Specify Map Layers on Import

When you import maps into Roll20 it would be great if we could specify which layers on the map, import to which layers in roll20. During the import you could specify the walls and floor layers go to the Roll20 background layer. The furniture and wall feature layers go to the Roll20 token layer, the text layer goes to the Roll20 GM layer, and the symbol layer goes to the Roll20 dynamic lighting layer.

What file type are you trying to import? There's nothing standard to read the data from any proprietary image types like PSD (Photoshop) or XCF (GIMP). Documentation is available for many formats ( PSD and XCF , for example), but as you might expect, they're extremely complicated. If you look at the PSD spec, you can see that the image data is stored separately from the masking data, which is stored separately from the blending data. It is far, far simpler to use standard image formats like JPG, PNG, and GIF. The files are less complicated, but more importantly, there are standard libraries for reading the standard formats.

@Brian - Thanks for the response. I use Campaign Cartographer. When I convert to a png is all the layer information lost? In other words, to do this you are saying Roll20 would have to have the ability to import proprietary formats?

Just a note, you should not use PNG for images (especially map images) unless you need transparency. They are resource hogs. JPG is the best format to use in Roll20.

DM Kel said: @Brian - Thanks for the response. I use Campaign Cartographer. When I convert to a png is all the layer information lost? In other words, to do this you are saying Roll20 would have to have the ability to import proprietary formats? Yes, the PNG file format only stores, at best, two layers (color data and alpha mask). Most of the possible configurations for a PNG file do not even allow for that. PNG specification . A cursory search suggests that Campaign Cartographer creates CC3 files. I am unable to find any specification for the format, partially beacuse CC3 is used for many other things (such as Close Combat 3 and Calendar Creator) and appears to be officially registered for CUEcards. Additionally, Campaign Creator appears to have encryption capability to protect ProFantasy from litigation with distributing copyrighted material, and depending on implementation releasing the specification for the file format could potentially compromise that.