Isometric Graphics

WELL earlier tonight I decided I was going to get an isometric grid working in roll20, and I did. It works with snapping and everything.  I'm going try try putting together some basic background and sprites for common fantasy creatures. If you want to try this out, use [ these images ] and the roll20 page should be set to 15.2 by 10.4 with a grid size of 0.4 units.  The psd is in there too. EDIT:   [Updated PSD with Humanoid and Circle Templates]

Cool.

+1

Right now there's the major issue of objects being in front of/behind each other.  So the first thing that comes to mind is just to have few of those objects, maybe one or two per page, and manually handle pushing stuff to the front/back so it looks right.   The second thing that comes to mind is suggesting an API script that automatically reorders objects based on the lower bounding border.

Okay so I threw in some more boxes so it's less dull and started working on a basic humanoid sprite.  

This just might make me want to use those maps because it is so cool looking.

Metroknight said: This just might make me want to use those maps because it is so cool looking. I really hope some other artists get interested because I'd love to share art elements, especially since this is a really non-standard pixel art size, so not much from games/other stuff will work.

I would help but being a partially color blind ( green/ brown and some other mixes) two left thumbs type of artist puts me at a severe disadvantage when it comes to the crude attempts I make.

If you manage to pull off making an entire campaign's maps/story/tokens, you could make a lot of money XD

It is a really neat idea. I have been wondering if this would be possible on Roll20.  I can see trying this in the future, after more development for implementing this on the R20 platform. You said that "since this is a really non-standard pixel art size, so not much from games/other stuff will work".  So this means it is not convenient to borrow maps and sprites from, say, Baldur's Gate I and II, which were isometric D&D computer games?

I think he was referring to what there is in the marketplace not working with this layout.

Gold said: You said that "since this is a really non-standard pixel art size, so not much from games/other stuff will work".  So this means it is not convenient to borrow maps and sprites from, say, Baldur's Gate I and II, which were isometric D&D computer games? This.  The grid size is based on an easy division of the default grid size of roll20, 42, and it's not exactly standard scale for what game stuff usually comes in.  Sure you could pull that stuff in and stretch it out but I'm trying to make this all a consistent resolution.  Inconsistent resolution with pixel art bothers me to no end. also here's some spooks

David, I will put this as plainly as I can, and I don't say it very often, indeed it is far more common for me to ask people the exact opposite. Please make sure to procreate. Your genes should stay in the pool. You are being awesome right now.

Personally, I would like to see Roll20.net use this guys map rendering engine.  Check it out. Cool 3D Virtual Tabletop Map

That is very cool work, David L.

Kristin C. said: David, what's the image dimensions you're using on your tokens? I'm curious how to set up the best advantage on this grid for token snapping. Everything is cropped to fit a grid at 0.4 units (28 pixels) and each isometric grid space fits into 2x4 of these (originally tried 1x2 at double the grid size, but that only works for every other column.) So the tokens vary, but always some multiple of 28.  Everything is being displayed and native size; there is no stretching or squishing. I just finished the dungeon floor tileset, here's a spooky dungeon if anyone wants to play with it:  [Spooky Scary Dungeon Boo]   For this one the map should be at 16 by 10.4 units, with the grid size at 0.4 units, as always. I found a great way to do textures through smart objects, I can copy out this whole tileset and still edit the whole thing at once, along with adding or removing a cracks layer I made (which is currently off, obviously.) I'm looking for a good place to find people to collaborate, anyone have suggestions?  I'm going to post on SA now that I have something pretty to show. EDIT: Okay so I'm planning on writing a little module based around a dungeon and create isometric art stuff specifically for it (including this stuff of course.)  I'll likely include rule recommendations for Pathfinder and Next.  Would anyone be interested in helping me write? EDIT 2 : I need to find a better guide for this type of thing.  I feel like I'm reinventing the wheel.  I had to upgrade my grid and my original psd now fits like 100 squares across. This is getting serious.  Look the grid even has subdivisions now.

have you tried to see if you can get some of the stuff you have made into the market? You could make some solid cash of this kind of amazing.

He could, yeah. Personally I voucher he keeps raking in cred with this kind of amazing, but I'm always pro free-stuff ;) (my own is, after all, also free, though admittedly nowhere near as cool) +1 for David.

As an artist I would certainly be interested in developing/adapting art for this.  I already try to provide isometric looking assets for the current grid, but one that provides a true isometric angle would be a lot of fun to design for :)

And p. said: have you tried to see if you can get some of the stuff you have made into the market? You could make some solid cash of this kind of amazing. This doesn't use the default grid at all, work properly with rulers, or dynamic lighting.  I think it would be misleading to put this on the marketplace as it's not fully supported/functional currently with the constant management of object order, etc. Phillip W. said: As an artist I would certainly be interested in developing/adapting art for this.  I already try to provide isometric looking assets for the current grid, but one that provides a true isometric angle would be a lot of fun to design for :) Oh your art set is really cool, I especially like the angle of the characters.  Hey if you're interested you should check out these [two] [tutorials] (not by me, but really useful) and then here's the current version of [The Grid] psd.

So since all the tiles are smart objects, I made it way easier to construct walls (which have the basic versions done, I still need to add cracks and moss layers) by making a "Label" layer like I did for the floor tiles, but also including an outline so you can recognize how everything is put together, and once it is, you turn it off. A line for the inside corner of walls will need to be drawn manually, because while I could get the outside corner to look nice automatically, the same is not true for the inside corner without dark lines doubling up and looking gross. EDIT : Here are 100% of the elements used, it's surprisingly little but the careful design lets you put it together to get what you see up there. EDIT 2 : Okay here's the version with the walls complete and all the elements organized with the label layers turned on: [The Grid.psd] Anyone feel free to try putting together a simple map, remember that walls can't really be in front of other elements for basic maps (because of ordering issues, it's not actually 3d space) and to turn the labels off, double click the icon for the layer and it'll open up it's own thing, hit the eye for the label layer and save/close. EDIT 3 : Still some stuff to clean up, but for the most part, this WORKS. Now to make some creatures that aren't skeletons.

David L. said: And p. said: have you tried to see if you can get some of the stuff you have made into the market? You could make some solid cash of this kind of amazing. This doesn't use the default grid at all, work properly with rulers, or dynamic lighting.  I think it would be misleading to put this on the marketplace as it's not fully supported/functional currently with the constant management of object order, etc. I think it would be misleading if you didn't put in a disclaimer, as alot of the community uses the basic tools supplied by the game. Some of the community (myself included) use the more advanced tools offered. i.e. we use the alt key to resize on the fly. Alot of use are used to the rules of the systems and don't need measuring tools to judge distance. If you were to place it on the market, I would absolutely make the first paragraph a disclaimer as to the functions of Roll20 that work and do not work. But for many of us in the community, this is an easy sale! Edit: After proofreading the above, I realized I might not have gotten the message across. Long story short, people will buy this!

Emile l. said: I think it would be misleading if you didn't put in a disclaimer, as alot of the community uses the basic tools supplied by the game. Some of the community (myself included) use the more advanced tools offered. i.e. we use the alt key to resize on the fly. Alot of use are used to the rules of the systems and don't need measuring tools to judge distance. If you were to place it on the market, I would absolutely make the first paragraph a disclaimer as to the functions of Roll20 that work and do not work. But for many of us in the community, this is an easy sale! Edit: After proofreading the above, I realized I might not have gotten the message across. Long story short, people will buy this! Yeah maybe the dungeon/creatures/decorations I'm making I could make a pack out of, maybe even the whole module I'm making.  I'll email them about it. Also check my last post for updates.

@David L. Not necissiarily saying a true to life module (as in story line, etc). But possibly a massive token/map pack? Judging by how it's presented from your artwork above, one could (with extensive use of toFront/toBack) create an entire map on their own, but I think it's safe to assume that the thing that's kept most player from trying this style is the lack of isometric objects available on the web :P Though I also support buying pre-made maps.

Emile l. said: @David L. Not necissiarily saying a true to life module (as in story line, etc). But possibly a massive token/map pack? Judging by how it's presented from your artwork above, one could (with extensive use of toFront/toBack) create an entire map on their own, but I think it's safe to assume that the thing that's kept most player from trying this style is the lack of isometric objects available on the web :P Though I also support buying pre-made maps. I mentioned a pack first.  Putting these maps together in roll20 would be inefficient, and it's not the most simple in photoshop either.  There would be both pre-made maps and then accessories for those maps along with creatures.  I'll probably put out the most basic PIECES (Like those stone floor and wall ones) for free, and anyone who buys the accessories/token pack can try making their own maps in photoshop or whatever.    All hinged on if it gets into the marketplace, if it doesn't it'll be smaller but entirely free.

Okay so here's some races I did up with help from my friend James M. I made sure they were to scale assuming the grid is 5 foot squares, and it's actually quite cool seeing characters to scale on a grid of that size.  I spent a while making sure they're customizable (For the skintone and outline to work that was a pain, but it's working and you can turn your elf into a drow no problem) and starting working on some items for humans.  As an example I made Walter White.  I'll likely post the PC race psd's for free so everyone can make their own characters to match in with the packs. Any comments on these humans/elves?

Yes. +1 for cool ;)

Truly excellent work! only one thing... Walter White wears briefs  tighty Whiteys, not boxers!

Okay so this is taking off at high speeds. I don't think I'll be posting any more until it's done. Thanks for all the support! I hope to be done within a month or three!

that is sweet looking. great work.

A suggestion: Assembling a map in Roll20 is not efficient because it stores each element separately, and a huge number of elements required for a full map will bog down the application. If you can release a MapTool token pack, it's a standalone application that you can use to create a map, which works similarly to Roll20, except at the end you can just export the finished map as a jpg, to be uploaded to Roll20 as a single element.

I like this. I've been working on my own tile sets that convey some sense of an axonometric projection. I wanted to do isometric, but the sorting headache was too much-- too much for me, and too much to expect any consumer of my work to invest in. How are you finding the sorting issues? The API finally gave us ToFront and ToBack functions, so you could potentially write a script to iterate through your scene and adjust depth.

Jonathan S. said: I like this. I've been working on my own tile sets that convey some sense of an axonometric projection. I wanted to do isometric, but the sorting headache was too much-- too much for me, and too much to expect any consumer of my work to invest in. How are you finding the sorting issues? Planning on setting up maps that deal with sorting as little as possible. I don't know javascript so I'd have to ask someone to help with a script that handles it. Writing one that aligns based on the bottom or midpoints of objects wouldn't work all the time and I have no idea what exactly is possible. David A. said: A suggestion: Assembling a map in Roll20 is not efficient because it stores each element separately, and a huge number of elements required for a full map will bog down the application. If you can release a MapTool token pack, it's a standalone application that you can use to create a map, which works similarly to Roll20, except at the end you can just export the finished map as a jpg, to be uploaded to Roll20 as a single element. Putting together nice maps takes more work than simply putting these tiles together, so I'll be making a bunch of complete rooms/maps with some pieces that can be placed on them.

Very cool! I have been working on an iso based set too, but my maps are pretty simple. Nothing to obscure the tokens from each other. Very cool to see roll20 users thinking outside the box!