Hey, i wanted to share this technique, so i made tutorial about poly-plans. :)
- What's a poly-plan?
A poly-plan is mainly a layout, a sketch of a map saved into an image-format file. Its purpose is to be used with the map making software to make the mapping process faster and more effective.
- I can draw a sketch easily, but what does it need to be considered a poly-plan?
A poly-plan needs to be an outline of the map's solid regions. But it also needs an explicit visual reference of the polygons you're going to be placing.
Here's an example of a poly-plan (by Eagles_Arrows; click on the image):
[IMAGE]
- Wow, that seems complicate. I'm too lazy for that.
Indeed, but i'll show you a method that skips all the unnecessary drawing*, and is also fast and very effective.
- That's great, please tell me now!
Okay! Just follow these steps, considering a simple figure from a map layout. Explanations are given below.
Steps 1 to 4 must be done in an image editor like Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop. Step 5 must be done in your mapping software, after placing the poly-plan as a scenery set to back.
[IMAGE]
When i say "most important vertex", i mean a vertex that is common to many polygons in a certain area. Think of an important vertex as a center, from which most of the nearby polygons are born.
If you need to make bigger figures, just keep adding dots for those places you think will be filled with important vertexes, or places where shading will be relevant (if it's the middle of a big block, for instance).
If you have trouble with step 1, you can skip it by solving step 2 intuitively.**
That's it. Apply the method to your whole layout and you'll quickly complete a poly-plan of your next map :)
If you have any questions, please post them here! And thanks E_A for introducing me to poly-planning!
Note: this tutorial was thought for somewhat thick layouts. If the figure was thin, there might not be important vertexes: the poly-plan would consist of polygons piled next to each other. See how Eagles_Arrows made those low bridges on the first image link.
* Forgive me E_A! ;D
** I don't really "imagine every poly", i just place dots intuitively, which is what i'd suggest you did.
- What's a poly-plan?
A poly-plan is mainly a layout, a sketch of a map saved into an image-format file. Its purpose is to be used with the map making software to make the mapping process faster and more effective.
- I can draw a sketch easily, but what does it need to be considered a poly-plan?
A poly-plan needs to be an outline of the map's solid regions. But it also needs an explicit visual reference of the polygons you're going to be placing.
Here's an example of a poly-plan (by Eagles_Arrows; click on the image):
[IMAGE]
![[IMAGE]](http://img483.imageshack.us/img483/70/polyplan5uj.th.jpg){kind=link}
- Wow, that seems complicate. I'm too lazy for that.
Indeed, but i'll show you a method that skips all the unnecessary drawing*, and is also fast and very effective.
- That's great, please tell me now!
Okay! Just follow these steps, considering a simple figure from a map layout. Explanations are given below.
Steps 1 to 4 must be done in an image editor like Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop. Step 5 must be done in your mapping software, after placing the poly-plan as a scenery set to back.
[IMAGE]
![[IMAGE]](http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/6479/polyplan2qp.jpg){kind=link}
When i say "most important vertex", i mean a vertex that is common to many polygons in a certain area. Think of an important vertex as a center, from which most of the nearby polygons are born.
If you need to make bigger figures, just keep adding dots for those places you think will be filled with important vertexes, or places where shading will be relevant (if it's the middle of a big block, for instance).
If you have trouble with step 1, you can skip it by solving step 2 intuitively.**
That's it. Apply the method to your whole layout and you'll quickly complete a poly-plan of your next map :)
If you have any questions, please post them here! And thanks E_A for introducing me to poly-planning!
Note: this tutorial was thought for somewhat thick layouts. If the figure was thin, there might not be important vertexes: the poly-plan would consist of polygons piled next to each other. See how Eagles_Arrows made those low bridges on the first image link.
* Forgive me E_A! ;D
** I don't really "imagine every poly", i just place dots intuitively, which is what i'd suggest you did.