Help! I am new and tryin to use CC3+

orfeboy · October 2017

Hi there,

I am new to CC3+ and really enjoying it. However, I am having a few problems and teasing them out. I was hoping someone can help me. I have so far been able to do rivers but find that when I place scenery it hides my river. Is there some way that I can bring the river to the fore of the map so that it will show the full course of the river layered over the scenery?

Thankyou

Monsen · October 2017

Simply change your sheet order. Just move the RIVERS sheet down a couple of steps in the sheet list, so it appears right above the TEXT sheet. That should do it.

Generally, I recommend placing symbols so they don't obscure the river instead though, rather than putting the river on top. Generally, that doesn't look very good, as you might get a river cutting a tree symbol in half or similar.

orfeboy · October 2017

Oh yeah! I am liking this program more and more :)

Thanks!

Dogtag · October 2017

Also, having the occasional tree or stone overlap the edge of a river gives the map the perception of depth, which can often (but, true, not always) help the overall look of the map.

And welcome to CC3 and the ProFantasy forum, orfeboy!

orfeboy · October 2017

Great stuff! Can I change the colour of the text? I don't see any options.

Monsen · October 2017

Text is always created with whatever color you have selected on the status bar.

You can also change the color of already placed text by using change properties on it.

orfeboy · October 2017

What is the best way to save a map so that you can use it in a printable document? I like to write my own scenarios and do them up like real books for presentation purposes?

Also, How do I lose those messy bits that overstep the borders of the picture?

When I save the picture as a JPEG or Bitmap file it is blurry.

Dogtag · October 2017

See the section on Printing and Exporting in the CC3+ User Manual, starting on p. 41. To use the map in another document, I recommend exporting the map to an image file. You'll find a bunch of information and instructions for that starting on p. 47.

You can open the PDF user manual from within CC3+ by selecting Help>User Manual from the menu bar. The user manual is a PDF document so you'll need a browser that can view that format, or you'll need to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Cheers,
~Dogtag

Monsen · October 2017

Posted By: orfeboyAlso, How do I lose those messy bits that overstep the borders of the picture?

There is a sheet called SCREEN in your map. It contains some white polygons around the border of the map, used to cover up entities that extend beyond the edge. Sometimes, these are too small, and in this case, you can just edit them to make them larger, or draw some additional ones, simply use the Box tool, with a white(15) Solid fill on the SCREEN sheet.
When you export it, you'll normally only export the part inside the map border anyway, so if that is the only concern, then you can just leave the entities that extend outside be.

Dogtag · October 2017

Looking at your FCW, several sheets have somehow been moved out of place, toward the bottom of the list. CC3+ renders sheets in order, from top to bottom of the list, so the last item in the list is rendered last (on top). The SCREEN sheet has a wide white border that hides anything spilling out from the map and those sheets at the bottom belong above the SCREEN sheet.

The first image below is from your map. The second image is from the default Schley Inks template. Move your sheets up so they match the second image,

Cheers,
~Dogtag

Dogtag · October 2017

If you still want your rivers on top, just keep the RIVERS sheet below the different SYMBOLS sheets in the list, but move it up above the TEXT, GRID, SCREEN, and MAP BORDER sheets.

orfeboy · October 2017

Right! I have that bit sorted :)

Thanks very much!

Now I just need to figure out how I can add this picture in a format it can be read :)

When you refer to exporting maps I presume you are referring to 'save as'? Sorry, but I am not really techy. I get by and learn as I go. This program is a bit of a step up for me.

orfeboy · October 2017

OK, so I did all that and I followed the recomendations on the website for printing a decent PDF. I do find though that you still need to zoom in to get the detail. I wonder am I creating a map that is too big?

Is there a recommended size for making maps on CC3 before you start that fit well on an A4 page?

This is a great program though!

Monsen · October 2017

I would probably up the scale of the symbols a little, something like 1.5 or 2.
Also, are you sure you want this to be in black and white? B&W has the disadvantage of things looking messy when the detail level gets to high. Colors usually helps separate things in a nicer way, and more clearly communicate the map, especially when the detail level is high.

I think it is better to export to an image (preferably) .png rather than print to a PDF though. You have a much better control over the output resolution. The PDF printing recommendations on the website is a bit old, from before the CC3+ area, where printing to PDF was the best way of getting the best result, but nowadays, saving as a .png file should be just as good or better. Dogtag pointer you to the right pages in the manual earlier.

orfeboy · October 2017

Yes, I did it as a PNG file. I am not really a fan of colour maps. I do stuff for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st edition and like to try and present it like the books for that edition of the game. I will try and change the scale on the symbols as you say and see how that performs.

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Help! I am new and tryin to use CC3+

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