#1 thing to for new users to learn, in my opinion....

Sheets, sheets, sheets. Learn to use the sheets system in the software. It can be a very stressful experience to work on a map for some time and then suddenly something you worked on for an hour is missing elements that were just there or an effect you know you just added is not showing up. These are two of the issues that come up if you make a mistake in your sheets.

One really important thing I do now when making new maps is to use the symbol manager under the symbols tab. When using a style for the first time all of the symbols are assigned sheets. Experiment with the symbols a bit to see where they are located in the sheet system. For example a tree symbol might be defined as simply a symbol. You can tell by creating a map and using the symbol. The sheets indicator will tell you what sheet the symbol is on. If you think it is to generic a description, or whatever, you can create a sheet called symbols trees, if its not already there, and redefine that symbol to be placed on the symbols trees sheet you just created. I don't have time to do a full example right now but lets just say that learning early how to use sheet functionality will provide you with faster and funner map making experiences.

Comments

  • edited September 2016
    Here is a video where I show how to do some of the things I talked about in the post. It is a bit discombobulated, as my post is, but actually seeing what I am doing should make it easier to understand. Have a good night!

    Here is the link...
  • edited September 2016
    Posted By: kevbeck43Here is a video where I show how to do some of the things I talked about in the post. It is a bit discombobulated, as my post is, but actually seeing what I am doing should make it easier to understand. Have a good night!

    Here is the link...
    kev, I love what you did. I'm sorry that I laughed when told me not too; but, then again, you did too!

    Seriously, I do have one comment. You have to be enormously organized to start a project like that; and I have a tendency to just jump into it and learn as I go. I will use your technique in the future. Thanks!
  • 12 days later
  • Thanks for the advice and the video link!

    Craig J. Brain
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