[Tool] MapSmithEE 0.2.1 (early preview): build new areas from a 3D layout, rendered at BG's camera
ssad0
Member Posts: 15
Hi everyone,
I'd like to share MapSmithEE, a small Windows tool to make new areas for the Enhanced Edition games (BGEE, SoD, BG2EE, EET).
You lay out a map in 3D, seen through a camera with Baldur's Gate's exact angle and scale (with game-sized characters standing on it): place models (tents, barrels, furniture, wagons, ruins...), paint the ground, plant forests with a tree brush, set the arrival point, the exits and the walkable cells. Then Render area… renders it in Blender, day and night, and builds a playable area: ARE, TIS/PVRZ, WED (walls, so characters walk behind trees and tents), search, height and light maps. Copy the files into override and walk in it.
It has already made a real area: the new rest camp of SadoEE 1.0.3 was built with it (SadoEE v1.0.3).
Since the first version (thanks to the feedback on the forums):
A word of warning: this is a very early version, rough around the edges. But it can evolve quickly, and I'm very open to feedback and suggestions.
It comes with models and textures from the community (Poly Haven, Sketchfab / Objaverse authors, Acifer's BG textures, the BG1 tree templates Gwendolyne shared), plus a few AI-generated items that are not always polished or sorted. Every author is credited.
A note on the model library: some props clearly lack polish. I haven't had the time to do better yet, so any help is very welcome, whether it's a better model, a texture, or a fix to an existing piece (an issue with a link and its licence is enough).
Big thanks to Bubb, whose "Infinity Areas" thread and its feature list inspired the project (MapSmithEE is a separate implementation), to the IESDP contributors, and to everyone whose work is in the library.
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (free, non-commercial, forks keep the same licence).
I'd like to share MapSmithEE, a small Windows tool to make new areas for the Enhanced Edition games (BGEE, SoD, BG2EE, EET).
You lay out a map in 3D, seen through a camera with Baldur's Gate's exact angle and scale (with game-sized characters standing on it): place models (tents, barrels, furniture, wagons, ruins...), paint the ground, plant forests with a tree brush, set the arrival point, the exits and the walkable cells. Then Render area… renders it in Blender, day and night, and builds a playable area: ARE, TIS/PVRZ, WED (walls, so characters walk behind trees and tents), search, height and light maps. Copy the files into override and walk in it.
It has already made a real area: the new rest camp of SadoEE 1.0.3 was built with it (SadoEE v1.0.3).
Since the first version (thanks to the feedback on the forums):
- Your own pieces: import 3D models in any format Blender reads (glTF, OBJ, FBX, STL, DAE, USD...), 2D sprites (transparent PNG or a BAM frame) and seamless ground textures.
- Export scene: the whole scene as a .blend ready to render, or .glb / .fbx for other 3D programs.
- HD tiles: Render area can also make 2x or 4x tiles for IEX, which draws them when you zoom in.
- Choose your blender.exe (portable or on another drive), a camera angle per map, and a "Fast view" for big maps or slower PCs.
A word of warning: this is a very early version, rough around the edges. But it can evolve quickly, and I'm very open to feedback and suggestions.
It comes with models and textures from the community (Poly Haven, Sketchfab / Objaverse authors, Acifer's BG textures, the BG1 tree templates Gwendolyne shared), plus a few AI-generated items that are not always polished or sorted. Every author is credited.
A note on the model library: some props clearly lack polish. I haven't had the time to do better yet, so any help is very welcome, whether it's a better model, a texture, or a fix to an existing piece (an issue with a link and its licence is enough).
- Download: https://github.com/sad0/MapSmithEE/releases/tag/v0.2.1
- Full tutorial: https://github.com/sad0/MapSmithEE/blob/main/docs/TUTORIAL.md
- Feedback: GitHub issues, Discussions, or Discord: https://discord.gg/3XzeQv7HeS
Big thanks to Bubb, whose "Infinity Areas" thread and its feature list inspired the project (MapSmithEE is a separate implementation), to the IESDP contributors, and to everyone whose work is in the library.
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (free, non-commercial, forks keep the same licence).
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