Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Terrain Editor => Topic started by: JB73 on October 08, 2004, 12:16:41 PM
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or any other map maker... can you email me the elevation file you used so i can get an idea what it needs to look like?
ty in advance <>
send to daveymat @ gmail.com
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It sounds like you are trying to use File/Import within the Terrain Editor. That doesn't work.
You need akbmp2map from the AH-Terrains site. A sample grayscale bitmap is included.
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ok got that, it makes a terrain sort of...
is that gray square in the center all i can "elevate"?? becaus ethats what it sounds like reading the "readme" of the AK thingy.
anyway, that "sort of" works.
i still can't find the edge of my map or the center, and when i raise the view the whole map disappears into a circle.
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Look in the rest of the folders. AKwabbit(?) included an Island map, “my_image” that will help a lot. The rest is learning the TE. Print the Help files from both if you have to. There is no way to tell you everything you need to know and some of it is only found in previous posts in this forum. Do a search when you get stumped.
Someone needs to do an indexed pdf file and post in to ah-terrains. Then we could talk about map design instead of the TE (hint hint.) ;)
Hints: I know you’re going to ask. The new terrain editor won’t create a clipboard map. The way to get one is to copy and put the output from Wabbits utility into both editors’ terrains folders. In the old TE, locate you fields and make those tile snow. It will show up as white in the Editor window and more importantly, also in the clipboard map it creates. This has nothing to do with the grayscale map you use for AKWabbits’ utility.
Take the output from the old TE, it’s file name “map.bmp” and change the color depth to 8 bit / 256 color. Make a folder inside your terrain folder and name it “tersrc”. Rename the 8 bit “map” file to match your terrain name i.e. “my_map” or “test” or whatever.
I prefer the newer editor but like having my airfields show up as white on the clipboard while I’m working on it. After you’ve made your terrain and want to update the clipboard map, copy the “.elv” and “.typ” files back into a your original AH 1 Editor terrain so you can make another clipboard map. Wash and rinse as needed.
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btw, if you use AH2Editor, enlarge the window before you open the terrain file and you won't have the black window problem.
Also, learn how to use the joystick to navigate.
Cheers.
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Originally posted by Easyscor
Take the output from the old TE, it’s file name “map.bmp” and change the color depth to 8 bit / 256 color. Make a folder inside your terrain folder and name it “tersrc”. Rename the 8 bit “map” file to match your terrain name i.e. “my_map” or “test” or whatever.
umm i can not get this to work...
have the "map.bmp".
changed it to 8bit
named it test01 (same as terrain im making in AHII editor)
made the folder "tersrc"
put the test01.bmp into it, still no map shows in AHII editor when i open my terrain.
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Doh!
I misspelled it. It's "texsrc" for texture source, not terrain source.
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Originally posted by Easyscor
btw, if you use AH2Editor, enlarge the window before you open the terrain file and you won't have the black window problem.
Copy youe cache folder from AH2 and past it in the editor folder then you can resize the editor all you want without it going black.
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Originally posted by zmeg
Copy youe cache folder from AH2 and past it in the editor folder then you can resize the editor all you want without it going black.
I'll take your word for it and do it.
hehe, first, why on earth would that work and how the frel did you come up with it?
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Originally posted by Easyscor
It sounds like you are trying to use File/Import within the Terrain Editor. That doesn't work.
Really, Easyscor? Importing works fine for me. :confused:
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Hi Dux
I could never make it work and guessed it wasn't implemented. I thought it should work if you used the right size bit map but I gave up after trying everthing I could think of.
What did we miss?
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heya Dux
could you send me one or a few of your grayscale elev bmps?
i want to get a feel for what others are doing to give me ideas on how detailed / generic i need to make it.
if you are willing to email is daveymat @ gmail.com
thanks
btw this is what i got so far on the grayscale thing (LONG way from being done... maybe another 2-3 weeks)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/180_1097598073_image5.jpg)
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Sure JB73, I'd be happy to. One thing , though... you are trying to "create" a terrain with custom features; I work with actual real-world elevation files because I build historical terrains. So the concept of importing is the same, but I never have to bother with "painting" the features onto a terrain.
Best advice I can give you is to not make too many sharp-contrast areas... these will make really severe changes in elevation; large flat areas edged with very sheer cliffs. Feather, blur, smudge... do whatever you can to get the terrain to flow together naturally.
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yeah thats why this is so slow LOL... i have never used this before (paint shop pro) or any other quality graphics software...
set a brush, try it, undo, change a setting LOL
if you see this link:
http://www.ah-terrains.com/index.php?option=com_forum&Itemid=25&page=viewtopic&t=67 you'll get an idea what i am going for.
i am having a heluva time making the mountians. once i get that part done, the rest will be easy, just rolling hills.
i have some gray sattlite pics i have DL'd of real earth terrain, but it doesn't look right. one side of the mountians is black showing the shadow or something.
any good links to the kind of pics i need to DL? i gave up googeling images after about an hour of only finding pay sites and not being able to preview what i'd be getting LOL
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Originally posted by JB73
i have some gray sattlite pics i have DL'd of real earth terrain, but it doesn't look right. one side of the mountians is black showing the shadow or something.
Which brings up a really good point... one needs to be very careful when using supplied greyscale data. Compare these two images of the same terrain...
(http://home.sprynet.com/~cwbeals/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/demdemo.jpg)
The image on the right "looks" more 3-D, doesn't it. It has been given artificial shading to make it look more understandable to the human eye. but it is incorrect for the purposes of importing. Any file you want to import into the TE should look like the left image.
It may be hard to find "photos" of greyscale terrains on the Web... what I use are actually USGS DTED files that are available from various places. I open them in a DTED-viewer app, stitch a bunch of them together, and export the result in TIF format, then convert it to BMP.
I e-mailed you a file for you to play with.
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Originally posted by Dux
Really, Easyscor? Importing works fine for me. :confused:
I just double checked. Import works but for only elevation data; which is ok if you've already filled the map with land tiles. Not so good if you have lots of water and haven't filled the map with land.
For that reason, I like AKWabbits utility better. I still have to repair the coastal plains, but it jump starts the process.
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Originally posted by zmeg
Copy youe cache folder from AH2 and past it in the editor folder then you can resize the editor all you want without it going black.
Tried as you suggested but it didn't work for me. All the Water and Grassy Rock stayed black.
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Originally posted by Dux
The image on the right "looks" more 3-D, doesn't it. It has been given artificial shading to make it look more understandable to the human eye. but it is incorrect for the purposes of importing. Any file you want to import into the TE should look like the left image.
I e-mailed you a file for you to play with.
TY for email .. <> where did you get left pics?!?!?
the ones on the right all i can find
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You have to change the one on the right in a graphics program.
There are many tools to use... "smooth" "soften" "blur" or "less contrast" Or Many others, or "soften" the edges on your brush and/or set some transparency to your brush and use white.
NUTTZ
Originally posted by JB73
TY for email .. <> where did you get left pics?!?!?
the ones on the right all i can find
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Roger that, Easyscor... Wabbit's utilty is the best simple way to go here. I use a really convoluted and complicated process of connecting the TYP portion of a terrain to the ELV portion... it wouldn't even be worth explaining unless you were a hardcore PhotoShop user. But if you don't have to worry about getting coastlines just right (like I do) Wabbit's utility is a blessing. (the problem here is that much land is at level 0... Wabbit's utility automatically makes anything at 0 into a water tile, and many times you just don't want that)
JB73... the left image is from USGS DTED data, and exported as a TIF. I made the right example just by using the Emboss filter in PhotoShop.
Nuttz, that can smooth out the hard-edged contrast in a file, but it doesn't change the fact that darker pixels have been introduced to the data. Darker pixels = lower elevation, so every shadow has become a hole. Blur it and you get a blurry, smooth hole. It's far better to just make sure your data is clean to begin with.
And if you are painting from scratch like JB73 is, that should be easy. :)
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Dux, I was giving him some easy quick ways to get rid of the hard edges, there are many ways that "I" also didn't want to explain.
I use Corel, so I was trying to use universal terms.
IF "I" use a file that has shading, I use the brush tool as I mentioned above, In white with 100% gradatation fade on the edges and use 87% transparency to rid the "shadows"
From His drawing It definately looks like it was drawn in an art program.
Yes, sometimes the relief map looks GREAT but in reality it makes a poor map, or should i say poor mountain ranges.
NUTTZ
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73...
Looks like you are gettin' some excellent advice here so far. :)
I made a few different mountains (sizes, shapes, etc.) and used them as a library to create mountain ranges. When drawing them, remember, the color numbers represent the grade. Use colors very close together and you get a gradual grade, far apart gives you a very steep one.
BTW, I used Paint Shop Pro to do Trinity.
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TY NB sir .. is it possible for you to email some of those so i can see them?
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Gotcha, Nuttz... sorry. :)
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Originally posted by JB73
TY NB sir .. is it possible for you to email some of those so i can see them?
I can probably help out. Drop me an note.