# Mapping Resources > How Do I ??? >  [GIMP] Pits, Water, Stairs, and Firelight in Dungeon

## Sharpe

Hello!

I'm looking to spruce up my cave dungeon map a lot using GIMP, but still keep it pretty simple. I like plain, but it's a bit too plain right now. 

I'd like to add cliff-like drop-off abyss pits here and there where it starts off with a jagged edge and fades into darkness. Strangely, I couldn't find a good example using Google image search, but they're commonplace. I'd like some of my tunnels to descend into water, but I can't get that to look right at all. One of the troubles I'm having is that any amount of blue looks way out of place. I'd like the water to be very dark and murky, almost opaque, but glass-top shiny. How should I add shadows to stairs and around the base of the walls like I see in so many dungeon maps?I'd like to maybe make some camp fires with a warm glow illuminating the room and spilling out into the tunnels.

Thanks so much for the help!

----------


## geamon

I'll wade in here and try to help you but first I just need a couple answers to some questions. The hex grid you have is that do to having a RPG system restriction or is just preference. If preference then I suggest square grid. I'll start a little write up with some screen shots in GIMP to ease the process.

----------


## Sharpe

Yes. I only play GURPS. I hate that it uses hexes, but it does so there we are. On the flip side, it means I need to make most of my own maps since almost no one uses hexes...

I forgot to tone down the opacity on the grid layer before posting.

----------


## Sharpe

Strangely enough, looking at your maps gave me an idea. Fill the inside with black and do a gaussian blur on it in another layer and make it an overlay. Then, do the opposite for the inner shadow. You could even do that with pits, make the floor black and do a blur on it...

That work? I'll try.

----------


## geamon

Don't worry those are minor issues.  Here I go then answering.

The pits are fairly easy to do. Take your freehand selection tool and draw the general form of the pit you want to make. Perform a distort on the selection (Select -> Distort) use the default settings, they usually produce good results you can change and experiment here if you want a more jagged edge. Add a layer and fill this selection on that layer to keep track of the form. Erase from the layer holding your cavern floor, refill the temporary layer with another texture more rough and of the same colour palette as the current floor you are using but noticeably different to act as the wall of the pit. Create a new layer and add a spherical shaped foreground to background blend using black to white the default FG and BG colours. Set this layer above the texture you chose to replace then the set the layers mode to Hard Light. Reselect the are you've used the blend on and fill it with 10-20% opacity black fill until you have the desired amount of wall showing usually three fills is sufficient. Now you want to have a pronounced edge around the pit top it all off. Add another later position this above all the other layers and your cave floor layer. Select the area for the pit from lower layers and on the new layer grow it by 2 px. (Selection -> Grow) Fill this new enlarged area with black re-select the lower pit area and re change to the recently filled black layer and delete the selection. You should now have a 2 px wide line surrounding the edge of the pit. Apply a Gaussian blur of 2 px on this layer and set the mode to  Overlay. This should produce a reasonably good pit. Included a snapshot of cave battlemap I fool around with to show the end result. If you want more screen shots or hints just ask. Once you got it down ill tackle your second inquiry but I won't until you have something your happy with for your pit.

----------


## Sharpe

I don't have time to do it right now, but you example is exactly what I'm seeking! 

Thanks, man!  :Very Happy:

----------


## Sharpe

> Add a layer and fill this selection on that layer to keep track of the form.


Okay.





> Erase from the layer holding your cavern floor,


I have a gray floor and an overlay of a solid noise/bump map to give it texture. Erase both? Erase the shape I drew, right?




> refill the temporary layer with another texture more rough and of the same colour palette as the current floor you are using but noticeably different to act as the wall of the pit.


You mean the layer you had me make and fill to keep the shape? Am I just filling the selection? I assume I am.





> Create a new layer and add a spherical shaped foreground to background blend using black to white the default FG and BG colours.


I created a white layer... But I don't know about the "spherical-shaped foreground-to-background blend."

That's as far as I got. I looked for blend and sphere but couldn't find them... I is stupid.

----------


## Sharpe

I found the blend tool but I have no idea how to make it spherical-shaped. Should I be doing this in the selection?

----------


## geamon

> I have a gray floor and an overlay of a solid noise/bump map to give it texture. Erase both? Erase the shape I drew, right?


You simply have to erase the shape of the pit out of all layers you have for the floor. I usually make a new layer from visible with all the effects and layers for specific elements to make layers more organized. i.e. you can hide all layers except the ones for the floor, right click the layers menu/window and add new from visible. This way if your satisfied with the floor texture you don't have to work with many layers, just the one up to you though.




> You mean the layer you had me make and fill to keep the shape? Am I just filling the selection? I assume I am.


I see that you work with trying to make your own textures as opposed to me I use for the most part tillable textures and fills. You can try generating something more rough looking or you can try out what I have added to this thread. As long as you find something that works for you.




> I created a white layer... But I don't know about the "spherical-shaped foreground-to-background blend."
> 
> That's as far as I got. I looked for blend and sphere but couldn't find them... I is stupid.


Check out the screen shot of the blend tool I have, if you haven't used it before, it's a good way to create gradients that can transition from any color to another. Also you can transition colors to transparent area.  Just use the gradient tool with in the confines of your pit selection/shape it should fill it with a reasonable looking shape to set to hard light as long as you use the fill tool after to ensure the layer mode doesn't expose any white.


Again let me know if you have questions.

----------


## Sharpe

Now that I got the spherical blend tool, I think I can work it out from there with your instructions. Thanks, man! I got to go, but I'll be back in about 30 min to try again.  :Smile: 

Have any form of IM? I only have MSN and Facebook... PM me if you do and I'll PM you mine, if you don't mind me nagging you, that is!  :Smile:

----------


## Sharpe

I tried, but it's really white around the edges. It just doesn't look right at all, but I'm about ready to drop over. Can't stay up another minute.

----------


## Sharpe

I actually got out of bed to give it another go... Not sure why it's so white around the edges. Filling with black fills everything but the white.

----------


## geamon

Okay you're doing fine now just select the blend filled area and then use the fill tool with the FG color set to black. Make sure you have the opacity bar scrolled down to 10-20%. Then fill the area of the blend 2-3 times while ensuring the layer is set to hard light. This should get the desired look.

----------


## Sharpe

But, it fills "rings" of shadow when I try to fill the shaded part...

EDIT: I think maybe my texture is too smooth.

EDITx2: I think that was it! My texture was too smooth! I'll put up some pics here in a bit.  :Smile:

----------


## geamon

You are filling by similar color, set the fill type to all of selection.

----------


## geamon

How about this, seeing as your available at the moment. Do you have Skype, I can do a demonstration.

----------


## Sharpe

Damnit! When I fill by whole section, the average color gets darker but the black center fades away to where you can see the texture... 

I don't have skype. If its not too big i could get it though

EDIT: I'm down-loading it now.

----------


## Sharpe

Thanks for the Skype tut, geamon!  :Smile:

----------


## geamon

Np, just let me know when you want me to finish up sometime. Also if anyone else ever wants hints I can do a live demo of some tricks I've learned before, or vice versa!

----------


## jfrazierjr

I only did a quick glance at this, but I would suggest using layer masks INSTEAD of erasing anything if at all possible.   It makes it much easier to redo things later if need too.

----------


## geamon

Your right Layer Masks do work to make things easier to edit, but unfortunately I find layer masks used to much causes the .xcf to be larger and I run on a limited resource machine and try to ensure my computer stays efficient during the process of creation. I know this isn't an excuse but I like to use a combination of both layer editing using masks and without.

----------

