AAR of a Dutch map part 2.

[harry_vdk]

Hi,

This is a the second part of a special AAR of the making of my Dutch map.

First a overview of several images and the result.

[harry_vdk]

This map made by 7 individual HexDraw maps stick together. I start at the coastal map and go inland from that point.

Initial the plan was to create 7 individual maps with a large overlap and decide later how to create the cut-out for a regular size FCRS map. And don’t worry about campaing and/or scenarios for now.

[harry_vdk]

With the selection of the map area made it was time to start.

First step create the background image needed. For every map 2 background images.
1) One hires image (4000x5000) create from a 25k PDOC map, Very useful but with one major drawback, the timeframe was wrong.
2) One lowres image (250x312) taken from the website watwaswaar.nl. These maps have the right timeframe but a very low resolution. And for some work (like height it was to low and blurry).

Both background images are build up from 9 smaller images, stick together witin a 3x3 grid. Every HexDraw map need a similar pair of images. The maps are named after the center image.

[harry_vdk]

The hires image was created with these steps:
1) 9 image are stitch to one big image with the program montage and convert from the (ImageMagick) toolbox.
montage MAP1.tif MAP2.tif MAP3.tif MAP4.tif MAP5.tif MAP6.tif MAP7.tif MAP8.tif MAP9.tif -geometry 4000x5000+0+0 image1.png
2) The new image resize to the correct size and scale.
convert image1.png -resize 4254x5315 image2.png
There was for 2 areas a exception
• Area 37a and 37c are wider, “Europort” was non existing when the map numbering was made, but the situation of 1985 just fit, today “Europort” has extended into the sea.
3) Goto step 1 and repeat this for the next 6 background images.

The lowres image was created with these steps:
1) Select correct timeframe (1980-1989) on the website.
2) Select the map area and the correct map.
3) Download the image. A major drawback, the image must complete visible otherwise a part of the image was truncated.
4) Goto step 2 and repeat this for the next 44 maps.
5) 9 image are stitch to one big image with the program montage and convert from the (ImageMagick) toolbox.
montage MAP1.png MAP2.png MAP3.png MAP4.png MAP5.png MAP6.png MAP7.png MAP8.png MAP9.png -geometry 250x312+0+0 image1.png
6) The new image resize to the correct size and scale.
convert image1.png -resize 4254x5315 image2.png
7) Goto step 5 and repeat this for the next 6 background images.

After this the 14 background images are finish (for now).

This picture show the process of taken a image from the website WatWasWaar.nl.

[harry_vdk]

As template for the Hexdraw file was the “FPG2 20x15 Lvl2.hm” but bigger (69x65) and right on the first map some Terrain element where missing.

And for the first map needed.
• Coastal sand dune.
• Harbor oil tanks and industrial.
• Glasshouses
• Grass polders
• Wet grass polders
• Very wet grass polders.
• Swamp grass polders.
• Airstrips
• Major, minor and local roads.
• Tunnels
• Sea- Riverwater
• Dike/harbor element (decoration)
• Smaller tree elements
• Legend elements.
Later on more elements.
• Orchars.
• Polder with tree nursery (area of “Boskoop”).
• Sand dune
• Heath.
• Flood plain.

A more visible height indicator was needed.

There was a lot of experiments before the extra element where finish.

[harry_vdk]

Right from the start it was very important question how to handle the heights, Most of the area is flat and only at the coast and on the last 3 maps are hills. A large part is bellow see level and a greater part has a chance of flooding. Most risk of flooding came from the weather but in case of war the flooding can be a defense strategy but also a result of damaging a dike.
The first 2 levers are reserved as a indication of this. The normal level 1 is showed as level 2 (and up), Level 1 has more blue added. A effect of this choice is sort of variable level 1 and 2. The base level change when we going inland. A result of this a shift of 5 meters of the “Utrechtse heuvelrug” and the “Veluwe” with the levels 3-8.

When I start only the coast have some height and was very easy. The rest of the first 4 maps only the dikes near the rivers. With the latest 3 maps the height came important.

25k maps are very detailed with the height but using as a background image within Hexdraw the resize to a lower format maker that information to difficult to read. To enhance the height I went back to the original 25k maps and draw with Gimp the lines needed with 3 colors for easier recognizing of a upper or lower level.

After transforming the 25k images to the tiled background (4254x5315) image the colored lines are just too thin, another Gimp image was made with a top layer with the new height lines and a separate layer with a clear hires image and a layer with the 1985 low-res image.

Making the last 3 maps I found one important absence, the “Uiterwaarden” are missing and with the last 3 maps really important. Look back to the first 4 maps I decide not to correct this. They are les important there.

[harry_vdk]

Another important part was how to represent the agriculture areas, special the polders.

The current representation for that type of land fits well for a lot of Germany and the east part of Holland and some parts of this map.

But not for the low/wet/soft polders of the west part of the map. The areas with “laag veen” are the worst and mostly extra low and extra wet with give even more small canals to pomp the water out. (that way all the mils together near “Kinderdijk”).



The next picture of "Bleskensgraaf" show wel how wet.

[harry_vdk]

A other effect of the wet polders can we see where the farms/houses are located, the most polders are flat and open and the farms/house are built near the roads and give a special way of urban area called “Lint bebouwing”. But sometime I was not easy to decide wat to do, take a look below, there a plenty large/small canals (sloten) and a dual main road with a canal between.

[harry_vdk]

For the map processing I use the next steps:

Every HexDraw “Export image” x2 8570x9283 as a <default>.png create a image with have a extra border and a wrong size. To correct this I use (ImageMagick) again.
convert map.png -crop 8267x9143+152+71 +repage -resize 3733x4192 map.png

A default mapsize of 20x15 use the next values
convert map.png -crop 5689x4324+152+71 +repage -resize 2569x1952 map.png

After finishing the first map, as saveas within Hexdraw create the next map, now move the content with the next steps:
1) Add 1 row to the map.
2) Shift map 1 left-down + 1 left-up.
3) Repeat step 2 26 times.
4) Remove 1 row from the map.
Save the new map and check the first column and the upper row, sometime some elements are removed with this process.
Replace the old background image and at the background image for this new map.

After the start of the 3 map I realize the shifting process give an almost perfect merging, so why not make 1 very large map instead of 7 smaller maps.

After some experiments with (ImageMagick) I found a way of several processing steps to created one single large map. And there was one important issue left. How to read/write/resize a .fp9 file and after contacting Rob for some inside info I have created a small extra tool called OtsFp9Tools.

Now It was time to go further with the maps but there was a differend. Only the first 46 colums of the first 6 maps where important only the last map was used completely. And I decide to start with the map values when the map was complete.

The process if the map has now the following steps:
- Export from Hexdraw
- Truncate the exporting map with
convert map.png -crop 8267x9143+152+71 +repage -resize 3733x4192 map.png.
- Extra Truncate for trimming the overlapping part with
convert" map.png -crop 2549x4129+0+0 +repage map.png
- The last map have a extra action to create a additional map where only a small part was relevant
- This give 8 smaller maps



The finish steps are:
- Stitch the 8 maps with
montage MAP1 MAP2 MAP3 MAP4 MAP5 MAP6 MAP7 MAP8 -tile 8x1 -geometry 2549x4129+0+0 map.png
- Truncate the end
convert map.png -crop 19026x4129+0+0 +repage map.png

Al these steps are embedded within scripts for repeated usage.

[harry_vdk]

After the whole maps was finish the process of filling the map values starts.

First find a size witch FCRS can handle. The whole map was to big. After splitting the map n 3 parts it was ok.

Again this process was integrated with the map making, not all the streams where compatible and must a little adjust.
- Part A
convert map.png -crop 6336x4129+0+0 +repage map.png
- Part B
convert map.png -crop 6336x4129+6318+0 +repage map.png
- Part C
convert map.png -crop 6392x4129+12634+0 +repage map.png

The first time I use a special version with was generated with FCRS defaults and only for the auto generation of the map values. The version below was before the adding of the legend.

[harry_vdk]

After a change of the map values the values are copied from the A/B/C section to the big nl xxx 1985.fp9 file.
otsfp9tools /filename="NL xxx 1985.fp9" /import="NL xxxA 1985.fp9" /drawmapvalues /drawextension=".jpg"
otsfp9tools /filename="NL xxxA 1985.fp9" /drawmapvalues /drawextension=".jpg"
Not only the values are stored but with the same action a separate overview .jpg with the map values are generated.

[harry_vdk]

The latest step with the whole process was creating of all the separate maps:

[harry_vdk]

This AAR is not to show how to create a default FCRS map.

Mr did a very good job with his Map Making Steps, and "Modding guide 1" is very clear.

But sometime things are outside the comfort zone. But fun to make.

And by the way, street maps are good (if the from the right timeframe) for the decision which road yes/no.

[kipanderson]

harry_vdk,

Wow.. that is a remarkable achievement..

Congratulations.. .

All the best,
Kip.