mitchell1981 Posted March 2, 2022 Posted March 2, 2022 Hi All, We had a pretty good Photoshop based site map of our school building. Unfortunately the template was lost and we now only have printed copies and jpegs, so all the layers are gone and it's a pain to make changes. I want to start from scratch with it and make a new, clearer site map that can be used for different purposes. I could do it again in Photoshop, but I was wondering if anyone was aware of any internal mapping tools that can make nice clear maps that are suitable for every day use. They don't need to be details plans that show every wall construction and window. I was hoping to create something a bit interactive with different elements that can be switched on and off. Does anyone have an impressive map that they would be willing to share, and how it was made? Thanks.
mavhc Posted March 2, 2022 Posted March 2, 2022 Do it with inkscape and then you'll have an svg you can easily make interactive with css 1
jthompson Posted March 2, 2022 Posted March 2, 2022 I went crazy during lockdown and wrestled with QGIS until I had something good. The scale will be completely out of whack and not at all correct in terms of proper GIS work, but the various options for layers and labelling was nice and powerful. I worked from architectural plans originally, importing images of those to then build up floorplans in various layers over them. I have corridors, stariwell, etc. in separate layers to the rooms, so that they can be shaded differently. That helps to make a readable map, when it's clear where the internal corridors are compared to outside spaces. The rooms are each separate shapes within a layer, and with their respective names in metadata. Map labelling rules then govern how/when those labels are displayed on the map. 2
KK20 Posted March 9, 2022 Posted March 9, 2022 do you mean an internal map or a map of the grounds? I use digimaps to make an external map, then just zoom in. It was good enough to record our external assets. For the internal one, we paid a fire assessor company to create one as an addon to our fire alarm and extinguisher testing.
supportman Posted March 9, 2022 Posted March 9, 2022 (edited) Google maps for the original image, right click on it and select "Measure distance" where you can create waypoints to trace. Then inkscape or GIMP to trace the outlines and add floors. Edited March 9, 2022 by supportman
DavR Posted March 9, 2022 Posted March 9, 2022 I can tell you how NOT to do it.... a friend of the school did all of our site plans for our fire evacuation notices. They look very nice and professional stuck on the walls. When he moved on, he sent me the source files. They were done in Adobe Flash, guys. They're a Flash animation, each notice is a different slide, and I have no idea how to port that into something sensible 1
Boredguy Posted March 9, 2022 Posted March 9, 2022 I measured our entire site one quiet summer and then put the whole lot into 2D Design so I had dimensions correct, then exported it as image and dropped it into my graphics app of choice (originally it was Paint Shop Pro, but since moved everything over to GIMP) Basic site layout is a background layer, and each different set of utilities/requires gets it's own layer added over that so it's easy to update Fire Call Point, Network Cabling or even Electrical trunk lines. 1
supportman Posted March 9, 2022 Posted March 9, 2022 I measured our entire site one quiet summer and then put the whole lot into 2D Design so I had dimensions correct, then exported it as image and dropped it into my graphics app of choice (originally it was Paint Shop Pro, but since moved everything over to GIMP) Basic site layout is a background layer, and each different set of utilities/requires gets it's own layer added over that so it's easy to update Fire Call Point, Network Cabling or even Electrical trunk lines. Sounds great, you can actually now use google maps to measure as well. Very cool new feature.
Ex-MGSTech Posted March 9, 2022 Posted March 9, 2022 https://www.mgs.kent.sch.uk/about-us/school-maps/ 2
pete Posted March 9, 2022 Posted March 9, 2022 We also do the .psd / equivalent Gimp with layers (which is an upgrade from the previous "Head of Geography redrew it in biro" method). Making it easier to maintain has been on my "when I get time" list for years.
jthompson Posted March 9, 2022 Posted March 9, 2022 https://www.mgs.kent.sch.uk/about-us/school-maps/Love that! I've always felt like we needed a decent cartoony or illustrative map, a bit like you might get at a museum, or a zoo, for guests, open days and such.
Steve21 Posted March 9, 2022 Posted March 9, 2022 https://www.mgs.kent.sch.uk/about-us/school-maps/ Did you design that? If so what in?!? Steve
mavhc Posted March 10, 2022 Posted March 10, 2022 Please use a vector format not bitmap, and an open fully specified format so someone in 10 years can open it
JordanT91 Posted March 14, 2022 Posted March 14, 2022 https://www.mgs.kent.sch.uk/about-us/school-maps/ Please share how this was created!
Edu-IT Posted March 14, 2022 Posted March 14, 2022 Please share how this was created! Has this logo on it. https://matterport.com/en-gb https://matterport.com/en-gb/industries/real-estate/virtual-tours
jthompson Posted March 15, 2022 Posted March 15, 2022 Has this logo on it. https://matterport.com/en-gb https://matterport.com/en-gb/industries/real-estate/virtual-tours Some of that stuff would be a great way to provide a hi-res virtual tour of all our school. All the scruffy paintwork, wonky doorframes and water-stained ceiling tiles might make it feel more like a game of Half-Life 2, however
mavhc Posted March 15, 2022 Posted March 15, 2022 Come to our fabulous school, from the photos you can clearly see the distinct lack of Headcrabs 1
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