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Maps and Tokens

How to Prepare an Animated Map | Fantasy Grounds Unity Tutorials

February 23, 2024 by Colin the Virtual DM Leave a Comment

In this video, I will be looking at how to prepare an animated map for use in Fantasy Ground Unity. Animated maps look fantastic and really add another layer of immersion into the scene during combat. If you would like to start using them in your sessions, there are some things that you must do to get them to work properly. Let’s take a look.

Welcome to The Virtual DM, and thanks for watching. If you are a DM looking to get better at running D&D 5e on the Fantasy Grounds Unity virtual tabletop (VTT), you have come to the right place.

If you have any questions about this video, please leave a comment or contact me using the information available at the end of this page. I would love to hear from you.

TIMELINE

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 00:15 What is an animated map?
  • 02:11 Where can I find animated maps to use in Fantasy Grounds Unity?
  • 06:10 Before beginning, download MediaInfo and Handbrake.
  • 07:47 Preparing an animated map – How to check if an animated map is using the WebM VP8 file format required by Fantasy Grounds Unity.
  • 11:24 Preparing an animated map – How to convert your animated map to the WebM VP8 file formate required by Fantasy Grounds Unity.
  • 14:11 Preparing an animated map – How to upload (import) your animated map into Fantasy Grounds Unity.
  • 15:31 Closing

SHOW NOTES

Reminder that animated maps used in Fantasy Grounds Unity must have the WebM video file format using the VP8 codec and preferably have no audio tracks to keep the file size down. The animated maps will work if there is an audio file, but Fantasy Grounds Unity does not play the audio.

Check out Patreon for lots of providers of high-quality animated maps. Here are four excellent choices:

  • Animated Dungeon Maps – https://www.patreon.com/animatedmaps/
  • Animated Battle Maps – https://www.patreon.com/AnimatedBattleMaps/
  • Dynamic Dungeons – https://www.patreon.com/dynamicdungeons/
  • Fantasy Battle Maps – https://www.patreon.com/aadmaps/

To check out Dungeon Alchemist – https://www.dungeonalchemist.com/

To download MediaInfo – https://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo/Download

To download Handbrake – https://handbrake.fr/downloads.php

To learn how to add a grid to an animated map and share the animated map with your players, check out my video on How to Upload, Prep and Share a Map – https://youtu.be/kRX07Sg7Y9c

LET’S CONNECT!!

  • Email: colin@thevirtualdm.com
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Filed Under: Fantasy Grounds Unity, Maps and Tokens, The Virtual DM

How to Upload, Prep and Share a Map | Fantasy Grounds Unity Tutorial

February 2, 2024 by Colin the Virtual DM Leave a Comment

In this Fantasy Grounds Unity Tutorial, I will look at how to upload, prep and share a map. Having a great map for your combat sessions really helps with player engagement. Check it out!

Welcome to The Virtual DM, and thanks for watching. If you are a DM looking to get better at running D&D 5e on the Fantasy Grounds Unity virtual tabletop (VTT), you have come to the right place.

If you have any questions about this video, please leave a comment or contact me using the information available at the end of this page. I would love to hear from you.

TIMELINE

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 00:13 Guidelines on how best to prepare your map for use in Fantasy Grounds Unity
  • 04:54 How to upload a map into Fantasy Grounds Unity
  • 06:16 How to position and navigate around your map once it is open on your Fantasy Grounds Unity window
  • 08:55 How to place a grid on a gridless map in Fantasy Grounds Unity
  • 11:55 How to place a grid on a gridded map in Fantasy Grounds Unity
  • 17:30 How to share your map with your players in Fantasy Grounds Unity
  • 20:36 Closing

SHOW NOTES

• Link to the information on properly preparing images from the Fantasy Grounds Unity Wiki – Developer Guide – https://fantasygroundsunity.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FGCP/pages/2037547009/Developer+Guide+-+Product+Guidelines

• Link to the information on image optimization and sizing suggestions from the Fantasy Grounds Forum post made by Laerun of the Fantasy Grounds Academy – https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?80115-Image-and-Map-sizing-suggestions

• The map used in the segment was created using Inkarnate. The map was cloned from the “Smuggler’s Bridge” image by Mati and altered by myself. – https://inkarnate.com/

LET’S CONNECT!!

  • Email: colin@thevirtualdm.com
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Filed Under: Fantasy Grounds Unity, Maps and Tokens, The Virtual DM

How to Draw Arrows, Squares, Circles and Cones on Maps | Fantasy Grounds Unity Tutorials

January 20, 2024 by Colin the Virtual DM Leave a Comment

In this Fantasy Grounds Unity tutorial, I will show you how to easily draw arrows, squares, circles and cones on your maps. They are excellent tools to help you determine distance and area of effect (AoE) for spells. See just how easily it can be done.

Welcome to The Virtual DM, and thanks for watching. If you are a DM looking to get better at running D&D 5e on the Fantasy Grounds Unity virtual tabletop (VTT), you have come to the right place.

If you have any questions about this video, please leave a comment or contact me using the information available at the end of this page. I would love to hear from you.

TIMELINE

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 00:24 Overview of the shapes that can be drawn on your map in Fantasy Grounds Unity
  • 03:01 How to draw arrows on your maps in Fantasy Grounds Unity
  • 03:44 Review of a shape shortcut cheat sheet
  • 04:22 How to draw squares on your maps in Fantasy Grounds Unity
  • 05:08 How to draw circles on your maps in Fantasy Grounds Unity
  • 05:51 How to draw cones on your maps in Fantasy Grounds Unity
  • 06:58 Closing

SHOW NOTES

Shortcuts for drawing shapes:

  • Hold down the left/right mouse buttons = arrow
  • Hold down the shift key + the left/right mouse buttons = square
  • Hold down the ctrl key + the left/right mouse buttons = circle
  • Hold down the alt key + the left/right mouse buttons = cone
  • Click the left/right mouse buttons = delete shape

LET’S CONNECT!!

  • Email: colin@thevirtualdm.com
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Filed Under: Fantasy Grounds Unity, Maps and Tokens, The Virtual DM

How to Create and Load Custom Tokens in Fantasy Grounds Unity

January 20, 2024 by Colin the Virtual DM Leave a Comment

In this Fantasy Grounds Unity tutorial, you will learn how to create and load custom tokens for your campaign. It is so easy and will add great customization to your PCs and NPCs. Check it out!

Welcome to The Virtual DM, and thanks for watching. If you are a DM looking to get better at running D&D 5e on the Fantasy Grounds Unity virtual tabletop (VTT), you have come to the right place.

If you have any questions about this video, please leave a comment or contact me using the information available at the end of this page. I would love to hear from you.

TIMELINE

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 00:10 How to create a custom token for use in Fantasy Grounds Unity
  • 03:10 How to import a custom token for use in Fantasy Grounds Unity
  • 07:30 Closing

SHOWNOTES

  • Access the Token Stamp2 token generator at https://rolladvantage.com/tokenstamp/

LET’S CONNECT!!

  • Email: colin@thevirtualdm.com
  • Website: thevirtualdm.com
  • YouTube: @thevirtualdm
  • Twitter: @thevirtualdm
  • Facebook: @thevirtualdm

 

Filed Under: Fantasy Grounds Unity, Maps and Tokens, The Virtual DM

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