Author Topic: Terrain and Map Sizes  (Read 616 times)

Offline ImADot

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Terrain and Map Sizes
« on: February 03, 2011, 09:07:04 AM »
I've come to find out that all terrains are stored as 512x512 maps; that explains how you can continue to fly off the edge of a "small" map seemingly forever.

So when starting a new terrain file and choosing a terrain size in the TE, it's only setting the scale at which your elevation/ground/water maps are imported/exported - since each file is always the same dimension, right?  This in turn would determine the distance covered by the standard 25x25 mile squares on the CBM.  You could theoretically use the same section from a DEM map, properly scaled in the 1024x1024 elevation bmp file, and create terrains that look the same, but one could be 256 miles across (with 10.25 grid squares on the CBM), and one could be 64 miles across (with 2.5 grid squares).

And the "map size" you can choose from the menu is only for creating the CBM based on the "terrain size" you're working with?  Since the CBM file is always the same dimensions, this would affect how much of the terrain is rendered for the CBM, right?

I might be confusing the issue, but in playing around with importing DEM data for the English Channel last night and rendering a CBM for it, the above statements kind of make sense.
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Offline Easyscor

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Re: Terrain and Map Sizes
« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2011, 11:29:05 AM »
All Terrain editor files are based upon a 512 x 512 terrain. When you selected a 256x256 map in the Terrain Editor, the only thing that changed was the way the ClipBoard Map displayed the terrain. That part you have right. Change the terrain size in the settings and then Make Map to see the CBM display different sizes, all centered in the center of the terrain. When you exit the edge of a 512 terrain, the game engine loops to the opposite edge of the terrain to pickup the elevations and textures but not the ground clutter etc. You'll never see an airfield "off map" in a 512 terrain but in your 256 terrain, you can hide a base off map and if you scroll the CBM, you'll still see the icon. Do not try to rescale or move the sector lines. If you do, your sectors won't match the dar bar icons.
« Last Edit: February 03, 2011, 11:32:53 AM by Easyscor »
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