Terrain Editor: Make Map Auto Update Checkbox

[CptTrips]

In the Terrain Editor you can select "Make Map" from the menu and a dialog will popup with options and then you hit OK and it generates a Map.bmp in the terrain folder.
You can then manually rename the file to the name of your terrain and manually place it in a texsrc folder and reload the terrain and now the side window showing your map overview is using the generated map showing your textures etc.

I'd like a checkbox added to the "Make Map" dialog labeled "Auto Update Map Window" that automatically does everything for you and lets you quickly update your map window without having to reload so you can view your progress as you are texturing out a terrain.

So you'd be texturing in the editor and every once in a while go execute Make Map and it would update your side map window so you could see what you've done so far and then wash, rinse, repeat.


$0.02,
CptTrips
 

[Ciaphas]

In the Terrain Editor you can select "Make Map" from the menu and a dialog will popup with options and then you hit OK and it generates a Map.bmp in the terrain folder.
You can then manually rename the file to the name of your terrain and manually place it in a texsrc folder and reload the terrain and now the side window showing your map overview is using the generated map showing your textures etc.

I'd like a checkbox added to the "Make Map" dialog labeled "Auto Update Map Window" that automatically does everything for you and lets you quickly update your map window without having to reload so you can view your progress as you are texturing out a terrain.

So you'd be texturing in the editor and every once in a while go execute Make Map and it would update your side map window so you could see what you've done so far and then wash, rinse, repeat.


$0.02,
CptTrips
 

One thing that should be added to your request is for the "make map" to auto name the output file to the name of the active terrain in the TE.


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[CptTrips]

One thing that should be added to your request is for the "make map" to auto name the output file to the name of the active terrain in the TE.


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Well, my suggestion implies that to some extent because it has to be renamed to the terrain name when copied to the texsrc folder or else it doesn't replace the side map window.

However, I take your point that it might be useful option separate from that if you are just wanting it to output. 

So combining our thoughts, two new checkboxes on the Make Map dialog.

[] Auto-Name image
[] Auto-Update Map Window


You can check the first by it self for just auto-naming your output file.
If you check the second, it auto-checks the first and disables it because that is implied by default in the second case.

Thoughts?



 

[Ciaphas]

Sounds good to me


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[Easyscor]

Only if your two boxes, are optional, AND must be reset each time a terrain project is loaded.

I don't want to be scrambling to find my source files when my custom CBM gets overwritten. I have several custom terrsets used for tweaking work in progress and this would risk wiping out any existing CBM work if I forgot. Accidents do happen!

[CptTrips]

Only if your two boxes, are optional, AND must be reset each time a terrain project is loaded.

I don't want to be scrambling to find my source files when my custom CBM gets overwritten. I have several custom terrsets used for tweaking work in progress and this would risk wiping out any existing CBM work if I forgot. Accidents do happen!

Agreed. 

I think the first checkbox can persist since it only name the bmp dumped into the root.  I can't think why that isn't just the way it works anyway, but whatever.

The second checkbox should always default off.  You should have to check it when you open the dialog.

(P.S.  Use source control.    https://github.com/)

[CptTrips]

as an additional safety measure, when auto-updating the CBM in texsrc, the coad could rename the existing one "previousmapbmp.bak" or something so it is available to recover.

[Ciaphas]

It stands to reason that if you are working on custom stuff, you would have a back up folder with your source files in it.

Features to software don't and shouldn't take in to account someone working on custom items. With that being said, it only makes sense for the TE to name the output from "make map" to the current file name of the terrain open in the TE at the time the "make map" function was used.

It is easy to inflate a "wish" with extra "what if" scenarios when all that should be present are the meat and potatoes of the wish itself. Take this wish list item, it is sensible to ask for an auto-update minimap feature as well as combining a proper naming convention to generated image files for the "make map" feature. The inflation comes from wanting to limit the scope of the wish based on what you are personally working on.

This wishlist forum is bloated with threads that have been lost in the dark because of feature creep.

 

[hitech]

I think it would be better to just add a Copy new map question box after a map make.

HiTech

[CptTrips]

I think it would be better to just add a Copy new map question box after a map make.

HiTech

I'd be OK with that.  I was originally thinking on that line, but just assumed it would be better to handle it on the dialog that I already had to bring up, rather than introducing another layer UI.

If you go that route I would suggest:
1. The exported bmp is always named same as terrain whether it is copied to texsrc or not. 
2. The popup dialog has "OK" focused as default so that I can just quickly hit enter.
3.  Make Map doesn't seem to require I save first, so the updating of the minimap should be done without a full terrain reload.  I might have other non-saved changes.  Just update the mini-map texture in-situ.

Another option would be instead of the check boxes, just always do #1 and #3 above, and then replace the Make Map dialog OK button with two buttons:

[Make Map]   [Make Map and Update CBM]   [Cancel]