How to: Convert animated maps to VP8 WEBM using Handbrake

[scoot138]

Hello!

There is an open-source video conversion application called Handbrake which has been around for longer than I can recall which is capable of converting many of the various animated maps to webm VP8 format.

To start grab the proper version for your OS at https://handbrake.fr/

Do all the fun instally stuff

Once installed its quite simple.
Step 1: First drag the file you would like to convert onto the application
Step 2: Once the file is loaded the next step is to select the Format WebM
Step 3: Set Dimensions, IF you are using a 4K or greater resolution source I would suggest selecting 1080p HD which should be fine for TTRPG use.

You can also select None on this field to do a straight conversion, or deselect Optimal Size and set the resolution that you would like.

If you are running into maps getting squished of distorted than On the Dimensions tab under Resolution and Scaling: set Anamorphic to None - Thanks to BaneTBC for this tip
Step 4: Crucial Step, Select VP8 for Video Encoder
Step 5: Go to the Audio tab and click Clear - Thanks to Lo Zeno for this tip

removing the audio track from the file will also decrease the size and FGU does not have the ability to play the track.
Step 6: I would recommend adding this as a preset to load up when you need to do more conversions
Final Step is to select Start Encode and a minute or so later you will have a FGU compatible animated map!

Here is a visual aid for the above steps
57771

This method will work for pretty much any of the various animated map formats such as m4v, mp4, webp, etc.

You can also drag a folder with multiple files into the source selection screen, any settings you have set will apply to all queued conversion.

Happy gaming!

[Zacchaeus]

Jolly Good

[Lo Zeno]

Brilliant, thank you very much!
If I may suggest one additional step to your guide: since FGU does not support Audio for webm files, going into the Audio tab of Handbrakes one can remove the audio track of the original video - that shrinks down the file size considerably, which helps a lot during play to make the map/picture appear quickly on the players' clients

[BaneTBC]

I've been playing with trying to bring a Webm file into FGU from Dungeon Alchemist using Handbrake. I kept getting squatter, smooshed maps which obviously wasn't what I was looking for. It looks like you want to turn off Anamorphic on the Dimensions tab (set it to None), and the map looks more like what I was starting with.

[scoot138]

Thanks for the finds, I added them to the top list of steps, unfortunately I cannot add more images :/

[BushViper]

Hello!

There is an open-source video conversion application called Handbrake which has been around for longer than I can recall which is capable of converting many of the various animated maps to webm VP8 format.

To start grab the proper version for your OS at https://handbrake.fr/

Do all the fun instally stuff

Once installed its quite simple.
First drag the file you would like to convert onto the application
57758

Once the file is loaded the next step is to select the Format WebM
57759

IF you are using a 4K or greater resolution I would suggest selecting 1080p HD
57760

Thanks to Lo Zeno for this tip, removing the audio track from the file will also decrease the size and FGU does not have the ability to play the track.
Go to the Audio tab and click Clear

Thanks to BaneTBC for the following tip if you find that your maps are getting squashed or distorted.
On the Dimensions tab under Resolution and Scaling: set Anamorphic to None

The last step is to select Video Encoder VP8
57761

I would recommend adding this as a preset to load up when you need to do more conversions
57762


Next select Start Encode and a minute or so later you will have a FGU compatible animated map!

This method will work for pretty much any of the various animated map formats such as m4v webp etc.

Happy gaming!

I've tried 3 other conversion tools to do exactly what you're describing and each resulted in a significant loss in image quality. How is the end-product using Handbrake?

[scoot138]

I get no loss in quality doing a straight conversion. With handbrake you have the ability to tweak a lot of settings.
In the write it is downscaling to 1080p but you can also set Resolution Limit to none which will do a straight conversion, but can lead to large file sizes.
Added further clarification to the top post around this.

[BushViper]

I get no loss in quality doing a straight conversion. With handbrake you have the ability to tweak a lot of settings.
In the write it is downscaling to 1080p but you can also set Resolution Limit to none which will do a straight conversion, but can lead to large file sizes.

Thanks, I'll give it a shot. I support more than a dozen mapmakers on Patreon and nearly all of them make animated maps, but almost none of them provide them in WebM format; VP8 or otherwise. So, a conversion tool that is able to reproduce them 1:1 would be invaluable.

[LordEntrails]

Thanks for the finds, I added them to the top list of steps, unfortunately I cannot add more images :/
If you want to expand the instructions, myself or one of the mods can "steal" Zacheus's post and put the info there. Just make a reply with what you want the info to be and we will edit Mr. Z's post to move your info there.

[Trenloe]

Or tile a few screenshots into one image attachment and give them number labels to refer to them in the post...

[scoot138]

Cleaned it up added a new tiles image, thanks gang!

[rob2e]

So forgive my ignorance regarding maps, animation, etc. Should I be able to load a Dungeon Alchemist file (.dam) into handbrake? I mean, I can't, so what am I missing?

ThanX!

[Trenloe]

So forgive my ignorance regarding maps, animation, etc. Should I be able to load a Dungeon Alchemist file (.dam) into handbrake? I mean, I can't, so what am I missing?

ThanX!
Handbrake converts video files, so you need to export a video file from Dungeon Alchemist. The .dam is the "code" for Dungeon Alchemist for a map, it's not a video.

[WinterSoldier7]

Oh wow, two thumbs of approval

[rob2e]

Hello!

There is an open-source video conversion application called Handbrake which has been around for longer than I can recall which is capable of converting many of the various animated maps to webm VP8 format.

To start grab the proper version for your OS at https://handbrake.fr/

Do all the fun instally stuff

Once installed its quite simple.
Step 1: First drag the file you would like to convert onto the application
Step 2: Once the file is loaded the next step is to select the Format WebM
Step 3: Set Dimensions, IF you are using a 4K or greater resolution source I would suggest selecting 1080p HD which should be fine for TTRPG use.

You can also select None on this field to do a straight conversion, or deselect Optimal Size and set the resolution that you would like.

If you are running into maps getting squished of distorted than On the Dimensions tab under Resolution and Scaling: set Anamorphic to None - Thanks to BaneTBC for this tip
Step 4: Crucial Step, Select VP8 for Video Encoder
Step 5: Go to the Audio tab and click Clear - Thanks to Lo Zeno for this tip

removing the audio track from the file will also decrease the size and FGU does not have the ability to play the track.
Step 6: I would recommend adding this as a preset to load up when you need to do more conversions
Final Step is to select Start Encode and a minute or so later you will have a FGU compatible animated map!

Here is a visual aid for the above steps
57771

This method will work for pretty much any of the various animated map formats such as m4v, mp4, webp, etc.

You can also drag a folder with multiple files into the source selection screen, any settings you have set will apply to all queued conversion.

Happy gaming!

I notice when following these steps, there is a SEVERE degradation on the animated version vs the jpg of the original.

[Agamon]

Yeah, for a map I'm trying out, I brought it up to 4k res, which looks far better, but that makes for a 26 mb file (as opposed to static map at 600 kb and 1080p at 4 mb). I'm about to test with a player to see how long it takes to share...

[Trenloe]

I notice when following these steps, there is a SEVERE degradation on the animated version vs the jpg of the original.
Can be lots of reasons for that. Resolution, other settings, etc.. You'll probably need to play around with the settings a bit to get something that works well for the kind of videos you're using.

[Agamon]

Mt test with my brother yesterday went well. Flat map=instantaneous, 1080p map~5 seconds, 4k map~15 seconds. So 4k should be workable, right? Once the image initially loads, updates from token movement, etc should be instantaneous?

[Trenloe]

So 4k should be workable, right? Once the image initially loads, updates from token movement, etc should be instantaneous?
Instantaneous? Maybe not... the larger the file (resolution) the more FG will have to work - then add LoS and other map enhancements and FG could get taxed - especially on lower end computers. The max recommendation for a static image (not a video) is 16 million pixels, 4K video is half of that, but it's updating 30 frames per second (or whatever FPS the video uses). I'd recommend looking at a map video and keeping the size at a reasonable level so that FG doesn't get overloaded.

[BushViper]

Mt test with my brother yesterday went well. Flat map=instantaneous, 1080p map~5 seconds, 4k map~15 seconds. So 4k should be workable, right? Once the image initially loads, updates from token movement, etc should be instantaneous?

The size of your map is completely irrelevant aside from how long it takes it to load for your players or in situations where people are playing with extremely low-end machines, but the load-time issue can be mitigated by simply sharing the image when your players are offline and it will 'pre-load' for them when they log in.

I've been using maps as large as 300mb for a couple years and have zero performance problems until I start adding LoS points, lighting, etc., but the map size has nothing to do with performance. Once the map is loaded, it's loaded and has no bearing on the calculation relationship between tokens and the LoS/Lighting points. Point being, you can use massive, 4k resolution maps without any concern, but once you start adding in stock FGU features you'll have to be more prudent, but it has nothing to do with map size; it's entirely a consequence of the way those features are coded.

You don't have to take my word for it. Try it yourself.

[Moon Wizard]

It’s because the resolution of the image (width times height in pixels) has a direct proportional impact on features, since they are tied to the map pixel dimensions.

Use of images beyond the recommended size is obviously not recommended so that you can avoid having to worry about those considerations. Any maps beyond the recommended size are at your own risk.

Regards,
JPG

[Trenloe]

Recommended sizes are posted here: https://fantasygroundsunity.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FGCP/pages/2037547009/Developer+Guide+-+Product+Guidelines

There's a reason they're recommended, as this is the result of hard experience across a wide range of testing and support cases. Sure, the odd person might get away with it but the recommendations are there for a reason. Sure, try images a bit larger than this - but if you, and your players, have performance issue you may need to reel it back in a bit...

[BushViper]

It’s because the resolution of the image (width times height in pixels) has a direct proportional impact on features, since they are tied to the map pixel dimensions.

Use of images beyond the recommended size is obviously not recommended so that you can avoid having to worry about those considerations. Any maps beyond the recommended size are at your own risk.

Regards,
JPG

Regarding the first part of your post, it makes sense to me to code the maximum range that each token is permitted to calculate be limited to 150'? 200'? (I realize that a grid can dramatically alter the scale of this, but the fundamental point remains). Or maybe add a sliding scale option that the DM can turn off/on or adjust the maximum range to suit the needs of situation. It doesn't make any sense, at all, for tokens to calculate their position relative to every other token/asset/light/occlusion on the entire image(map).

Regarding the second part of your comment. lol....you, yourself have recently stated that you don't even know what the "recommended image size" should be anymore.

[Moon Wizard]

What I stated was that animated maps change the calculation for overall image size and that we need to figure that out. However, I did clarify in that same post that image resolution should still be the same as the recommended versions, and that overall image size for static images should remain the same. Also, I clarified that the overhead of network transfer times holds for larger images, regardless of whether they are animated or static.

Regarding your first point, the information for LoS/FoW/lighting/etc. has to be calculated to map to the pixel dimensions of the map; because that is how GPUs draw images and any modifications that we do to change the display has to be done on a pixel by pixel basis to match. (i.e. shaders)

Regards,
JPG

[Farnaby]

So I created a small map in Dungeon Alchemist and tried a few different settings to see what did what.

First, the original file is 95.5 MB with 8700*6600

I played around with the size using 2 different settings, 2160p and 1080p
Then I tried 3 different CQ (Constant Quality in the video tab) settings, 4, 22 and 32.
The higher the number, the worse the quality.

57857
You can see the differences in the screenshot. The screenshot is from a dual 2160p monitor setup, 4 of the samples are on 1 monitor, the other 2 on the other.

I can see a big difference between 2160p and 1080p but not much difference between the various CQ settings.
I am zoomed in very far though. Zoomed out to see half the map in one big window I don't see much difference between 1080p and 2160p at all.

I would love to upload the maps so you can see for your self but this is where it gets interesting, the file sizes!

95.5 MB - Original DA map
164.5 MB - 2160p / CQ 04
45.2 MB - 2160p / CQ 22
26.5 MB - 2160p / CQ 32
45.2 MB - 1080p / CQ 04
10.8 MB - 1080p / CQ 22
7.5 MB - 1080p / CQ 32

I hope this helps.

BTW, the CQ has to be between 4 and 32 otherwise you get an error.

[Agamon]

So I created a small map in Dungeon Alchemist and tried a few different settings to see what did what.

First, the original file is 95.5 GB with 8700*6600

I played around with the size using 2 different settings, 2160p and 1080p
Then I tried 3 different CQ (Constant Quality in the video tab) settings, 4, 22 and 32.
The higher the number, the worse the quality.

57857
You can see the differences in the screenshot. The screenshot is from a dual 2160p monitor setup, 4 of the samples are on 1 monitor, the other 2 on the other.

I can see a big difference between 2160p and 1080p but not much difference between the various CQ settings.
I am zoomed in very far though. Zoomed out to see half the map in one big window I don't see much difference between 1080p and 2160p at all.

I would love to upload the maps so you can see for your self but this is where it gets interesting, the file sizes!

95.5 GB - Original DA map
164.5 GB - 2160p / CQ 04
45.2 GB - 2160p / CQ 22
26.5 GB - 2160p / CQ 32
45.2 GB - 1080p / CQ 04
10.8 GB - 1080p / CQ 22
7.5 GB - 1080p / CQ 32

I hope this helps.

BTW, the CQ has to be between 4 and 32 otherwise you get an error.

Wait, GB? Did you mean to put MB on those? I'd be hard pressed to make a 30 second video that approached 100 GB. :)

[Farnaby]

Wait, GB? Did you mean to put MB on those? I'd be hard pressed to make a 30 second video that approached 100 GB. :)

:facepalm: Thanks for that, I've changed the post.

[Trenloe]

I can see a big difference between 2160p and 1080p but not much difference between the various CQ settings.
I am zoomed in very far though. Zoomed out to see half the map in one big window I don't see much difference between 1080p and 2160p at all.
That's expected as 2160p has 4 times the pixels of 1080p - these are 4K and Full HD in TV terms. But if you zoom out so that the 1080p image matches pixel-for-pixel (or close to it) on your screen and match the 4K image to the same FG image window size, then you won't see much (any) difference as they're displaying the same number of pixels - the 1080p image is displaying all its pixels, but the 4K image is only showing 1080p worth of its pixels.

[darkdekay]

Love the guide and appreciate it.

Is there a way to preserve LOS/lighting from Dungeon Alchemist with the webm files? Because of the resolution changes/conversion, the XML is way off. I know I can add it back manually, but it adds a ton of time to prep.

Thanks for any help anyone can provide.

[Morenu]

From Dungeon Alchemist Discord:


Aerynus - Lead Developer — 08/08/2023 10:58 AM
support for FGU export with VP8 will be available in the upcoming update! 


And Holy CRAP!:



Our next update, "Treasury", will release on August 30th.

It will feature 600+ new objects and tons of new features, included the long-awaited Custom Model Importer, which allows everyone to share and download 3D models on the Steam Workshop!