MaPhi
I try to get the background to my tastes. All other layers are both hidden and frozen.
First, what do I have to do to change the background picture of a map? There is a command to change the color easily, but not the picture. Sometimes, I managed to get a dialog that shows me the background including a preview by selecting "change properties" and clicking on the top-left corner of the map, but this is neither reliable nor reproducible, and it seems to work only once per map. Does somebody have a hint?
Second, is it possible to change the scale of the background picture somehow? I use a mixed forest bitmap, which is too small for my map; I'd like to increase the size of the trees, but my tries only changed the area covered by the picture instead. "Scale symbols" seems to have no effect on the background.If I play around with "Drawing Properties" -> "Drawing Units", something changes, but I haven't grasped yet the logic of this dialog.
Third, how to I add a scale that is not in miles? My map is supposed to be 1000x800 meters. Adding a scale in the "new map" wizard is easy, but it's always in miles and never adjusts if the dimensions of the map are changed somehow.
Forth, is there a way to make a map that is 1000x800 meters and have the symbols scale up nicely by default? It looks like they always assume miles and are accordingly tiny. That's probably the summary question of the three others, above.
Thanks a lot,
MaPhi
Comments
First, I am too new to answer your question, BUT do not return the program. It takes a little push from the nice people around here or at the Catogrpaher's Guild, (mostly here though), but you will get going and you will start to have fun with it. I am frustrated most of the time at the moment, (I even flipped my computer off as if it cared). The guys here do a nice job of hand holding and I have never seen anyone complain about helping another like us. So stick with it.
JSM
Beginners have often trouble by the process order : you first choose the command, then the entity (or entities) to apply the command to. I believe your background is a bitmap fill style, so you need to identify this fill style (with a List command for example) then click on the FS : whatever box, top right. A dialog will appear. Click on the v next to the Fill Style Name box and scroll down to select the target fill style. Check the Scaled box (bottom). If it is already checked, leave it so. Change the values next to this check box till you are satisfied with the result. The scale features are entities like any other, so they won't change to fit your modifications.
You can however edit the text with the text edit command (Edit menu, text->Edit text or just type TED and hit return) then select the "miles" text to change to "meters" or "mètres" or whatever you want.
If it doesn't work, the scale bar you choose might be a symbol so you need to edit the symbol in the symbol manager, or, easier, explode (dynamite button) the symbol.
To rescale, use the Scale button (two rows under the Change Properties) and select the symbol or all the target entities. I believe that if you click on Drawing properties (a green box with a pointing hand) and select Drawing Units with Rescaled checked, symbols will rescale accordingly. Not sure...
Note there should be metric templates in some styles...
Hope it helps.
JdR
Many, many thanks - now I'm back to the drawing board
I strongly recommend (if you haven't already) that you run through the tutorials in the 'getting started' guide. There are a lot of little things that the tutorial clears up. In the long run, the tutorials will save you time and unhappiness.
Steve