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Detailed Mapping/Furnishing Guide & Tips

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melancholy
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7HH6BTKl.png


Hello everyone, this guide was posted back in April 2018 on the SAMP forum. But since that was taken down, I've decided to repost it here with some edits.
This thread mainly is about roleplay maps but some tips can come in handy with all types of maps.

A bit about myself: I've been mapping roleplay maps for around 3 years and have been an official mapper for LS-RP and HZ-RP. I haven't been consistently mapping a lot the past year so apologies if I'm a bit rough in here.

Suggestions are more than welcome.



Map Editor Choice

I've put together all the editors here and it is completely up to you to choose one.

  1. If you're going for mapping without textures and just with normal objects, without text and stuff, use Map Editor. This is not an in-game editor, but a seperate program.
  2. If you're going for an in-game map editor with textures, text and actor + anim support, go for Fusez's Map Editor. This has an in-built smoothcam too, so you can record videos for your showcase pretty easily. It has a lot more, so you can install it and check it out yourself since the thread no more exists due to SAMP forum being deleted.
  3. Then comes my favorite program, Texture Studio. It is by far the easiest program with a lot of features. You may think it is complicated but it is not. Earl has put together a guide for the same. Check it out here.
  4. In the end, the Ultimate Creator. This one deserves more peers but I didn't work with it, so I don't know how is it. As far as I know, this editor mainly works with keyboard shortcuts and such. Check out the github repo for more info!



Object Choice and Placement

Coming to the objects, you need to have a really good imagination and creativity. In Texture Studio, you can still edit textures and make them look almost completely different! But in map editors without texture support, this can be a nightmare. You can also edit textures in the code with SetObjectMaterial but it isn't easy, neither do I know more about scripting.

For object and texture IDs, use this website.
I'll show below how to use that website.

  • Object Selection - Use objects that suit your theme. If you're making a old styled map like for a county area, use wooden textures, mostly. I would not suggest using any modern objects in such a map. Vintage objects work the best with such a map. Just imagine yourself being in the 1990s, how would it feel? What would your environment consist of? There, that's how you decide your objects. In a modern themed map, use any object you want but don't use objects with too plain textures. If you still plan to make them look better and realistic, retexture them to a proper texture combination without making it look cartoonish. Collision holds a major role here too. If you need players to NOT pass through a particular object, use an object with collision. If you're really scrict about how players collide with an object and if the object doesn't have a proper collision like this, simply use the chip objects (the stack of coins in gambling).
  • Object Placement - How you place objects is a major factor of the map. If you're using Map Editor, it's comparatively difficult to align some objects properly (they either float in the air or are badly aligned along). In texture studio, use the /editobject GUI to place them properly, or even use the /ox, /oy & /oz commands with 0.002 distance to get the edges proper.
    Sometimes might need an object which isn't there in GTA SA or SAMP by default. Before opting for custom object, use your creativity. Make a new object with small existing objects. For example, a computer monitor. There isn't a modern one available. So use the LCDTV1 object and for the stand, either use the Lava Lamp and retexture it and place it behind the LCD TV so that it looks like a screen or use 2 Switch objects (retexture them according to your needs). Then place one horizontal and another one at 45 degrees so that it holds the LCD TV like this:-
    4x835mz.png
    GXCOkWS.png

If you're placing two objects side by side to make one big object, make sure they don't overlap along and become glitchy like below. To avoid it, simply move the second object back by 0.002 along the forward/backward axis (/ox 0.002 or /oy 0.002 in Texture Studio), so it doesn't really look like it's behind but at the same it avoids the glitch.

ead1n4C.gifl


If you place small detailed objects, try not to always place them at a 90 degree angle. Because in real life nobody places the stuff on table perfectly most of the times. Example below.

HU22sfE.png
c4bV3nW.png

Now of course this is debatable, and it does not apply everywhere. But I have seen people make maps with everything aligned straight and it looks super unrealistic. A bit of angles here and there adds to the aesthetic and makes it look more realistic! :)



Textures

Textures are a very important part of your map. Good textures can make it look so realistic, believe me. I earlier used to only equip the concrete texture (index 3 in texture studio) but later I realised how important it is to dig deeper into textures and choose a perfect one. And again, if you're making a old styled map, use old textures. Mostly wood.

Useful Wooden Textures - 223, 229, 230, 288, 301, 1054, 3840.

For a modern-themed map, never use plain textures like 8691 to 8705. Use textures that look realistic, you won't want your map to look like a minecraft map. Ever seen plastic walls of a building? No. Use concrete textures. If you still like plain textures, use texture ID 3 and edit the color with /mtcolor. Do not use plain textures. They may look decent with your ENB Shaders but not everyone has ENB, so don't use plain textures at all.
Now you can always use /mtcolor to set the color in texture studio. More details about this in the Texture Studio section below.
If you wish to find texture of a default GTA object, go here, search for your object and once you get it click on the "Details" button, then click on the texture array (picture below) and you'll get a list of the textures on it. Go to texture studio and use /tsearch [Your texture name] (without the square brackets).

PId4mRU.png





It's really easy. Use the search bar or the categories below to search for an object. Then if you see your object on the screen, click on it, then click on details. To get the textures of that object, click on the .txd file on the right side of your screen. Then go in game and use /tsearch [Texture Name] to search for it. Below is a demonstration.

r0CdVak.gif


Finding the position/co-ordinates for an object:-
For example the pershing square object. Search for it, scroll down and click on "Fullscreen / Position Export" then you'll see the co-ordinates on the right side of your screen. Here is a demonstration of the same:-

oM7rZqF.gif


Searching for an object by position:-
Click on the small location blip icon in the search bar. The San Andreas Map will pop up, click on the location you wish to see the objects near to, and it'll show all of them.

m2iUB2b.png





Texturing Using Furniture System

Applying a normal texture:-
Select the object via /selectf or /sfl. Click Manipulate Texture > Edit Texture > Select the texture index. Most of the time the main texture will be index 0. Then find a texture of your choice and apply it.

Applying a custom texture:-
Head to dev.prineside.com. Search for the object you want the texture of. Note down its object ID.
Go to 'Details', scroll down and you'll see a .txd file. Note down the .txd file name. See three GIFs above this for a visual reference of how to do this.
Click on the .txd file and it'll take you to an album with textures. Pick a texture of your choice and note down the name.

Go in game, select an object, edit textures > custom. Input the texture in this format: ObjectID txdName textureName

For example, I want the black speaker texture onto a shelf in game. Here's what I need to know. The speaker's object ID is 2232 (LINK). The speaker's .txd file name is CJ_HI_FI.txd and the texture name is CJ_speaker_6
So I'll go in game and input this in the custom texture dialog box: 2232 CJ_HI_FI CJ_speaker_6




Useful Objects & Textures

Useful Textures

  • Concrete textures- 3, 139, 8438, 8535.
  • Wood textures- 223, 229, 230, 288, 301, 1054, 3840.
  • Glass and window textures- 1123, 3565.
Useful Objects
  • Click here to see the album.


I hope you found this guide useful. If you have any questions or suggestions, please drop them in a reply below. Feedback is much appreciated. :)

 

Sandriko

Silver Member
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Jun 29, 2020
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Georgia
nice guide but im pretty sure i've already seen this on lsrp forums

edit: nvm i did some research, looks like it was posted by you, great guide <3
 

Limitless

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Could use 0.0002 for fine precision movement and 0.0004 to avoid flickering. 0.001 is coarse. Good, though! I use a lot of these tips myself.
 

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melancholy
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Could use 0.0002 for fine precision movement and 0.0004 to avoid flickering. 0.001 is coarse. Good, though! I use a lot of these tips myself.
I use 0.002 myself - forgot to update it (I posted this guide on the SAMP forum two years back when I used 0.001).
And thank you <3
 

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melancholy
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Updated. Added a new "Texturing Using Furniture System" section following the recent inflow of questions regarding custom texturing in-game. :)
 
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