Additional software:

• EmfToPng utility of the BI Tools

NOTE: Copy EmfToPng.exe from directory C:\Program Files\Bohemia Interactive\Tools\Visitor 3 to directory <Your_Project>\Source

• Adobe Photoshop or some software like this
• MS Paint

In the World Tools window:

1. Select File->New Project, or click LMB on New project button on a toolbar in the WorldTools window.
2. In the Project information section of the Project Properties dialog box set:

• the Preview Bitmap size, by default 5120.
• the World size multiplier, by default 2x.

3. Click on Apply button.

NOTE: The red circle on bottom right will be green and in the status bar on bottom left you can see your world size.

4. Click LMB on the Forest generator button on a toolbar.
5. In the Forest generator dialog box:

• Click LMB on Load Forest mask button.
• Browse and open the mask image in Open dialog box (see Creating A Vegetation Mask tutorial).

NOTE: You can use up to 256 colors per a mask and assign a many of object types per a color.

• Click LMB on Analyze image button.

Parameters of the color entry:

• Color [A=255, R=xxx, G=xxx, B=xxx] is color identification.

NOTE: You can identify the colors by their A-RGB identifications or by clicking on the mask.

• [xx,xx%] is the probability for a vegetation object to be placed on a pixel of a color.

NOTE: Value of 0% means nothing placed (the color entry is grayed).

• (xx,xx% of total) is the amount of a color on a mask.

NOTE: If black and white colors are used, you would get two shades. But if more colors are used, more shades you will get.

6. Click LMB on the color entry, a Placement probability option will appear on top of the dialog box. This is the probability that one object could appear on a pixel of a color.
7. Set the value of the Placement probability 0.1 - 2% (you can use Right and Left Arrows keys).

NOTE: The color entry turns to black.

This is a probability for a color to have an object on it.

8. Click RMB on the color entry and select Add object type item from the context menu.
9. In the Add object dialog box:

• Select a vegetation type from the drop down menu on the left.
• Select a vegetation object.

NOTE: If objects are not in the list you can add them by clicking on the Object management button on the toolbar in the WorldTools window.

If you have renamed objects in the Visitor 3 artificial/natural objects list you can add them by writing their names into Custom object tab in the Add object dialog box.

• Set a placement probability of a vegetation object to value of 100%.

NOTE: If you plan to assign several the vegetation objects per one color, you need set a percentage values of the objects so that a sum of their percentages will be equal to 100%.

Example: Assume, you have assigned two vegetation objects to one color. One object might have value of 10%, but another object need have value of 90%, and so on.

• Click LMB on the Add object button.

NOTE: The placement probability of an object can be changed by clicking LMB on the object.

NOTE: The percentage of the several objects defined in the color definition tells the mix of objects. If the color percentage is match they will be randomly placed on the color.

NOTE: The World Tools will try to determine what kind of object based on the required object distribution. If the sum of percentage is greater or less than 100% the percentages will be rescaled.

Each pixel of a mask image represents a square on the map. Square size is shown on the bottom of the forest window.

If you increase percentages you will cover more pixels, but you can have only one object on each pixel of a mask, and on a square of a map, respectively. If the pixel on the mask image represents the square of 40m x 40m on the map (for a mask of 512m x 512m and a map of 20480m x 20480m) one object every 40 meters is too sparse, even if you raise probability of a color to 100% (each square will have an object, but squares are too big).

In this case, select the color entry and you will see on top of the forest window a Maximum obj per pixel. Increasing this value you can place greater than one object on each pixel of a mask.

The flag of the Randomize obj number tells the program that before attempt to placing the objects you set as maximum. It will randomize the pixel under evaluation and attempts to place a variable number on the pixel, instead of maximum objects (still with % probability placement set on the color).

10. In the Forest Generator dialog box:

• Click LMB on Simulation button to see an amount of the objects that will be created
• Clouse the ForestSimulation dialog box.
• Click LMB on the Create! button.

NOTE: You can do this with an Export forest to Visitor 3 file button on the toolbar on the WorldTools window.

11. In the Summary dialog box:

• Click LMB on the Export single file button.

12. In the Save As dialog box browse to desired directory and save a file of the World Tools Export type.
13. Close the Summary dialog box.
14. Open Visitor 3
15. Open your project: File > Open…

NOTE: Before import, be sure, you have the same objects in the project: Tools > Nature Objects…

If a path or/and file name is mismatched with, change them in Nature Objects Definition dialog box.

16. Select Scripts > Import Objects
17. In Import Objects dialog box:

• Click LMB on the Browse button next the File name field on the Source file section

18. In Open file dialog box:

• Browse and open your *.exp file

19. Click OK button to close Import Objects dialog box

Creating A Vegetation Mask

1. In Adobe Photoshop window, select File > Open.
2. In the Open dialog box, browse to and open an *.png image of a layer mask.

1. In Adobe Photoshop window, on the left toolbar, click LMB on the Quick Selection Tool.
2. Select all the areas of certain color.
3. Click RMB on the image.
4. In the context menu, select Fill item.
5. In the Fill dialog box: in the Contents section, select the Color item in the drop down list.
6. In the Color Picker (Fill Color) dialog box, set each of the RGB parameters: R, G, and B color to value of 255.
7. Click OK button to close the Color Picker (Fill Color) dialog box.
8. Click OK button to close the Fill dialog box.
9. In Adobe Photoshop window, inverse the selection: Select > Inverse.
10. Click RMB on the image.
11. In the context menu, select Fill item.
12. In the Fill dialog box: in the Contents section, select the Color item in the drop down list.
13. In the Color Picker (Fill Color) dialog box, set each of the RGB parameters: R, G, and B color to value of 0.
14. Click OK button to close the Color Picker (Fill Color) dialog box.
15. Click OK button to close the Fill dialog box.
16. In Adobe Photoshop window, deselect the locations: Select > Deselect.
17. Save the image as *.bmp file under the name, for example, locations.
18. Run the MS Paint software (for MS Windows XP): Start > All Programs > Standard > Paint.
19. In the Paint window, open your file locations: File > Open.
20. Save it as monochromatic *.bmp picture
21. Save this *.bmp picture as *.png image
22. Run the Visitor 3 software.
23. In Visitor 3 window, open a project, from which the layer mask was got: Project > Open …
24. On the toolbar, click on the Ground/Sea button.
25. You might use the Terrain Types, the Terrain Subtypes, or the Textures filter as an alternative.

Be sure, the artificial objects and roads are showed on the screen

25. Select Export Map as Image …
26. In Save As dialog box, save the image as *.emf file under the name, for example, objects:
27. The Visitor 3 saves an image with the standard X and Y values of the Terrain grid size, for example: X: 512, Y: 512.

Set the X and Y to the values of the Terrain size in meters + bright of the Blue Line, for example: 5130x5130, where the Terrain cell size of 10m. The X and Y values have to be up to four digits in length as height limit. Otherwise, the image will be not saved.

27. Exit the Visitor 3.
28. Convert the file from EMF to PNG format: select the *.emf file, hold down LMB on and hover it on EmfToPng.exe utility.
29. Run the Microsoft Office Picture Manager software:

Start > All Programs > Microsoft Office > Microsoft Office Tools

30. In the Microsoft Office Picture Manager window, open the objects.png
31. Crop the blue lines at the left and at the bottom of the image as that it has dimensions of your map project, for example, 5120x5120.
32. Save the cropped image objects.png
33. Exit the Microsoft Office Picture Manager.
34. In the Adobe Photoshop window, create a new image: File > New
35. In the New dialog box:

• In the Name field, define name of the new image
• In the Height field, set the value to, for example, 5120
• In the Width field, set the value to, for example, 5120
• Click OK button

36. In the Adobe Photoshop window, save the image as, for example, background.png
37. Select mode for this image: Image > Mode > RGB Color
38. Open the cropped image objects.png
39. Select mode for this image: Image > Mode > RGB Color
40. Click on tab of the image objects.
41. Select the image objects: Select > All.
42. Copy the image objects: Edit > Copy.
43. Click on tab of the image background.
44. Paste the image objects as layer into the image background: Edit > Paste.
45. Click RMB on the Layer 1.
46. In the context menu, select the Blending Options item.
47. In the Layer Style dialog box, in the Blend if section, select the Blue item from the drop down menu.
48. Set the right marker of the This Layer option to the left so that the objects and roads are still viewed, for example, to the value of 127.
49. Click OK button
50. In the Adobe Photoshop window, save this image as, for example, objects_co.bmp
51. In the Paint window, open the file objects_co: File > Open.
52. Rename this image to, for example, the objects_bw.bmp
53. Save it as monochromatic *.bmp picture
54. Save this *.bmp picture as the objects_bw.png image
55. In the Adobe Photoshop window, open the objects_bw.png image
56. Select mode for this image: Image > Mode > RGB Color
57. Open the locations.bmp image
58. Select mode for this image: Image > Mode > RGB Color
59. Click on tab of the image objects_bw.
60. Select the image objects_bw: Select > All.
61. Copy the image objects_bw: Edit > Copy.
62. Click on tab of the image locations.
63. Paste the image objects_bw as layer into the image locations: Edit > Paste.
64. Click RMB on the Layer 1.
65. In the context menu, select the Blending Options item.
66. In the Layer Style dialog box, in the Blend if section, be sure the Gray item is set in the drop down menu.
67. Set the right marker of the This Layer option to the left so that the objects and roads are still viewed, for example, to the value of 254.
68. Click OK button
69. In the Adobe Photoshop window, save this image as, for example, mask.bmp
70. Exit the Adobe Photoshop
71. In the Paint window, open the file mask: File > Open.
72. Save it as monochromatic *.bmp picture
73. Exit the MS Paint software

Download (PDF)