Adding Symbols to an Existing Symbols Catalog?

Is it possible to add symbols to an existing symbols catalog? The Schleyscapes, for example? I already have them sorted, renamed and all loaded into CC3+, but there is only one in the Temples, Statues and Idols group, so it would be so much easier to just have that one in the Dungeons of Schley Temples, Statues and Idols symbols catalog instead of its own? Or if I create custom symbols and then later have more I want to add to a particular symbols catalog of my own?

Comments

  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    edited January 2018
    The Schleyscapes symbols should already be part of the base SS4 catalogs (at the end of the catalogs).

    But the general way to add an existing symbol to a symbol catalog is to open the symbol catalog up in the mapping window (as a map), and then open up the symbol catalog you wish to fetch symbols from in the symbol catalog window, and then simply click once on each symbol to import (you don't have to place them). This adds the definitions to the symbol catalog open in the mapping window, and you can then simply save this catalog, and all the added symbols will be there the next time you open it in the symbol catalog window.
  • LoopysueLoopysue ProFantasy 🖼️ 40 images Cartographer
    I've often wondered if the additional symbols would still be there if at any stage Profantasy did an update that also just happens to update the catalogue?

    Its why I tend to generate my own catalogues, separately to the built in ones.
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    No, if you modify official catalogs, those could be overwritten by an update. Sometimes it might still be worth it, because the official catalogs are after all more integrated into the software than your own custom ones (You can completely integrate these too, just takes a bit more work beyond just creating them), it is after all easier during mapping to have a few extra symbols in the official catalog rather than keep swapping between the official and your custom one.

    But if you create your own symbols (as opposed to just copy existing ones from an existing catalog), you should definitively create these in your own custom catalogs so you don't loose them during an update.

    Also, be careful when editing official catalogs, there are no "revert to default" button, so if you don't have a backup, you may end up reinstalling. Therefore, adding symbols is generally ok, but be careful when deleting or editing symbols. For larger editis, it is better to make your own custom catalogs, and then copy over any official symbols you need to that catalog instead.
  • My suggestion would be to create your own.

    I make a village for a particular nation, I like the layout and the symbol combinations.

    Then I go into Symbol Manager, hilight/select all of the symbols, then save it as a catalog. Move the catalog over to the appropritate Symbols older.

    Next time I build a village for that nation, I load that symbol set. No need to change an official one, nor do I have to hunt around for all the symbols used before.
  • Ok, so here is an interesting situation and question about it. When I make my own symbols they seem to be created in megabytes instead of kilobytes. But when I looked at the Mike Schley symbols and the Herwin Weilink symbols, they had quite a bit of detail, just like the symbols I created in Perspectives 3, but they were only the size of kilobytes and still looked good.

    So how did you guys get your official symbols with tons of detail down to only kilobyte size instead of what happened with mine where they came out in megabyte size?
  • Posted By: TonnichiwaSo how did you guys get your official symbols with tons of detail down to only kilobyte size instead of what happened with mine where they came out in megabyte size?
    I would use my Photoshop or Corel Draw or even GIMP. When I make a really large map with lots of little details I want my players to see, I save my maps at the highest res my computer can handle, and thanks to the additional RAM one of my players installed on my PC I can usually save at pixel size 12000x12000 and then size the png down in PS. That helps greatly in getting lots of detail on the smaller sized files.
  • ScottAScottA Surveyor
    <blockquote><cite>Posted By: Monsen</cite>The Schleyscapes symbols should already be part of the base SS4 catalogs (at the end of the catalogs).

    But the general way to add an existing symbol to a symbol catalog is to open the symbol catalog up in the mapping window (as a map), and then open up the symbol catalog you wish to fetch symbols from in the symbol catalog window, and then simply click once on each symbol to import (you don't have to place them). This adds the definitions to the symbol catalog open in the mapping window, and you can then simply save this catalog, and all the added symbols will be there the next time you open it in the symbol catalog window.</blockquote>

    I meant those Schley symbols from the recent Kickstarter that many of us bought into, with the titles like "SS_001_Token_Whatever..." There's a recent thread on making symbol catalogs with them. I don't believe these are a part of the SS4 catalog, are they (haven't had a chance to check myself yet...)?

    And I don't know if I'd change an official CC3 symbol catalog (at least not without making a backup of the original), as I wouldn't want to lose anything with an update. Was just curious. Mostly for my own that I'm puttering around with.
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    Posted By: ScottAI don't believe these are a part of the SS4 catalog, are they (haven't had a chance to check myself yet...)?
    They are. You should have gotten a notification about it in the December newsletter. Unless you VERY recently installed SS4, you'll either need to grab the updated SS4 installer, or the schleyscapes (Forlorn Cottage) extension as a separate installer, both available from your registration page.
  • Posted By: Lorelei
    Posted By: TonnichiwaSo how did you guys get your official symbols with tons of detail down to only kilobyte size instead of what happened with mine where they came out in megabyte size?
    I would use my Photoshop or Corel Draw or even GIMP. When I make a really large map with lots of little details I want my players to see, I save my maps at the highest res my computer can handle, and thanks to the additional RAM one of my players installed on my PC I can usually save at pixel size 12000x12000 and then size the png down in PS. That helps greatly in getting lots of detail on the smaller sized files.
    The buildings I made started out at 5000x5000 and I brought them into Gimp and lowered them down to 2500x2500. They still came out at 4.75 MB for the smallest one to 6.26 MB for the largest. So I'm still not sure what's going on with it. Do I need to shrink them more?
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    2500 by 2500 is huge. The way you use them in your map make me think of them much like the city symbols in an overland map, and the VH version of the medieval city in the Schley overland style is 665x536. No wonder your symbols are size-wise large by comparison.
  • Ok, so I'll take them back in and shrink them down quite a bit. Thanks Monsen.
  • edited January 2018
    Well, I tried making them smaller but they lost a lot of detail so I think I'm just going to leave them big.
  • ScottAScottA Surveyor
    edited January 2018
    Posted By: Monsen
    Posted By: ScottAI don't believe these are a part of the SS4 catalog, are they (haven't had a chance to check myself yet...)?
    They are. You should have gotten a notification about it in the December newsletter. Unless you VERY recently installed SS4, you'll either need to grab the updated SS4 installer, or the schleyscapes (Forlorn Cottage) extension as a separate installer, both available from your registration page.
    ...oh...okay. Then what was the point of backing the Kickstarter? I won't bother in the future if they're going to be included here...

    Don't know how I missed it... I wasted hours last night renaming evereything and making symbol catalogs from the SS001 stuff... sigh....
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    edited January 2018
    Well, the kickstarter is basically between you and Schley. That is something he did on his own, and wasn't connected to his previous commission from ProFantasy to make symbols for them. Of course, SS4 was his own style, so any new symbols he made would be a natural fit.
    On a later stage, ProFantasy made a deal with him to also include these new symbols (Which were quite nice of them to provide for free to existing SS4 owners, as I am pretty sure they had to pay him for those rights, although I am not privy to any details about that deal)

    How things will be handled with potential future kickstarters, nobody knows, but I suspect ProFantasy can't keep picking up things and giving away for free.
  • ScottAScottA Surveyor
    <blockquote><cite>Posted By: Monsen</cite>Well, the kickstarter is basically between you and Schley. That is something he did on his own, and wasn't connected to his previous commission from ProFantasy to make symbols for them. Of course, SS4 was his own style, so any new symbols he made would be a natural fit.
    On a later stage, ProFantasy made a deal with him to also include these new symbols (Which were quite nice of them to provide for free to existing SS4 owners, as I am pretty sure they had to pay him for those rights, although I am not privy to any details about that deal)

    How things will be handled with potential future kickstarters, nobody knows, but I suspect ProFantasy can't keep picking up things and giving away for free.</blockquote>

    Nor should they. I wouldn't expect free stuff, although it is very nice of them to do it. I was just under the impression that these symbols would be available nowhere else, which is why I backed the KS. Yes, that is between me and Schley and has nothing to do with PF. Wasn't that much, so not a big deal, just a lesson learned for the future is all. I'm more irritated with myself for not realizing I already had everything formatted properly in the SS4 package instead of spending hours sorting, renaming and getting everything in symbol catalogs! Gotta start checking forum thread dates closer. Obviously, the one discussing this very subject was before the SS4 update was made avaiable, which made this all a moot point!
  • ScottAScottA Surveyor
    ...yes, that conversation was on November 12, so before SS4 FOrlorn Cottage came out, obviously.
  • ScottAScottA Surveyor
    Posted By: Monsen

    But the general way to add an existing symbol to a symbol catalog is to open the symbol catalog up in the mapping window (as a map), and then open up the symbol catalog you wish to fetch symbols from in the symbol catalog window, and then simply click once on each symbol to import (you don't have to place them). This adds the definitions to the symbol catalog open in the mapping window, and you can then simply save this catalog, and all the added symbols will be there the next time you open it in the symbol catalog window.
    Okay, let's get back to this... I'm not seeming to get it. Open the symbol catalog to add to in the mapping window? When I open a catalog it opens in the side symbol window. I'm not understanding how to open a catalog in the mapping window and then another one in the symbol catalog window?
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    To open a symbol catalog in the map window, just use File -> Open (as if you were opening a map, just make sure to change the file type in the open dialog) and not the 'open catalog' button. A symbol catalog is actually exactly the same as a map file, and to edit it, you just load it (as you would a map)
  • ScottAScottA Surveyor
    ...ooohhhh....okay, I got that one. Thanks!
  • LoopysueLoopysue ProFantasy 🖼️ 40 images Cartographer
    Its like learning how to make ceremonial tea. There are definite rules as to how to go about doing these things that can even seem to be a bit nonsensical at first, but once you've got it its really quite simple :)

    May the Tome be with you :P
  • ScottAScottA Surveyor
    Indeed! Again, things seem so complicated until I actually DO them, and then not so much. But for me, I need the steps clearly outlined because if left to my own devices disaster will surely strike!

    As it did... after spending hours editing that Furniture symbol file I mention in the other thread I did something (I know it was me and not a glitch), hit save and BOOM -- everything was gone. Somehow I deleted the whole file. Not the end of the world as I made a backup before I started tinkering, so the original is still there, but ALL that time and effort... gone! This has been happening to me a LOT this week with CC3+-related things. Maybe I need to take a bit of a break? lol! But, I know how to edit and move symbols between catalogs now!
  • LoopysueLoopysue ProFantasy 🖼️ 40 images Cartographer
    I think Remy is possibly more useful :)
  • RalfRalf Administrator, ProFantasy 🖼️ 18 images Mapmaker
    But is he as much fun? We'd have to test that... ;)
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    Way more, but I don't mix well with the kind of fun provided with alcohol, so you need to pick. I am also much more difficult to store in a cupboard for when needed.
  • OK Remy, you win - I'll choose you (I am almost a teetotaller anyway).
  • ScottAScottA Surveyor
    edited January 2018
    Sure, I leave the room for a few hours and a party breaks out!
  • Are we having a luau ? Oops, wrong dimension, never mind.
  • LoopysueLoopysue ProFantasy 🖼️ 40 images Cartographer
    LOL! Remy you are an absolute treasure - much better than alcohol.

    And I would never expect you to live in a cupboard!!!
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