# Mapping Resources > Mapping Elements >  Mapping Assets, Textures etc.

## Kier

Going through my files and figured I should start a thread and start posting some of what I have created and enjoy the fun. 

Starting off with some rocks. I originally thought these would only be good as small rocks, 1-2 feet size, but put a couple in my lite challenge as 5 foot boulders earlier this evening and they looked fine. I am not really a fan of drop shadows(choosing to add mine at time of adding to map), but I know most people prefer them so posted with.The 3rd is my favorite to date.

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## Bogie

Those Rock!  Nice work.

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## Kier

Thanks, Bogie.

I have so many forgotten pngs, renders, etc. I tend to start on something, make 100, then never file them or convert them from GIMP to png, then learn a better way, then replace them all. I have so many "test" files saved throughout this computer, I am not sure if I will ever get through them. And I hate getting rid of them, because even a bad rock looks great shrunk down, lol. 

The last one is a larger file intended to be a boulder or stacked area. I can see it easily being 15-20 foot range for mapping purpose. I hope the resolutions are good.

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## Hermit

Awesome rocks! The moss/growth on these is really cool  :Smile:

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## Kier

Thanks, Hermit. I find the moss adds a touch to it, plus breaks up any repetitive textures that show. 

Got a couple Palm Trees today. Still have rocks. You can never have too many of anything, but wanted a little switch. These are variations from ones I used in my Welcome to the Jungle encounter map, and Palm Tree Paradise for the Bookmark Challenge.

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## Bogie

I like those palm trees Kier, Nice!

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## Hermit

Very nice! I'm getting close to being able to do an island-based map.

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## Tiana

Yep, those are very good.

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## Kier

Thank you. Glad you like them. I am working on improving and in nature Palm trees always grow more swooped out, or leaning, so once I nail down my technique on the trunks I am sure I will have more. 

April Showers bring May Flowers.

Not really sure what to do with these. They are an off shoot of a tree actually, but instead of leaves I put flowers. I like them and the technique so I am sure I will revisit again. But as is, they may work for someone for fields of flowers. My maps tend to be darker and dirtier, not sure flowers work, lol. But I really like how the variety of colors mixed together. The lavender is my favorite, I will have to find a use for them sometime or an offshoot of them.

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## Kier

No I didn't lose my mind, well possibly, but these are top down views. 

Dead Trees. 

So these were created for my Lite Challenge this month. Dead or dying, or bare birch trees. I tend to use them underneath live trees so the branches are sticking out. The same tree of course can  be rotated, and used in several places, with the trunk laying across a path, or the branches sticking out of a different area of the map altogether. The upright tree, I like to have the branches or tips of them poking out of a deep forest.  I rotated the tree to get 2 different laying down views.

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## Bretton

The stones are great. The third one is amazing imo. You rock!

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## Hermit

Awesome! I agree that the lavender flowers are really pretty and have a great color. Those dead trees are fantastic as well  :Smile:  and a good tip about putting them under live trees to get the branches in view.

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## Tiana

Why would you think WE'D think you're crazy? Nothing wrong with a good dead tree.

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## Kier

> Why would you think WE'D think you're crazy? Nothing wrong with a good dead tree.


It just seemed so odd rendering a tree on its side. I sure felt crazy doing it, but it works laying under the boughs of live trees.

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## Kier

So I was able to get out before the snow hit us Friday night, and took a walk in the back forty and tried to piece together a couple large dead trunks or limbs. So hard to get something in the 15-20 foot range in 1 shot. But I was surprised how well they came out, once I GIMPED them backed together. 2 different tones on the 2nd one.

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## Bogie

Nice logs!

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## Kier

Thanks Bogie. 

I may have bit off more than I can chew on some of them. I took, I think 12 photos of a 45' Silver Birch that had fallen. It was odd, not even a branch in sight. Probably why it fell fighting for survival in a thick forest. Hoping I can GIMP it all together, but time will tell.

Edited: Make that 19 photos of that Silver Birch. That will be a big jigsaw puzzle to put back together.

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## Tiana

I have so many pictures I've never processed into battlemap assets, that's the real challenge for me, actually getting time! They look very useful.

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## Kier

> I have so many pictures I've never processed into battlemap assets, that's the real challenge for me, actually getting time! They look very useful.


Right! 
I have folders upon folders of crap(priceless stuff or so I believe), photos, GIMP files, very seldom do they actually make it to a PNG file as I run out of time. When I make my maps 1/2 the assets are just a photo of a texture I took that I drag in just to break up the monotony of seamless texture. I am trying to get better though.

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## Bogie

my mapping assets file contains 3700 photos I have taken of objects & textures and weighs about 7 GB.  I don't have enough photoshop juice left to convert 1 tenth of that  :Wink:

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## Kier

I can only imagine that Bogie, your supply seems to be endless.

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## Kier

A couple more for the dead tree files. I haven't gotten to the massive silver birch, but did get to a 30 foot trunk. 

If you need higher resolution let me know.

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## Hermit

These look great  :Smile:

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## Kier

Getting some of my other elements together for a tower project. Hermit's library has me wanting to do an interior map, and well this months lite challenge has a couple lovely inspirations. 

So, hitting up my pillows. I really like pillows. I think different angles, different textures, and sizes can add that extra dimension to an otherwise 2d map. 




I think these are early versions. I have some other upright ones with an indent in them, giving them another look. When I locate them I will get them up along with some other fabrics and colors.

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## Hermit

Super useful! Just like you said, it adds that little bit of *extra* to the map to make it believable.

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## Bogie

Great pillows!

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## Tiana

Love the fact that you did the two angles.

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## Kier

Thank you, glad you like them.

Got 2 more different pillows. 1 is upright, but has a crease in it. And the 2nd view is in between the upright and flat. Designed to be laid up against another pillow or something similar.

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## Bogie

More great pillows!

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## Hermit

I agree with Bogie!  Also, those patterns and textures on the pillows are great too!

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## Kier

Thank you. I keep finding new things to turn into pillows. And I like variety.

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## Kier

Cutting the lawn, hauling manure down to the woods, and saw a couple great, weeds, ferns, so snagged a couple leaves and started the rendering process. No, I am not stalling on my lite challenge, lol, yeah I totally am. I love mapping outdoors, but inside buildings I drag on, well, except dungeons.

So, after far too long, I got these weeds. In nature, they get to about 4-5 feet if I let them grow. I think they grow some spear type thing out of them. I will have to track them over the summer. The 2nd one is closest to its natural color. The purple shade I am thinking Underdark foliage or caves. This weed is just getting started, really only the first postable attempt. I am going to run some more colors and switch up the leaves for some variety as time allows.

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## Tiana

They are some good looking weeds! You should let it grow for a month! For art!

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## Kier

> They are some good looking weeds! You should let it grow for a month! For art!


Oh I will. I got a couple others I am watching on the wood line.

Taking the same leaf I rendered up a slightly different version, a little less full to give some variety, and hit the color ramps up more.



Also was planning on making a younger model of it, more upright leaves just beginning to spread out(will have to wait), but got sidetracked with a new leaf I cutout, and alpha'd. Plugged it into the Weed001 render and well, I like it. A more tropical feel, but I can see it under my palm trees, which reminds me I still have to rework my trunks of those.

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## Hermit

These are really cool. I think the Underdark/cave foliage idea is awesome and these would work really well.

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## Tiana

Yeah.... could use them as palm trees too. I've taken a few yard pictures but eh, processing my own pictures happens periodically. Chances are quite good I will be using these.

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## Kier

Thank you, Hermit and Tiana. Glad you like them.

I feel you on the files of photos waiting to be processed. So time consuming. I am trying to get better. I only took photos of 2 leaves over the weekend. And both have been cut and alpha'd, not so hard on single leaves. The 2nd one isn't working out so well as the first in my rendering process though. It's huge, I think I have to subdivide the planes, then bend, fold, and crinkle it to get more of a curl in the leaf as its so large. This might give it the dimension it deserves.

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## Kier

Found this older tree, labeled untitled. Not sure why I never filed it(I like it!), moved it to a blank spot, Tree019. I know its one of my earlier trees as it was only done in 1 color. I posted it here in 3 different versions. Full Shadow a(Fading shadow deep in the middle fading out, plus a full leaf shadow), Partial Shadow b(Just the fading shading), and No Shadow c.

I am not sure which one people prefer. I tend to keep mine with no shadow, move them in then create as needed. Although, I do find if you keep them with shadows as you pile them up to make a forest, it gives a great layering effect creating depth, so maybe I will start creating them all with shadows. 

I also saved them at 1000x1000. Let me know if you would like them at a higher resolution. I created them at 4k I think.

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## Tiana

I tend to prefer no shadow, that way I can design my own shape, but if you provide 2 options that's always nice.

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## Kier

I have another tree for you. This is a more recent one. I always struggle with the green ones the most I think. It's the hue, I tend to like visually a more olive green. 

I did these with shadow or without, and 4 colors which is the way I do most of mine. That way I can adjust by hue, color temperature, saturation etc as I bring into the map. Also I figure a full grown tree is about 30-35 feet wide, and I like to oversize my png to shrink to fit, as enlarging becomes blurred.

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## Hermit

These trees are great! I feel you on the greens, I tend to go too bright, although I think these look good. I really like the red and orange variations  :Smile:

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## Kier

Thanks Hermit. Orange has been my favorite to make, bringing the different shades into it. I think Yellow is my 2nd favorite now, although, nothing beats the pale flesh of a tree trunk and bright red leaves, it just screams fantasy to me, blood on the snow type thing I guess. 

I got a few more rocks for now. Some of these I had started for my lite challenge, but went a different route, although some of them may still make it in the underwater grotto.

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## Bogie

Nice Stones!

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## Kier

Thanks, Bogie. I think I am getting the hang of the rocks now.

Got another Weed/Plant thingy. 
Some of the better variants I came up with posted below. I have no idea why, but I like the purple one. Probably never use it though. Although maybe in a dark scene, nightshade or something. At any rate, here you go.

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## Tiana

The purple is nice, you could use it in the Underdark.

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## Kier

Found an old bag lost in my folders. Posted up a couple colors.

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## Souricette

I'm sure you all could make a great use of this :

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## Kier

A couple odds and ends.

The plant was from a large weed leaf from the woodline. I turned it into a weed. Rather pleased with curl and rumpled effect, but somehow developed a bit of a sheen on it. Not a ton of variations on this one yet, a little browner one. 


I also have been working on some bottles, potion type things.

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## Hermit

These are all awesome! Those bottle/potion things look really good. The perspective is cool and the glare/highlights on the glass are nice details  :Smile:

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## Kier

Thanks, Hermit. I appreciate it.

So I have some crystals today, well, one crystal in a couple different colors. I am going to break them down in the future, a couple shards standing up together, etc. But overall rather pleased with the way they came out finally.

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## Tiana

Nice, I like them, I think I'd like a couple more color variants... one that's white quartz and one that's a red ruby kind of shade. Great shape to it.

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## Kier

> Nice, I like them, I think I'd like a couple more color variants... one that's white quartz and one that's a red ruby kind of shade. Great shape to it.


Thanks, Tiana.

I got a couple in the Ruby Red shade, the white quartz is a work in progress.

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## Tiana

Nice, that red turned out great.

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## Bogie

Really cool!!

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## Kier

Thank you, Tiana and Bogie.

I really liked the red version, not so much the left one, but the lighter one, where I still get some light reflection in the crystal. I haven't been able to create it in Blender so I messed with GIMP and created some other colors in the same vein as the ruby red, a little more solid than the original crystals.

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## Kier

Well, not 100% sold on this basic quartz, but calling it done. I need to work on some other layouts of crystals, walls, etc, for a cavern I got coming along in my mind.

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## Tiana

Oh wow, I really like your take on the flourite coloring. The plain quartz is good too. All very useful.

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## Kier

Thanks, Tiana.

Found an old photo of my wife's saddle. Thought it might come in handy for some one. I would like to get a better photo sometime, with the stirrups hanging down. But its what I have for now.

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## Kier

Still going through the old files. Had this weed, I guess more a tree sapling.

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## Tiana

Or fall leaves, I suppose.

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## rdanhenry

Or baby ents.

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## Kier

Sorry, it has been a while, crazy summer and all.

Got a house from one of the challenges from a few months past. Heavily mossed.

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## Kier

Made this rustic Crystal Throne. Never used it and not sure its 100% as of yet. Thinking I might need to add legs into the perspective. But it might be usable for someone.

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## Kier

Just messing around with some rocks. Some different variants or colors this time around.

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## Bogie

You Rock!!  :Wink:

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## Tiana

I have a dedicated folder just for your rocks.  :Very Happy:

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## Kier

Thank you, Bogie and Tiana. Glad you like them. 

Rocks and Trees are my favorite items to render so far.

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## Bogie

I played with the skew & transform functions to make slightly different shapes out of one of the rocks.

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## Tiana

Always useful to have slightly different shapes!

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## Kier

Nice, those came out very good.

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## Kier

I did up another tree, more for the sake of not forgetting how I render these. I sometimes go through spurts, and forget how I did something. I have notes and blends saved, but so many little tweaks, so I try to pop another variety out to keep the method fresh in my head. If some one needs them in higher resolution, let me know.

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## Tiana

You could always create a master file with layer adjustments for all of the usual colorations you do, so you don't repeatedly do the same colorizations. They are nice, good fall trees.

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## Bogie

Nice, I like the bark on the trunks.

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## Kier

> You could always create a master file with layer adjustments for all of the usual colorations you do, so you don't repeatedly do the same colorizations. They are nice, good fall trees.


I try to do the same colorizations, lol.

I run 4 renders, 1 for each color variation, green, yellow, orange and red. If I remember to do it, I  randomize the leaves shades of colors within the 4 setups(sometimes I forget). I really like variation, which is why I do so many trees. In the past creating the pngs in gimp and tweaking, if I messed with the hue, it effected the trunk too much, but now with the 4 basic colors I can alter the shade and hue a touch without effecting the trunk. I tend to do that more on a map by map basis though.


Thanks, Bogie. I like this bark variation the best so far, but I will continue tweaking. I need to get a good brown one which still shows texture.

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## Kier

We are nearing peak leaf season here, so went for a quick walk grabbing some leaves to make trees, bushes, ferns, plants, weeds, etc.

This is some weed that I loved the leaf on, it was 1/2 red, and 1/2 green so turned into a quick weed. I really need to work more on the render shapes. I know nature actually makes plants and trees symmetrical, but it always looks too neat for me. The middle one is the actual leaf color. I made too many variations, including my favorites. But hit on a new one for me, a snow or ice plant. Kind of looks like a snowflake right now, lol.

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## Bogie

If the weather cooperates this weekend, we will be heading up the Kanc for our annual foliage drive.

Nice bushes!

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## Kier

> If the weather cooperates this weekend, we will be heading up the Kanc for our annual foliage drive.
> 
> Nice bushes!


The leaves are great right now. It is peak for me, Green, yellow, orange and red. Sometimes all one leaf.

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## Doc

Must say, I do like your rock collection(s). Quite real.

Well done.

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## Kier

> Must say, I do like your rock collection(s). Quite real.
> 
> Well done.


Thank you.

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## Kier

Just a a quick one tonight for you. I have been working a lot on my Endless Dungeon maps this month(1 per week, basic 33x34 inch dungeon crawl maps), and coming up with some assets to give a little without detail without filing out the entire dungeon. A

Finally got a scattered rock/debris overlay I like. Probably over a 5 foot area or 10 foot max.

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## Bogie

Love using rock debris!  These are great.

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## Tiana

Yes, an awesome asset indeed.

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## Kier

70 degrees today so I headed out for a walk with the pups and took some pictures. With Hunting season on, I had to keep the walk to the pasture, but still led to some good field photos. I tweaked the first of the photos and made it seamless. Actually pretty pleased with the way it came out, sometimes they come out seamless but the pattern is still so easy to see the repeat.



I don't know, I may have gotten carried away with my height, diffuse and normal map layers. But I think it works pretty good in larger tiled format and correct size. Tiled pic below.

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## Bogie

Nice, I'll have to try these out!

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## Kier

I made this fountain for my Endless Dungeon theme, I don't know, maybe week 2 or 3. But thought I would throw it up here with a couple water variations. Fountain, scryin pool, I don't know. It worked well for me. I think I might also do some other rock renders for the fountain part later today.

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## Tiana

Very nice, although it appears they have a wee framing glitch unless you did that on purpose to shade the square on which they sit?

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## Kier

> Very nice, although it appears they have a wee framing glitch unless you did that on purpose to shade the square on which they sit?


No, not sure what layer that is on. I am guessing the water color, as it looks a little tinged. Let me take a peak at that. Good eye.

Edit: It's my shadow layer. I got aggressive with it and faded to deep, rebounding into the edge of the layer, causing the square around. I'll update this afternoon. 

Thanks again for the catch

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## Kier

Posting some updated versions. Tiana noticed that there was a faint line around the squares. Turned out to be my shadow caring to the layer edge and creating the line. I tried to erase it but made a mess of the shadow, lol. So I copied all to a larger layout and redid. But of course I could not duplicate exactly the colors of the first posting as I had changed hue, saturation etc as I saw fit. And then I created some other rock textures for the base, so it is what it is.

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## Bogie

Great fountains Kier!  Lots of nice variations.

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## Kier

Still going through some files on my flash drive. 

I made this for a map that I never even started, lol. I still plan on using it at some point. The idea was rather evil. Cages set on a rocky beach, waiting for the tide to come in. Yeah, I know rather dark.

Maybe someone will find a use of it before I do. 



Damn, now I want to bang out that map.

Edited: Found my Spiked Log(Spiked Rolling Pin), from some other challenge on here. This was actually my first blend I think.

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## Bogie

Nice, can't have the light without the dark!

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## Tiana

Neat, very scary looking spike thing. How do you get something out of blender and into png image form, though?

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## Kier

> Neat, very scary looking spike thing. How do you get something out of blender and into png image form, though?


After you hit F12 to actually render the scene,(for me its just the asset I made on a "shadow Catcher" plane, and light source and camera). There is a tab up on top that says "image" click it and you can save as png.

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## Kier

Working on a Garden Courtyard set of maps in the near future, so building up my plants. Trying to get a little color in them but still trying to keep the realistic feel, so nothing too crazy. Thought I would throw a couple up for you. 



Although, I guess I didnt pick any with much color, lol. I will work on that tomorrow.

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## Bogie

Looks great, some of your best plants yet!

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## Kier

> Looks great, some of your best plants yet!


Thanks, Bogie. Need to get them as real as my rocks now.

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## Tiana

They look pretty realistic!

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## Kier

> They look pretty realistic!


Thank you.

Finally got around to PNG'g some with some color. Posting a few of my favorites up.

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## Tiana

Excellent, I especially like the third one.

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## Kier

> Excellent, I especially like the third one.


Thank you. Mine to, at least as far as odder combinations, lol. That was the hardest variant to find a working one with. I most have done, I don't 30 or so attempts, either the flower was too much, or the leaves were too busy. But that one I was able to pull the flower edge color into the leaves. Thanks again.

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## Kier

It has been ages since I posted.

I had this kicking around. A Flower bench, that I was going to swap out flowers, and small trees in. It was supposed to be a 10x10 maybe. Not really sure the dimensions came out well, but it might work for someone. I am going to look around and see if I have any other versions somewhere.

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## Kier

A couple of rocks I was working on for my current lite challenge. Actually the same rock, just different sides, and wider on the second one. They are not working in my challenge, but maybe someone will have a use for them.

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## Tiana

They look like fine rocks to me!

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## Kier

Got the first of my vines from my lite challenge. Will post some more as I work out some of the details.

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