HexDraw released. DYO HASL Map

Pitman

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You cannot argue that you cannot draw a palm tree and that I should do this for you instead of programming useful features. I wish people of the ASL community would get together and share their paintings. But I know this is too much. I wish the VASL people could simply bring out their VASL depictions in a larger size.
Ah, Jo, I can draw a palm tree. But I can also (if I have to) use Illustrator or Photoshop or Xara, etc. The point is that I don't want to HAVE to do any of that if Hexdraw can do it for me! It's a matter of convenience and ease of use.

I do think that if you asked for help, you could get people to help you with ASL objects. Then you wouldn't have to be doing it all yourself.

I did find the manual--thanks for telling me where it is. From it, I see that you can manipulate hexsides to quasi-erase terrain in a hex.
 

Pitman

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I think Jo gives us a wonderfull tool here. Hex Draw is not only made for ASL, but because Jo is coming from the ASL playing crowd i suppose his focus was/is on ASL specific map creations...It depends on how creative a user is for the outcome...
I agree that this is a fascinating tool. As image libraries, etc., develop, I think it could really empower people.
 

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Starting to have more luck using Hexsides as an "eraser"-like tool, but the app really needs to support native re-sizing / magnification / shrinking etc. of Overlay objects appearing on the map (just like the rotation feature).

We shouldn't need to go to a Paint-type bitmap editor to shrink buildings etc.
 

Jo.B

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I do think that if you asked for help, you could get people to help you with ASL objects. Then you wouldn't have to be doing it all yourself.
.
Ok, than here and now,

I ANOUNCE PUBLIC that I need your ASL communitys help
for doing the ASL-Terrain Library.

And as I am living in another time zone and as I am not a nativ english speaker. I also need the help of someone who will organizing that.
One of the first things would be deciding or voting about a common hexsize.

jo

in Vienna Austria
 
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Jo.B

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yes, when more people doing buildings something it is
very important to decide first what hex size in Milimeters the library will have.
there is a variability of maybe of a few Millimeters. But when you draw a Building
you need to know the size of the hexes.

(There is a good reason why the sizing of overlays ( as Portal suggested ) is not included.
Its because of the printing )
 
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Eagle4ty

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:thumup::D Jo, you have a potentially great product here, not only for ASL but gaming in general-wargaming in particular. I sure hope some of the real gifted people in this area of expertise get together with you on this project. I'm having a blast with the demo, but like many I suspect, I simply do not have the knowledge to fully expand the product for a greater use as it stands now. In other words, it has to be dummied down for a larger audience (read that as: here is everyhting you need in a single package mentality).

As Mark so aptly put it, you should strive to present a more finished product if you intend this program to be utilized by the greater majority of ASLers/Gamers. I have learned to use computers mostly by the LBPA method (Learn by playing around), I suspect many others are in the same or similar boat--probablly more adept than I though.

Even though I managed to figure out how to do most of the things people asked about without previously reading their posts or your replys, an expectation of a complete package would greatly enhance my intrest to buy the full product. I'm not sure if I can be of any assistance to beyond providing encouragement, but if you ever find youself in need of someone to dummy proof it: Well I'm sure I could be your dummy..er, man for the job.

The very best to you, and wish you all the success for your very interesting venture. :cool::cool::cool:
 

Jo.B

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Portal
this map was done by a swedish ASL player
he did all the woods with overlays only.
Never thought to use it this way.
 

Jo.B

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He used the 'edit selected hexes' button and fill with woods
than he draw small lines between the outer darker depictions and fill
the resulting border with black to get the seetrough part.
This could be very similar like the original MMP woods were drawn.
 

Pitman

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I am not sure I understand what you are describing. How did he draw lines? What do you mean by "outer darker depictions"? Is there a step by step process you could describe? This is very interesting to me.
 

Jo.B

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ok it is my first try with this procedure, not perfect,
only showing how I guess it was done.


push 'select Hex Button'
select woods hexes H6 H7 (its not necessary that this are woods hexes)
push 'edit selected Hex' Button
select Woods Terrain


draw some thin lines (here shown in red for better viewing)
in a color very similar but not same to the green color
(pick the green color and change it a little, then draw the lines with width of 1)

floodfill the portion outside the red line with black (RGB 0,0,0)



now carefully erase all the remaining pixels with a black brush



push save button and close the painting program.
M6 M7 is the same overlay rotated by 180 degrees.
 

Michael Dorosh

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I do something similar - usually just take the green colour with the eraser tool and erase it with the open ground colour, the do the same with the black "woods" artwork too. Was used to doing it with VASL maps so not a huge deal here, but it would be nice to get HexDraw up to a point where it did such a thing for you.

I actually think it is kind of nice to keep a bit of a learning curve in there to set apart the truly artistically challenged and computer illiterate. Make it too easy and the inmates will soon be running the asylum...
 

Jo.B

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BTW. you can publish a map at Lulu.com!
they have posters in their program. the only malus is they actualy only accept
bitmaps with 300 DPI maximum. Someone should find a better print on demand service
Check out LULU.com about how this can be done.
 

Michael Dorosh

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BTW. you can publish a map at Lulu.com!
they have posters in their program. the only malus is they actualy only accept
bitmaps with 300 DPI maximum. Someone should find a better print on demand service
Check out LULU.com about how this can be done.
You can cheat on that, I think, by blowing up the bmp to a larger size without actually changing the dpi - at least, I fudge my covers in their book publishing program that way. Thanks for the tip, though, finding anyone to print maps around here was like pulling teeth.

Now - who does custom die-cut counters?

EDIT - the prices seem okay - they have some expensive prices on the web for 24 x 36 but they include framing - the price for prints seems reasonable. Don't know what their most matte finish would look like, though - I don't think you'd want glossy for a map. They also ship rolled I am guessing.
 
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Jo.B

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when I get that right this 24" x 36" $39.95 is free of any earning.
and the upload is for free.
Can you explain it in more detail

EDIT: also a boundle Map with Scenarios would be good
 
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Michael Dorosh

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when I get that right this 24" x 36" $39.95 is free of any earning.
and the upload is for free.
Can you explain it in more detail
39.95 includes a frame. You can order just the print for much less- there seem to be two options for paper - a glossy photo paper and another option, but I suspect they would both be a little "shiny" for mapwork. Don't know without seeing it; might be perfect.

Upload is free.

I would suggest trying a sample. There is no obligation to buy; you an upload as many projects as you want and set them to "private" so no one else can see them.
 

Jo.B

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Upload is for free !
that is the imortant point , so everyone who like to create a sceanrio can upload his PDF for free.
Also he can upload a map with out risk of production costs.

The 39.95 is including any shipping, right ?
 

Michael Dorosh

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Upload is for free !
that is the imortant point , so everyone who like to create a sceanrio can upload his PDF for free.
Also he can upload a map with out risk of production costs.

The 39.95 is including any shipping, right ?
Shipping is extra, but you don't need a frame...

 

Pitman

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Thanks, Jo, for the explanation. I thought you originally were saying that you could do it within Hexdraw itself, but I see that you cannot.
 
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