Edit: This topic locked by Kilsek until Redskullz is done with the tutorial.
This thread is going to be dedicated to making your own 3d map. Making terrain is a very time consuming process, particularily dependant on the amount of detail you want to add in.
The first thing to do in making your own terrain board will be to get the materials needed to start the project. I highly advise looking for Blue or Pink polystyrene insulation. The boards can be bought in Home Depot, Lowes ect in 4'X8' boards for about $20 a sheet of 1" thick. You can also buy different thickness of blue/pink foam. (1/2", 1", 1 1/2", 2")
There are minor differences in the different companies of Blue/Pink foam. In order or preferance i have used these brands:
1. Owens Comfort R5 Extruded Polystyrene Insulation (very dense/strong pink insualtion)
2. Cladmate Insulation (a very close second place Blue polystyrene insulation...great to cut, but not as dense as Owens)
3. Styrospan (not nearly as good as the first two...blue foam bunches up as you cut)
Once you find some blue/pink foam you will need to decide how large you want your map to be.(in my case its going to be 24" X 40")
These tools will be immediately needed to further your project:
1. Retractable Xacto Knife (buy the largest you can find and some spare blades)
2. Steel Ruler (preferable an 18" or 24" ruler)
3. Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks (i bought a multi-temp one for $15)
The first step is to measure out your board with the ruler and make marks at every 1" with the tip of your knife. You will have 4 series of marks once finished (one set on each side) Then you need to "draw" the grid with the 1" marks using your knife. I use a straight piece of wood as a guide to "draw" the grid. Once your grid is there you will need to plan out your maps layout. I use 1/4" graph paper to plan out the basic layout. Draw out a grid that is the same size as the map (24X40 squares in my case)
The grid:
Now you will have to decide where all the details will go on the map. ( hills, buildings, ponds ect ) Once your grid paper is all finished, use it as a guide to trace all the details on to your gridded styrofoam with a marker. Multiple colors of markers are handy for this as well (green for hills, black for pits, blue for water, orange for buildings ect.)
Once you are fully finished marking the gridded map its time to actually start making walls!!
Map with walls marked(orange marker):
Construction of 3d walls:
There is a number of ways you can make walls. The easiest way to make them is to use a table saw. If you are not experienced with using a table saw i would HIGHLY Advise to get someone that is experienced to either do it for you, or show you how to use it properly. (you will be doing "Rip Cuts" ) Table saws can be very dangerous to the inexperienced. (lose a hand in a 1/4 of a second)
Basically all you will need to do is set the "fence" on the tablesaw at 3" (or whatever you want the height of your walls to be) How many walls you need will be fully dependant on the map you are making.
Construction of 3d walls: (knife only edition)
This is the more difficult way to make walls. Take your foam and measure out the desired height of the walls and make 2 marks. Cut into the foam while holding the knife blade at a 90 degree angle. Try to cut the piece of foam in four or five pases rather than one. The difficult part to cutting walls like this is to keep the wall straight.(and it is very difficult) I'd advise you use the Alternative Method for at least the outer walls of your map.
Construction of 3d walls: (knife only alternate edition)
This method of wall making is the best for stability. I do almost all my walls in this fashion, due to the increased strength of the completed map. These types of walls are important when you want to make a cave cover (more on that later) because they are exactly the same height (layered)
1. The first step in making layered walls is to take a large piece of foam and make a 1" grid with your knife.
2. Look at your board (with various colors of marker) and use your marker to trace the exact shapes that are marked on your map as "walls"....some walls will be 1" X 5" for example, some will be distinct shapes that you will need to cut out. Every shape must be cut out in groups of three (if you want walls that are 3 inches high)
3. Once all the shapes are all cut out in groups of three get ready to heat up the gluegun!! If the glue gun is multitemp make sure to use a lower setting.(the hottest setting will melt the foam)
4. Line up the pieces and start gluing!! I use enough glue to cover the full perimeter and a few lines in the middle of each layer, but not so much that the glue is running out like crazy when you push the pieces together. Try to make each piece line up as best as possible, and try to push the pieces together with as little gaps as possible between the layers.
Now you have the basic walls put together...the walls will look very square and will likely not line up perfectly so you will need to clean them up. Ideally you will have access to a Belt Sander. (likely you wont) sooo i would suggest getting some 280 grit sand paper. Tape a full sheet of paper to a nice flat piece of wood. That will allow you to have an 8"X10" sanding block. Hold on to the walls and smooth out the imperfections. Also make some smaller sanding blocks. Areas that cant be sanded out need to be cleaned out with a knife.(often a small xacto knife if better than a large).
Now its time to put some real detail in the walls...
Experiment using some scrap foam. Try dragging the knife along the foam at a 90 degree angle. Try angling the knife and cut out thin strips every 1/2". Try to make your knife "weave" instead of cutting a straight line.
The next step to this type of wall(stacked) is to fill the joint gaps with some spackle or wood filler. If you use the table saw method of wall making you will be able to skip the gap filling.(since there will be no gaps)
Once all your walls are complete with some detailing and the gaps filled, you will want to glue them down to your gridded board with the gluegun.(or liquid nails) Make sure you place your walls to fit inside the grid before gluing!!
After you walls are in place its time to start adding some seperate tiles so the map surface is eneven. Cut a bunch of blue foam of varied heights of 1"X 1" squares. Also make some 2"X1" blocks of various heights. Dryfit your blocks, before gluing them in place. Place your blocks so they are elevating gradually so they look natural. Cut some "cracks" into the tops of some of the "tiles" to add detail. (especially effective in a trap/false tile location)
More to come...
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