Its all in the Tome - step by step (and a heck of a lot clearer than I could write it down - LOL!).
Remy's words in print. Its just that this dummy (me) didn't think to look in the CD3 section for special CD3 symbols, but just kept reading and re-reading the CC3 section (Doh!)
This could be applied to all kinds of stuff - tents, market stall shades, shanty town shacks (another thing we seem to be a bit short on, but which I need for Merelan City).
@Remy - the shade maps look different to normal maps, but if I produced a normal map for something (a tree or even a rock formation), could that be used as the shade map, or morphed into one? would it just be a case of zeroing the green channel?
I'm getting a bit mixed up with parallel threads here, and maybe this should go on the Merelan City thread, but since the technical side of making shaded symbols is more contained on this thread, I'll put the question here instead.
This is a screen shot of the second building in the new set of buildings I'm generating for the Merelan City map:
[Image_7088]
As you can see, I have already generated a stand-alone dormer window for each of the 6 different roof types. The question is - would it be better if I add the dormer windows to the building and make them a permanent part of that building right now, or would they be better as separate entities, leaving the buildings relatively plain?
The core of the question is... Is there a way to make the dormer window symbols automatically align with any of the edges of the building, just like the building itself aligns with the road?
The way I move forward with the rest of the set depends entirely on the answer to that question, since it would be too fiddly and take too long to manually line these tiny dormer windows up with individual buildings if automatic alignment isn't possible. I'd incorporate them into the building design instead.
Posted By: LoopysueThe core of the question is... Is there a way to make the dormer window symbols automatically align with any of the edges of the building, just like the building itself aligns with the road?
Yes, assuming that you made the building the proper CD3 way, with an outline and a frill track (as described int he Tome). Check out the "Frills"sub-chapter in the "City Symbols" chapter (CD3 section). Basically, just give then control points along the aligning edge.
Thank you so much Remy. Now I can get on with the basics of generating the graphics - knowing that using them like a set of smart building blocks is possible
Even though Merelan city is finished I'm carrying on with a new set of buildings.
Right at this moment I'm producing a range of octagonal towers, and I'd like to know what you think.
Please be perfectly honest about what you think. I need to know if there's anything wrong before I go ahead with the rest of the set. This is just the small blue slate selection; tower roof, spire, concave spire and dome from left to right across the image.
There is one small thing that bothers me on your towers: Why doesn't the material of the ridge tiles (I had to lookup this word on the dictionary...) match the material of the other tiles?
Thanks Lorelei At least I will be able to sell maps with these in them (the towers, not the trees)
Gathar you made me smile with that comment, since I've had to learn a whole dictionary of building terms just to be able to look up reference pictures. For a long time I was confused about the difference between coping stones and ridge tiles.
There are a lot of considerations going on here, but I see why the choice of stone bothers you. It bothers me as well, but I can't seem to make the ridges prominent enough just by making the angles of the roof reflect differently (the red and blue 'map' files might be crystal sharp, but there doesn't seem to be enough variation between the planes of an 8 sided roof once the symbol is pasted into a map, and I'm using nearly vertical planes as it is).
The slate roofs I thought I could get away with it a lot easier, since many slate roofs in the UK have red ridge tiles, but the jury is still out with the three tiled roofs. I know that there should be ridge tiles of a similar colour for them, but like I said, the moment I try that I lose the definition on the shape.
You might think that adding shadows either side of the ridge tiles is the answer, but all that does is create tramlines down the flanks of the roof, which looked worse than having stone ridge tiles when I tried them.
I've been looking at the Profantasy building sets, in particular the Gothic one from CD3 Bitmap A, which also has paler ridge tiles. In fact, I think they have coping stones rather than ridge tiles, except that the coping stones have no divisions between them.
Things should get even more interesting when I try to construct the copper roof version of this tower, because then everything will have to be defined with shadow lines! LOL!
Here is the same towers in the trees image, but with a set of four smaller towers with a ridge more similar in colour to the tiles of the roof. The ridges disappear if I break the ridge into actual ridge tiles, and the form goes a bit shapeless. I'm beginning to think that I may be making the map files wrong.
I have a long way to go to do the entire set, but I'm hoping to share.
Its going to be a bit different to the CC3/+ symbol sets (apart from not being half as professional), in that its going to be more like a Lego set - more parts and fewer completed buildings. I'm aiming for a set that will make it possible to go round any bend, and fill any shape city block, but you will have to build these houses one roof piece at a time, and add all your own chimneys and dormer windows.
I'll explain it a bit better when I've got more of it done
That's actually very similar to City Designer (which also has a lot of complete, but modifiable, building symbols, but has the advantage of professional resources). Great minds think alike, they say.
Comments
Remy's words in print. Its just that this dummy (me) didn't think to look in the CD3 section for special CD3 symbols, but just kept reading and re-reading the CC3 section (Doh!)
This could be applied to all kinds of stuff - tents, market stall shades, shanty town shacks (another thing we seem to be a bit short on, but which I need for Merelan City).
@Remy - the shade maps look different to normal maps, but if I produced a normal map for something (a tree or even a rock formation), could that be used as the shade map, or morphed into one? would it just be a case of zeroing the green channel?
This is a screen shot of the second building in the new set of buildings I'm generating for the Merelan City map:
[Image_7088]
As you can see, I have already generated a stand-alone dormer window for each of the 6 different roof types. The question is - would it be better if I add the dormer windows to the building and make them a permanent part of that building right now, or would they be better as separate entities, leaving the buildings relatively plain?
The core of the question is... Is there a way to make the dormer window symbols automatically align with any of the edges of the building, just like the building itself aligns with the road?
The way I move forward with the rest of the set depends entirely on the answer to that question, since it would be too fiddly and take too long to manually line these tiny dormer windows up with individual buildings if automatic alignment isn't possible. I'd incorporate them into the building design instead.
Thank you so much Remy. Now I can get on with the basics of generating the graphics - knowing that using them like a set of smart building blocks is possible
Even though Merelan city is finished I'm carrying on with a new set of buildings.
Right at this moment I'm producing a range of octagonal towers, and I'd like to know what you think.
Please be perfectly honest about what you think. I need to know if there's anything wrong before I go ahead with the rest of the set. This is just the small blue slate selection; tower roof, spire, concave spire and dome from left to right across the image.
Thanks
[Image_7291]
I'm not really sure why the capping stone on all but the first four towers has gone so pale, but I will put it right when I find the fault
Next up - larger and more complicated towers
[Image_7292]
Or are these the octagonal homes of the tree people, who haven't quite made the ground
There is one small thing that bothers me on your towers: Why doesn't the material of the ridge tiles (I had to lookup this word on the dictionary...) match the material of the other tiles?
Gathar you made me smile with that comment, since I've had to learn a whole dictionary of building terms just to be able to look up reference pictures. For a long time I was confused about the difference between coping stones and ridge tiles.
There are a lot of considerations going on here, but I see why the choice of stone bothers you. It bothers me as well, but I can't seem to make the ridges prominent enough just by making the angles of the roof reflect differently (the red and blue 'map' files might be crystal sharp, but there doesn't seem to be enough variation between the planes of an 8 sided roof once the symbol is pasted into a map, and I'm using nearly vertical planes as it is).
The slate roofs I thought I could get away with it a lot easier, since many slate roofs in the UK have red ridge tiles, but the jury is still out with the three tiled roofs. I know that there should be ridge tiles of a similar colour for them, but like I said, the moment I try that I lose the definition on the shape.
You might think that adding shadows either side of the ridge tiles is the answer, but all that does is create tramlines down the flanks of the roof, which looked worse than having stone ridge tiles when I tried them.
I've been looking at the Profantasy building sets, in particular the Gothic one from CD3 Bitmap A, which also has paler ridge tiles. In fact, I think they have coping stones rather than ridge tiles, except that the coping stones have no divisions between them.
Things should get even more interesting when I try to construct the copper roof version of this tower, because then everything will have to be defined with shadow lines! LOL!
This is the tall spire version of the map
[Image_7298]
[Image_7299]
I have a long way to go to do the entire set, but I'm hoping to share.
Its going to be a bit different to the CC3/+ symbol sets (apart from not being half as professional), in that its going to be more like a Lego set - more parts and fewer completed buildings. I'm aiming for a set that will make it possible to go round any bend, and fill any shape city block, but you will have to build these houses one roof piece at a time, and add all your own chimneys and dormer windows.
I'll explain it a bit better when I've got more of it done
This is as complicated as the houses get - a Lego set