Comments

• Monsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer

  February 2018 edited February 2018

  Well, when using a proper symbol catalog, everything is more "under control" so to speak. A properly set up symbol catalog will be set up with all file references as proper relative references to the symbol catalog, while if you open just a folder of png's, CC3+ will need to determine this on the spot. If that folder is located inside your CC3+ data directory, that should normally work out fine, but if you open a catalog of files that are outside, it will use the absolute path which means you can't ever move that folder anywhere else, or the map will break (the entire CC3+ data directory on the other hand is actually movable [without breaking existing maps], as long as you update @.ini with the new locations). Of course, you can go int he same trap when making a new symbol catalog, but doing that is more often thought-through action, while opening a folder to insert a symbol is more an on-the-fly action.
  
  A symbol catalog also have lots of other settings that help the symbols work correctly, like automatic sheet selection, cutting symbols, random transformation and random collections, and more. None of this is available with images form a folder.
  
  An image inserted this way is no different from a symbol though, a symbol is automatically created for you when you do this. However, note that in addition to the properties mentioned above, a symbol isn't always just a single image. It can be made up from multiple images, or it can contain other entities, like a CD3 house which contains multiple entities to make the house work properly, it is much more complicated than just the actual image of the house.
  
  Personally, I prefer to always work with proper symbol catalogs, I never use the ability to open a folder of pngs. (There is nothing wrong with doing that though, it is a perfectly fine workflow, it is just that I prefer to work with symbol catalogs with all their features)

  Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
• LordEntrails Traveler

  February 2018

  Thanks. It feels kind of sloppy and lazy to me, but I've still be doing it *G* All the files are inside the Symbols/ directory, so should be good. But I get it about the proper symbols with options etc.
  
  Thanks again

  Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
• Monsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer

  February 2018

  The feature was made to make it easier to use images without going through the process of creating full symbol catalogs, which can feel needlessly complicated when you just want to use a couple of images you downloaded from somewhere. And, for one-time use, setting up symbol catalogs are probably overkill but I feel that symbol catalogs offer too much helpful features to ignore for things you wish to keep using.

  Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
• taustinoc Surveyor

  February 2018 edited February 2018

  Note that, if you're looking to do it the sloppy (and quick) way, you can also drag and drop from a Windows Explorer folder. You likely have to handle all the details, like size, rotation, even exact placement and sheet (and layer), afterwards, though, so it's even less capable than opening the PNG file from the symbol catalog open option.

  Share on FacebookShare on Twitter