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Mapping software

Paragon said:
Hexographer is good for what it is, but people need to be aware what that is: terrain hex maps (and Traveller style sector/system maps); if you also want something for buildings or battlemaps, its not going to do it.
Click to expand...

Quite right.

The mapping software seem to be divided into two main sectors (as far as I can tell):
- Really strong and capable world mapping, that also requires time and studying to get right
- Battle maps/table top maps for combat

And then Hexographer, that allows you to make world maps but without all the bells and whistles of - say - Fractal Mapper or CC3.
And in Hex mode, but it gets the job done, is easy and fast to work with.

And I think there must be others like me, who would love to make fantastic maps in CC3 or Fractal Mapper but does not have the time nor the inclination to spend time studying yet another application.

Hence the mentioning of Hexographer.
 
Learning CC3 is worth the effort. Set aside 2 hours to go through the Joe Sweeny "Overland Mapping with Campaign Cartographer" videos and build "Parrot Island" along with him. After you do that you'll be able to build a pretty professional looking overland map. You may have to refer back on a few things but it is worth the time. Once you get a feel for the program and know where to find the main tools you need, you'll love how easy it is to put together great maps.

What I really love about it is that I can take an existing map, enter it as a laywer at scale and then trace over it. I use this a lot because I have a huge "known world" map that someone helped me with and they didn't use CC3 so I only have a high-res JPEG. But I can screen clip and crop a section of it and put it into to CC3 to make area maps pretty quickly, put a properly scaled grid over it and made a non-grid sepia "players" version.

Now that I can make decent overland and area maps, and I'm able to quickly build out cities with city designer 3 (though I still need to make time to go through some proper tutorials), my next thing to tackle is dungeon designer, which will save me quite a bit of money. Too often do I find my self needing to prepare for a session with not enough time and just buy a "bandits hideout" or tavern or something that I need to round things out. If I can get my dungeon designer skills up to my overland mapping skills I should be able to spit out various buildings quickly.

Actually, one of my favorite features is that you can select a building in city designer and have it map out that building in dungeon designer. I just need to improve my dungeon designer skills to properly customize the results.

If you don't mind the price, I highly encourage investing the time to learn the program. Just set aside a day or an hour every night or so. The time you'll save and the money and the pride at really being able to do your own world building is well worth the investment.
 
MNBlockHead said:
Learning CC3 is worth the effort.
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Yes, you are probably right.

But between my job, my wife and preparing my game sessions, I don't feel like I have the time for that.

If only I could get the salary without the time-consuming job...

Nah, that's OK - I like my job. :)
 
Paragon said:
By the way, if anyone is interested in a really simple hex mapping program with an interesting tier-up/tier-down function, this might be of interest:

http://www.mentalwasteland.net/HexMapper/
Click to expand...

Its an interesting approach.
Hexmapper said:
"Any hex can be decomposed into 49 sub-hexes. Once decomposed, a hex is represented as the average of its sub-hexes, recursively. "
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Although I wonder if it is constrained by being tied to java (as so many programs can be), and file bloat could become an issue. It would certainly mimic the Darlene type maps of the greyhawk days.

Thanks for sharing Paragon!
 
Dark Lord Galen said:
Its an interesting approach.

Although I wonder if it is constrained by being tied to java (as so many programs can be), and file bloat could become an issue. It would certainly mimic the Darlene type maps of the greyhawk days.

Thanks for sharing Paragon!
Click to expand...

I used it a bit for one campaign, and I can see some risk of file bloat. But honestly, its only liable to be an issue if you try to really map down all over; and there's no overwhelming reason to do that. What I ended up with was some areas that had propagated down quite a bit, some that did it part way, and some were just high level maps. The Java issue is of course a potential problem in the long term, but as you say, its not alone in that.
 
Vargr said:
... between my job, my wife and preparing my game sessions, I don't feel like I have the time for that.
Click to expand...

I hear you. CC3 sat for months mostly unused after I bought it, but after finally making the time to learn it, I wish I had skipped some gaming and game prep and made the time because it has radically improved my game prep.

Reamworks is the same way. It is easy to buy and then be overwhelmed and not use or under-use, but taking a few hours to go through all the materials, read the forums, watch videos, pays big dividends.
 
Chiming in (in no particular order):

I use CC3, infrequently, and pay for it with having to semi-relearn it every time. I need to just keep using it steadily. I have many maps which need to go from scribbles on paper to CC3 to properly share with my players and help stay organized. Ok, ok....GET organized.

Tutorials are NOT optional for this software but you'll love it. I appreciate the tips about the vids and Parrot Island.

DLG's list of questions is quite nice. No, I'm not smart enough to do that.

I own CC3 and most add-ons and about 4 years of the Annual. On top of that, RW, HeroLab, MyInfo (what I used before RW) and Fantasy Grounds II. So yeah, mid/upper-level nutter here.

One of my players (quasi-co-GM) and a GM of another campaign I play in uses Photoshop for her maps. She does an amazing job. PS is more expensive than CC I think but she'd already had it as she's an artsy type who likes to draw.
 
You can convert a PDF to a PNG and import it as a background. I sometimes do this if I want to "trace" a map. Then when I'm done, I can delete the background layer to make the file smaller.

You can't edit the PNG of the PDF but you can draw over it, make it transparent, add to it....
 
weogarth said:
I use CC3, infrequently, and pay for it with having to semi-relearn it every time. I need to just keep using it steadily.
Click to expand...

This is true. But I'm finding that I use it on at least a weekly basis now. Mostly for overland maps and for making villages. But I'm awful with the dungeon designer. I actually bought it before buying RW and my use of RW is what has really driven me to use CC3 so much. It is powerful to be writing up plot ideas or creating scenes and be able to whip up a really nice map to go with it.

One of my players (quasi-co-GM) and a GM of another campaign I play in uses Photoshop for her maps. She does an amazing job. PS is more expensive than CC I think but she'd already had it as she's an artsy type who likes to draw.
Click to expand...

If you want to truly handcraft a map as a piece of art, yes, Photoshop (or similar alternative like GIMP) is the way to go. But I don't think you could whip out a functional map as quickly in Photoshop as you can using CC3. CC3 just does so much of the work for you.
 
AEIOU said:
You can convert a PDF to a PNG and import it as a background. I sometimes do this if I want to "trace" a map. Then when I'm done, I can delete the background layer to make the file smaller.

You can't edit the PNG of the PDF but you can draw over it, make it transparent, add to it....
Click to expand...

I do this a lot. I had a world map created for my world, but the person I hired for this used photoshop, not CC3. So what I find myself doing alot is creating local overland maps by blowing up the world map to the area of interest, copying that portion into a new image and then I create a new CC3 map with the proper scale. I add the image in its own layer, then I trace over the borders and rivers, and add any cities and natural features in the appropriate place. Then hide/delete the image and add further detail in CC3, export it out as a BMP file and load into RealWorks as a SmartMap.

It sounds like a lot of work, but I can do this pretty quickly. Some boarders and coastlines can take some time to trace, but everything else is can be done quickly.

Some examples/tutorials on how to do this:

http://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=12697&d=1240460438

http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=1431
 
Fractal Mapper is the same situation with other maps; I made a map of California the background and traced over it to set up my Morrow Project campaign. I suspect just like it, its probably doable but painful to do with CC3.
 
As we have all conveyed, there are a variety of mapping software of different skillsets available. Unfortunately (and usually) it takes several differing ones to get the desired end product to use in RW. It is just a shortcoming of RW by design.
A lot just depends on your application of maps at your table.. if VTT (virtual Table Top) then one type of map (and program) may be better, if you use a "battle mat" printed approach, then certainly another may be better suited. And lastly there are some that would do neither and resort to either handout or hand draw approach.

HOWEVER, RW was never intended to be a cartography tool in the form of "creating the map". The intent was to just "reveal" what is known about what ever map you chose to utilize and tie to the RW program.

And this is in no way a negative critique of RW approach to that. :D

Lastly, after conferring with another of my peers (Anna Myers), what my goal is to somehow incorporate Zoomify (http://www.zoomify.com/express.htm) into our Realm Works giving the players an almost "google-esk" experience in map reviewing... but that too, is down the road.

my 2cp
DLG

See here for her version of Zoomify for an example.
http://ghmaps.net/onlinemap/onlinemap.html
 
MNBlockHead said:
This is true. But I'm finding that I use it on at least a weekly basis now. Mostly for overland maps and for making villages. But I'm awful with the dungeon designer. I actually bought it before buying RW and my use of RW is what has really driven me to use CC3 so much. It is powerful to be writing up plot ideas or creating scenes and be able to whip up a really nice map to go with it.
Click to expand...
Very true. My players' primary gripe is lack of maps. For one reason or another, we're on a 6 week hiatus so I've upgraded to CC3Plus and am relearning it to fill in the gaps.
 
eponette said:
Hi DLG,

do you have any idea how to get the dungeon crafter? It looks nice and easy for quick dungeons.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Humm, looking it seems that Shardgames (the originator of DC3 once located @ dungeoncrafter3.com) webpage is now for sale (never a good sign). And the bulk of the remaining links reference back to that website. There may be other means since this was a freeware program (in 2005 when I got it anyway) via various other sites. I would caution some of the sites as they are sometimes notorious for virus "additions". I will look and see if I have the origin disk I received (and if there is no objection from LWD) will post a dropbox link for any in the community that has interest.

@ LWD >this was a freeware available program(and to my knowledge still would be) when it was released. So there would be no IP nor copyright issues as long as the program credited the originator as designed and intact. IF there are any objections please note.

DLG
 
Please try and get in contact with the creator first, if you can - if not, posting the file link here is fine. Note for anyone who decides to download it, it's your own responsibility, the link is neither endorsed nor recommended by us. :)
 
Colen said:
Please try and get in contact with the creator first, if you can - if not, posting the file link here is fine. Note for anyone who decides to download it, it's your own responsibility, the link is neither endorsed nor recommended by us. :)
Click to expand...

Have made the attempt (though admittedly I have not hired a private investigator :p) it seems they originating programmers have took that trip to mercury perhaps?

Thanks Colen (and LWD) in behalf of the community to keep alive a nice (if archaic piece) of lost DM support.
And I agree For anyone that chooses to utilize it....... it is of your own volition.

I nor LWD receive any sort of boon, nor provide any sort of support for the software. That relationship belongs to you and the, now unknown, developers of Shardgames (which I have no affiliations with other than as a customer).

Lastly should I or LWD receive any request to remove this link LWD is free to kill this post and or I will terminate the source of the link. I do not, in any way, condone piracy. And this program, as written, in its time, was a freeware community shared program.

Should anyone out in the multiverse representing Shardgames wish to contact me they may do so here via LWD Private message, On Canonfire.com where I am a longtime writer & contributor, or my gaming email DMsCreateWorlds@aol.com

DLG

My Drop Box Link
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hzvxrqma1wqfves/dc3silverinstall.exe?dl=0
 
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