How to import png files to CC3

[Chronist]

Good morning Cartographers trying to use some of mouse free textures in DD3 brought me to the question how to import pngs to CC3/DD3 in general.

More specific the question splits into two:
1. How to import textures to use them as FloorStructure.
2. and how to use/import pngs to my Symbolcatalog (is it enough to make new folder and put all the pngs i fin in the web into it?)

thnx for giving me some ideas

[Mouse]

Hello Chronist

Before you even start incorporating new textures into your maps that are not either part of the Profantasy set, or don't come with specific installation instructions like the CSUAC or Bogies Mapping Objects, the first thing you need to do is make a new folder called 'User' (or your name) in the right place to hold all the fills that you as a user want to install. This new folder has to be inside the 'Tiles' folder, like this:

C:\ProgramData\Profantasy\CC3Plus\Bitmaps\Tiles\SUE


The exact path to your Tiles folder may differ slightly from the example above if you didn't use the default settings when you initially installed CC3+, but once you find the Profantasy folder the rest should be the same from there.

In practice it isn't good if you have too many textures all in one folder, so I have upwards of 20 subfolders within my SUE folder. These are called things like 'Terrain', 'Vegetation', and 'Water' and have immediately obvious contents. Since your working methods and the type of map you want to create is probably quite different to mine, you might want to classify your fills into different groups to the way I have done it, using a different classification system. That's totally fine, as long as you classify things right from the start and don't try to move things around later on.

The reason all these files and folders need to stay where they are in relation to one another once you have started using the fills they contain, is that a CC3 map will 'lose' a fill that's been moved after you loaded the fill into the map.

Because of this little problem with having to leave stuff exactly where it is if you want to be able to continue using your older maps, its worth spending a bit of time deciding on your classification system and naming your subfolders before you even start downloading the textures that will eventually go inside them.

Give me a shout when you've done that, and I'll write the next step

[Chronist]

Understood & Done
in my case it looks like this -H:\ProFantasy\CC3Plus\Bitmaps\Tiles\Textures ...subfolders will follow

[Mark Oliva]

in my case it looks like this -H:\ProFantasy\CC3Plus\Bitmaps\Tiles\Textures ...subfolders will follow

I'm not sure what you want to do in combination with what you already have done. When you install CC3+, you create two new folders (directories, Deutsch Ordner):

C:\Programs (x86)\Profantasy\CC3Plus\ - The program itself is there.

(Chosen Location)\Profantasy\CC3Plus\ - The data, including symbols and fills are here.

In most cases, Chosen Location = C:\ProgramData\

If you install CC3+ as recommended by the installation program, your data folder will be:

C:\ProgramData\Profantasy\CC3Plus\, but the CC3+ installation program does give you the opportunity to pick a different location.

Based upon your comment (above), I assume - perhaps incorrectly - that you chose your own location, specifically:

H:\ProFantasy\CC3Plus\

That's fine. It's no problem.

You cannot set up CC3+ so that you have two different data folders. However, you can do as Mouse appears to want to do and change that location. If I understand Mouse correctly, she would like to move her data folders to an external drive to free space on Drive C. That's no problem:

1. Close CC3+ if it's open.

2. Move your data folders to the new location.



3. Go into C:\Programs (x86)\Profantasy\CC3Plus\ and use the Windows Notepad (in the German version, Windows Editor) to open the file @.ini.



4. Change the entry in this file to the new location and save the changed file. In the sample above, the new location is:

F:\Programme\Profantasy\CC3Plus.

It appears to me that Mouse has answered the remaining questions, but if not, let us know what you still need.

Servus,

[Mouse]

Before we move on, please can you tell me if your "Tiles" folder already contained other PF folders such as "Dungeon", and "Overland" when you opened it?

EDIT: the reason I am asking is because I think I might have been a bit vague in my first instruction. The only folder you should have needed to create is the one you have named "Textures". The other folders should already exist on your system wherever you installed CC3+

[Chronist]

No "Dungeon", and "Overland" - just the CSUAC_2 Folder

[Mark Oliva]

No "Dungeon", and "Overland" - just the CSUAC_2 Folder

If you're having trouble with any of these free CC3 Plus add-ins - Bogie's Mapping Objects, the CSUAC 2, the Dundjinni Archives and/or the Vintyri Cartographic Collection - please contact our free support service at

info@vintyri.org

We can handle support requests in English or German.

Servus,

[Mouse]

I am sorry for the very long delay in responding, Chronist. Reality intruded on my day.

The reason I am hesitating in this description is because I have never installed my home made textures in any other place than directly inside the existing CC3+ installation on my C drive, where this folder hierarchy already exists as part of the installation.

If you are somehow using an external drive to store your private collection of additional or third party bitmap textures, I am afraid that my experience does not extend to being able to give sound or reliable advice on how to fetch remotely stored bitmaps into the running CC3+ app. I simply do not have the experience you require.

Unless Mark is able to give this advice, or unless Waldronate (who is one of the Profantasy Team) steps in to advise you, you may be better off asking this same question on the Profantasy Forum where Waldronate and some of the other PF coders are more likely to spot it and offer their assistance.

My meagre handful of home made fills is a separate thing to the CSUAC. The two are not related, and where the CSUAC may come with code of its own to make this remote storage possible, my individual fills do not, so I can't guarantee that you would be able to store and use them in the same way as you do the CSUAC.

I will still be reading this thread, since I am now very interested to know for myself if I could also move my textures to an external drive and free up a lot of badly needed space on my hard drive!

[Mouse]

Symbols are handled slightly differently to textures, and unless they come with their own premade catalogue file (filename.FSC) you will need to create one to use them properly in your maps.

Again, however, if you are intending to use your external drive, I do not have the necessary experience to be able to instruct you, since I have only ever created new catalogues within the existing catalogue system on the C drive - inside the existing CC3+ Symbols folder.

[Chronist]

and again thnk you soooo much. your descripton is super
it worked perfect.