Connecting to caves

BDJ · July 2013

How do I connect to separately made caves, so they become one entity?

Edit:
Ok...it was much easier that I suspected - you just draw them into eachother
I was fiddling about with break and connect....

Ralf · July 2013

You can also use the "Edit" function of the cave drawing tool to expand an existing cave if you want them as one entity.

BDJ · July 2013

Man - what a nice and helpful forum this is...and quick! ;-)
But...Im a total newbie, and I cant find an edit function on the cave drawing tool...?

BlindMapmaker · July 2013

Select the tool and before you place the first node the toolbar should show "First point (E - Edit)". If you press E, you get to select a node of an entity that you want to edit. You can then draw whatever you like starting from that point and eventually select an end point after which the original entity remains unchanged. Single most useful hidden command in my experience. Only figured it out years after I bought CC.

BDJ · July 2013

Great - I can see that changes the cave entity into the new, with the addition I drew - thanks alot!

Another problem...lets say, that I want to alter the shape of my cave, like pushing a wall in, to make the cave more narrow
I cant get that to work.

I have tried Node Edit to push back a node, but it just make a silly slit into the cave, and doesnt move the wall...
How do I do this?

BlindMapmaker · July 2013

I would just redraw the bit you want reshaped with the edit command. Some people get good results with Node Edit, but I can't seem to get it to work.

BDJ · July 2013

Thanks alot for trying yo help me - I really appreciated it :-)
But Im sorry, I cant find that edit command?
I dont suppose it is the edit, you mentioned in your first post. Because that would require me to place a new cave enitity
Other than that I can only find the "edit properties" button

So how do I do that exactly? :-}

Dogtag · July 2013

Hi BDJ,

I'm going to blow your mind, so make sure you're nice and comfy. And don't drink any fizzy sodas while reading this.

It is the Edit command mentioned earlier and you don't have to place a new cave entity!

Select the drawing tool.
Press E for Edit.
Click the point on the entity where you want to start editing. Yes! (it's awesome) You can click smack-dab along the middle (or anywhere) on an existing entity and redraw the part you want.
When you finish your edit, right-click. The Command Prompt will tell you to pick a node to connect to.
Click a node to connect your edited section to. I usually zoom in a bit so I can see exactly where to click (you can use the zoom commands while you're in the middle of performing other commands). It isn't required but I find it helps me avoid any node-related weirdness. In the event of node-related weirdness, though, you can always click Undo and try again.

As BlindMapmaker said, Edit is one of — if not the — best hidden commands in the program.

I hope that helps,
~Dogtag

BDJ · July 2013

Thanks alot for the detailed explanation
Without fizzy sodas and hallucinogenic mushrooms I was able to follow the instructions
But still this makes me draw a new cave on top of the existing one, and where they overlap they cancel eachother out
This doesnt quite work, as the walls cant be drawn exactly on top each other, so some "antennas" will remain, which can be seen on the attached file, where I have tried to shorten the cave
(I also tried using the Trace command, but still some black lines remained...)

I just want to be able to move the corners/nodes of the cave, that I have put down - but apparently that cant be done with node edit, as all the fractal twists and turns of the cave wall counts as nodes aswell

Monsen · July 2013

With Edit, you draw the same way as if you were drawing a new cave, but you are not, you are simply replacing the old segment with the new one.

Don't try to follow the existing walls when using Edit, simply draw new ones. To get rid of those "ears" of yours, simply start your edit at the main cave wall at one side of the ear, then end it at the other side of the ear. Just make a straight (as straight as a fractal line goes) between those two points, do not try to follow the part you wish to remove.

Dogtag · July 2013

Right. It appears that you tried to use the Edit command like Node Edit (trying to "pull in the corners"). Instead, what you want to do is — using Edit — click about halfway along the lengthy wall of the cave and then just draw across to the opposite side. The other half of the cavern will "vanish" when you complete the edit. It takes a little getting used to because it's such a powerful feature.

~Dogtag

BDJ · July 2013

Thank you! I finally understand it and can get it to work - thanks all! :-)
And CC3 will remove the smallest part it seems
So if I need to remove more than 50% of my cave I have to do it in multiple steps, I guess...

Dogtag · July 2013

Ah, hm. I didn't think of that, but it makes sense I guess.

~Dogtag

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Connecting to caves

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