- Delays & Upcoming Release - 18 August 2017
This is a quick post to let everyone know that there has been some delays getting the next release but that the project is still being developed. The plan is to get a release out by Monday/Tuesday (depending on timezone and what time of day it can be uploaded) and get development back on track. Thank you for supporting the project!
- Delays & Upcoming Release - 18 August 2017
This is a quick post to let everyone know that there has been some delays getting the next release but that the project is still being developed. The plan is to get a release out by Monday/Tuesday (depending on timezone and what time of day it can be uploaded) and get development back on track. Thank you for supporting the project!
- Recent Update - 27 June 2017
There was an update to Arcane Mapper today - however to avoid confusion, I would like to clarify what is in the build. This version does not include the major changes that have been in progress since the last build, which is still on track as discussed in the last post. Unfortunately some art assets were included in the previous version that should not have been. This build was released to rectify that issue, though there are a few minor fixes in as well. This will only affect people who purchased Arcane Mapper in the last few weeks, since the previous release. So if you are wondering why certain assets are included when they obviously shouldn't be - the issue has been resolved and won't happen again. Note that Steam will not overwrite your Library directory, so current owners won't see any change to their Library. However new purchasers will not receive the extra assets that should not…
- Recent Update - 27 June 2017
There was an update to Arcane Mapper today - however to avoid confusion, I would like to clarify what is in the build. This version does not include the major changes that have been in progress since the last build, which is still on track as discussed in the last post. Unfortunately some art assets were included in the previous version that should not have been. This build was released to rectify that issue, though there are a few minor fixes in as well. This will only affect people who purchased Arcane Mapper in the last few weeks, since the previous release. So if you are wondering why certain assets are included when they obviously shouldn't be - the issue has been resolved and won't happen again. Note that Steam will not overwrite your Library directory, so current owners won't see any change to their Library. However new purchasers will not receive the extra assets that should not…
- Build Delays - 26 June 2017
Hello, it has been some time since an update has been posted. However I am hard at work on the next build - unfortunately some of the improvements required more sweeping changes that originally anticipated. That said the extra time is worth it - the foundations will be much more solid for future work. Generating lighting is now faster and better looking - sharper shadows with better falloff, sharper Ambient occlusion, faster updates, more options to tweak performance and support for much larger maps - among many other improvements. I was hoping to be able to post about a new build tonight, but that is not happening. However the build should be complete next week and future builds should happen at a much faster rate. Thank you for your patience. :)
- Build Delays - 26 June 2017
Hello, it has been some time since an update has been posted. However I am hard at work on the next build - unfortunately some of the improvements required more sweeping changes that originally anticipated. That said the extra time is worth it - the foundations will be much more solid for future work. Generating lighting is now faster and better looking - sharper shadows with better falloff, sharper Ambient occlusion, faster updates, more options to tweak performance and support for much larger maps - among many other improvements. I was hoping to be able to post about a new build tonight, but that is not happening. However the build should be complete next week and future builds should happen at a much faster rate. Thank you for your patience. :)
- "Tiled Lighting" Build Split - 30 May 2017
The Tiled Lighting build is taking longer to put together than originally anticipated. In order to avoid a long delay between updates, the build is being split into two parts. Tiled Lighting Part 1 The first part includes the overall improvements and increased performance. The shadow quality has been increased, the shadows being much sharper than before and having more accurate Penumbra - the effect of becoming "wider" and softer as the distance between the contact point and surface increases. Ambient occlusion is also sharper and corners are handled much better - this means that organically shaped rooms will no longer have the "crinkle" effect. So overall - improved visuals and improved performance. In addition the build will support larger maps, much higher resolutions when rendering out images (great for printing), super sampling while saving out images and many options to help manag…
- "Tiled Lighting" Build Split - 30 May 2017
The Tiled Lighting build is taking longer to put together than originally anticipated. In order to avoid a long delay between updates, the build is being split into two parts. Tiled Lighting Part 1 The first part includes the overall improvements and increased performance. The shadow quality has been increased, the shadows being much sharper than before and having more accurate Penumbra - the effect of becoming "wider" and softer as the distance between the contact point and surface increases. Ambient occlusion is also sharper and corners are handled much better - this means that organically shaped rooms will no longer have the "crinkle" effect. So overall - improved visuals and improved performance. In addition the build will support larger maps, much higher resolutions when rendering out images (great for printing), super sampling while saving out images and many options to help manag…
- Early Access Update 2 - 19 May 2017
In the previous update the "Tiled lighting" build was discussed, including a list of features and improvements that it will bring. Work continues on the build but I wanted to highlight one feature that hasn't been discussed previously. The Problem One area where Arcane Mapper has struggled is with dealing with older computers and integrated graphics parts. The editor, as currently released, demands a lot from your GPU - which is great for people with relatively modern discrete GPUs since a lot is gained by this, such as the realtime lights and shadows that really improve the visual quality of the maps. However weaker GPUs, which claim to support OpenGL 3.0 or higher, struggle with either the rendering (no shadows on an Intel Integrated chip) or performance or simply don't work at all (older GPUs with less than 1GB memory). Hardware and Software Lighting The "Tiled Lighting" build will i…
- Early Access Update 2 - 19 May 2017
In the previous update the "Tiled lighting" build was discussed, including a list of features and improvements that it will bring. Work continues on the build but I wanted to highlight one feature that hasn't been discussed previously. The Problem One area where Arcane Mapper has struggled is with dealing with older computers and integrated graphics parts. The editor, as currently released, demands a lot from your GPU - which is great for people with relatively modern discrete GPUs since a lot is gained by this, such as the realtime lights and shadows that really improve the visual quality of the maps. However weaker GPUs, which claim to support OpenGL 3.0 or higher, struggle with either the rendering (no shadows on an Intel Integrated chip) or performance or simply don't work at all (older GPUs with less than 1GB memory). Hardware and Software Lighting The "Tiled Lighting" build will i…
- Early Access Update 1 - 13 May 2017
It has been just over a week since the last update of Arcane Mapper, a big update has been in development. The first build listed in Upcoming Builds was released on May 7 and the "Tiled lighting" build has been in progress since then. So what can you expect from the build? Improved performance when using many lights in a map. A light scale in addition to color and range, allowing for much brighter lights. Support for larger maps with proper lighting (up to 200x200 units/cells currently vs. 50x50 in the public version). Obviously larger maps will require more memory. Per frame update limits to avoid stalls and drops in performance when manipulating many objects or changing a lot of the map at once (like adjusting global lighting settings). Working quality settings which can be adjusted so lower end systems will run better while still having lighting and shadows. Per-tile rendering with q…
- Early Access Update 1 - 13 May 2017
It has been just over a week since the last update of Arcane Mapper, a big update has been in development. The first build listed in Upcoming Builds was released on May 7 and the "Tiled lighting" build has been in progress since then. So what can you expect from the build? Improved performance when using many lights in a map. A light scale in addition to color and range, allowing for much brighter lights. Support for larger maps with proper lighting (up to 200x200 units/cells currently vs. 50x50 in the public version). Obviously larger maps will require more memory. Per frame update limits to avoid stalls and drops in performance when manipulating many objects or changing a lot of the map at once (like adjusting global lighting settings). Working quality settings which can be adjusted so lower end systems will run better while still having lighting and shadows. Per-tile rendering with q…
- Tutorial 2: Library - 8 May 2017
This is the second of a series of Tutorial Videos for Arcane Mapper. *Best watched in fullscreen at 1080p so the text is legible* This is the second in a series of tutorial videos for Arcane Mapper. This tutorial covers adding new assets to your Library, setting up light sources, shadows, textures and tags. Tutorial 2: https://youtu.be/96cmXMGo3GI Entire series: Tutorial 1: Object Manipulation https://youtu.be/38A0yeG3yVM Tutorial 2: Library https://youtu.be/96cmXMGo3GI
- Tutorial 2: Library - 8 May 2017
This is the second of a series of Tutorial Videos for Arcane Mapper. *Best watched in fullscreen at 1080p so the text is legible* This is the second in a series of tutorial videos for Arcane Mapper. This tutorial covers adding new assets to your Library, setting up light sources, shadows, textures and tags. Tutorial 2: https://youtu.be/96cmXMGo3GI Entire series: Tutorial 1: Object Manipulation https://youtu.be/38A0yeG3yVM Tutorial 2: Library https://youtu.be/96cmXMGo3GI
- Room Defaults [Build 1.0.2825] - 7 May 2017
These features were supposed to be part of the previous build - but this completes the first build in the list of "Upcoming Builds" - "Basic Fixes & Improvements." This build allows you to set the default Floor and Wall textures for rooms, which should make texturing dungeons much easier. In addition you can set the default Wall Height, which makes the wall height feature much more useful. If you want to create interiors, such as Inns, a Wall Height of 2 might be good in order to place rooms close together and keep the wall thickness down while the default of 16 works great for dungeons and castles. To change the default floor or wall textures, simply click on the one you want to change and then click on one of the textures in your Library. To change the default Wall Height, edit the value. The defaults are saved when you exit the program so you don't have the change them every time you…
- Room Defaults [Build 1.0.2825] - 7 May 2017
These features were supposed to be part of the previous build - but this completes the first build in the list of "Upcoming Builds" - "Basic Fixes & Improvements." This build allows you to set the default Floor and Wall textures for rooms, which should make texturing dungeons much easier. In addition you can set the default Wall Height, which makes the wall height feature much more useful. If you want to create interiors, such as Inns, a Wall Height of 2 might be good in order to place rooms close together and keep the wall thickness down while the default of 16 works great for dungeons and castles. To change the default floor or wall textures, simply click on the one you want to change and then click on one of the textures in your Library. To change the default Wall Height, edit the value. The defaults are saved when you exit the program so you don't have the change them every time you…
- Bug Fix Build Version 1.0.2800 - 5 May 2017
A new version has been released - Version 1.0.2800 This is a bug fix build with no new features. The ability to set the default floors, walls and wall height will be in another build that will be released soon. Fixes include: Fixed crashes that could occur when deleting items from your Library. Arcane Mapper no longer allows you to move vertices on top of each other. If you wish to delete a vertex you now need to manually delete it. This should make Room editing more stable. NVidia Optimus laptops should now properly select the NVidia GPU when running Arcane Mapper. This requires a recent driver and "Auto-select" must be enabled in the NVIDIA Control Panel. Arcane Mapper should now work correctly on 32 bit systems. Copy/Cut and Paste now works correctly between layers. Layer Move now keeps the objects selected as they move between layers. The texture list now scrolls properly when a roo…
- Bug Fix Build Version 1.0.2800 - 5 May 2017
A new version has been released - Version 1.0.2800 This is a bug fix build with no new features. The ability to set the default floors, walls and wall height will be in another build that will be released soon. Fixes include: Fixed crashes that could occur when deleting items from your Library. Arcane Mapper no longer allows you to move vertices on top of each other. If you wish to delete a vertex you now need to manually delete it. This should make Room editing more stable. NVidia Optimus laptops should now properly select the NVidia GPU when running Arcane Mapper. This requires a recent driver and "Auto-select" must be enabled in the NVIDIA Control Panel. Arcane Mapper should now work correctly on 32 bit systems. Copy/Cut and Paste now works correctly between layers. Layer Move now keeps the objects selected as they move between layers. The texture list now scrolls properly when a roo…
- Tutorial 1: Object Manipulation - 2 May 2017
I have just released the first of a series of tutorials which will hopefully make Arcane Mapper easier to use. There will be at least 3 videos in this series, more as the product continues to develop. *Best watched in fullscreen at 1080p so the text is legible* The first of a series of tutorials for Arcane Mapper. This tutorial goes through basic object manipulation - placing objects on the map, selecting, moving, rotating, scaling and other manipulations. It also covers using Object Tags to show only a sub-set of your Library to making finding objects easier and using Layers to easily add ground details. Tutorial 2 will cover add new objects to your Library and setting up their properties - such as scale, shadow details, setting up light sources and more. Tutorial 3 will cover the entire process of creating a new map from Map Settings such as size, backgrounds and grid settings to draw…
- Tutorial 1: Object Manipulation - 2 May 2017
I have just released the first of a series of tutorials which will hopefully make Arcane Mapper easier to use. There will be at least 3 videos in this series, more as the product continues to develop. *Best watched in fullscreen at 1080p so the text is legible* The first of a series of tutorials for Arcane Mapper. This tutorial goes through basic object manipulation - placing objects on the map, selecting, moving, rotating, scaling and other manipulations. It also covers using Object Tags to show only a sub-set of your Library to making finding objects easier and using Layers to easily add ground details. Tutorial 2 will cover add new objects to your Library and setting up their properties - such as scale, shadow details, setting up light sources and more. Tutorial 3 will cover the entire process of creating a new map from Map Settings such as size, backgrounds and grid settings to draw…
