This guide is recommended for new maps only. GIANTS Editor and GIANTS Engine will only generate new GRLE and GDMs. Upscaling the WEIGHT files will scale the visual pixel data, and so the same for GRLE and GDMs. THIS IS NOT TO BE CONSIDERED FOR FULLY MADE MOD MAPS unless they are pure template maps or you will end up with a mess that is hard to recover unless backup copies of the mod have been made.
Please use GIANTS Editor first to create a new mod map from the vanilla maps in Farming Simulator or browse the Internet for template maps/prefab maps.
Setting Up Map.xml (map’s main configuration XML file)
| Vanilla | Modified |
|---|---|
| map width="4096" height="4096" |
In map.i3d change:
lodTextureSize="2048" | lodTextureSize="4096" |
Converting Weight Files (Suffix _weight.png)
All these files are 8bpc GRAY with a vanilla size of 2048×2048 pixels, and they need to be resized to 4096×4096 8bpc GRAY.
For a new map with no other terrain texture than grass, you can fill in the background color white, using the Bucket Fill Tool in GIMP for grass01_weight.png for example, if you want this texture to be covering the whole map until you start to manually paint terrain textures later on.
Conversion Table (DEM, Density Maps, Info Layers + Soil)
To convert .gdm/.grle to .png, use GRLE Converter https://gdn.giants-software.com/downloads.php (requires user registration). Copy and Paste the new PNGs to your “mymap/data” folder.
| File Name | Vanilla Pixel Size | New Pixel Size | GIMP Export Image Options (.png) |
|---|---|---|---|
| dem.png | 2049×2049 | 4097×4097 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| densityMap_groundFoliage.png | 2048×2048 | 4096×4096 | 8bpc GRAY (US map) Compr Level 9 |
| densityMap_groundFoliage.png | 4096×4096 | 8192×8192 | 8bpc RGB (AS/EU map) Compr Level 9 |
| densityMap_stones.png | 4096×4096 | 8192×8192 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| densityMap_weed.png | 4096×4096 | 8192×8192 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| densityMap_fruits.png | 4096×4096 | 8192×8192 | 8bpc RGB Compr Level 9 |
| densityMap_ground.png | 4096×4096 | 8192×8192 | 8bpc RGB Compr Level 9 |
| densityMap_height.png | 4096×4096 | 8192×8192 | 8bpc RGB Compr Level 9 |
| infoLayer_environment.png | 512×512 | 1024×1024 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| infoLayer_farmlands.png | 1024×1024 | 2048×2048 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| infoLayer_navigationCollision.png | 2048×2048 | 4096×4096 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| infoLayer_placementCollision.png | 2048×2048 | 4096×4096 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| infoLayer_placementCollisionGenerated.png | 2048×2048 | 4096×4096 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| infoLayer_fieldType.png | 4096×4096 | 8192×8192 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| infoLayer_indoorMask.png | 4096×4096 | 8192×8192 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| infoLayer_limeLevel.png | 4096×4096 | 8192×8192 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| infoLayer_plowLevel.png | 4096×4096 | 8192×8192 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| infoLayer_rollerLevel.png | 4096×4096 | 8192×8192 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| infoLayer_sprayLevel.png | 4096×4096 | 8192×8192 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| infoLayer_stubbleShredLevel.png | 4096×4096 | 8192×8192 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| infoLayer_tipCollision.png | 4096×4096 | 8192×8192 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| infoLayer_tipCollisionGenerated.png | 4096×4096 | 8192×8192 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| infoLayer_weed.png | 4096×4096 | 8192×8192 | 8bpc GRAY Compr Level 9 |
| soilMap.png | 1024×1024 | 1024×1024 | * keep it as it is unless trial @ error* |
- When these new PNGs are in your data folder for your map, remove all files with the ending .gdm and .grle.
- Open up your map.i3d in NotePad++ and change the following lines *NOT the ID#*. Use Find.. inside the text editor to search for the GDM and GRLE file names if listed. Remember that all the files above aren’t listed in the i3D itself. Some are listed in config/weed.xml – fieldGround.xml – farmlands.xml. Replace the file ending with .png instead of gdm/grle, and then hit the SAVE button in NotePad++ when done.
- Open up map.i3d in GIANTS Editor, check for errors in the console panel, and if so, hit the SAVE icon and CLOSE the editor. New GRLE and GDMs are now available in your map’s data folder.
- When all the above steps done, run Farming Simulator with your map, and make a new game save at the save game slot number one (if available). If not then remember the save game slot number. Exit Farming Simulator after saving.
- Navigate to your Farming Simulator game saves folder. You will find new GRLE and GDMs there.
- Copy and Paste all GRLE and GDMs to your map’s data folder.
<File fileId="ID#" filename="data/infoLayer_environment.png"/>
<File fileId="ID#" filename="data/infoLayer_farmlands.png"/>
<File fileId="ID#" filename="data/infoLayer_fieldType.png"/>
<File fileId="ID#" filename="data/infoLayer_indoorMask.png"/>
<File fileId="ID#" filename="data/infoLayer_navigationCollision.png"/>
<File fileId="ID#" filename="data/infoLayer_placementCollision.png"/>
<File fileId="ID#" filename="data/infoLayer_placementCollisionGenerated.png"/>
<File fileId="ID#" filename="data/infoLayer_tipCollision.png"/>
<File fileId="ID#" filename="data/infoLayer_tipCollisionGenerated.png"/>fieldGround.xml (example mymap/data…)
<sprayLevel filename="mymap/data/infoLayer_sprayLevel.png" firstChannel="0" numChannels="2" maxValue="2"/>
<limeLevel filename="mymap/data/infoLayer_limeLevel.png" firstChannel="0" numChannels="2" />
<plowLevel filename="mymap/data/infoLayer_plowLevel.png" firstChannel="0" numChannels="1" />
<stubbleShredLevel filename="mymap/data/infoLayer_stubbleShredLevel.png" firstChannel="0" numChannels="1" />
<rollerLevel filename="mymap/data/infoLayer_rollerLevel.png" firstChannel="0" numChannels="1" />weed.xml (example mymap/data…)
<infoLayer filename="mymap/data/infoLayer_weed.png" firstChannel="0" numChannels="1">Adding .grle and .gdm to file paths
Previously we changed the file paths to .png. Now we will change the file paths for PNGs related to all the files listed in the Conversion Table back to GRLE and GDMs. For example, fieldGround.xml:
<sprayLevel filename="mymap/data/infoLayer_sprayLevel.grle" firstChannel="0" numChannels="2" maxValue="2"/>
<limeLevel filename="mymap/data/infoLayer_limeLevel.grle" firstChannel="0" numChannels="2" />
<plowLevel filename="mymap/data/infoLayer_plowLevel.grle" firstChannel="0" numChannels="1" />
<stubbleShredLevel filename="mymap/data/infoLayer_stubbleShredLevel.grle" firstChannel="0" numChannels="1" />
<rollerLevel filename="mymap/data/infoLayer_rollerLevel.grle" firstChannel="0" numChannels="1" />So you’ll need to add these file endings to every file path within your map.i3D and the other XML files.
Setting Up PDA Map (.dds)
The PDA is the map/chart you look at inside Farming Simulator when opening up the main menu with the ESCAPE key. The PDA is connected to a DDS file named overview.dds.
By default, the PDA is sized to 4096×4096 pixels. We will resize this to 8192×8192, and scale it back to 4096×4096 pixels to make a border inside GIMP. But anyway if you want to have a border or not, the final size must be 8192×8192 pixels, exported as PNG 8 bpc RGB.
To make this into a DDS file, we can use GIANTS Texture Tool https://gdn.giants-software.com/downloads.php (drag and drop to convert PNGs to DDS.)
As for more details and suggestions, I recommend to read more here, or “Google” for “MODLONKA Codeberg” :
https://codeberg.org/Farming-Simulator/MODLONKA/src/commit/8741ac9d23c4fe982cd0a541a55bae6534919a5e/Version_1.6.0.0/modlonka_1-6.md