Producing a Street Map Using Draw
by Kell Gatherer

This program helps to produce parallel-line street maps from a skeleton Draw file, i.e. where streets are represented by two parallel lines.

Powerful though it is, it is difficult to get Draw to produce a complicated set of parallel lines, such as you would find in a street map. This application automates one possible solution, by placing a set of white lines over slightly wider black lines.

Running the application opens the StreetMap window on the Desktop.

Use the program as follows: create your original map using single lines in Draw (the thickness of the lines is unimportant); having the grid on and locked may make this easier. Certain areas may be filled, so for example a park might be highlighted in green. Drag the file into the StreetMap window and set the road width and line thickness as desired. Then drag the resulting Draw icon either to a Filer window or to another Draw window. Any dotted lines in Draw will be converted to dotted roads by StreetMap, thus allowing pedestrianised roads to be shown

Roundabouts can be added by drawing a small circle over the relevant junctions on your original Draw skeleton map and StreetMap will convert them into roundabouts for you.

Suggested values for maps are as follows:

Road width    Line thickness
City map        6mm          3 points
Motorway        3mm          3 points
Country road    2mm          2 points

Only path objects are converted, so text and sprite objects are left untouched. Grouping of objects is ignored, so the finished file should be grouped as desired.

If accuracy is important, StreetMap also accepts text files in a particular format which is described in a file called "Co-ords" inside the !StreetMap.Examples directory (hold down Shift and double-click on the !StreetMap icon to access this directory). Also inside the !StreetMap.Examples directory are two sample Draw files: "Before" is a skeleton file for input to StreetMap, and "After" is an example of the output from StreetMap. The file Soho is another skeleton example, and includes dotted lines for pedestrianised areas.

 RISC User 1992
