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Custom layer pack - 3/7/2017 12:45:37 PM   
Kaldadarnes


Posts: 157
Joined: 8/6/2013
From: Berkshire, UK
Status: offline 		Hi all,

I may be completely (almost certainly am) misunderstanding how custom layers work, but is there any kind of way to download custom layers without having to spend ages messing around with PNG files?

I was thinking something along the lines of the DB images and descriptions for some of the most common battlegrounds e.g. Falklands, bits of the mid east, Taiwan, Spratly etc.

Essentially, trying to freeload off other people's hard work and time - normally works a charm

Cheers

K

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Omnia Videmus
Post #: 1
RE: Custom layer pack - 3/7/2017 2:10:21 PM   
ColonelMolerat

 

Posts: 479
Joined: 9/23/2015
Status: offline 		There aren't that I know of, but GMap is so quick and easy to use I'm not sure there's much point (except for scenario creators making them specially for their own scenarios). You can make an overlay for an area in less than a minute.

To do it with GMap you:

1. Open GMap.
2. Alt-drag around the area you want
3. Choose a map to source from using the drop-down on the right(I use Bing Satellite Map).
4. Click 'Get Static'
5. Choose a zoom level. This depends on the area you're covering. For all of Ireland, I'd use about 9, for a single block in Dublin I'd use 19. The higher the zoom level and bigger the area, the more it downloads and the longer it takes. I try to keep the amount (shown on the progress bar while it's working) below 400.
6. Click 'Generate'

In CMANO you just load the .png file that's been generated. You can also neaten it up and make changes in Photoshop.

If you want, you can also cover a large area with a low zoom level, then repeat the process on smaller areas within it with a higher zoom level. Load the large-area png in CMANO first, then load up the smaller areas. This way you'll have a nice big overlay covering your entire mission, with smaller overlays giving even more detail to key areas.

< Message edited by ColonelMolerat -- 3/7/2017 2:12:49 PM >

(in reply to Kaldadarnes)
Post #: 2
RE: Custom layer pack - 3/7/2017 2:27:09 PM   
kevinkins


Posts: 2257
Joined: 3/8/2006
Status: offline 		I have a bunch ready for the String of Pearls project. But those are specific to only about a dozen bases. ColonelMolerat has it right. They are easy to make. The notion of a series of layers has been talked about, but never gained any traction probably since they tend to be very specific to the nature of each scenario.

Kevin

< Message edited by kevinkin -- 3/7/2017 3:17:51 PM >

(in reply to ColonelMolerat)
Post #: 3
RE: Custom layer pack - 3/7/2017 2:41:21 PM   
Kaldadarnes


Posts: 157
Joined: 8/6/2013
From: Berkshire, UK
Status: offline 		Cheers - I'll give it a go.

This GMap thingummy sounds pretty useful...

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Omnia Videmus

(in reply to ColonelMolerat)
Post #: 4
RE: Custom layer pack - 3/8/2017 7:27:21 AM   
Kaldadarnes


Posts: 157
Joined: 8/6/2013
From: Berkshire, UK
Status: offline 		Had a crack at this last night and you were right - I did the whole of the Falklands, with enhanced detail on Port Stanley, Goose Green, Fitzroy & San Carlos in about 15 mins...having never used the tool before.

The Baloogan GMap tool is fantastic...

Many thanks for your advice!

Cheers

K

_____________________________

Omnia Videmus

(in reply to ColonelMolerat)
Post #: 5
RE: Custom layer pack - 3/8/2017 1:26:45 PM   
kevinkins


Posts: 2257
Joined: 3/8/2006
Status: offline 		With the layer now in place, you can add in facilities, buildings etc. to their logical places. I think the rule of thumb is not to over do it and add just what the scenario needs. This is because the layer and extra stuff uses system resources. Although, with today's computers that might be trivial in all but the more massive scenarios.

Great you are having fun with it ...

Kevin

(in reply to Kaldadarnes)
Post #: 6
RE: Custom layer pack - 3/8/2017 3:55:30 PM   
ColonelMolerat

 

Posts: 479
Joined: 9/23/2015
Status: offline 		Another tip (you can find this in more detail if you Google 'CMANO Overlays', there's a really good tutorial that covers it) is that the png files support transparency - so if you use a graphics editing programme to fade out the edges of an overlay, it will blend in with the CMANO map (or the overlay behind it) more smoothly

You can also draw on notes, text or points of interest by editing the .png file - for example, I updated the GMAP file for Woody Island with the latest facilities I found on news website, then added another layer with notes that pointed them out:

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4054877

(in reply to kevinkins)
Post #: 7
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