WELCOME

Welcome to Fractal Terrains 3 (FT3) by ProFantasy

Software Ltd. FT3 enables you to use fractals, real
terrain data and your own imagination to create
global maps. You can export those maps for further
enhancement into Campaign Cartographer 3.

CONTENTS
Introduction.............................................. 2
Your First World.................................... 5
Navigating the World............................ 10
Editing your World................................ 15
Adding Rivers........................................... 18
Flat Worlds............................................... 20
Worlds from Real World Data.............21
Exporting and Importing........................ 23
Further Reading........................................30
Credits
Fractal Terrains Software: Joe Slayton
Fractal Terrains Design: Mark Fulford , Simon Rogers
Editing: Lindsay Rye
Trade Dress: Peter Gifford
Thanks To: Mike Riddle, Beta Testers, CC Mail List, The Colonel and Nigel
The Essentials: Mark Fulford, Simon Rogers, Ralf Schemmann
ProFantasy Software Ltd  Spectrum House  Bromells Road 
London  SW4 0BN  UK
[email protected]  www.profantasy.com
2011 ProFantasy Software Ltd.

License Agreement
Use of this software is
determined by a license
agreement you can view
on the CD.
Technical Support
Support is available from
the registration area of
the ProFantasy website
profantasy.com

Introduction
Fractal Terrains 3 is ProFantasys fractal worldgenerating program. FT3 lets you create maps using
either fractal algorithms, real world data, or from
CC3
scratch. FT3 includes height, climate temperature and
Throughout the text,
rainfall information, all of which can be edited. You
youll see references to
CC3. CC3 is ProFantasy
can view your maps in a variety of projections and
Softwares map-making
color schemes and export any view to CC3. Export into
software. FT3 and CC3
are designed to integrate JPEG, PNG, BMP, VRML, linked HTML, Spin View, and a
closely. Even if you dont
variety of other formats. FT3 includes extensive Earth
use CC3, you might find
it useful to download the and Mars height data.
CC3 viewer from
www.profantasy.com.

Using this Manual

This Essentials Guide gives you enough to get you
started, without overwhelming you with details.

Toolbars
If you cannot locate a
button, it will be because
the toolbar to which the
button belongs is not
currently shown.
In order to display a
required toolbar, click
the View menu and click
the name of the toolbar
desired. Toolbars that
are currently displayed
appear on the menu with
a tick next to them. If no
tick appears, that toolbar
is currently hidden.
Wilbur
You will find the latest
version of the Wilbur
software at
http://www.ridgecrest.
ca.us/~jslayton/software.
html.

Items underlined in bold text are referring you to the

side bar for definitions and additional information.
Toolbar buttons, dialog box items and menu items are
shown in bold text like this World Settings
.

The FT3 Support Files

It is worthwhile exploring your FT3 directory beyond
the program executable files. You will discover
examples of worlds created with the software, as
well as real-world data that can be used with FT3 to
produce realistic maps based on the geography of
Earth and Mars.
If you register your FT at www.profantasy.com, you
will get access to the Terraformer package which
includes a large amount of additional support material,
like new color schemes, climate textures and many
cloud overlays. You might also want to check out
latest version of Wilbur, a comprehensive fractal world
generation tool. While FT3 is ideal for quick generation
of worlds, shielding you somewhat from the fractal
theory the software uses, Wilbur is an excellent tool for
those wishing to explore this theory to even greater
depth.

Tool Bars
FT3 uses standard Windows floating toolbars.
Toolbar

Purpose

Buttons

World Tools

Control files, create new

worlds, change color schemes
and settings.

Map Tools

Control what you see.

Tool Palette

Select areas, switch view

between climate, altitude,
temperature and rainfall.
Paint in new values.

Climate
Selector

When the Climate tool is

active, choose which climate
to paint in.

Information Windows
There are three additional floating windows in the FT3 interface,
accessible through the View Menu, and these can be hidden,
dragged, or placed within the main window just as toolbars are.
Globe
Tool

This window contains a globe which can be rotated to

adjust the current world view. Click and hold on the globe,
and move the cursor to rotate it. The world view will pan
accordingly when you release the globe.

Color Key

This window keys the contour colors used for the current
world. There are four versions of the color key window, one
for each of the information views (Altitude, Climate, Rainfall,
and Temperature).

View
Properties

This window contains general information about the current

world, or the portion of the world beneath the mouse cursor.

Windows is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation.

Tool Options

The Tool Options toolbar changes its content

depending on what editing tool you have selected.
It lets you change the size of the size of editing
selections, the strength of an applied effect and so on.

Preferences
You can alter your interface preferences by selecting
Preferences from the Edit menu. This presents the
Preferences dialog box. The settings you choose here
will depend partly on the speed of your PC. Change
these settings and your window size until you are
happy with FT3s redraw speed.

Your First World

Double-click FT3 on your computers desktop. You will
be presented with several windows that comprise FT3s
main screen. We recommend that you do not run FT3
in a maximized window unless you have a fast PC.

Starting a Random World

1.

On the File menu click New.

You see the Type dialog box.

Synthetic World
A synthetic world is
one created by FT3s
fractal functions.
A binary world is one
created from imported
data.

For now, we shall create a synthetic world.

2.

Ensure that the Synthetic World radio button is

checked, and click Next.

A flat world is a billiard

ball, ready for you to
edit yourself.
A planar world is
a synthetic world,
mapped to a flat plane
instead of a globe.

World Settings
3.

You see the World Settings dialog box.

World Settings
You can also access this
dialog to edit the current
world by clicking on the
World Settings
button
and choosing the Primary
tab.

Highest Peak and Lowest Depth set the maximum

and minimum altitudes for the world. Sometimes
the generated world may exceed these values, but it
usually keeps within these bounds.
Units
FT3 uses Imperial units
by default, so this will
be Miles.

The Circumference or Diameter (depending on the

option selected from the drop list) is in current units.

To change FT3s units to

kilometers, meters and
degrees Celsius, click
World Settings ,
choose the Secondary
tab and select Metric
Units.

The World Seed is the world number to generate. It sets

the random number seed for the internal generators.
Click on
to randomly allocate this value.
Method selects the way altitude will be computed.
There are many different options available. Use the
default Wilbur Ridged Multifractal for the time being, as
it gives a good basis for a realistic-looking world. Come
back later and play around with different methods to
get different worlds.
Roughness controls the level of roughness in a surface.
This value is roughly the fractal dimension of the
surface. The sequence below shows how Roughness
affects the surface from high (0.01) to low (1.49):

0.01

0.38

0.75

1.13

1.49

Percent Sea sets the rough amount of sea that will be

found on the map.
Land Size sets the size of the land masses. The
sequence below shows how the changing the setting
changes the land mass size:

1.00

2.14

5.50

10.00

The smaller the land size setting, the more continents

(or islands) you will get. A value of around 1.6 to 2.5
usually provides good results.
6

4.

The three settings you want to concentrate on are

Roughness, Percent Sea, and Land Size. Try the
following values:
Roughness: 0.75
Percent Sea: 50
Land Size: 2.44

5.

Keep the other values the same.

6.

Click Next and then Finished.

FT3 will spend a few moments calculating, and
will then draw the world into the main screen.
Secondary
These settings allow
you to affect the way
in which the world is
calculated. You may
also change climate
coloration, the location
of the northernmost
pole, axis tilt, etc.

Congratulations! You have just created your first world.

The Next Step

If you arent yet satisfied with the basics of the world,
(proportion and size of land vs sea, height of peaks),
you can edit the world settings to adjust them to your
liking.
7.

Click World Settings

to adjust the parameters
for your world as well as changing Secondary,
Temperature and Rainfall settings.

8.

On the World Settings dialog choose the Editing

tab to change the resolution used to depict
your world. The higher the resolution, the more
memory FT3 will need. For your first world and for
exploring FT3s functions we recommend sticking
with the default editing setup.

9.

The Selection tab lets you save and load different

world settings you are happy with and want to

If Continental Shelves are

selected, the value on
this line is the depth at
which the shelves will be
generated.
The North Pole Position
group controls the
location of the north
pole. The change will not
be applied to any terrain
editing.
Temperature
Axis Tilt affects the
temperature distribution
of the world.
The Planetary
Temperature Model
group controls the
settings the general
temperature setup of
your world.
Rainfall
Base Value controls the
average rainfall, and
Random Amount the
variation.

World Coloring
If the Blended check
boxes on the Altitude tab
are set, FT3 will draw the
contour colors so that
the transition between
one contour and the
next flows smoothly.
While this produces a
more realistic look, it
can slow down world
redraws.

reuse at a later time. Under Fractal Function you

can change the underlying mathematical function
used to create the random world.
10. Click Apply to apply any changes you made in
the World Settings to the current world.

Color Settings
11. Click World Coloring
and Color dialog box:

and you see the Lighting

12. Choose the Select Coloring Scheme tab.

If the land Shaded

check box is set, FT3
will calculate and draw
shaded highlights to
raised terrain features.
As with blending,
shading can slow down
redraw times, but will
produce a more realistic
effect.
The sea Shading check
box is used to tell FT3
whether to draw similar
shading for sea depth
contours.
This check box will not
be available if the land
Shaded check box is not
checked.

13. Select a suitable color scheme for your altitudes

and then Load and Apply to apply it to the
current world.
14. If you want to edit the colors of a scheme, click
the Altitude tab.
You can change the colors used for the land
height and sea depth contours by clicking on the
8

color boxes.
You can save your choices to a
scheme for use in other worlds of
your creation.
15.

The Rainfall, Climate and

Temperature colors can be
changed in the same way.

16.

Click the Intensity tab.

You see the Light direction and
Shadow settings:
This is used to define how contour
shading will appear for your world.
You can set the vertical (Elevation)
and horizontal (Azimuth) angle at
which light will appear to strike
your world, as well as the intensity
of the shading that will be used.

17.

Change the angle and click Apply

to change the lighting of your
world.

When you are happy with the basic world settings,

click Next World
a few times to cycle through
various world layouts this simply changes the
random seed, but leaves all other settings intact.
Continue cycling through worlds until you find one that
is suitable for your purposes. Its much quicker to find a
random world you like than to edit one you dont.

Navigating the World

FT3 possesses functionality allowing you to move
about your world, and to zoom into and out of areas
within it. It is a good idea to become familiar with
these various functions, as they will be useful when
you come to edit and otherwise play with your new
creation.

Moving Around Using the Globe

The small globe can be rotated to achieve the view you
desire. To pan your world using the globe:
1.

Move the mouse over the globe, so the cursor

becomes a hand, then click (do not release).
The mouse pointer will appear to grab.

2.

Move the mouse.

The globe will rotate with the mouse.

3.

When the area you want to view is in the center

of the globe, release the mouse button.
FT3 will re-draw the world to show the new view.
The closest point to you on the globe is now at
the center of the view window.

Zoom Buttons
Click Zoom In
to
change the view so that
it is zoomed in by a
factor of two.
Click Zoom Out
to
change the view so that
it is zoomed out by a
factor of two.
Click Zoom Extents
to change the view so
that the entire world
fits within the display
window.
Click Zoom Window
, then click a point,
move the mouse and
click another point
forming a box. The view
will change to show a
zoomed view of the area
within that box.

10

Zooming In and Out

You can also use the Zoom buttons to change the view
on your world.

Moving Around Using the Main Map

As well as using the Globe, you can move the current
view by panning around the map. If the map window is
large, this may be slow.
1.

Click Pan
.
The mouse pointer will become a hand.

2.

Click and hold the mouse button down within

the world view. The mouse pointer will appear to
grab.

3.

Move the mouse through the desired pan

distance and direction, then release the mouse

button. FT3 moves the map within the view
window to show you the new view area.
4.

Alternatively you can hold down SHIFT while

using the pan tool. This rotates the world as if in
Globe view, rather than simply moving the map
area in the view window. This is easier to see
than explain, so Zoom Extents then try SHIFTpanning.

Map Projections
Displaying a 3D globe
on a flat surface poses a
problem. Over the years,
several different methods
of achieving this have been
devised. Such methods
produce flat-map views, or
projections, of the globe. FT3
can display your world using
many projection methods.
1.

Click Change Projection

.
You see the Map Projection dialog box.

2.

Click one of the listed map projections.

The preview of the world will change to reflect
the selected projection. We recommend the
Equirectangular projection as the best all-round
option.

Map Projection
Dialog Box
The Map Projection
dialog has three basic
sets of parameters:
Projection Center,
represented by the values
Lat (latitude) and Lon
(longitude), defines the
central point for the
projection display.
View Offset (represented
by X Ofs and Y Ofs)
defines the offset from
the projection center to
the center of the area
of interest. View Offsets
can be used to center
a view to a particular
latitude and longitude
coordinate.
Scale is expressed as a
zoom ratio, eg a Scale of
1 will display the entire
world, 0.5 will zoom in
by a factor of 2, 4 will
zoom out by a factor of
1/4, and so on.

Named Views
You can create named views for your world. When
a named view is created, map projection, scale, and
position are stored within it. Named views can be used
for world navigation and to export sections of worlds.
They are especially useful for outputting consistent
images of the same portions of a world using different
settings and during different FT3 sessions.
1.

Right-click within FT3s main screen.

11

You see the Context menu.

Context Menu

The Context menu

provides a quick mouse
shortcut to some of the
more commonly used
commands. You can
use it, by right-clicking,
instead of using the
standard menu and
buttons to access these
commands.

2.

Click Add View.

3.

Enter a name for your view, then click OK.

If you intend to export saved views (see Help:
Saving and Restoring Views), it is advisable to use
legal Windows file names.

4.

Click Show View Window on the context menu to

open the View Management dialog box:

5.

Click one of the listed views then Show to use it.

Multiple named views can be selected by holding
down CTRL while clicking to select, and selecting
names individually, or holding down SHIFT to
select a range of view names.

View Management
As well as adding and
showing views, you can
export them.
Export As CC3 exports
the currently selected
named views as CC3
and/or JPEG files.

Viewing World Information

Current Views
For each view,
different colors are
used to indicate the
different values FT3 has
calculated. The colors
and their associated
values are shown within
the Color Key window.

12

As well as altitudes, FT3 will automatically generate a

worlds climate, temperature, and rainfall, as well as its
general geography. While these calculations are based
more on theory than any true to life scenario, they
can be edited.
1.

Click Show Altitudes

to show your worlds
height contours and general geography (this is
the current view).

2.

Click Show Climate

to show the climate zones
FT3 has calculated for your world.

3.

Click Show Temperature

to show the
temperature zones FT3 has calculated for your
world.

4.

Click Show Rainfall

to show the precipitation
levels FT3 has calculated for your world.

Adding a Grid
FT3 has the capability of adding gridlines to your map.
Since grids are based upon longitude and latitude, the
manner in which a grid is displayed will depend upon
the current projection used.
1.

Click Grid Settings

.
You will see the Grid Settings dialog box:

2.

Click Add to create a new grid in the list.

3.

Check Enable Grid in the Grid settings dialog that

comes up.

4.

Click the Color of the grid then choose a color and

click OK.

5.

Change the Longitude and Latitude Spacing

values for the grid. It is normal to set larger grids
as multiples of any underlying grids. Try 30 for
the main grid. Click Ok.

6.

Add any secondary grids in the same manner, try

a 10 grid in a lighter color.

7.

Move the Subdivision Level slider bar so that the

setting reads 2 Divisions.

8.

Latitude Polar Endcaps defines the area where

the horizontal grid will not be shown near the
poles. This is useful for projections where the
converging lines would otherwise obscure too
much of the map. Leave it as it is and click OK.

Gridlines
You can define any
number of separate
grids. This is useful for
example when you
wish to depict minor
and major grids (eg a
dark grid line every 15
degrees, and a light grid
line every 5 degrees).

13

The View Properties window

This window contains general information about the
current world, or the portion of the world beneath the
mouse cursor. It gives you an idea of maximum and
minimum values on the world, as well as assisting in
choosing suitable areas to export.

Distance Measurement
You can also measure linear distances across the
world. Click Distance
and then click both ends of
the linear distance you wish to measure. FT3 will report
the measurement.

14

Editing your World

FT3 does not stop once your world has been created.
Perhaps the mountains are too high, the seas too deep,
or there is something else that you wish you could
change to make your world just so. To this end, FT3
provides a number of editing tools that can be used to
tweak your world.

The Editing Tools

FT3 possesses eleven editing tools, all of which are
available via the Tool Palette. Each tool affects a
painted area. You can change the size of the current
tool. Press SHIFT and click to perform a global change.
1.

So that you see the results of your editing, we

recommend you choose a suitable Show... button
first (eg Show Climate when you use Warmer and
Colder).

2.

Click the button representing the editing function

you wish to use.

3.

Move the mouse to the region you wish to edit

within your world.

4.

Click and hold the mouse button down.

5.

Move the mouse across the area you wish to edit.

Your edit will be painted onto the world as you
move the cursor. Since FT3 needs to calculate
edits in order to apply them, it is a good idea to
move the mouse slowly to ensure that the edit is
applied to the whole region desired.

6.

Once you have painted all of the desired area,

release the mouse button.

Editing Tools
Raise
and Lower
affect the altitude.
Raise
and Lower
Prescale Offset
are advanced editing
functions for greater
precision in editing
continental shelves and
will not be discussed
here.
Rougher
and Smoother
increase and decrease
the height variation.
Wetter
and Drier
affect the level of rainfall.
Warmer
and
Colder
affect the
temperature.
Water level
causes
a brushed area to be
represented as water, as
long as its height is lower
than the current brush
setting.

Editing tools only affect the current selection. If you

havent selected any particular region of your map,
then the tool will affect any area it touches. For more
on selection, see Selection Functions on page 16.

15

Changing the Editing Tools

Values
Note that the editing
tools may have no
discernible effect when
using low tool settings
values at high zoom
levels.

You can set the extent to which edits are applied in

the Tool Options window (at the bottom of the screen
by default). It will rename itself to Paintbrush Options
when an editing tool is selected and show the current
size, strength (Value) and type of the selected editing
tool. The values you enter can be saved as presets for
future use.

Climate Painting

Selection by Shape
Select Rectangle
Select Ellipse
Click to place the first
corner, move the mouse,
then click again to place
the opposite corner.
Select Freehand
to manually draw a
selection mask. Click to
start the selection, draw
the required selection by
moving the mouse, click
to complete.
Select Polygon
Click to start the
selection, then click to
place further points as
desired. To complete the
selection, either tripleclick (effectively clicking
once to place the final
point, then doubleclicking in the same
location to complete), or
press ENTER.

Paint Climate
is used to change the climate settings
for an area painted. To use this tool, you must first
select the type of climate you wish to paint from the
Climate Selector toolbar. Fifteen climate types are
available.

Selection Functions
FT3 provides a number of selection tools which can
be used to mask portions of a world. When a selection
mask is applied, all edits will only affect currently
selected portions of a world. Global edits will be
applied to all areas within the selection, and areas
outside the selection will remain untouched.

Basic Selection Functions

Four basic functions are accessed from the Select
menu. These are:
All selects the entire world.
Deselect deselects all current selections.
Reselect restores the last selection after a Deselect.
Inverse inverts the current selection, so that
everything currently selected is now de-selected,
and vice versa.

Selection Tools
Four tools are provided which allow selection by shape.
These tools can be found in the Select menu and on the
16

Tools toolbar.
These selection tools can also be used to add to or
subtract from the current selection. Holding down
SHIFT when completing the selection will add the area
to the current selection, and holding down CTRL will
remove the area drawn from the current selection.

Range Selection Functions

The Select menu provides four range selection
functions that are used to select portions of the world
that conform to given parameters. These tools prompt
for the range or climate type required via a dialog box.

Selection Mask Modification

The current selection mask can be further modified.
Binarize will harden the selection, so that each pixel is
either fully selected or fully deselected.
Feather will soften the selection mask, blurring it
around the edges. You will be prompted to enter the
amount by which the selection is to be smoothed.
Feathered selections can have partially-selected pixels.

Range Selection
Altitude Range selects
by altitude, in feet (or
meters).
Temperature Range
selects by temperature,
in F (or C).
Rainfall Range selects by
rainfall, in inches per year
(or cm).
Selecting by Climate
Range always replaces
the current selection. This
opens a dialog box which
lists all of the climates
FT3 recognizes. Check
boxes to the left of the
listed climates to include
them in the selection.

Modify >> Border will create a strip of selection along

the current selections border. You will be prompted for
the width of this strip.
Modify >> Expand will increase the size of the current
selection by one pixel in all directions.
Modify >> Distance converts the selection into
distances from the edge of the selection.
Modify >> Contract will decrease the size of the
current selection by one pixel in all directions.

Selection Mask Files

You can save selections for use in the future as a
selection mask file.
Save Selection will save the current selection as a
17

Mound

bitmap file.

Min (ft): is the value that

will be applied to the
edge of the selection, in
feet (or meters).

Load Selection will prompt for the selection mask file

to use, and will then apply that to the current world.

Max (ft): is the value that

will be applied to the
center of the selection, in
feet (or meters).
If Replace Offset is
checked, the current
values of the selection
will be replaced by the
Mound function. If
unchecked, the Mound
function will add to the
current values.
Gamma indicates the
linearity of the mounds
slope. A value of 1.0 will
produce a mound with
fairly shallow-sloping
sides. Values less than
1.0 will provide flatter
tops and steeper sides.
Values greater than 1.0
will produce shallower
sides and more pointed
center ridges.

Mounds
The Tools >> Actions >> Mound function takes
parameters you provide, then adjusts the altitude
values within a selection accordingly. It is useful for
creating mountains, plateaus, etc.
The Moundtain tool is similar to Mound, but uses a
very different algorithm to achieve its effect. This tool
creates a mound, shrinks the selection, creates another
mound, and continues until the selection is completely
used. Use of this tool will destroy your current
selection.
The Profiled Mound tool is again similar to Mound, but
it has additional options, primarily the ability to specify
a profile on the mound rather than a simple operation.

Adding Rivers

The Find Rivers tool in FT3 computes the directions and

amounts of water flow in the world and then places
rivers over the areas of highest flow. Once a set of
Due to the way the
process is defined, a river rivers has been computed, these rivers will be stored
will stop flowing when it
hits water, so a small lake internally as vectors.
Highest Flow

can absorb the entire

output of a large river.
In that case, its best to
fill in the small lake and
rerun the rivers tool.

The vector river overlay may be shown and hidden by

toggling the Tools >> Rivers >> Show River Overlay
option. It may be removed entirely by using Clear River
Overlay.

Calculation Resolution
Although FT3 can calculate your world altitudes to a
very high resolution, it cannot run rivers at those same
resolutions due to space and time constraints. The
River Definition Resolution dialog allows you to select
the desired output resolution of the rivers.
18

Rivers will run slightly differently depending on the

chosen resolution. The image below shows an example
of this difference for each of the default resolutions:

River Settings
The River Length slider
controls the length of
rivers appearing on the
map.

Vector Rivers
After the initial computations, the system will display
the window below to let you finalize the river settings:

The Color block controls

the color of the inserted
rivers.
The Potential River
Flow checkbox controls
whether to use FT3s
rainfall model to
compute river flow (if
unchecked) or whether
to use a constant rainfall
at every world point (if
checked).
Potential river flow can
give longer or shorter
rivers in various parts of
the world depending on
local rainfall conditions.

If you have a slower computer or very limited memory

resources then the river process can take a very long
time. Pressing Cancel on the progress dialog will stop
the attempts to route rivers. Stopping the computation
will reduce the number of river segments computed.
Reduce the computation resolution and try again.

The Keep River Image

Overlay checkbox
indicates if the onscreen
image overlay shown in
this stage will be kept as
part of the world. The
raster image overlay will
be discarded and only
vector information will
be kept if this box is
unchecked.

19

Flat Worlds
If you want to manually draw land patterns, rather
than allowing FT3 to randomly generate them for
you, you can create a new world that possesses a flat,
featureless terrain.
Using a flat world as a starting point, you can then use
the editing tools to paint terrain features as you wish.
To start a new flat world:
1.

On the File menu, click New.

You see the Select World Type dialog box.

2.

Check the Flat World radio button then click Next.

You see the
Synthetic World
dialog box.

3.

Set desired options,

particularly the
Circumference
and expected
maximum heights
and depths.
Steps 3 is
performed in exactly the same way as for
synthetic worlds. See the chapter Your First
World.

4.

From the Synthetic World dialog, click Next.

FT3 shows a note on creating flat worlds.

5.

Click Finish to generate the world.

FT3 displays the flat world. The altitude is 0 feet
(sea level) all over, and therefore normally shown
blue.

6.

On the Tools menu, click Global Set >> Altitude,

type 100 and press OK. FT3 raises the height all
over the globe, and will therefore now appear
plain green.

Synthetic World dialog

Box
Flat worlds use the same
underlying setup as do
synthetic worlds.

Raise the Height

Because of the way the
raise and lower tools
work, its better to start
with a raised surface
and use the lower tools
to make seas than vice
versa.

The world may now be edited as you see fit using FT3s
editing tools.
20

Worlds from Real World Data

Import Binary Data

Note that the binary file

used must be present

As well as being able to create worlds from scratch,
for as long as you intend
FT3 has the ability to import binary data files that
to use the world file.
FT3 does not import
define sections of terrain. You will find examples of
the binary data into its
such files, from the GTOPO30 real-world data sets,
own format, but rather
that you can import into FT3 to produce maps based on uses the binary file for
reference.
planetary data.

Creating a World
1.

Click New.
You see the Select World Type dialog box.

2.

Pick the Binary File radio button, then click Next.

3.

Click Choose
Elevation File.
You see the Binary
Data dialog box.

4.

Click
to select
the required file
from a file dialog
box. Select the file
ETOPO5.bin in the
Terrain Data folder.
FT3 automatically finds the header file for the
data and prompts you whether to use it. Click
Yes. The header file sets the remaining values in
the dialog box.

5.

Press OK to return to the Binary Data wizard.

6.

Click Next and then Finished to start the world

generation.
FT3 displays
the map in
the main
window.

Moving or deleting the

binary file after saving
a world created with it
will result in the world
file being unusable. This
can be avoided by using
the Burn In To Surface
function, which is further
detailed below.

Required File
The real-world data
that comes with FT3 is
found in the Terrain Data
directory under your FT3
program folder.
ETOPO5 is low-resolution
altitude data of the
whole word.
Mola2x2a is altitude data
of Mars.
USTOPO30 is hiresolution altitude data
of the United States only.
GOTOPO30 is hiresolution data of the
complete Earth globe.
The GOTOPO30 data
set is too large to
be distributed in an
unzipped format. Unzip
it to a location of your
choice before using it.

21

Burn In to Surface
This function takes the current world information, and
includes the data directly in the current FT3 drawing.
As a side effect, the Burn This removes FT3s reliance on binary data files; in
In to Surface function
removes the contribution effect, the binary data is converted into FT3s native
of the fractal basis
format.
FT3s Native Format

function, resulting in
a smoother map. This
makes the function
useful for worlds that do
not use binary files.
Burned files are much
bigger than raw,
unedited FT3 files.

Once the Burn In to Surface function has been used, it

cannot be undone.
To use the Burn In to Surface function, select Burn In to
Surface from the Tools >> Actions menu.
The images below show what can happen with the
burn operation at differing editing resolutions.

Notice how the fine details are lost at small resolution

(on the right).

22

Exporting and Importing

Once you have edited your world so that everything
matches your desires, you may wish to export it to an
image file, a CC3 file, a series of image or CC3 files, or
even to a Virtual Reality Modeling Language model.

File Formats
The BMP, JPEG, PNG, Wilbur (MDR) and RAW formats
all save the current view (not the whole map) as either
a color map or as a height field readable by Wilbur.
These formats have limits on the size of an image that
can be saved.
The Special MDR format, on the other hand, has no
limit on the size of the output image and always
outputs its information using a simple Equirectangular
projection. This format is very useful when exporting
a high resolution image from FT3 to use as a binary
image within FT3 or as an input file within Wilbur.

Export
FT3s native file format is
FTW. You should always
save your world in FT3s
own format, especially if
you intend to use FT3 to
further edit and refine it.
FT3 also supports:
Bitmap image format
(BMP)
JPEG image format
(JPG)
PNG image format
(PNG) in color and 16bit greyscale variations.
Wilbur format (MDR)
Special MDR (MDR)
Raw data binary format
(RAW).

All these file formats are available from the File >>
Save As dialog.

Exporting to Campaign Cartographer 3

CC3 is a powerful cartography tool that can be used to
further enhance and manipulate your world.
Before you can use it, you must first export the world
to one or more CC3 map files (FCW). You can do so via
the Save Campaign Cartographer 3 File option in the
File menu, via the Export As CC3 function of the View
Window, or as multiple, hyperlinked files from File >>
Export Worlds >> Multiple Files.
Whenever you export views from FT3 to CC3, you need
to choose a setting for export, or create one of your
own. See the FT3 help files for more information in
creating and editing your own CC3 export settings.

Views
All CC3 export funcitons
save the current view of
the map, not the world
world.
Thus, to produce a CC3
map covering a small
area of your world,
just zoom into the area
required. To ensure that
the same view can be
exported during different
FT3 sessions, use the
Named View features
available from the View
Window in the View
menu.

To export the current view in the main window to

CC3...
23

Settings
Generate HTML creates
HTML files linked to the
JPEG files (if any).
The Map Levels option
is used to determine the
number of image sets
that will be created.

1.

Click File >> Save Campaign Cartographer File...

The available export settings files will appear in
the list.

2.

Choose an export setting Basic 100 Contours is

a good one to start with.

3.

Click Export World.

4.

Save the file to a location of your choice and

open it in Campaign Cartographer 3.

Exporting to Multiple CC3 Files

FT3 can output your world to several CC3 files, each
comprising a smaller, tiled section of the map. It is
often useful to do this, since attempting to depict a
detailed world map within a single CC3 drawing can
result in an unamanageably huge file.

The Map Level Info settings determine how the world

will be divided into multiple files. Each map level set
will comprise a number of files that tile together to
form the whole world. For example, if two map levels
Files High: The number
of files used to depict the are chosen, you will have two separate sets of CC3 (or
worlds vertical axis at
JPEG) files, each slicing up the world map into a number
this level.
Percentage Overlap: The of tiles at a different scale.
Files Wide: The number
of files used to depict the
worlds horizontal axis at
this level.

extent to which each file

of a given level overlaps
with those adjacent to it.
Image Resolution lets
you specifiy the width (in
pixels) of the generated
jpg files.

To export your world to several CC3 files:

1.

Select File menu >> Export World >> Multiple

Files.

2.

Check the Generate FCW Files option and select

a setting from
list of available
ones.

3.

Choose
suitable
settings for the
other controls.

4.

To choose a
location for
the output
files, click the

FCW Links puts links on

any generated HTML
pages to the matching
CC3 files.
Activating Per-level FCW
lets you specify the CC3
export settings separately
for each level.

24

directory selection button

.
The files will have a filename consisting of a
letter and a number. The letter refers to the map
level (the overview map will be A, level one will
be B, and so on). The number refers to the row
and column of the maps tile.

Exporting an Icosahedral Projection

Icosahedral projections are commonly used to depict
worlds within science fiction roleplaying games such
as Traveller. Basically, an icosahedral projection takes
the form of a flat-view exploded 20-sided shape.
To save your world as an icosahedral projection:
1.

Select File >> Export World >> Icosahedral.

You will see the icosahedral Save As dialog box.

2.

Change the Width value if desired. The higher the

Width setting, the larger the output file will be.

3.

Click the Background Color button.

Choose the color you wish to use for the output
files background and click on OK.

4.

Type a name for the file in the File Name box.

5.

Select the desired file format from the drop-list.

6.

Click Save.
FT3 creates the icosahedral image file.

File Format
Bitmap, JPEG and PNG
formats are available for
icosahedral export.

Isocahedral
This icosahedral
projection is a simple
linear transformation of
an equirectangular map.

Cosmographer 3
Cosmographer 3 is the
science-fiction add-on
to CC3 and this export
is set up to facilitate
further work within that
environment.

Exporting to a Cosmographer Template

This export function creates an icosahedral projection
25

PNG bitmap and embeds it in a Cosmographer 3

template.
1.

Select File >> Export World >> Cosmographer

Template.
You will see the matching Save As dialog box.

2.

Change the Width value if desired. The higher the

Width setting, the larger the bitmap output will
be.

3.

Click Background Color button.

Choose the color you wish to use for the output
files background and click on OK.

4.

Type a name for the file in the File Name box.

5.

Click Save.
FT3 creates the icosahedral PNG image, the FCW
file, and embeds the former into the latter.

Exporting a Spin View

Export Parameters
Size: The size of each
frame in pixels.
# Frames: The number
of images that will be
created. If used for
animation, the higher
this value is the smoother
the resultant animation
will be.
Latitude: The degree of
latitude that will form
the center point of the
rotational view.
Appear to be Shaded:
Check this box if you
wish the world to appear
shaded.

26

A spin view is a series of image files that depict the

globe over a period of rotation. These files may be then
combined in a third party application to form a rotating
globe animation.
1.

Select File >> Export World >> Spin View Image

Sequence.
You will see the Save Spin View Sequence Files
dialog box.

2.

Set up the export parameters as desired.

3.

Type a name for the file in the File Name box.

4.

Select the desired file format from the drop-list.

Bitmap, PNG and JPEG formats are available for
spin view export.

5.

Click Save.
FT3 creates the spin view image files. Each file
will consist of the selected filename, plus a
numerical suffix indicating where in the rotational
sequence the file occurs.

Exporting to VRML
VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language)
is a modeling language that can be used
to depict interactive 3D objects and
environments. To use a VRML file, you will
need a viewer capable of understanding
the language (there are many such viewers
available, including plug-ins for Internet
browsers).
1.

Select File >> Export World >> VRML.

2.

Set the desired width for the output file.

3.

Type a name for the file in the File

Name box.

4.

Click Save.
FT3 creates the VRML file. To view the file, open
it with a VRML viewer.

Exporting to Google Earth (KMZ)

KMZ is the file format used by Google Earth.
Exporting to it creates a file that you can view in
Google Earth, enabling that programs powerful
display features and its ability to add locations,
landmarks, overlays and so on.
1.

Select File >> Export World >> KMZ File...

The Save As dialog comes up,

2.

Specify the output Width (in pixels), a World

Name and a short World Description.

3.

Save the file by clicking Ok.

4.

Start up Google Earth and load the KMZ file in

there.

Google Earth
Google Earth
is a free-to-use
software available for
download at
www.google.com/
earth.
It is mainly a viewer
for Earth satellite
imagery, maps and
lots of additional
data, but can also
be used to overlay
custom images over
the globe.

Exporting to Bryce2 and Bryce3D

FT3 does not directly support map exports to Bryce2 or
Bryce3D formats. However, Wilbur does. It is therefore
possible to export a map from FT3 to Wilbur (use MDR),
and then use Wilbur to export the results to Bryce.
27

Importing Images and Creating Overlays

Parameters
Visible indicates if the
overlay can be seen.
Name is the name of
the overlay shown in the
Image Overlay window.
The Show drop-down
list indicates what parts
of the overlay should be
shown.
The options are Always,
which always shows
all parts of the overlay;
Land, which shows
only the portions of the
overlay above water
level; Sea, which shows
the overlay only below
water level; and the two
Altitude Range options
which allow you to set
specific rangeson the
map in the settings
below.

FT3 supports an arbitrary number of image overlays

that can be used to show information and external
images. Basic drawing tools are provided to draw
information directly on these overlays in FT3, but the
more common usage is to import external bitmap files
to show in FT3. As the overlays support transparency,
lots of different things can be overlaid on the FT3
world.
To add an image overlay
in FT3:
1.

Select Image
Overlays >> Show
Overlay Window.
The Image Overlay
window comes up.

2.

Click Add to add a

new overlay and
bring up the Edit Image
Overlay window.

3.

Choose suitable
parameters for your
overlay.

4.

To import a color image or

opacity map, click one of
the two Import buttons at
the bottom.

The Opacity slider

controls the transparency
of the overlay.
The Size group (Width
and Height) controls
the editing resolution of
the overlay, which is the
fineness of the details
allowed.
The Overlay World Edges
group controls where on
the world the overlay is
placed.

Example Cloud Overlay

28

1.

Use Image Overlays>>Show Overlay Window to

show the Image Overlays window

2.

Click Add to add a new overlay, call it Clouds and

close it, leaving all other parameters untouched.

3.

Select Clouds in the list and click Set Active to

make the new overlay the active one.

4.

Click Ok to close the Overlay Window.

5.

Use Image Overlays >> Set Overlay Drawing

Color to bring up the color picker.

6.

Pick white (color 15) and click OK.

7.

Use Select >> All to select the whole world.

8.

Use Image Overlays >> Fill Selection With

Drawing Color to fill the overlay with solid white.

9.

Use Image Overlays>>Show Overlay Window to

show the Image Overlays window again.

10.

Double-click the overlay in the Image Overlays

window to bring up the Edit Image Overlays
dialog.

11.

Click Import Opacity Image and load the clouds.

jpg image from FT3s Example folder.
This bitmap will be converted to grayscale and
resized to fit the image before being used as the
transparency channel of the overlay.

12.

Click OK to accept the new transparency data.

You now have a beautiful cloud overlay on your world.

29

Further Reading
The Essentials Guide cannot cover all the possibilities
that Fractal Terrains has to offer, the variety of
advanced features is just too large. But there are quite
a number of other resources available:
Check out the pdf document FT Pro Details in the
Documentation folder of the FT3 program directory.
It has a detailed section on creating new map
projections and writing scripts in FT3, among other
things.
See Joe Slaytons extensive tutorial on world-creation
in Fractal Terrains:

http://www.ridgenet.net/~jslayton/CGTutorial/
Follow Joseph Sweeneys video tutorial on using
Fractal Terrains in conjunction with CC3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ1LlxnrElA
Terraformer
Created by Fractal
Terrains expert
Bill Roach, the
Terraformer package
has loads of useful
files for your FT3,
such as new color
schemes, climate
textures and cloud
overlays.
Be sure to read the
Terraformer User
Manual included in
the zip file.

Make sure to register FT3 at www.profantasy.com

and download the Terraformer package for FT3.

Bibliography
Some books that also can help in the understanding of
map projections are:
An Album of Map Projections (Snyder and Voxland;
US Geologic Survey Professional Paper 1453)
Map Projections A Reference Manual
(Bugayevskiy and Snyder; ISBN 07484 0304 3)
Flattening the Earth (Snyder; ISBN 0-226-76747-7)
The Album is out of print, but the others are readily
available.

30

FT3 Examples
This is a snapshot of
a spin view export
of a synthetic world
with textured climate
shader and cloud
overlay.

This is equirectangular projection view of real-world satellite data (GTOPO30)

with a high-contrast color-scheme and a cloud overlay.

31

This screenshot
shows a single
continent from a
high-roughness
synthetic world,
displayed with the
Gaia shader.

FT3 calculates river

flows along the
worlds altitude
gradients.
The encircled island
was added manually
with the Raise tool.

32