NovaLand

bmp2map verision 1.0

This is a utility to convert 8-bit bitmapfiles to quake and quake2 maps! :)
But what in the world can this be of use for, you might ask??

bmp2map converts bitmaps to more natural fields and areas without have to use the classic box-like editors, where you can only make boxes and rectangles. To make a vivid area, you need something more.. you need bmp2map! :)

Jack Perdue in USA have made an excelent utility for creating complete maps with doors and ceilings from .bmp that you can find here. But the use of my bmp2map is to primary create floors with a natural feeling.

Ok, one big thing that makes bmp2map not the perfect utility for your quake-levels is that this one cant make ceilings or anything.. it just makes FLOOR. After all, this utility was made so I could make the levels to BG (Bewinged guns), where i only need floors. No walls, no ceilings.. just floor wherever you go! :)

Since this utility is not finished by far, i don't bother to put any screenshots here since the front-end will probaly change alot before i'm finished.

The features of this utility are these:

  • converts bitmaps up to 16384x16384x8
  • multi-lists with bitmaps for several objects in one map
  • select to make inverted altitude/with/length
  • rotate map 90,180 or 270 degrees
  • level 1 polygon-encoding

    Planned feature later on:

  • be able to create walls and ceilings from separate bitmaps
  • 16, 24 and 32 bit color bitmaps
  • level 2,3 polygon-encoding
  • level 4 polygon-encoding
  • select texture-types

    What is polygon encoding?
    It's the way the program builds up the map file.

    #1 Builds the world in 2 triangle-polygons for each square (pixel).
    #2 Optimises and removes unused vertexes, like on bigger fields with the same height.
    #3 Builds the world and optimizes it with triangle polygons only (Doesn't use rectangles)
    #4 Based on #3, but can smooth out sharp angles with more polygons after a selectable degree.

    A typical terrain bitmap
    This is an example of bitmaps (in this case, this is a .gif, but it should be a .bmp!) that could be transformed into a 3D landscape. Imagine the colors as different heights in the map with hills and valleys.