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Import from FM8 to CC3+?

BlakeyBlakey
in Product Questions
Hello all,

Newbie here and looking at CC3+ with envious eyes. Seriously considering a purchase of the software. But:-

I have an entire world, 18 years in the making, which is built using Fractal Mapper 8.10g. I think CC3+ is the mapping software to go to but clearly I don't want to have to rebuild my world from scratch if I can avoid it - especially as I take regular exports from FM8 into JPEG maps and hot spot them in HTML to make them clickable, meaning the exact measurements of the maps is vital. Is there a feature to import FM8 into CC3+? I've done a search and can't find anything other than a discussion back in 2010 when it was not possible.

If it's not possible out of the box, has anyone done this by hand and how painful was it?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks
Blakey
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Comments

  • JimPJimP 🖼️ 280 images Cartographer
    Still not possible to my knowledge. Some years ago, about 1983, I made over a thousand 5mm hexagon paper maps of my game world Crestar.

    I got FM8 some years ago so I could read maps not in png or fcw format.

    The only way I could get them into CC3+ was to convert the jpg to png, import into cc3+, trace and make new maps, export as png. Put them up on a web site. I used Irfanview, free software no adverts not affiliated with them, to do my conversions.

    As mentioned earlier in this thread, I converted them using that method. Did this with about 2,500 maps total. I had made my game world's surface maps in 185 x 234 mile maps. After around 7 - 8 years, I decoded to redo my game world. I used FT3 to make the northern hemisphere which wasnt mapped before. I haven't done my dungeons yet, I'm working on my Traveller site recently.

    Used CC3/CC3+ to make new maps for the southern hemisphere.

    So, it is possible, but it requires work. Took me several years to do covert my paper maps to jpg. Allyn convinced me to use pngs instead. Took me some time, but I think it was/is a good idea.

    I don't have mine as clickable, but it can be done on your home computer for gaming by hotlinks. And online by using html or a link to a page with a closer in map.

    Here is my site, with currently about 1,500 maps. No popups, no adverts, no banners. I use Textpattern cms for my sites.

    Crestar
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  • BlakeyBlakey
    Thanks for the reply.

    I'm actually seriously considering building a new world from scratch now. My original world is full of stuff I've borrowed from other sources - most notably D&D adventures/campaigns and sourcebooks, plus is chock full of real world rip offs (I have a Old English England, a Roman Empire, a feudal Japanese empire, an Egypt etc, all with slightly changed names). So it worked well as a setting for our D&D campaigns over the last 18 years, but I'm thinking it may be time to start utterly afresh with a new world which is 100% mine - and use all the lessons I've learned building the old one to make this one better.

    If I go down that route then I think CC3+ is a shoo in.
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  • JimPJimP 🖼️ 280 images Cartographer
    You're welcome.

    I find it much easier to start at hemisphere level, then go downward and make smaller maps of continents, then nations.

    My original site started at 185 x 234 miles rectangles and went up. I never got the continents to look like I wanted them. Crestar, particularly the Northern Hemisphere, is how I redid it with large going to small.
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  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    edited July 2018
    Posted By: BlakeyIf I go down that route then I think CC3+ is a shoo in.
    CC3+ is a great program, but since you do come from another mapping program, keep in mind that FM8 and CC3+ are quite different programs. They have their similarities, but also their differences. You'll find that some things that where easy to do in FM8 might be complicated to do in CC3+, as well as the other way around (although it is usually the things that gets more difficult one tend to notice and get hung up on as one starts out learning a new program)

    My advice is to make sure that if you get CC3+, you spend some time learning the program, doing the tutorials, and don't try to replicate your workflow from FM8, the steps to get the same end result may be very different.
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  • JimPJimP 🖼️ 280 images Cartographer
    I have used both programs, and there are definate differences in map making sequences.
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  • BlakeyBlakey
    Is there a tutorial/set of steps for importing a map in PNG format and tracing it?

    Thanks
    Blakey

    P.S. I've bought CC3+ now and am trying to decide if I'm going to try and recreate my FM8 world in it (via tracing method) or simply start afresh.
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  • JimPJimP 🖼️ 280 images Cartographer
    I have a layer and sheet called bmp I import it on.

    I then go to the correct sheets and layers for each ocean, land mass, contours, and draw them.

    My sequence is ocean, then land, then land contours.

    Then I add borders, rivers, roads, structures.

    Note that the map border size should be the same size as the imported bmp or png.

    Or here is the start page i made for FT3 to CC3 maps. It walks through creating a bmp, to insert the map into CC3 and then tracing it. Many of the steps to go from FM8 to CC3+ would be the same.

    FT3 to CC3
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  • BlakeyBlakey
    So in short you have to trace the land contours by hand? You can't use the 'T' option to trace around the edge of them, like you would for adding some terrain feature to a landmass and having it go right up to the edge of the land mass?

    Thanks
    Blakey
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  • JimPJimP 🖼️ 280 images Cartographer
    Oh, I don't use the trace command, so I keep for getting its there. Sure, it works, Several folks in here use it.
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  • LoopysueLoopysue ProFantasy 🖼️ 40 images Cartographer
    The CONTOURSM command would trace the outline of a transparent png, and is unrelated to the T option used with a drawing tool. The thing you are trying to copy is a png file, so the CONTOURSM command would apply. Using the T option with a drawing tool simply won't work because its not a vector object you are trying to trace.

    Remy Monsen covers using the CONTOURSM command in this blog article here.

    http://rpgmaps.profantasy.com/?p=4292
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  • BlakeyBlakey
    Ooooh. CONTOURSM looks very handy! Thanks! I'll check that out...

    Blakey
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  • BlakeyBlakey
    Just an update on this. I followed the CONTOURSM approach and was able to trace my really old FM8 fractal map and effectively import it into CC3+ where I can begin to drawn some good looking versions of th maps and bring them all into the 21st century.

    Thanks for the help and advice - really appreciated!

    Blakey
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  • LoopysueLoopysue ProFantasy 🖼️ 40 images Cartographer
    That's great news, Blakey :)

    Looking forward to seeing some of your new maps.
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