EAW MPG Three-Step-Guide

Three-Step-Guide

for

EAW Map Preview Generator

by soong101

In order to receive optimal results, this guide describes how to use EAW MPG in three easy steps.

Start EAW MPG or switch to it if it´s already started. Open the options panel on the right and select what you want to do: Capture the image from editor, or load it from a file. Depending on your choice, please select:

Capture image from editor
Load image from file

Capture image from editor

1. Check your settings

Before starting the capturing process, please check the following settings:

Fix perspective

Select this if you want the image to be transformed in order to make it look "top-down". Since the camera cannot be placed perpendicular to the ground, EAW MPG includes a dedicated transformation algorithm that fixes that issue.

Uncheck that option if you don´t want the perspective to be changed. That can be suited for space maps, where objects are the only "perspective affected" things and may look awkward when strechted.
Delay (ms)

Since EAW MPG needs to switch to the editor before the capturing frame can be attached to it, the editor window has to be "reactivated" first (actually it´s drawn to the screen). Depending on current CPU/RAM load, this may take a while - we´re talking about milliseconds in normal cases (if your editor needs several seconds before it´s redrawn to the screen, close some applications to decrease CPU and RAM load). A value of ca. 300 ms suits in most cases; increase it if EAW MPG is too fast and triggers too early.

Values between 50 and 3000 are accepted.

2. Hit it!

Now that you have made your settings, hit "Start". The editor window will be brought to the front and EAW MPG attaches to it, drawing a lime colored frame around an area of the editor view frame.

You still have the choice if you want to have perspective fixed or not. Depending thereon, the lime frame will include a dashed trapezoid - that is the area you will see on the quadratic preview later - or not.

Press [CTRL]+[D] to position the camera in "map overview" mode. If you want to, press [CTRL]+[H] to hide objects. Most of the original map previews don´t show objects either. Plus, it will decrease CPU load.

Now place the map´s playable are — i.e. the yellow frame — inside the lime colored frame (or the dashed trapezoid, if the perspective is to be fixed). Do that by zooming and scrolling — do NOT change the perspective. In most cases, centering it horizontally and vertically is best, but actually there are no restrictions. What is inside the lime colored frame (or the dashed trapezoid...) will be captured. Note that a quadratic map fits exactly inside the dashed trapezoid — for natural reasons.

Tip: After positioning the camera (or before), switch to object mode (button 'Objects'). That will hide the magenta circle around the cursor which only appears in texture mode.

Tip: If your map contains wide, flat, equally textured areas cloud shadows may look disturbing. By changing the cloud texture under Nature > Cloud texture to "w_clouds01" they look a bit less flashy.

3. Hit it! (again)

If you´re done, press "Capture" to finish the process. EAW MPG will automatically capture, process, and save the preview for you.

Load image from file

1. Check your settings

Before starting the capturing process, please check the following settings:

Select mode

Since EAW MPG cannot tell from a BMP file whether the map is for EAW or FOC, you need to specify that by selecting either EAW or FOC. Depending on the available installations, one option can be grayed out (i.e. unselectable).

2. Hit it!

Click "Start" if you´re ready. You will be prompted for a BMP file. Note that only 256x256 Pixel images are accepted. Make sure you have named the file exactly like your .ted file (e.g. myfirsttry.ted => myfirsttry.bmp). Also, there is no option to edit the picture in any way. If you press "Open", the file will be loaded, converted and stored.

3. That´s it

Yep, you´re done. There is no step 3 ;)