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ZeroG

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  3. Posted

    I am not sure exactly what happened but the OPTERYX tutorial is only on the last page (17 I think) of his post.

    I wish him well and sincerely appreciate all that he has done to help me get everything set up (and I constantly reference his stuff).

    Yeah, actually even on page 18, reposted by another user. Last post I've seen from him was on ARMAUNDERGROUND, July 2009.

    Anyhow, the tutorial and the Applegate Lake source files are just awesome and already make his work epic:)

  10. Posted · Edited by ZeroG
    New content!

    THIS THREAD WILL SAVE A LOT OF TIME AND NERVES :D

    Hi everyone! Around Christmas, I got the idea: "Hey, I wanna make a map from my home area for ARMA2". So I went into the web and soon I found out: a consequent documentation for this is somehow still at basic levels...some things are outdated...lots of information is spread through several forums and so on...but map making is actually so fullfilling, isnt it ?!

    So...for the new year I undertook the idea to write a new, complete map making tutorial for ARMA 2, explaining it just the way how i learnt it: very basic and with a lot of patience. I will finish it when I have my first map ready at MY definiton of "good".

    As this can still take somewhat longer and I want to encourage everybody new, I will start with posting useful links for every step. This collection is not complete and I hail to all the experienced map makers out there to add their finest links so that we can fill the gap of map making.

    Actually I for myself started with point 6, the samples or templates. You can learn how it works by changing small values and files wit these maps, get the idea and then slowly you increase the modifications until you are one day able to make a complete map by yourself.

    NOTE: You can ask me for anything concerning map making, but remember that I'm still learning myself and have to improve my skills on some branches of this topic.

    0. EXISTING TUTORIALS

    MY TUTORIAL PART 1

    Big credit to all the authors who spent a lot of time helping the community out. I started here and connected all this knowledge to that from some forums.

    Be careful though: Some spots do not seem to be up to date..nevertheless it is just right for getting the basic idea of map making with VISITOR.

    ALEX SWORN'S TUTORIAL

    http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=2006

    OPTERYX' TUTORIAL

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=62725&highlight=Visitor+tutorial&page=18

    DEAD_KENNEDY'S TUTORIAL, TRANSLATED BY KHEIRO

    http://www.armaholic.com/forums.php?m=posts&p=69878#69878

    ALLIE'S TUTORIAL

    http://www.ofpec.com/addons_depot/index.php?action=details&id=98

    http://www.ofpec.com/addons_depot/index.php?action=details&id=99

    http://www.ofpec.com/addons_depot/index.php?action=details&id=100

    http://www.ofpec.com/addons_depot/index.php?action=details&id=101

    http://www.ofpec.com/addons_depot/index.php?action=details&id=102

    ftp://ftp.fraghaus.com/arma/satpics/VisitorRC3v2ROADS.pdf (only available via google and html copy)

    SGT ACE'S TUTORIAL

    http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA_2_Terrain_Tutorial

    UNKNOWN AUTHOR, MAYBE BI

    http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Visitor_3:_Making_of_simple_landscape

    Look for corresponding sample file at point 6.

    1. BASIC TOOLS NEEDED FOR MAKING A MAP IN ARMA 2

    At first, u will need the BIS tools:

    ftp://downloads.bistudio.com/Tools/BI_Editing_Tools_2_Setup.zip

    Just install every program, they are all useful for map making somehow...at least VISITOR, TEXVIEW2, BIN PBO and the BIS DRIVE.

    This is a small manual, but I recommend sticking to the tutorials and forum FIRST:

    http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Visitor_3_Manual

    This VBS2 reference might be useful to understand the big picture, as the program is using VISITOR3 for mapmaking too:

    http://developer.vbs2.com/onlinehelp/Content/Terrain_Manual/TM_Terrain_Manual.htm

    However, there will be a Visitor 4 soon (http://www.vbs2.com/media/docs/Visitor4_leaflet_preview.pdf)

    Some other useful tools are here:

    http://www.kegetys.net/dl.php/tools06062009.zip

    http://dev-heaven.net/projects/mikero-pbodll/news

    As well as a powerful and userfriendly image editing program:

    http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/photoshop/ (which I recommend)

    http://www.gimp.org/

    http://www.getpaint.net/

    So far for the basic setup. Now to the conversion of your ideas....

    2. REAL WORLD OR FANTASY WORLD ?

    2.1 REAL WORLD

    START HERE: MY TUTORIAL PART 1

    I like realistic maps the most. Unfortunately, the "normal" user doesn't own VBS2 editing Tools, which would be a great help achivieving realistic maps.

    http://vterrain.org/

    Look at that place for all kinds of data you need for your specific area of the world....

    You need high resolution satellite images, which in my opinion can be obtained the easiest way by this well known program:

    http://earth.google.com/intl/en/download-earth.html

    Here is a tutorial for getting these:

    www.och-studios.co.uk/documents/vis3.pdf

    Another useful tool for downloading GE maps:

    http://allallsoft.com/gsmd/

    THIS program is my recommendation, as it unifies GSMD and GMTD:

    http://www.softonpc.com/umd/

    Of course, there are other programs and sites, too, but I havent tested them yet:

    http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/java/

    http://seamless.usgs.gov/

    http://www.falconview.org/trac/FalconView

    Here are some good threads concerning creation of a satellite image and scale issues:

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=85114

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=71508

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=65206&page=2

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=66470

    To these satellite images, you will need according real world digital elevation maps (DEM)

    Those 2 are very good and easy to use, as they both provide plugins for GE:

    http://edcsns17.cr.usgs.gov/EarthExplorer/

    http://www.ambiotek.com/topoview/srtm41.kmz

    Some very detailed Elevation maps can be found here:

    http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/gdem-wist.asp RECOMMENDATION

    http://www.wvgis.wvu.edu/data/dataset.php?action=search&ID=261#Download

    Or u use the counterpart of the upper mentioned GSMD:

    http://www.allallsoft.com/gmtd/

    THIS program is my recommendation, as it unifies GSMD and GMTD:

    http://www.softonpc.com/umd/

    So much for the acquisition..for using and converting the DEM, you will need:

    http://www.globalmapper.com/ ABSOULTE RECOMMENDATION

    http://www.usna.edu/Users/oceano/pguth/website/microdem/microdem.htm

    http://www.ridgenet.net/~jslayton/wilbur.html

    Small tutorials to get into DEM usage are here:

    http://www.tt-forums.net/viewtopic.php?t=27052

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=69402

    Something also very useful is to create a satelite map out of a heightmap, which is mentioned here:

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=65183

    The author of Schmalfelden island, Nicholas Bell (source files of his island see point 6), posted a different approach on making heightmaps:

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=65563

    Here is an excellent explanation of the GRID scale:

    http://tactical.nekromantix.com/tactical/wiki/doku.php?id=arma:terrain:grid_cell_size

    Now u got the raw data for creating a real place on earth (or even moon:p)..so lets see whats there for fantasy places.

    2.2 FANTASY WORLD

    The basic need here is the same: "satelite"-image and elevation data, so to speak texture layer and hills, mountains, valleys etc.

    There are some world creators with easy access and lot of support, while some might cost a "little":

    http://www.ridgenet.net/~jslayton/wilbur.html

    http://www.bundysoft.com/L3DT/

    http://www.geocontrol2.com/index.htm

    http://www.quadsoftware.com/

    http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/productmain.shtml

    Sometimes fantasy elevation data looks strange in Visitor. There is a built-in tool to fix that, its called EROSION. The guys from PMC managed to demystify it a little:

    http://tactical.nekromantix.com/tactical/wiki/doku.php?id=arma:terrain:visitor3_erosion

    NOTE: Of course u can combine real elevation data with a fantasy image or vice versa, in case taking satellite pics is too complicated for a start. I recommend it for your first "map tryouts".

    3. CREATING A TEXTURE MASK CORRESPONDING TO YOUR SATELLITE/FANTASY IMAGE

    The Visitor tools needs to be told which color represents which texture. Unluckily, it DOESNT recognize terrain from the satelite images..which would be just great!

    User Alex Sworn, the expert tutorial editor already mentioned above, once created something to do this.....but unfortunately discontinued it (search on this board for GARDINAS ISLAND to learn more about it)

    Anyhow, here is what the program needs to work and how u can do it:

    http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Layered_Terrain_Surface_Representation

    http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Making_Satellite_Texture_and_Mask

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=85511

    http://tactical.nekromantix.com/tactical/wiki/doku.php?id=arma:terrain:misc

    4. PLACING OBJECTS IN VISITOR

    There are some workarounds here for making your life easier.

    Useful links for real vegetation data, roadmaps and stuff. Also useful for the MASK MAPPER tool mentioned below:

    http://www.maproom.psu.edu/dcw/

    http://data.geocomm.com/catalog/index.html

    Default BIS objects list and, even more useful, IMAGES:

    http://tactical.nekromantix.com/tactical/forum/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=21956

    http://www.armatechsquad.com/ArmA2Class/

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=94999

    A tool to save a lot of time placing vegetation:

    http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/MaskMapper_Tutorial_for_Visitor_3

    Fence generator:

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=97007&page=2

    A script for random object placement:

    http://members.iinet.net.au/~nrspence/RandomObjectPlacer_V1.1.1.rar

    Road placement and smoothing:

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=97100

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=84535&page=3

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=64747

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=87452

    Script library:

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=64864

    5. FINISHING and FINE TUNING

    Recommended island config tutorials:

    http://sites.google.com/site/islandconfigs/home

    There is a good tutorial from forum user BETON on how to make custom textures

    ftp://ftp.armedassault.info/armad/docs/Betons_groundtexture_tut.pdf

    And another texturing tutorial by Soul Assassin:

    http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=4202

    RVMATS files demystified

    http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA:RVMA

    Ground clutter for giving life to the map:

    http://tactical.nekromantix.com/tactical/wiki/doku.php?id=arma:terrain:ground_clutter

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=85513

    Make island objects function (again):

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=87125

    Texture sizes, mask and config issues:

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=82444

    Removing map background (those faraway mountains):

    http://tactical.nekromantix.com/tactical/wiki/doku.php?id=arma2:terrain

    Missing textures in the horizon at high viewdistance:

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=87675

    6. SAMPLE MAPS AND TEXTURES

    Here are some useful source files for "learning-by-looking-try-and-error-do-it-yourself":)

    http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=84535&highlight=extract+wrp

    http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=3215

    ftp://downloads.bistudio.com/Tools/BISampleMap.zip

    http://armaunderground.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?16

    http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=3489

    http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=3719

    7. ADVANCED USERS

    PMC worked out a way to convert files from good-old OFP WRPEDITOR to Visitor and even ARMA 2. I for myself did not get it to work yet, so maybe u might be more lucky :)

    http://tactical.nekromantix.com/tactical/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=21987

    http://tactical.nekromantix.com/tactical/forum/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=21962

    Here again the necessary tools for that:

    http://dev-heaven.net/projects/mikero-pbodll/news

    So far for now. Phew, 3 hours for 1 thread. I hope for your input to come so that I can finish my project "Arma 2 Map Making Tutorial 2010! :rolleyes:

    Take care

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