# Mapmaking Discussion & Philosophy (WIP/Critique) > Building/Structure Mapping >  Wickshine Inn

## curufea

For a Fantasy Hero scenario I plan to run in the near future, I've started working on a paper model in 25mm scale for miniatures.  The scenario is set at night during a thunderstorm, so I'm using lighting effects on all the textures to simulate this.  I'm using Photoshop for the maps and textures and Lightwave as a guide to lighting.

Here's a youtube video of a walkthrough of the ground floor of the 3D model I created-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDyebWQZjm8

3D render of inn-


3D render of ground floor-


Groundfloor without lighting-


Groundfloor with lighting-

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## Ascension

That's some dynamic lighting, nice stuff.

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## Alfar

Nifty touch with the youtube clip. So you're going to unfold the 3d model and print it on heavy paper with tabs to glue it together?

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## Steel General

Neat stuff...

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## NeonKnight

Looks pretty coolio

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## curufea

> Nifty touch with the youtube clip. So you're going to unfold the 3d model and print it on heavy paper with tabs to glue it together?


Not really - unfolding the model used for the lightmapping would lead to a too complex paper model.  I'll be using a simpler box for that, with the details that are missing implied with textures only.
I'm not going with straight 3D renders as textures, but will be using them as guides and creating the textures in photoshop.  Mostly because the shadows are too sharp  :Smile:

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## BlackLotus

Excellent work, I'll give you some Rep. for your efforts.

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## curufea

In exchange I give you the hires version (actually just because I re-found it on my hard drive and got around to putting it on my website)

http://www.curufea.com/images/Ground_Floor.jpg
It's 3mb in size

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## nolgroth

Hey Curufea!  Fancy meeting you over here.  This map is just rockin'.  Thanks for posting it over here.

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## curufea

Finally found time to work on the map a bit more.  
I've populated the first floor and the cellar now through using the objects from Dundjinni.
I'm currently working on adding items to the ground floor as well.
After that - I've just got the garret to go.

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## Gandwarf

Nice one curufea. All the objects work really well together and create an almost photorealistic style.

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## curufea

Thanks, that's the intent  :Smile: 

There's still some tidying up to do on the maps though - some graphic glitches that I'll get to eventually.

Here's the second-last map - the ground floor.  I've just got the garret to go.

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## BlackLotus

Your map is truly amazing. Please tell me how you do the dynamic lighting in Photoshop. Thankyou.

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## curufea

It's not dynamic, unfortunately - it's hand drawn.

I created an overexposed version using the light filter for the fires, and I created an adjustment layer and reduced the brightness.
Between these two versions of the base textures, I used a masking map.

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## curufea

Here's the final level - the Garret

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## Steel General

These are all quite nice, but the white border/outlines really tend to distract the eye from the other portions of the map (at least for me).

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## BlackLotus

I haven't learned how to use the mask function in Photoshop yet, but I have the Photoshop Bible right next to me and I'm about to use it. If you can upload a PSD of some of your work with all the layers still intact. I could use it as a guide to learn how to do lighting effects in my own images.

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## curufea

> These are all quite nice, but the white border/outlines really tend to distract the eye from the other portions of the map (at least for me).


They're a hangover from when I was making this a paper model for miniatures.  But seeing as I'm now running the RPG online instead of face to face, I may as well texture the walls as part of the whole thing.

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## curufea

> I haven't learned how to use the mask function in Photoshop yet, but I have the Photoshop Bible right next to me and I'm about to use it. If you can upload a PSD of some of your work with all the layers still intact. I could use it as a guide to learn how to do lighting effects in my own images.


Hmm, even reducing the size doesn't make it small enough to upload here - so I've hosted the file on my website-
http://www.curufea.com/images/Wicksh...dFloorDemo.psd

It's about 11mb big.

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## Steel General

> They're a hangover from when I was making this a paper model for miniatures.  But seeing as I'm now running the RPG online instead of face to face, I may as well texture the walls as part of the whole thing.


I wondered if it was something on that order.

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## BlackLotus

Thankyou for the Demo image file of your map.

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## BlackLotus

I have checked out the PSD that you have posted, now I'm even more confused than ever. What I really need is some type of simple tutorial that will teach me how to do lighting effects. I haven't used the masking effects in Photoshop at all except for the patches of dirt in my own map. Can you please give me a real simple tutorial that I can follow, so that I can achieve the desired lighting effect that I require for my map.

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## curufea

Sure - BTW, I've started fixing the images to include walls - the cellar has been redone, but I need to make the inner walls wood rather than daub.

There's a cute basic filter in Photoshop I use quite often.  I've tried it with alpha maps but I've found it's best with just basic use.

Go to filters -> render -> lighting effects (the lowest in that section)
Use either an omni light or a spotlight and fiddle with the shape of the light until it gives you a good effect.  I think a bit of overexposure makes it look quite realistic.

Making a mask is fairly simple - click on the circle in square icon in the layers window while you are on the layer you want to create the mask for.  

It's the second icon on the bottom row, after the "f" here-


If you have a selection already - that gets put into the mask, otherwise you get an all white (100% opaque) mask.  You can click on the thumbnail in the layers window to choose the mask, or the image.  By clicking on the mask, you can paint it with a brush in shades of grey (black = 0% opaque).

Here the image is highlighted with a white border and you're drawing on the bitmap-
Here the mask is highlighted and you're drawing on the mask - 


To get shafts of light, I create a copy of the original texture (make a new layer, and hit CTRL+ALT+E and it puts all visible layers there).  I then put in light sources on that layer with the filter and create a mask.

I then edit that mask - usually by using the polygon selection tool so I can get straight lines from light sources to the objects that block them.

I often feather the selection so it doesn't look too artificial.

You can use brushes and things as well to odd shapes.

You can also create a brightness/contrast adjustment layer (in the layers menu) and put it between the lighted layer and the normal texture layer.  Lower the brightness all the way and make a mask.

Edit the mask on the layer for shadows.

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