Now you must convert EVERYTHING (except background, Map border and screen, of course) from Line to Path (right click the Explode button on the left hand side of the screen).

You will get something that looks like this!!

Ugh!

The next step is to convert the SVG into a DXF. I use the tool mentioned in Annual 157:

Cloud Convert: SVG to DXF | CloudConvert

Open a map in the Style Cities >Annual Watabou City Revised. (When it comes out). For cities, I estimate the size using the scale that comes with the generated map as a guide. The scale in the generator is in Metres, so multiply by 3 to get feet (a rough estimate is all that is needed).

The example map is about 1000 m wide, or about 3000 feet. Against my long held principles, I will do the example in Imperial measurements, to cater for all you imperialist lackeys!! 🤣 So the map will be 3000 wide x 4000 tall.

Make sure the Layer is set to 0, and the Sheet to IMPORT.

Use Draw Menu, Insert File, to insert the DXF at origin 0,0 (the default).

Right-click the scale button and choose Non-visual Scale. Right-click on the map to open the selection menu and choose Prior. The just previously placed import is now selected. Right-click again, select Do It and enter a scale factor of 5-10, or whatever seems appropriate to fill the map with the city. The previous annual showed the DXF as a small Dot, and required a scale factor of 400, but the revised version shows the DXF much larger, and requires a bit of juggling to get it just right. Make sure you scale origin is still 0,0 though. The map should now appear, roughly matching your drawing area, with some of the entities extending beyond the map border.

Here is the map of Lowrock with the dxf imported onto the IMPORT Sheet, 0 Layer.

And here it is, rescaled non-visually by a factor of 10, and then moved, non-visually, up a bit on the map to centre the city better.

Here is what it looks like with all the bells and whistles from the Watabou generator now. You can even add you own text for various buildings of importance.

Then open Watabou city annual style. Pick the dimensions you want - get this from the scale in the generator.

Then inset the dxf file.Scale it as non visual by factor of 2.5 (not 400 - it no longer appears as a dot!). Use 0,0 as the point to scale from.

Next step - convert all from lines to paths (right click the Explode button). DO NOT FORGET THIS

Now we need to move all elements apart from the buildings to their relevant sheets and layers. I do it in this order, but it doesn't really matter which so long as you remove all elements apart from the buildings to their relevant sheets/layers.

1. Water: Turn Seas into closed polygon, move to sheet WATER/RIVERS, layer Water/Rivers. Use whatever fill you like. Turn River into a path of fixed width, fill whatever you like (or a actual smooth polygon, giving difereing widths along the course of the river, making it perhaps more natural, and perhaps allowing for some river islands). I do not use Change like Draw Tools for this - I got weird results (someone might like to check this out).
2. Roads: Again, I turn the roads into a path of fixed width, fill pattern what I like. Again, I got weird results using the Change like Draw tools. This isn't too problematic, since there are only ever 2-6 roads. Put them on the sheet ROADS layer Roads. I actually add a ROADS PAVED sheet, with no Edge Fade effect because sometimes i want a stone road to be 'neat' at the edges.
3. Walls: I do use Change Like Draw Tools for this - it works well. Make sure you select Sheet WALLS, and layer City Walls before doing this, though.
4. Towers: I do these each separately (I actually hide all but the IMPORT, WALLS and TOWER and TOWER TOP sheets, just to make it easier). I do use the Draw Tools, (NOT Change like Draw Tools), but it is sometimes a bit trial and error to get the right dimensions. First, work on the Round towers: Once I have 1 tower right, I then copy that to all the other round towers, to keep the dimensions consistent (unless I deliberately want to make some bigger and even taller). Nest the square towers- usually the gate. I draw 2 towers with the distance apart from them being the width of the road, then add a WALL between them, narrower than the City Walls, to act as both a gate AND a maker to align them correctly to the walls. Again, I use the copy command to keep things consistent.
5. Bridges. I make these either as a separate entity on a new BRIDGE sheet (in the map below I have used a BRIDGE sheet with a shadow effect, and a BRIDGE TOP sheet for railings, with an outer glow effect).
6. Docks: I add a DOCKS Sheet, with Shadow effect, and outer glow (or just a black outline as in the map below).
7. Greens: I add a sheet called PARKS, and transfer all greens to that sheet, Layer vegetation. Fill as desired.
8. Fields: I transfer all furrows to the FIELDS FURROWS sheet, unless I decide to use a field fill that has furrows you can align as you wish. otherwise, follow the procedure as per the annual 157.
9. Buildings: Hide all Sheets except IMPORT. Choose layer Buildings. Right click Explode button and change everything from Paths to Polys. Now change the fill to the desired fill - Watabou annual uses the Brown stone dark fill. Next add an outline to all the buildings, the press P for previous and move all the outlines to CITY BLOCK OUTLINE Sheet. I actually rename City Block to BUILDINGS, and City Block Outlines to BUILDINGS OUTLINES, and add a sheet BUILDINGS HIGH (which I transfer the large buildings to - remember to hide the outlines before you do this though!). The renaming isn't necessary, but since I like to have a different sheet for different size buildings, I prefer the name Buildings - my OCD showing! Of course, I add a Wall direction shadow to the BUILDINGS HIGH Sheet, with higher value than for the hoi polloi buildings. I find doing it this way, and NOT using the Change Like Draw Tool tool actually produces a cleaner result. But I am interested in what you people think.
10. I actually change the sheet effects for the CITY BLOCK and CITY BLOCK OUTLINE as follows: The CITY BLOCK (or BUILDINGS) sheet had only the Wall shadow directional effect - delete the Glow effects, but copy the Outside Glow effect to the CITY BLOCK OUTLINE (or BUILDING OUTLINE) sheet instead.

Now I have got the following - easy to add all the other bits to the map now.

To the template for this revised annual, I would add the following sheets: PARKS, BRIDGE, BRIDGE TOP, DOCKS, BUILDINGS HIGH; and the following Layer: Cartouches. I would also change the sheet effects for the CITY BLOCK and CITY BLOCK OUTLINES as indicated above (and change the names to BUILDINGS AND BUILDINGS OUTLINE)

I will finish this map off later.

I really want comments and suggestions on this please. I would love to be able for us all to use the Watabou stuff easily again.

Since this great annual came out, Watabou had done heaps of modifications. And as a result, the SVG to DXF conversion doesn't work as seamlessly as before, making everything lines, and therefore unable to use the method as outlined in the annual.

I have experimented with this, and come up with the following solution, which makes everything relatively easy again.

Please try it out, and let me know if there are any bugs. Perhaps we can convince Ralf to do a revision of this.

I have also added a few of my own idiosyncrasies in the sheet naming.

This is the png of the city I generated.

I also attach the SVG for any interested.

The first most important thing is to just export as a SVG the actual elements you want and cut out all the pretty stuff. It is, after all, the street and building layout that we really want.

So ... in the generator, first check colour - make this either B&W, or Ink in the Presets.

Next, click on Style, and make sure you check or uncheck the following. Whatever I don't mention, you can choose as you wish.

1. GRAPHICS: Check thin lines, leave the rest unchecked.
2. ELEMENTS: Districts Hidden. Check scalebar only (if you want it, leave the rest unchecked
3. BUILDINGS: Roofs plain, leave Raised unchecked. Otherwise, choose what you want.
4. OUTLINE: Check buildings, water and roads
5. MISC: Check Solids; Uncheck Show alleys and Show trees. I advise against choosing farms - they can be added as you wish, and I use the farms from other styles, especially where I can easily align the furrows using Shaded Polygons.

You should get something like the png above. ie B&W, no text or trees or extraneous lines.

The number of Buildings and suggested population is available on the Settlement menu: