CC3 & DD3 Newbie Help needed

[Sorontar]

Hi

I've just recently picked up these products and without any experience I am blundering my way through some maps.

What I seem to have a problem with is getting them into a format for FG as when you export to BMP,JPEG etc the resolution is shocking even on the highest settings.

I've managed to get one decent map out the long way by taking screenies and piecing them together in GIMP but that is something I'd rather avoid if there is a way of CC3 putting out decent maps for FG.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

S

[Valarian]

For output for use in FG, I output in PNG format. Campaign Cartographer has two settings for the export. One will output the whole map, the other a rectangular section of the map. The resolution settings are accessible through a button on the lower right hand of the Save As screen.

There's a community list: cc2-l on Yahoo groups. Register here as the CC community will help you. They're as friendly as those here. In order to get to grips with Campaign Cartographer, you really have to go through the tutorials. There is no getting around this as there's a large learning curve for anyone not familiar with CAD tools.

PM me here if you have some specific questions. I'm no expert, but I've been using Campaign Cartographer for a while and can produce presentable maps.

[nezzir]

I use CC3/DD3 for FGII (Dudjinni too for quick stuff). I've been using CC since it was a dos program :) Yeah, that's right. I'm old.

The main thing is to watch your filesize. Experiment with different export types till you get a balance between quality and size.

In CC3, you can go to file/save as and in the "save as type" box at the bottom you can select "rectangular section jpg" (or bmp or png). If you click the options button after you do this you can adjust things like compression, quality, etc.

After you select "rectangular section", you get a prompt and you can draw a box around the part of the drawing you want to export.

This combined with multiple layer will allow you to create some very versitile maps for FG2.

Example:
I created a forest map that was open on each end for, say, a path to enter it. Then I created multiple layer that I could turn on/off that added/subtracted some of the following:

Pond in the middle
Campsite in the middle
Stone circle in the middle
Clearing (plants) in the middle
Network of paths in the middle
Close off east path
Close off west path

So now I can load this drawing, turn the layer on or off to create a quick custom map, then save a rectangular section of it.

I've done the same thing with dungeons (turning lighting on/off, collapses, etc.) Save as is your friend :)

Here are some samples (jpg with default "quality" which is 75 to keep file size low):

[Sorontar]

Well as an example I am going to be running a group through The Queen with the Burning Eyes and knocked up the map below using the longer method of CC3 >> Screenie >> GIMP and it looks okay in FG on first glance.

Nezzir: Are you suggesting that I choose suitable spots and cut the map into pieces?

Btw thanks for the pointers chaps.

Note:Running through the tutorials at the moment

[nezzir]

Nezzir: Are you suggesting that I choose suitable spots and cut the map into pieces?


No, I was suggesting that you use "save as"/"rectangular jpg" and select your whole map - or whatever part you want of it, then go into options and bump up your "quality".

Oh, and watch your file size. Try different file types and options from the "rectangular" drop-down till you get the smallest file size (usually jpg for me), but try all three and play with the options and sizes.

[Sorontar]

No, I was suggesting that you use "save as"/"rectangular jpg" and select your whole map - or whatever part you want of it, then go into options and bump up your "quality".

Oh, and watch your file size. Try different file types and options from the "rectangular" drop-down till you get the smallest file size (usually jpg for me), but try all three and play with the options and sizes.

Thanks for clarifying , much appreciated

[nezzir]

Thanks for clarifying , much appreciated

lol - yeah, I got a little "off track" in the origninal post. Sorry :rolleyes:

[SirJoe]

Hey ya!

If you are still looking for help with DD3, drop me a line via skype (joe_sweeney) and I'll talk you through stuff.