MaskMapper Tutorial for Visitor 3 - Revision history

Lou Montana: Text replacement - "[[Image:" to "[[File:"

2023-11-20T22:10:51Z

Text replacement - "[[Image:" to "[[File:"

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:10, 21 November 2023
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	[[~~Image~~:Maskmapper_visitor3_finish1.jpg\|400px\|thumb\|right]]		[[File:Maskmapper_visitor3_finish1.jpg\|400px\|thumb\|right]]
	This tutorial outlines how to use [[MaskMapper]] to create large quantities of objects using [[Visitor 3]].		This tutorial outlines how to use [[MaskMapper]] to create large quantities of objects using [[Visitor 3]].

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	Here is my vegetation mask for Pines on my map alongside a the heightmap (provided for the sake of comparison):		Here is my vegetation mask for Pines on my map alongside a the heightmap (provided for the sake of comparison):

	[[~~Image~~:maskmapper_tutorial_mask.jpg\|300px\|Vegetation Mask]][[~~Image~~:Maskmapper_visitor3_tutorial_falseheightmap.jpg\|300px\|Heightmap for comparison]]		[[File:maskmapper_tutorial_mask.jpg\|300px\|Vegetation Mask]][[File:Maskmapper_visitor3_tutorial_falseheightmap.jpg\|300px\|Heightmap for comparison]]

	* '''Dimensions of image must be square'''		* '''Dimensions of image must be square'''
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	Download and install {{Link\|http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/\|ImageJ}}, which is able to read BMP files and export them as Ascii Text. Open your mask within this, and then select "Save As" and "Text Image" as per the image below:		Download and install {{Link\|http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/\|ImageJ}}, which is able to read BMP files and export them as Ascii Text. Open your mask within this, and then select "Save As" and "Text Image" as per the image below:

	[[~~Image~~:Maskmapper_visitor3_imagej1.jpg]]		[[File:Maskmapper_visitor3_imagej1.jpg]]

	== The Import ==		== The Import ==
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	* '''Density''': This is the amount of objects spawned ''per square'' when a value is 255 (maximum brightness). This is a linear scale for lower brightness, so if the pixel color is 120, the number of objects is Density x (120/255).		* '''Density''': This is the amount of objects spawned ''per square'' when a value is 255 (maximum brightness). This is a linear scale for lower brightness, so if the pixel color is 120, the number of objects is Density x (120/255).

	[[~~Image~~:Maskmapper_visitor3_step1.jpg]]		[[File:Maskmapper_visitor3_step1.jpg]]

	=== Importing into Visitor 3 ===		=== Importing into Visitor 3 ===
	This is your checklist before importing:		This is your checklist before importing:

	* Ensure you have your object named the same as you set during MaskMapper (this is '''VERY IMPORTANT'''!) and it is CASE SENSITIVE.[[~~Image~~:Maskmapper_visitor3_step3.jpg\|thumb\|right]]		* Ensure you have your object named the same as you set during MaskMapper (this is '''VERY IMPORTANT'''!) and it is CASE SENSITIVE.[[File:Maskmapper_visitor3_step3.jpg\|thumb\|right]]
	** '''Please Read:''' ''It is very important that the object name is EXACTLY what it says in the Objects window. I.e. if you have the '''path in the name''' (e.g. aoraki\misc\pine), then the object name should include the path also.''		** '''Please Read:''' ''It is very important that the object name is EXACTLY what it says in the Objects window. I.e. if you have the '''path in the name''' (e.g. aoraki\misc\pine), then the object name should include the path also.''
	* Check your random orientation and size settings. These ARE used by the import script, so changing these will ensure your vegetation looks random.		* Check your random orientation and size settings. These ARE used by the import script, so changing these will ensure your vegetation looks random.
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	Open up visitor, and select the ''ImportObjects'' Script as shown below. Note: if you have not setup all the scripts, this menu you will be blank. You can find the ImportObjects.vis script in your Visitor 3 folder (usually c:\Program Files\Bohemia Interactive\Visitor 3\).		Open up visitor, and select the ''ImportObjects'' Script as shown below. Note: if you have not setup all the scripts, this menu you will be blank. You can find the ImportObjects.vis script in your Visitor 3 folder (usually c:\Program Files\Bohemia Interactive\Visitor 3\).

	[[~~Image~~:Maskmapper visitor3 step2.jpg]]		[[File:Maskmapper visitor3 step2.jpg]]

	When the script is run, select your file to import, and then let Visitor do its thing. I have imported up to 1.2 million objects with success, but on my 6GB machine over that I can out of memory. If you import in lower batches, you can import many million. It is recommended you do break your file into many files, if doing large numbers of objects.		When the script is run, select your file to import, and then let Visitor do its thing. I have imported up to 1.2 million objects with success, but on my 6GB machine over that I can out of memory. If you import in lower batches, you can import many million. It is recommended you do break your file into many files, if doing large numbers of objects.
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	We successfully imported all the objects, and the results are below:		We successfully imported all the objects, and the results are below:

	[[~~Image~~:Maskmapper_visitor3_finish1.jpg\|400px]][[~~Image~~:Maskmapper_visitor3_finish2.jpg\|400px]]		[[File:Maskmapper_visitor3_finish1.jpg\|400px]][[File:Maskmapper_visitor3_finish2.jpg\|400px]]

	=== Questions? ===		=== Questions? ===

Lou Montana: Text replacement - "seperat" to "separat"

2023-05-25T14:02:26Z

Text replacement - "seperat" to "separat"

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:02, 25 May 2023
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	To prepare a mask you need to either create the mask yourself in a program such as photoshop, or source it from GIS data. In this example I will be generating mine entirely from photoshop. I made an image of the "island" from Visitor 3, then imported this in photoshop, and painted the areas I wanted.		To prepare a mask you need to either create the mask yourself in a program such as photoshop, or source it from GIS data. In this example I will be generating mine entirely from photoshop. I made an image of the "island" from Visitor 3, then imported this in photoshop, and painted the areas I wanted.

	In preparing your mask, you need to pay special attention to the masks resolution. This means how much area each pixel of your mask is going to represent. Too higher resolution will take too long to process and reduce variation opportunities in your color range. Too low resolution will make the objects look placed within obvious sharp edged patterns. As a good rule of thumb, I have been using a mask that is the same resolution as your height map. So a resolution of between 5-10 meters per pixel is fine. I do a ~~seperate~~ mask for each type of vegetation I wish to import. Sometimes running the same mask several times, if I have different types of a similar object (for example several variations of pines).		In preparing your mask, you need to pay special attention to the masks resolution. This means how much area each pixel of your mask is going to represent. Too higher resolution will take too long to process and reduce variation opportunities in your color range. Too low resolution will make the objects look placed within obvious sharp edged patterns. As a good rule of thumb, I have been using a mask that is the same resolution as your height map. So a resolution of between 5-10 meters per pixel is fine. I do a separate mask for each type of vegetation I wish to import. Sometimes running the same mask several times, if I have different types of a similar object (for example several variations of pines).

	=== Creating the Mask ===		=== Creating the Mask ===

Lou Montana: Text replacement - "\[ (https?:\/\/[^ = ]+) +([^= ]+) \]" to "{{Link|$1|$2}}"

2023-04-28T14:08:37Z

Text replacement - "\[ *(https?:\/\/[^ = ]+) +([^= ]+) *\]" to "{{Link|$1|$2}}"

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:08, 28 April 2023
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	* Download [[MaskMapper]]		* Download [[MaskMapper]]
	* Download and install [http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/ ImageJ]		* Download and install {{Link\|http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/\|ImageJ}}
	* Download tutorial source files from [http://www.dhd.co.nz/files/usec_maskmapper_tutorial_v1.0.rar Rocket's Website]		* Download tutorial source files from {{Link\|http://www.dhd.co.nz/files/usec_maskmapper_tutorial_v1.0.rar\|Rocket's Website}}

	== Outline ==		== Outline ==
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	=== Converting Mask to text ===		=== Converting Mask to text ===

	Download and install [http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/ ImageJ], which is able to read BMP files and export them as Ascii Text. Open your mask within this, and then select "Save As" and "Text Image" as per the image below:		Download and install {{Link\|http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/\|ImageJ}}, which is able to read BMP files and export them as Ascii Text. Open your mask within this, and then select "Save As" and "Text Image" as per the image below:

	[[Image:Maskmapper_visitor3_imagej1.jpg]]		[[Image:Maskmapper_visitor3_imagej1.jpg]]

Lou Montana: Text replacement - "\{\{GameCategory\|arma2\| +" to "{{GameCategory|arma2|"

2020-12-30T05:49:06Z

Text replacement - "\{\{GameCategory\|arma2\| +" to "{{GameCategory|arma2|"

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:49, 30 December 2020
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	[[Category:Community Tools]]		[[Category:Community Tools]]
	{{GameCategory\|arma2\| Tutorials}}		{{GameCategory\|arma2\|Tutorials}}

Lou Montana: Text replacement - "\[\[Category: Arma 2: ([a-zA-Z0-9 :-]+)\]\]" to "{{GameCategory|arma2|$1}}"

2020-12-29T19:44:08Z

Text replacement - "\[\[Category: *Arma 2: *([a-zA-Z0-9 :-]+)\]\]" to "{{GameCategory|arma2|$1}}"

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:44, 29 December 2020
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	[[Category:Community Tools]]		[[Category:Community Tools]]
	~~[[Category:Arma 2:~~ Tutorials]]		{{GameCategory\|arma2\| Tutorials}}

Lou Montana: Text replacement - "Category:ArmA: Community Tools" to "Category:Community Tools"

2019-11-11T16:53:08Z

Text replacement - "Category:ArmA: Community Tools" to "Category:Community Tools"

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:53, 11 November 2019
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	** If the offset is half the map, or something similar, the problem is possibly that your mask size or square size is incorrectly entered. Check these values and try again.		** If the offset is half the map, or something similar, the problem is possibly that your mask size or square size is incorrectly entered. Check these values and try again.

	[[Category~~:ArmA~~: Community Tools]]		[[Category:Community Tools]]
	[[Category:Arma 2: Tutorials]]		[[Category:Arma 2: Tutorials]]

Erentar: Bot: Replacing category ArmA2: Tutorials with Arma 2: Tutorials

2018-12-03T14:47:20Z

Bot: Replacing category ArmA2: Tutorials with Arma 2: Tutorials

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:47, 3 December 2018
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	[[Category:ArmA: Community Tools]]		[[Category:ArmA: Community Tools]]
	[[Category:~~ArmA2~~: Tutorials]]		[[Category:Arma 2: Tutorials]]

.kju: Fixed category.

2010-11-19T12:36:37Z

Fixed category.

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:36, 19 November 2010
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	* ''The objects appear in the correct shape but the wrong place?		* ''The objects appear in the correct shape but the wrong place?
	** If the offset is half the map, or something similar, the problem is possibly that your mask size or square size is incorrectly entered. Check these values and try again.		** If the offset is half the map, or something similar, the problem is possibly that your mask size or square size is incorrectly entered. Check these values and try again.
	[[Category:ArmA: Tools]]
			[[Category:ArmA: Community Tools]]
	[[Category:ArmA2: Tutorials]]		[[Category:ArmA2: Tutorials]]

Rocket at 01:16, 18 November 2009

2009-11-18T01:16:33Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:16, 18 November 2009
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	* You can contact Rocket directly or post on the forums.		* You can contact Rocket directly or post on the forums.

			== Troubleshooting ==

			* ''No objects appear on map after importing into visitor, yet it says XXX objects successfully imported?''
			** This is nearly always caused the named object not existing in the Artificial or Nature Objects selection. Check the name of your object exactly matches in Visitor. By default, Visitor names objects with their path included. You need to sure this full name (with path if thats how you named it), is included when preparing the file.
			* ''The objects appear in the correct shape but the wrong place?
			** If the offset is half the map, or something similar, the problem is possibly that your mask size or square size is incorrectly entered. Check these values and try again.
	[[Category:ArmA: Tools]]		[[Category:ArmA: Tools]]
	[[Category:ArmA2: Tutorials]]		[[Category:ArmA2: Tutorials]]

Rocket: /* Importing into Visitor 3 */

2009-11-17T06:16:34Z

Importing into Visitor 3

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:16, 17 November 2009
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	* Ensure you have your object named the same as you set during MaskMapper (this is '''VERY IMPORTANT'''!) and it is CASE SENSITIVE.[[Image:Maskmapper_visitor3_step3.jpg\|thumb\|right]]		* Ensure you have your object named the same as you set during MaskMapper (this is '''VERY IMPORTANT'''!) and it is CASE SENSITIVE.[[Image:Maskmapper_visitor3_step3.jpg\|thumb\|right]]
	** '''Please Read:''' ''It is very important that the object name is EXACTLY what it says in the Objects window. I.e. if you have the path in the name (e.g. aoraki\misc\pine), then the object name should include the path also.''		** '''Please Read:''' ''It is very important that the object name is EXACTLY what it says in the Objects window. I.e. if you have the '''path in the name''' (e.g. aoraki\misc\pine), then the object name should include the path also.''
	* Check your random orientation and size settings. These ARE used by the import script, so changing these will ensure your vegetation looks random.		* Check your random orientation and size settings. These ARE used by the import script, so changing these will ensure your vegetation looks random.