Exporting maps as cropped images with fixed width and height

As the title implies, I'd like to know if it's possible to export a map in four sections with each section being of a uniform width and height, all the while being cropped to the aspect ration. I am aware that without the aspect ration the sections are uniform but have a white band above and below the final output as an image.

Comments

  • Save as menu, you can select rectangular png, or rectangular bmp, or rectangular jpg.

    Select one of those, give a filename.

    Then on your map, draw a square of rectangle using the tool that comes up. Upper left and lower right corners. The program will export the graphic file.

    Give each of the 4 filenames a different name.

    All done.
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    You need to make sure that when defining the area to export, you make your areas in CC3+ the exact same size. If you need to export your entire map, you should be able to figure out the height and width of each section in CC3+ by just dividing your map divisions by two, and then, when using the rectangular export, enter the appropriate coordinates on the command line for the corners instead of selecting them visually.
    You'll find more about using coordinates in this topic.

    Also, if you have this year's annual, there is a script in issue 129 that does all of that automatically, you just need to comment out the line at the end that deletes the individual tiles after stitching them together. (The script is intended to enable very large exports by exporting the map in parts, so it assumes you only want the final result, not the individual tiles by default.)
  • Thanks for your replies, but I think I should have provided more details in my original post. my section export is set to 6000x4500, but I get widths between 3500 and 4000, despite the fact that my coordinates are selected correctly (I follow the guide to the letter). what I want to know is if this is expected or if I'm doing something wrong.
    the four section dimensions after export are as follows:
    1: 6000 x 3479
    2: 6000 x 3693
    3: 6000 x 3827
    4: 6000 x 4062
    also, the reason why this bothers me is when I put the four sections together in Photoshop there is a visible seam between the top and bottom section and some lines are misaligned.
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    edited November 2017
    Do you have the 'Restrict image to map border' enabled in export options? This option can result in your specified areas actually being smaller than you specified, if they extend beyond the map border. Generally, when you need to do export with precise sizes, I recommend turning off this option.
    Crop image to aspect ratio should be enabled.

    Once all options are correctly set, and assuming you didn't make any calculation errors when calculating the coordinates to use, the resulting tiles should be identical. As for the calculation, make especially sure that the width is calculated correctly. I see that width is the limiting factor here, so if one section is just a bit wider than the other, that will force CC3+ to scale down the image a bit to fit within the limit, which results in a shorter height.
  • I decided to try the script from this year's annual and it worked perfectly when I exported it in 8x8 tiles. I've also tried exporting section with differing coordinates (without the script) and it has the same effect as before. the lower left-most point is -400,-400, the top right-most is 26400,16400.
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    When exporting, you do type the coordinates in on the command line, right? And just to be sure, you did uncheck the restrict image to map border option I mentioned above?
    Based on the coordinates in your above post, your export coordinates for a 2by2 export should be (-400,-400) => (13000,8000), (-400,8000) => (13000,16400), (13000,-400) => (26400,8000) and (13000,8000) => (26400,16400), does this match what you are using?

    I know I am asking to verify a lot of details here, but when everything is set correctly, two areas of the same size in CC3+ should always result in the exact same size in the export too, but it is very important to use exact values when you have tiles you wish stitch together.
  • Yes, I do type the coordinates in the command line. yes, I did uncheck the restrict image to map border option.
    I just tried to export using the coordinates you provided for the first tile (which I have also used before, so my calculations were correct yay), and I got a final image with 6000 x 3762.
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    That sounds correct. It is restricted in the width dimension, and you export 13400 map units, which scaled by a factor of 2.2333333 fits into 6000 pixels. 8400 / 2.23333333 = 3761.2
    Try exporting one of the other tiles from my list, it should result in the same size as the first (Due to rounding, exports may sometimes be one pixel off, but not the sizes you reported above with hundreds in difference.)
  • it came out with exactly the same dimensions as the first tile - 6000 x 3762. I guess I really was doing it wrong on my own - thank you so much.
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    You're welcome

    It's easy to make tiny mistakes when doing this, especially since CC3+ doesn't have an built-in mechanism for producing tiles, so you kind of need to get it exactly correct for every tile. (and even if your input is correct, you may get burned by the 'restrict to map border' feature - very helpful for whole map exports, but can be a bane when doing tiles)

    That's why I wrote the tile exporting script (the one found in the annual), to save myself from much work and easy mistakes. Before I wrote that, I used an Excel spreadsheet to generate the command line for each tile me, but that had to be calculated separately for each map and number of tiles.
  • I’m a brand new CC3+ user and this thread was wonderfully helpful to come across. I really appreciate each of you who took time and shared your expertise.

    I’m hoping to design some dungeon maps that will fit on standard letter size paper with 1/4 inch borders on all sides. I want each grid square on my dungeon map to be the same size as the AD&D TSR adventure modules used (1/4 inch perhaps) that represented 10 feet. Are there certain map height and width settings that I should use when first creating my dungeon map and export settings (pixels per inch or size dimensions) that I should use? Restated, what’s the easiest way for me to design a dungeon map in DD3+ as if I were drawing it by hand on a single sheet of actual grapgh paper?
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    edited November 2017
    Well, you seem to already have all the numbers, so you only need some math.
    A letter size paper is 8.5 by 11 inches (If my memory serves me correctly, I am a bit shaky on those exotic paper sizes, so If I misremember this, simply amend my calculation to get the right numbers). Since you wanted to use 1/4 inch margins, that should leave us with 8 by 10.5 inches for the printout. You wanted 10 feet on the map to be 1/4 inch on paper, so that leaves us with a map size of (8 * 10 * 4) by (10.5 * 10 *4) feet = 320 by 420 feet for the map size.
  • Yes, U.S. standard paper size is 8.5 x 11 inches. Some printers have an inviolate area they wont print to, even if the print margns are set to zero.
  • Wouldnt margins of 1/4 inch make the remaining space 8in x 10.5in?

    so the resulting map would be

    (8*10*4) by (10.5*10*4) feet = 320 by 420 feet
    Posted By: MonsenWell, you seem to already have all the numbers, so you only need some math.
    A letter size paper is 8.5 by 11 inches (If my memory serves me correctly, I am a bit shaky on those exotic paper sizes, so If I misremember this, simply amend my calculation to get the right numbers). Since you wanted to use 1/4 inch margins, that should leave us with 7.5 by 10 inches for the printout. You wanted 10 feet on the map to be 1/4 inch on paper, so that leaves us with a map size of (7.5 * 10 * 4) by (10 * 10 *4) feet = 300 by 400 feet for the map size.
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    Yes, it would, I seem to have used 1/2 inch margins instead. Thanks for the correction.
  • Thank you! It, of course, worked fine.
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