Big maps

[Rakdos]

How do you guys make a map of for example earth? Adobe Photoshop stops working sometimes past 10k x 10k resolution and in my humble opinion that is not nearly enough for a detailed map of earth

[Durakken]

How do you guys make a map of for example earth? Adobe Photoshop stops working sometimes past 10k x 10k resolution and in my humble opinion that is not nearly enough for a detailed map of earth

The solution to that is you need more ram / vid ram. I have 12GB ram and 2GB ram that allows my to go up 20k x 40k with massive amount of lag, 10k is about my cut off point for decent functionality.

Though if you're not using anything that needs the whole map at once other than the finished product, the easiest way is to do it in chunks and then glue them together because layers take up memory so minimizing will be useful.

[J.Edward]

Hey Rakdos,
The specs for your computer may not be enough to work with larger files.
I used to have some difficulties until I built a newer computer with much better specs.
Running a 64bit OS also helps. 32 bit has limitations in terms of addressing more than 4gb of ram.
What are the specs for your computer? That may be the main issue for you.

[TK.]

Going in a tangent here...do you guys work with a laptop or desktop?

[Durakken]

I work on a self built desk top, that if built now would probably cost around $300.
I need to find the money to upgrade completely though cuz my CPU is maxed for the motherboard and isn't meeting the minimum requirement for games any more.

Thinking about that, another thing you can do is separate the hard drive that you have your OS on, the hard drive you have the program on, and the hard drive you are writing too. It helps a bit, especially if you have an SSD (which I need) for your OS.

[ChickPea]

I also use a self-built desktop PC as my main box. I like being able to choose the exact components I want, and it's satisfying to build your own machine to your specifications.

[J.Edward]

I agree with all that. I've built my own systems for years now.
It would be hard for me to go any other way.
Easier to upgrade, you know all your components, you choose the level of quality and the specs.
A brand new mac or win box usually has lack luster specs compared to what you can build for the same price or less.
A good cpu is great but 64bit with a load of fast ram and SSDs are a very good addition.
A good vid card is too but sometimes not as much as ram and ssd.
Photoshop still has its own weird issues though, even with great specs.