My first serious map attempt
I've been playing around with CC since version 2 (I still have my CDs and manuals), and I'm only now really getting serious about using it. I consider myself very much a novice. I upgraded to CC3+ recently and have begun world building and I have learned that sheets and layers are incredibly powerful.
Right now, I have one big world map that just has the land masses. My intent is to make a new, more detailed map for each of the major continents. That's when I'll start adding mountains, rivers, etc. I'm not quite sure what the best way to do this is. My first thought is to save the World map under the name of a continent, and then enlarge everything until the continent takes up the majority of the map. Then delete everything outside the map borders, and then trim everything that overlaps. Or is there a better way to do it?
I've attached a JPG of the world map, with sheet effects on. All constructive comments appreciated. I noticed that sheet effects "bleed" outside the borders. Any way to fix that?
Right now, I have one big world map that just has the land masses. My intent is to make a new, more detailed map for each of the major continents. That's when I'll start adding mountains, rivers, etc. I'm not quite sure what the best way to do this is. My first thought is to save the World map under the name of a continent, and then enlarge everything until the continent takes up the majority of the map. Then delete everything outside the map borders, and then trim everything that overlaps. Or is there a better way to do it?
I've attached a JPG of the world map, with sheet effects on. All constructive comments appreciated. I noticed that sheet effects "bleed" outside the borders. Any way to fix that?
Comments
I'm only a recent beginner myself, so I don't know how to replace it, but one of the others might be able to help you?
1. Create a new sheet called "SCREEN" so you remember what it is and not to disturb it once its done.
2. With this sheet ticked as the current sheet, make sure the colour you are using is white and draw a rectangle polygon that covers your map precisely, so that the edges fall just inside the outer limits of the frame you have there.
3. Draw a second bigger rectangle on top of the first that covers everything (though not a mile wide), making sure that it covers the "bleed" you have there.
4. Hide all the sheets except the new SCREEN sheet, then click the multipoly button and select both the white rectangles (hit and miss I'm afraid on a white background), then click do it once you have them both.
5. Unhide the other sheets, and hopefully you have yourself a nice new screen.
I still don't know why I get one automatically, and you don't. Sorry!
But I have no screen sheet.
Have just discovered that if I do a new CITY map in CC3+, I *do* get a SCREEN sheet. How odd! Wonder if I can "steal" it.
It depends on whether you used your own map size, rather than one of the built in templates. If you used a built in template, and if the built in templates for CITY are the same proportions, you could do it.
Sheets are by far the more important I think, because of all the effects you can add to them. I only worry about the layers if I'm trying to protect something from being altered whilst I'm still working on the map.
I created a SCREEN sheet, and I drew a multi-poly as you suggested. To make it easier to find the white rectangles, I made a black rectangle on the screen sheet and placed it so that the white rectangles would overlap it. So far, so good. I put the SCREEN sheet above MAP BORDERS and TEXT, and below everything else.
Then I noticed that I had a new white line on the inside of the map border, covering the background - like my new multi-poly wasn't placed correctly. So I decided I'd fix it. Except that apparently NODE EDIT doesn't work quite the same way on multi-polys. I tried a few things, and finally decided to redraw it.
So I created my black rectangle again, and erased the multi-poly. Out of habit, I refreshed the screen and noticed that half the black rectangle was still covered up by something white. And whatever the white entity is, I can't grab it with any tool. I'm left with the conclusion that creating the SCREEN sheet and then restarting CC3+ was sufficient to put the screen effect in place, without the need for a multi-poly.
I suspect my copy of CC3+ is corrupted. I discovered when I was fooling around with new maps that I can't put a Map Title or Copyright on them using the New Map wizard. When I click on any of the position buttons (upper left, lower right, etc), all I get is a blank window instead of the window that lets me choose copyright notice, or compass rose, or whatever.
So back to map creation...
My wife says that my current map has too many "holes" so I've been shifting the various land masses around. I need to get this set before I can start making more detailed maps for each continent. I've attached a new picture, but I'm not happy with it yet.
You can blame my instructions if you like.
A map of your world, is a map of your world, and no one can really say that its wrong, because they can't see what your world really looks like in your head. Equally, however, no one can really say what should be done to put the matter right. If I'm having trouble with a world I usually try to explain to myself how this or that came to be there (the geomorphological process by which a continent is formed - plate tectonics, mountain building, erosion by glaciers, rivers, heat and wind... and so on). Others will have other methods, and those methods will be massively various - a good thing too, otherwise all our maps would look exactly the same, and no one would ever bother drawing another one.
The thing is that you have to settle on a method and style all of your own, and that takes time. It may incorporate ideas you've seen in other maps. That's only natural. We all learn from one another, but the core of the process will always come from you.