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Rating: 8 votes, 4.50 average.

VirtualScape - Building Maps in 3D On Your PC

Posted January 17th, 2007 at 08:01 PM by truth
Updated April 14th, 2008 at 04:16 PM by truth
I asked 'scaper Hahnarama to bring us an expo on the popular heroscape battlefield building software VirtualScape.* Hahn writes:

What's a guy to do. I mean you went out and got yourself a copy of heroscape and they gave you like four scenarios... So you said to yourself I'll go check out the heroscape site... wow another whole four more scenarios. So, I ask again, what's a guy to do? Well friend, if you've got a little creativity in your back pocket and Windows on your computer your in luck! Not long ago a Frenchman came along and brought us a simple, slick, and very BUTT KICKING application that allows you to build your maps as a two dimensional model and with the click of a button turns them into a true 3D. That's right you can easily build yourself a heroscape map and scenario, look at it in 3-D and then print out instructions for building it at home, or even share the maps with the online community here at heroscapers, via the download section.



VirtualScape was created by a scaper named Zzzzz. The first version was released on July 30, 2006, and true to his word "Z" has taken user feedback and released new versions of VirtualScape about once every two months. Now I will be the first to admit that revision 0.026 was rather clunky, but the latest version is almost perfection.

When the application is launched it brings up a standard Windows based interface. You go to file and select new and it opens the all too familiar hex grid layout. OK, you're almost ready to start, but first you need to let VirtualScape know how much junk you have in your trunk. You can let the program know how many Master Sets and expansions you have, and it will only allow you to build maps with the stuff you have, in other words, it keeps one from going off and building this incredible map in VirtualScape only to find out they don't have enough heroscape bits to build the thing in real life. Next, from the tabbed interface you select what type of terrain you wish to place and it's drag and release. With a scroll wheel on your mouse you can rotate the pieces into place, or you can use the tool bar at top to rotate them into place.



Now comes the cool part: You are now ready for your second level, you hit the level up icon and bingo the level you just worked on has now become transparent and you can guide your new pieces over them. It reminds me a lot of transparent layers in Photoshop. You keep repeating this process until you are done. Now the grand finale, with the click of the 3D icon, VirtualScape opens a new window with a 3D model that you can rotate, zoom in on, and see how the map is built in real time. you can go back and make edits to the 2D layout, and those edits will show up in your 3D model in real time.



A final review:

Pros:

1.Very easy to pick up and use after a few minutes
2.Zzzzz has added every expansion as well as all the units from the Master Set
3.He is open to taking requests from his fellow scapers on what they would like to see. Visit his thread on the forums to make suggestions.

Cons:
1.There is no version for our friends who use Macs
2.I wish when you laid a castle base the system was smart enough to add the corresponding wall piece with it. (Maybe in the next revision)



That's about it. It really is hard to find any major negative about this great little application. So visit the downloads section to get VirtualScape now!

Peace, Love, and Heroscape,

-Hahnarama.
Posted in , Battlefields
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Old
Is there any documentation?
Posted July 7th, 2013 at 11:51 AM by michaeltaylor michaeltaylor is offline
 
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