New Mapping Tool - "SpringMapEdit" - r321

[smoth]

problems.

First:
Prefabs are stored all in the base directory. This causes issues with clutter and sorting our stuff out.

Second:
Only one prefab per tdf means we have a lot of files to edit.

instead of

[PREFAB]
{
Name=Ramp Up NE;
Category=test;
Heightmap=heightmap021.png;
Texturemap=texturemap021.png;
Featuremap=features1.fmf;
Height=0.5;
LevelOverlap=0.04;
}

Would it be possible to get the following thusly:
+ The name would actually be the texture name: "Ramp Up NE_tex.png"
+ the category would be the subdirectory it is stored in.
+ the heightmap would be: "Ramp Up NE_height.png"
+ texturemap already got it...
+ featuremap: "Ramp Up NE.fmf", If none is found it doesn't bother
+ height would be set in the ui but default to what you already have.
+ same as height set in ui.


that way we could merely place files in a directory and run sme

[Frostregen]

1. Makes sense. (I think I left it out on purpose for easy testing stuff back then)

2. This was my first approach,
but it is quite limiting:
-does not allow reuse of heightmap/texturemap/featuremap

Main problem is Height and LevelOverlap:
Those values are valid for a single batch of tiles only. Each and every different tileset NEEDS those values adjusted differently.

An additional Height-Modifier in GUI could be added though.

How long does it take to actually create a useful prefab compared to creating this file by copy&paste&editing 3 lines?


Edit:
Maybe in combination with category subdirectories this could be done:
-One .tdf with Height/LevelOverlap per directory, which is used for all hmap/texmap/fmaps inside this dir.
Still I do not like this limitation somehow :-/

[Beherith]

After about 512 features, the menu render stops.


Also, 3do feature support would be awesome:

Code: Select all

java.io.IOException: .S3O load: Did not find magic "Spring unit" marker
        at frontend.render.features.FeatureLoader.loadHeader(FeatureLoader.java:
204)
        at frontend.render.features.FeatureLoader.loadFeature(FeatureLoader.java
:81)
        at frontend.render.features.FeatureManager.loadFeature(FeatureManager.ja
va:155)
        at frontend.render.MapRenderer.getFeatureImageData(MapRenderer.java:2172
)
        at frontend.gui.FeatureSelectionDialog.animate(FeatureSelectionDialog.ja
va:169)
        at frontend.gui.SpringMapEditDialog.animate(SpringMapEditDialog.java:184
7)
        at frontend.gui.SpringMapEditGUI.run(SpringMapEditGUI.java:686)
        at application.SpringMapEditApplication.main(SpringMapEditApplication.ja

[smoth]

How long does it take to actually create a useful prefab compared to creating this file by copy&paste&editing 3 lines?

The tdf creation is the tedious part. photoshop+slices means I can generate tile images within seconds after I have made the prefabs.

the fact that they are all stored right now in a common dir also causes conflict issues.

[smoth]

another bug, sme rejects a tdf with whitespace...

so say:

Description = I like to punch babies;

will make the tdf invalid in sme.

[Jonny5isalivetm]

Hi folks im running windows 7 64 and when i click on the "start_win64.bat" bad things happen..

[Beherith]

edit .bat file to contain the path to java.exe (yes you need java installed)

Code: Select all

%WINDIR%\system32\java.exe -classpath springmapedit.jar;lib_win64/gluegen-rt.jar;lib_win64/jogl.jar;lib_win64/swt.jar -Xms128m -Xmx1024m -Djava.library.path=lib_win64 application.SpringMapEditApplication

[Jonny5isalivetm]

cheers behe yea java is installed

Jonny

[erandur]

I fixed the "can't find java.exe" problem by just copy/pasting java.exe to system32. :) Probably not the best way to fix it, but it works...

[AF]

ahk thats very bad

What you need to do is put the folder java is in on the end of your pATH variable

Didnt anybody bother to google this?!

[TradeMark]

oh no, another path-variable-a-must -program

windows != linux, when do you learn that guys... dont expect windows users know how to do anything else than copy/move files

[FLOZi]

I thought Java added itself to PATH when it installs? Maybe its only the jdk that does that.

[KaiserJ]

one funny thing i've noticed using SME on vista

if i dont have "classic windows" style set, it loads up and seems to be rendering using my graphics card (landscape looks nice) but it doesnt respond or refresh... unable to change camera angle etc.

if i start it in classic mode, it works normally, but the rendering looks pretty crappy, i think its using my software renderer.

so yeah; if anyone failed to get it to work on vista; try classic mode.

and where is the defenition for what rendering method to use; what file is it hidden in?

[AF]

Vista + SME + Aero == uber slowness freezing

[TradeMark]

SME + nothing = uber slowness freezing

[KaiserJ]

did you try classic windows style?

[Frostregen]

Aero sucks quite massive fps from SME, this is true.

Please supply some more information about cpu/ram/gfxcard/mapsize/fps, rather than just "its slow".

And what about freezing? When, where?
(There is a progress bar sometimes within the black commandline)

Currently are exams again, so very little love for SME, but it will be worked on again definitely.

[Jazcash]

Vista + SME + Aero == uber slowness freezing

Vista = Uber slowness freezing.

[SirArtturi]

Are you still developing this program?

I'd like add few suggestions which would increase the usability and easiness a lot.

1. Not only that SME featureplacer is very picky about tdfs, it actually shouldnt be depended of tdfs at all... (At least add lua support)
2. Featureplacer rotation is not working
3. Feature deleter or eraser could be handy (Actually more than handy, IT IS CRUCIAL, because if you miss it, then its fail and you need to do the whole thing again)
4. Save map tool should export pure rgb image, feature map so to say in png or bmp format. Not .fmf - What is that anyway? What can I do with it?
5. Maybe you could add Compiling options/panel and use Beherits latest mapconv and maybe implementation of Das Bruces GUI for it.
http://springrts.com/phpbb/viewtopic.ph ... 8&start=60

[SeanHeron]

On 1-3: Features, it could be argued, are perhaps addressed better in other frameworks anyhow... Sure it's nice to have all in one functionality, and I'm not trying to say it wouldn't be good to add/improve the things your saying SirArturri. But I'd argue that the time may be better spent on other functionality, since "after compile" feature editing is a pretty big bonus (and adding that kind of functionality would require some kind of standard between Worldbuilder and FeaturePlacer, I would have thought).

So I would suggest going for 4+5 first :).