To transfer real life places to Cities: skylines you can use the Image Overlay 2 mod. It superimposes the selected PNG file over your layout with configurable position, rotation and transparency. See Cities: Skylines mods for more information.
Map editor
To create a map of a real life navigate to Cities: Skylines online heightmap generator to download the
- Map image
- Height map
To create a map using a height map in Cities: Skylines:
- 1. Choose a height map from a trusted source or create your own using a software like Photoshop or GIMP. The height map should be a grayscale image and must have a resolution of 1081×1081 pixels.
- 2. Open Cities: Skylines and click on “New Game” and then select “Map Editor.”
- 3. Click on “Import Heightmap” and select the grayscale image you want to use for your map.
- 4. Adjust the settings for sea level, water flow, and terrain height to your liking.
- 5. Add resources and adjust the terrain using the terrain tools.
- 6. Add roads, buildings, and other assets to your map.
- 7. Test your map by clicking on “Play” and selecting the “Map” tab.
- 8. Save your map and share it with other Cities: Skylines players online.
Remember that creating a map using a heightmap can be time consuming and requires patience and attention to detail. But the result can be a beautifully crafted and realistic city that you can be proud of.
Configure Cities: Skylines to use the PNG file as an overlay
- Create a PNG file of the street layout
- To convert a PDF file to PNG, use the free PDF to PNG converter at https://pdf2png.com/
- Save the PNG file in the “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Cities_Skylines\Files” directory where your Steam games are on your hard drive
- Install the Image Overlay 2 mod
- Configure the mod to read the image files from the directory where the image file is
To display the overlay
- Open the city
- Press Shift + Enter to display and hide the overlay
Troubleshooting
- In the old version if the image does not move, press Shift + V to unlock the image. It looks like the new version does not lock the image anymore.