CC3 question ?

[Badger]

How do you take a png land texture file and set it up to use for a map. I can edit the fill, but it never seems to stay for the next map I use.

any help would be appreciated

[NeonKnight]

A quick read of the HELP file gets the following:

Creating and Importing PNGs and Bitmaps as Fill Styles
CC3 allows you to use raster images in your drawings. CC3 recognises bitmaps and png files. Images can be inserted in drawings imported as fill styles (or included in symbols). You can import any of the vast number of images available on line.

Preparing Art for Import

• Each file should be a 16 million color bitmap or png image. The image should tile seamlessly.
  
• We recommend that images should be 500x500 or 1000x1000 pixels or higher. Take a look at our existing images in CC3's Bitmaps\Tiles for examples.
  
• Images should all be the same scale (eg if a 10ft tile os 1000 pixels across, a 5ft tile should be 500 pixels across.)
  
• Each file name should be less than 28 characters. We use the Rename utility to rename any files if required.
  
• If you want to make use of CC3's multiple resolution image option, you need to produce the extra image sizes first. The import utility does not currently add the optional lower resolution files CC3 uses to speed up redraws. You will need to do this in external software, although there is a work-around.

Adding Fill Styles to a drawing
When you import fill styles, those fill styles become available only in the current drawing. If you want to add them to all new drawings, you should add them to a template. Any new drawings based on that template will have the styles built in.

Creating Fill Styles from existing raster images

1. Click the ... button to choose the folder in which your tiles are kept. This should be in a subfolder of the CC3 Bitmaps\Tiles\User folder.
   
2. If your tiles contain any pixels which aren't solid, pick Alpha Transparency. Pick Opaque if they are all solid (it's quicker) - all bitmaps (bmps) are solid. The other options are used for gif files which have been converted and have a transparent color.
   
3. If you would like your fill styles to be a fixed scale (real world distance) select Scaled. For floorplans, this value should be the width of a tile in drawing units. For consistency, each tile should be the same number of pixels/unit, and this value should be set in Display Speed Settings, Fill Style Resolution.
   For 1000x800 overland maps, we use a fill style scale of 50 based on 500 x 500 pixel tiles. This gives us an effective resolution on a standard page of about 800dpi. You should scale this value up or down according to the template size.
   
4. The Fill style is named the same as the file name, with a suffix you type here. We recommend you use " Bitmap", that is a space then Bitmap. A file called Water.png would end up as a file called Water Bitmap if you follow this rule.
   
5. Select Remove Resolutions. This means that if you are using multiple resolution files for each tile, the suffixes are not included in the fill style name.
   
6. Deselect Outlined.
   
7. Save the template or drawing.
   
8. To make use of the fill styles, you should define some draw tools which use them as a fill style, or select the Fill Style Indicator, set the fill style and use a draw button.

[Badger]

I've tried making templates, and even editing an existing template as they suggest... with disastrous results... It seems as if I have no idea what I'm doing.. then I realize.. I don't know what I'm doing...

[jaerdaph]

Here's a "quick and dirty" way to get your fill styles that you create in one FCW map file into a new FCW map file:

1. Start your new FCW map.
2. On the menu, go to Draw -> Insert File
3. In the Insert File... dialog box that pops up, navigate to and select the FCW file with the bitmap fill(s) you want in the new drawing.
4. A cursor with an outline of that map will appear. Click anywhere in the new drawing to place the image of the file. You will see what looks like the original map file on top of the new map file.
5. *Immediately* go to the menu and select Edit -> Undo. That file will disappear BUT all the fill styles you created in the original drawing will now be in the new drawing.

This method is, again, quick and dirty, but easier than trying to create your own templates in CC3. Hope that helps.

[Badger]

Thanks for the "quick and dirty" tip, it will be sure to come in handy