Maps

Maps let you place entities on a visual canvas — game world maps, floor plans, relationship pinboards, garden plots, or any spatial layout your project needs. Maps are template-driven, so the available pin types, layers, and rendering style depend on which map template you choose.

StudioBrain offers several map types, from simple image overlays (free in core) to 3D terrain with game engine export.

Map Types

Image Map (Core — Free)

Upload a custom image as a map background (world map, dungeon, floorplan) and place entity pins via drag-and-drop. Powered by Leaflet CRS.Simple for smooth pan/zoom on non-geographic images.

Navigate to Image Map in the sidebar to get started.

3D Spatial Map (Core — Free)

A 3D terrain visualization and planning tool. Upload a heightmap, place entities in 3D space, paint zones, and export to game engines (Unreal Engine, UEFN, Unity, Godot, glTF).

Navigate to 3D Map in the sidebar to get started.

Engine Export Presets

The 3D Spatial Map exports entity positions and terrain data in engine-specific coordinate systems:

Export formats include:

• Coordinate JSON — Entity positions, rotations, metadata
• DataTable CSV — Unreal-compatible import table
• glTF Scene — Terrain mesh with entity markers
• Heightmap PNG — Raw elevation data for engine terrain systems
• Python Script — Unreal/UEFN actor spawn script (uses Unreal’s Python API)

Zone Painter

Paint polygon regions on the terrain to define biomes, areas, or zones. Each zone has:

• Name — “Dark Forest”, “River Valley”, etc.
• Template type — any template type from your project (biome, garden_bed, district, etc.)
• Color — visual overlay on the terrain
• Fields — key-value properties (elevation, vegetation, etc.)

Zones serve as input for AI terrain generation (cloud feature) and are included in all exports.

Tile Map (Cloud — Commercial)

Grid-based map editor with terrain painting, entity placement, zone overlays, and SVG export. Available on Indie+ plans.

Geographic Map (Cloud — Commercial)

Real-world map powered by Leaflet + OpenStreetMap tiles. Available on Indie+ plans.

Template-Driven Map System

All map types use the _MAPS/ template directory (alongside _TEMPLATES/ for entities and _DOCUMENTS/ for documents). A map template defines the renderer, pin types, layers, and available features.

Creating a Custom Map Template

Create a file at _MAPS/{NAME}_MAP_TEMPLATE.md:

---
template_version: "2.0"
template_category: "map"
template_name: "Garden Map"
template_id: "garden-map"
description: "Plan your garden with plant beds and paths"
icon: "Flower"
renderer: "image-overlay"
 
pin_types:
  - id: "plant_bed"
    label: "Plant Bed"
    icon: "Sprout"
    color: "#22c55e"
    entity_types: ["plant"]
  - id: "path"
    label: "Path"
    icon: "Footprints"
    color: "#a3a3a3"
  - id: "water_source"
    label: "Water Source"
    icon: "Droplet"
    color: "#3b82f6"
 
default_layers:
  - id: "beds"
    name: "Plant Beds"
  - id: "paths"
    name: "Paths"
  - id: "infrastructure"
    name: "Infrastructure"
 
fields:
  title: { type: string, required: true }
  description: { type: string }
 
tags: [garden, planning]
---
 
# Garden Map
 
Plan your garden layout with plant beds, paths, and water sources.

Available Renderers

AI Map Generation (Cloud — GPU Required)

With a cloud license and AI server access, you can generate map content from your zone and entity layout:

• 3D Terrain — Heightmap + texture generation from zone descriptions (e.g., “Dark Forest with hilly terrain”)
• 2D Tile Grid — AI fills a tile grid based on zones, suggests entity placements
• Map Illustration — Top-down map image in various styles (fantasy cartography, watercolor, satellite)

The AI interprets your template names and fields semantically — “Dark Forest” means the same whether it is a game biome, a garden section, or a film set location.

See the Generate with AI button in any map editor (only visible when AI service is available).

Export and Import

Exporting Maps

Importing

See Also

• Mood Board — Visual reference and inspiration boards
• Template Categories — How entity, document, and map templates differ
• Managing Entities — Creating and editing entities that maps link to