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Steel Rat wrote:Holy crap, Amaril! I wish I had found this post 2 weeks ago! Very simple yet elegant solution!
Hey, thanks! Yeah, it's a much faster approach than scaling the image beforehand.
Something that might be handy is to have another "background" layer that is dedicated for map images. Essentially a "map" layer. This would help separate the map image from other objects on the background layer.
I've been trying out other VTTs (MapTools is by far my favourite), and most others "match" an imported map to a grid by resizing the map image, not the grid. MapTools currently does the reverse, which causes problems when the grid on the image has a cell width that is not an integern number of pixels.
Ideally, the map image would be resized to a specified number of "grid cells" tall x wide, with a "fudge factor" of partial cells in either direction. This is the approach used in BattleGrounds RPG, and it works very well. Other than that, MapTools' UI has my vote (and donation$)
biodude wrote:I've been trying out other VTTs (MapTools is by far my favourite), and most others "match" an imported map to a grid by resizing the map image, not the grid. MapTools currently does the reverse, which causes problems when the grid on the image has a cell width that is not an integern number of pixels.
Ideally, the map image would be resized to a specified number of "grid cells" tall x wide, with a "fudge factor" of partial cells in either direction. This is the approach used in BattleGrounds RPG, and it works very well. Other than that, MapTools' UI has my vote (and donation$)
As explained by myself earlier in this thread, that's exactly what bringing in the map image on the background layer lets you do.
Amaril wrote:As explained by myself earlier in this thread, that's exactly what bringing in the map image on the background layer lets you do.
Absolutely correct - I just found the relevant post . It is unfortunately buried in the middle of the thread. This is exactly what I Love about MapTool: it doesn't always do exactly what I want, but it's powerful enough to often find a surprisingly elegant work-around.
Thanks everybody!
The ruler tool to measure distances is based on the grid size, even if the grid is switched off. When you make a new map, it might be a good idea to include a reference bar, like on actual maps. If you chose the roughly correct (invisible, which is a bummer) grid size, you can then resize your map background object (lower right corner icon). If you press shift the aspect ratio stays constant. Compare the length of the reference bar with what the ruler tool measures. If you get the numbers to match up (at least roughly), your map is "to scale" with the ruler tool.
Would it be possible to make the grid visible on gridless maps for resizing purposes in a future release? Or even better, allow a sort of reference length to be defined (click point A, click point B, enter the distance this is supposed to correspond to). In the case with grid enabled one could: click A, click B, enter to how many grid distances this corresponds. The grid is then adjusted to the closest full pixel, fine adjustment comes from resizing the map background object. If I'm not mistaken, in the case where one uses endless maps, resizing the grid is not an issue anyway.
"This web of time [...] embraces every possibility. We do not exist in most of them. In some you exist and not I, while in others I do, and you do not. [...] In yet another, I say these very same words, but am an error, a phantom."
Daniel wrote:
Would it be possible to make the grid visible on gridless maps for resizing purposes in a future release? Or even better, allow a sort of reference length to be defined (click point A, click point B, enter the distance this is supposed to correspond to). In the case with grid enabled one could: click A, click B, enter to how many grid distances this corresponds. The grid is then adjusted to the closest full pixel, fine adjustment comes from resizing the map background object. If I'm not mistaken, in the case where one uses endless maps, resizing the grid is not an issue anyway.
The grid will appear if you "Adjust Grid" under the Map menu. Then you can adjust pixels to squares. So, the goal is possible today. The technique outlined above is not.
IMarvinTPA wrote:The grid will appear if you "Adjust Grid" under the Map menu. Then you can adjust pixels to squares.
Actually, that's what I tried. I can adjust the size of (invisible) grid units in pixels, but I can't see what I'm doing. I made a new map, gridless, background RGB-color (0,0,0), then dragged a map image onto the map in the background layer. No grid visible. I also tried adjusting the grid color in the "adjust grid" window, still nothing visible. Or am I doing something wrong?
"This web of time [...] embraces every possibility. We do not exist in most of them. In some you exist and not I, while in others I do, and you do not. [...] In yet another, I say these very same words, but am an error, a phantom."
Yep, View > Grid is enabled. Zoomed in and out before "edit grid", can't see any grid lines. Well, it's a quite minor issue, and at some point the grid UI will probably be overhauled anyway.
"This web of time [...] embraces every possibility. We do not exist in most of them. In some you exist and not I, while in others I do, and you do not. [...] In yet another, I say these very same words, but am an error, a phantom."
I can't seem to get Amaril's method to work. The image of the map is in the background, the image has a little box in the lower-right corner with 4 arrows on it. I'm trying to use that to resize the map image, but it only drags it. Is there someway to resize the map in the background?
Or, hopefully, this very basic need has addresses?