Round map background?
Is there a way to generate a round background for a world map or must I import a custom background? I want to create a flat world that is essentially a disc. I was just wondering if there is a supported way to do this. Thanks!
Comments
- Create a new map in your chosen style that is square.
- Open the layers dialog (layers, not sheets this time) and make sure the SCREEN layer is not frozen and that it is the active layer. If you don't have a SCREEN layer create one.
- Close the dialog and hide all but the SCREEN sheet (sheet this time). Make it the active sheet. If the template you are using doesn't have a SCREEN sheet create one and place it just above the FRAME sheet near the bottom of the list.
- Then select and delete everything on this sheet. Remember that most screens are white, so just select the apparently empty view. If there's nothing there you had nothing on the Screen sheet, but it is important to make sure that you remove the existing screen before you make a new one.
- Show the BACKGROUND sheet, so that you have some kind of reference visible to know how big to draw the new screen, but make sure that it is still the SCREEN sheet that is active.
- Change your fill to solid and some ghastly bright colour so you can see what you are doing against a background of white, and with the Snap grid turned on so you can easily pick the centre of the map, draw a circle that completely covers the entire square of the visible background. Make absolutely sure that none of the circle sticks out around the edges of the background. This will be the shape of your visible map.
- Hide the background.
- Using the Box tool, draw a box around the circle that gives you a decent space between the circle and the sides of the box - the circle being entirely contained by the box.
- Using the multipoly tool combine the box and the circle into one multipoly, change the properties to make your new screen white, and then show all the sheets again.
- Freeze the SCREEN layer again and you're done.
You might have to delete the FRAME, which is still square, but you should have a circular view of the background and be ready to draw.
However, if all you need is a circle to begin your map on, just delete any entities for whatever style you've selected for the map after you've opened the new file (such as items on the SCREEN sheet, where those might mask parts of what you're trying to draw), then draw a circle of appropriate size and colour or fill texture (such as as an ocean fill style, say) for what you want. Of course, you may still need to create a screening mask as Sue described to hide parts of your drawing, or Effect features, that extend beyond your mapped circle.
If you have access to any of the Cartographer's Annuals, you might alternatively begin your map using the Mercator Historical or Mercator Revisited styles, as they have an option to use a double hemisphere projection for a whole planet. Just remove the parts of the opening drawing you won't need for your single circle map in that case.
Sue is a genius~!
Wyvern's solution is quicker if you don't need to hide things going off the edge of the circle