Author Topic: So, you want a map...  (Read 11955 times)

Davout73

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So, you want a map...
« on: 09 March 2016, 21:45:06 »
OK, more than a few people have asked about the maps I've made, and would I be willing to make a map for them.

Short Answer:  Maybe.

Medium Answer:  I can, but there might be a delay.

Long Answer:  Yes, I can make you a map.  However, if you want me to make multiple maps for your Alt-U or current gaming group campaign, that would be a lot more difficult.  However, there may be a work around to that, with a huge caveat. 

Now, I have the base maps premade for 3025 and 3050, including order of battle.  If there are era specific maps online,  I can download those, but if your looking for something unique I need a drawing.  And not a GIF or JPEG, but a .png or .svg file.  Illustrator files work as well.

With regards to House OOB's, I have the 3025 and 3050 ones.  If your looking at moving a few pieces around, i just need the unit name and what planet you are moving it too.  If your creating a whole bunch of units, or moving a lot of them around from their canon locations, then at a minimum I need an excel or odf file with the name of the unit, and planet they are on.

As an example, my units file has these headers:
Unit
Skill
Faction
Damage
Merc
Display
Location
X
Y

Yours can be more or less detailed, but if it doesn't have the unit name and Location, I can't do anything with it.

For an example of what sort of map you'd be getting, take a look at the attached.

Now, I use a program called ARCGis.  It's what I do for a living, and manipulating simple shapefiles like these are pretty easy.  However, it can be time consuming, so if your looking at doing multiple maps, here's where the huge caveat comes in:

If you can get a copy of ARC, and make sure it's 10.1 or higher, I am more than willing to create the base database for your maps and am willing to show you how to make changes and export the results.  It's not that hard.  However, ARC is pretty expensive.  ESRI used to give away trial discs, but I don't think they do that anymore.  If your willing to wait a week or two for a map, that's cool, chances are I can get it to you before then, but life happens.  Frankly there are days I come home and never want to work with another shapefile until I've had a scotch are three.  Then the results are...interesting....

Anyhow, if that's a time table you can't work with, there is a freeware GIS program called QGIS.  The latest stable was just released at qgis.org.  I think it's a pretty cool program, but it's also very different than ARC, and not in a Mac vs PC type of different IMO, more like an AutoCAD versus Microstiaton difference. I have next to no experience with it.  I've played around with it, and I do know that the maps I make in ARC I can't make the same way in QGIS.  But I could make a good map in QGIS if I needed to, it would just take me a lot longer to do.   However, QGIS does have a robust online community, help forums, and more than a few youtube help video's out there, so if your willing to tackle a basic map, I am more than happy to provide the shapefiles.

So, got an Alt-U you want a map for?  Want an era map to print out and put on your wall?  PM me and we'll see what we can do.

Dav


« Last Edit: 24 April 2016, 13:12:49 by Davout73 »
Kiiro no Torii, a Battletech AU, found here:
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,7316.0.html
Interview with a Mercenary, found here: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,319.0.html
Every Man Must Be Tempted, a KNT Universe series: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/every-man-must-be-tempted
"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent, because the competent use it when it could do some good."

Davout73

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #1 on: 09 March 2016, 23:29:18 »
Something like this Daryk?

Kiiro no Torii, a Battletech AU, found here:
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,7316.0.html
Interview with a Mercenary, found here: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,319.0.html
Every Man Must Be Tempted, a KNT Universe series: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/every-man-must-be-tempted
"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent, because the competent use it when it could do some good."

Daryk

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #2 on: 10 March 2016, 04:26:01 »
Awesome, thanks!  And how did you know I had a copy of Xenophon on my hard drive?   8)

Silly question, though: did you skip 7 for some reason?  I see the number of legs goes from 6 to 8.  If you'd rather use the number of jumps instead of legs, I'll forward you those via PM shortly.

Suralin

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #3 on: 10 March 2016, 12:06:43 »
Well this is ironic. I wound up doing some maps of my Vaults AU for 3040 and 3057 already.

I might wind up talking with ye later, tho, if I can get the fiction part of it off the ground.

Davout73

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #4 on: 10 March 2016, 12:40:23 »
No prob.

Let me know if I can help. Did you do that in Arc?

Dav

Well this is ironic. I wound up doing some maps of my Vaults AU for 3040 and 3057 already.

I might wind up talking with ye later, tho, if I can get the fiction part of it off the ground.
« Last Edit: 10 March 2016, 12:46:43 by Davout73 »
Kiiro no Torii, a Battletech AU, found here:
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,7316.0.html
Interview with a Mercenary, found here: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,319.0.html
Every Man Must Be Tempted, a KNT Universe series: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/every-man-must-be-tempted
"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent, because the competent use it when it could do some good."

Suralin

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #5 on: 10 March 2016, 17:21:30 »
No prob.

Let me know if I can help. Did you do that in Arc?

Dav

Nope, sorta farted it together by hand in GIMP. Honestly I'm surprised it looks as good as it does.

Davout73

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #6 on: 10 March 2016, 17:37:17 »
It does.

Household 6, the Graphic Designer in the family, swears I can do these maps in Illustrator.  I'm not sure, it strikes me as taking a lot longer to do it that way.

Dav
Kiiro no Torii, a Battletech AU, found here:
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,7316.0.html
Interview with a Mercenary, found here: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,319.0.html
Every Man Must Be Tempted, a KNT Universe series: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/every-man-must-be-tempted
"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent, because the competent use it when it could do some good."

Davout73

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #7 on: 10 March 2016, 19:32:39 »
OK Daryk, the mistake you pointed out earlier should be fixed.

Let me know when you need something else done.

 O0
Kiiro no Torii, a Battletech AU, found here:
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,7316.0.html
Interview with a Mercenary, found here: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,319.0.html
Every Man Must Be Tempted, a KNT Universe series: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/every-man-must-be-tempted
"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent, because the competent use it when it could do some good."

Daryk

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #8 on: 10 March 2016, 19:41:07 »
Thank you, kind sir!  I'll definitely let you know if I have any other projects that need a star map.  This is really great work!  O0

ActionButler

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #9 on: 15 March 2016, 18:01:34 »

Now, I use a program called ARCGis.  It's what I do for a living, and manipulating simple shapefiles like these are pretty easy. 


Another GIS professional!

*Internet high-five*
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Davout73

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #10 on: 15 March 2016, 18:15:09 »
I was hating it today….  >:(
Kiiro no Torii, a Battletech AU, found here:
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,7316.0.html
Interview with a Mercenary, found here: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,319.0.html
Every Man Must Be Tempted, a KNT Universe series: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/every-man-must-be-tempted
"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent, because the competent use it when it could do some good."

ActionButler

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #11 on: 16 March 2016, 08:08:14 »
I was hating it today….  >:(

You say that like there are days where Arc doesn't show a pathological need to spontaneously crash after so much as moving your cursor over the wrong tool.   
Experimental Technical Readout: The School
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=56420.0

Davout73

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #12 on: 16 March 2016, 08:26:30 »
Wait till you try working on a project from an mxd on your computer,  with the database on another server,  and printing the resulting pdf to the client server,  while using a web provider for the background imagery whose connection is at best tenuous.  I literally zoomed out yesterday and waited ten minutes for everything to render.
Kiiro no Torii, a Battletech AU, found here:
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,7316.0.html
Interview with a Mercenary, found here: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,319.0.html
Every Man Must Be Tempted, a KNT Universe series: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/every-man-must-be-tempted
"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent, because the competent use it when it could do some good."

Davout73

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #13 on: 19 March 2016, 11:31:54 »
Something I am doing for my own AU work.

My plan (hah) is that in 3040 I will do a universe overview book.  Using Data Driven Pages in Arc, this is actually pretty easy. 

I plan on doing a Region by Region overview, with each region taking up one page.

These are an example:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25017377/T1.pdf

Now, the blank space on the left above the smaller map is going to have some dynamic tables, one for the worlds, which will list System Name, Factory Types on planet, and then Units in the Region.  Because of space issues, with the polygon clipping, labels and the like, there will be times when not unit will display, so a list would be nice.

There's a way in Python to create Dynamic Tables so that every page will automatically generate it's own table from the given region, but I am not a programmer, so slogging through that is going to take some time.

Thanks for looking!
Kiiro no Torii, a Battletech AU, found here:
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,7316.0.html
Interview with a Mercenary, found here: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,319.0.html
Every Man Must Be Tempted, a KNT Universe series: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/every-man-must-be-tempted
"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent, because the competent use it when it could do some good."

Daryk

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #14 on: 19 March 2016, 11:36:28 »
Very nice!  Best of luck with the project!  O0

Kidd

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #15 on: 25 April 2016, 05:51:10 »
Sorry for hijacking the other thread, I didn't see this topic.

Davout, what would be your recommendation for me, I want to create full IS maps for our Alt U game preferably in PDF with searchable text. What program should I use and do you know of any tutorials associated with the program?

I see you recommend Qgis generally here. Would that be the same for us? We're basically fighting over the original 3067 IS with a handful of added planets, so really what we need is just to change borders and maybe add a couple of splinter factions. We used to do it in Photoshop and export to PDF IINM, but the PS guru just left.

Davout73

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #16 on: 25 April 2016, 08:46:28 »
If you want to do it yourself I would recommend QGIS. I don't know a lot about it, but it's well supported online... At the very least if you can get me a pdf or high quality pix I the current borders I can create those for you and send them back, way when you start editing you have the base shape files to work with.

Dav
Kiiro no Torii, a Battletech AU, found here:
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,7316.0.html
Interview with a Mercenary, found here: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,319.0.html
Every Man Must Be Tempted, a KNT Universe series: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/every-man-must-be-tempted
"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent, because the competent use it when it could do some good."

SCC

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #17 on: 29 April 2016, 20:06:45 »
With regards to House OOB's, I have the 3025 and 3050 ones.  If your looking at moving a few pieces around, i just need the unit name and what planet you are moving it too.  If your creating a whole bunch of units, or moving a lot of them around from their canon locations, then at a minimum I need an excel or odf file with the name of the unit, and planet they are on.
I think I've already got the 3050 one, but where can I get the 3025 one?

Davout73

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #18 on: 29 April 2016, 22:19:29 »
Change 'SINA' to 'NAIS' and this should be the correct one.

Dav
Kiiro no Torii, a Battletech AU, found here:
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,7316.0.html
Interview with a Mercenary, found here: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,319.0.html
Every Man Must Be Tempted, a KNT Universe series: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/every-man-must-be-tempted
"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent, because the competent use it when it could do some good."

SCC

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #19 on: 29 April 2016, 23:52:12 »
If that's what you're referring to by OOB then I don't have the 3050 on, I've got your map from the thread about the Clans coming in on a different angle, same information, radically different format.

Beyond that I see two problems, one is some data entry, the other is structure.
For the data entry you've got the Kettering Proving Ground RCT and I KNOW that's from your AU. Additionally Team Banzai and the Northwind Highlanders entered as single units/regiments, both are multiple regiments and should take up multiple lines.

The structure is somewhat related top the above. This is a single giant list of all units, short regiments and single battalions are listed along side full strength regiments, mercenary commands are listed next to house units and in the case of the Blackwind Lancers two battalions are stationed on the same planet but are listed separately (The 1st batt. is on another planet entirely). Mercenary units should be marked in some way so you can tell them apart, color probably works best. Short regiments and single battalions should be listed separately from full strength regiments and each other, simply to make accounting easier.

Davout73

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #20 on: 30 April 2016, 00:16:26 »
I have the 3050 one, its on another thread somewheres, one of the Comstar ones, or the 3050 map one?  I am on my phone at the moment, so looking for that thread is difficult.

Units listed as separate Battalions (such as many of the CCAF units) were deployed that way.  This list was compiled from the 1st edition housebooks, and the formting between them all were different.  I didn't differentiate between mercenaries and House units when I built this because at the time, I wasn't intending to differentiate between the two.

Team Banzai was never a multi regiment unit.  I knew I wasn't going to have the Highlanders participate in any fighting, it was easier to make a single entry for them.  The Tyr Regiment was included for completeness on my part.

Kettering and the Furious Angels are the only non canon units.  Well, that and changing SINA to NAIS are the only changes I can see. 

Anyhow, its a basic list.  I know I would do a few things differently were I starting from scratch today, indeed the current unit spreadsheet I have is quite different, but I also know the changes I would make someone else would do differently. 

The attached was just the basic framework, I have no problems with anyone changing it to suit their own needs.

Dav

Kiiro no Torii, a Battletech AU, found here:
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,7316.0.html
Interview with a Mercenary, found here: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,319.0.html
Every Man Must Be Tempted, a KNT Universe series: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/every-man-must-be-tempted
"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent, because the competent use it when it could do some good."

SCC

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #21 on: 30 April 2016, 02:02:19 »
I have the 3050 one, its on another thread somewheres, one of the Comstar ones, or the 3050 map one?  I am on my phone at the moment, so looking for that thread is difficult.
The thread I'm talking about is the one where the Clans came in from another angle, that's the map I downloaded.

Units listed as separate Battalions (such as many of the CCAF units) were deployed that way.  This list was compiled from the 1st edition housebooks, and the formting between them all were different.  I didn't differentiate between mercenaries and House units when I built this because at the time, I wasn't intending to differentiate between the two.
That's not what I was unhappy with. BT often plays the regiment counting game and the way the spreadsheet is set up a you'd have to do it by hand to get counts, especially once you start moving them around.

Team Banzai was never a multi regiment unit.  I knew I wasn't going to have the Highlanders participate in any fighting, it was easier to make a single entry for them.  The Tyr Regiment was included for completeness on my part.
Huh, don't know where I got the idea it was 5 regiments in size then.

Kettering and the Furious Angels are the only non canon units.  Well, that and changing SINA to NAIS are the only changes I can see.
The Angels are in KNT? I'll have to search for them then.

Anyhow, its a basic list.  I know I would do a few things differently were I starting from scratch today, indeed the current unit spreadsheet I have is quite different, but I also know the changes I would make someone else would do differently.
I can only imagine the changes I want to make to it.

The attached was just the basic framework, I have no problems with anyone changing it to suit their own needs.
I'd call it a listing more then anything else.




Davout73

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #22 on: 30 April 2016, 02:43:54 »
The thread I'm talking about is the one where the Clans came in from another angle, that's the map I downloaded.

The OOB for that should be pretty accurate.  Only thing I believe is missing from that were the "hidden" ComGuard units.  The units are from the 20 Year Update Listing,, I don't recall how much, if at all, that's changed through the years.

Quote
That's not what I was unhappy with. BT often plays the regiment counting game and the way the spreadsheet is set up a you'd have to do it by hand to get counts, especially once you start moving them around.

Well, I don't think you can have it both ways.  If your trying to stay close to canon, your going to have outlier Battalions out there, especially in the CCAF.  Tracking total number of units has never been an issue for me, but then I am also not using pencil and paper to do that.  But it would be easy to do in the spreadsheet as well, more than one way to get a count.

Quote
Huh, don't know where I got the idea it was 5 regiments in size then.
The Angels are in KNT? I'll have to search for them then.

IIRC the only Merc units to ever have been 5 regiments or more in size throughout the history of the game are the MAC, the Dragoons, the 12th Star Guards, the Illician Lancers, and the Northwind Highlanders.

The Angels are still on Arcadia, rebuilding.  They will be active again in the next phase of fighting.

Dav
« Last Edit: 30 April 2016, 17:43:05 by Davout73 »
Kiiro no Torii, a Battletech AU, found here:
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,7316.0.html
Interview with a Mercenary, found here: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,319.0.html
Every Man Must Be Tempted, a KNT Universe series: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/every-man-must-be-tempted
"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent, because the competent use it when it could do some good."

Blacknova

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #23 on: 30 April 2016, 17:41:38 »
One of the issues with entering forces is label placement, something I have found issues with myself in doing similar work.  Sometimes you just have to suck it up and label a 4 regiment unit as a single unit and for places like Terra sometimes, provide a sidebar where you can list the numerous units.
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Davout73

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #24 on: 30 April 2016, 17:43:45 »
One of the issues with entering forces is label placement, something I have found issues with myself in doing similar work.  Sometimes you just have to suck it up and label a 4 regiment unit as a single unit and for places like Terra sometimes, provide a sidebar where you can list the numerous units.

Its definitely a pain the closer to the Core Worlds you get.

Dav
Kiiro no Torii, a Battletech AU, found here:
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,7316.0.html
Interview with a Mercenary, found here: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,319.0.html
Every Man Must Be Tempted, a KNT Universe series: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/every-man-must-be-tempted
"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent, because the competent use it when it could do some good."

Kwic

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #25 on: 04 May 2016, 00:42:58 »
I would be interested in getting a bit of a tutorial.

I've been struggling with getting maps set up for a game I was running for some time.

Kwic.

Blacknova

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #26 on: 04 May 2016, 01:45:15 »
Maybe between us Dav and I can make a bit of a how to guide.
Dedicated to committing viciously gratuitous bastardy of the first order.

Unofficial LD for 2 seconds - It was a glorious moment!

"They can bring it. We fought off an army of guys who wore 20 pound decorative brass shoulder pauldrons. I'm not afraid of the Disney Land mascot brigade" - MadCapellan, in reference to the Confederation possibly facing the Clans.

Davout73

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #27 on: 04 May 2016, 08:23:48 »
What are some of the issues you are having kwic?
Kiiro no Torii, a Battletech AU, found here:
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,7316.0.html
Interview with a Mercenary, found here: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,319.0.html
Every Man Must Be Tempted, a KNT Universe series: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/every-man-must-be-tempted
"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent, because the competent use it when it could do some good."

Kwic

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #28 on: 06 May 2016, 10:29:05 »
ultimate goal:
Geodatabase that can be updated from excel table that highlights the changes only, then automates the map generation.

So the player sends his changes (movements, repairs, new unit or resource creation etc) to the GM to add to the geodatabase as a dated entry.

The map generated can track movement of units with arrows over time, so you can see over the course of a year, you can track movements.

Need something easy to manipulate to create maps with multiple options.

bobthecoward

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Re: So, you want a map...
« Reply #29 on: 06 May 2016, 10:59:52 »
One of the issues with entering forces is label placement, something I have found issues with myself in doing similar work.  Sometimes you just have to suck it up and label a 4 regiment unit as a single unit and for places like Terra sometimes, provide a sidebar where you can list the numerous units.

It's a matter of balance. I shared with you and davout my 3025 deployment map where I used comments to make beautiful unit labels that you can move around.

It was beautiful. It also took forever and I could not alter the underlying map and I could not easily transfer them to another PDF.