Hey does anyone know of a good (and ideally free) map making software to download. Looking primarily at buildings and dungeons, but if it can do terrain then that would be awesome
Hey does anyone know of a good (and ideally free) map making software to download. Looking primarily at buildings and dungeons, but if it can do terrain then that would be awesome
For basic battlemaps, a lot of folks are enjoying MapTools, though that's more of an online tool (for people to have detailed battlemaps for play-by-post). I can't make heads or tails of it, but it looks like a good program for what it does, and it is free.
For very simple things, there's random dungeon generators online and the like--just do a Google search and you can get some neat results, though not necessarily very complicated programs.
For just dungeon design, there's Dundjinni. The full version is pay (around $40.00) but you can download a demo. I've never used it but most of its users have reported back positively.
Likewise, there's Campaign Cartographer 3, which is also paid software, but again, there's a free demo you can download. CC3 defaults to overland terrain design, but even with the basic tools in the demo you could adjust it to dungeon design if you wanted to. If you purchase the full version, you can buy its dungeon design add-on for much fuller and detailed dungeon design. IIRC, it's around $40 for the core program--which is a steal considering it's based on CAD, which is very expensive (and powerful). The various add-ons are around $25-30 more each (Dungeon Designer, City Designer, Cosmographer, etc). It can get expensive if you want all the add-ons, but they have some good package deals.
I own CC3 so it's what I can speak about the most. As I said it's based on CAD, a map-design program for engineers, so it's very powerful--and can be very complicated and overwhelming on first glance. It doesn't work like raster drawing programs like Photoshop, so you have to get yourself out of that frame of mind to use it. However, if you follow both the "getting started" guides that come with the program and follow the many online tutorials, you'll get past the button shock very well and will be able to design some astonishingly detailed and professional looking maps. The tech support is extremely responsive, and it has a good community behind it. I believe there is also some cross-compatibility with Dundjinni and Fractal Mapper (which I don't recommend as I think it's entirely overland mapping, and anything it can do, CC3 can do better, based on my personal experience; the caveat is the last time I used Fractal Mapper was in 2002).
The main issue is, especially if you decide the add-ons look like a good idea, deciding whether you're eventually willing (and able) to invest the funds for the full version. You do get a lot for what you pay for, but it's still an investment of both money as well as time to learn to use the program.
At any rate, most of these and others do have the free demos, so I'd suggest giving them a looksee.
Cheers for that mate.
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I'd like to take a second to expouse the virtues of MapTool. It is designed to work as a server so that many people can play online together, but it also allows you to export anything you create in an image file. This not only allows you to print your maps, but you can then upload them to a hosting site, such as photobucket, which makes it great for PbP games!
Some say it's difficult to use but there are like 20 video tutorials up on the RPTools site that hold your hand step by step. The biggest and perhaps strangest facet of maptools is that the program itself comes sans image library. Luckily the tutorials will point you towards millions of user created images for the program.
I have been using this FREE program for a PbP on these boards. I have been extremely happy with the results and my players are astonished with the map quality, not to mention the uber cool lighting effects.
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*nods*
I'd like to throw out another nod to Maptools, it's an excellent program. It's free.
There's a 2gb library of art that you can download with just about every item, token, structure you could possibly want. Organization isn't too great, but if you took the time to change the folders around (because that's all it is, a bunch of folders with image files in them) to make it easier to use, then it's a powerful reason for Maptools.
Maptool isn't really a mapmaking tool, it's a virtual tabletop for playing RPGs online.
However, I can and do make maps in it, using art objects and textures that I grab from various sources online.
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Hey does anyone know of a good (and ideally free) map making software to download. Looking primarily at buildings and dungeons, but if it can do terrain then that would be awesome
Dundjinni is good and has a relatively active community. You can actually download a lot of maps from the forums there. I've seen maps in several publications that have been made using Dundjinni.
RPGMapshare is also an excellent resource for maps and associated stuff.
I also heartily recommend MapTools. It's my virutal tabletop of choice, especially because it's free and very well supported.
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I have tinkered with different map making programs for a while. I give most 5 out of ten stars at best.
If you want a simple program that makes awesome maps, forget it. If you want complex programs that make half way acceptable maps, there are some good ones out there.
Best software for maps, by far is Photoshop. You can conceive the map and make it EXACTLY the way you want it. You can get Photoshop on eBay under $200 if you look for a full copy of Photoshop 5-7 and get the upgrade to CS1-4, the later the better.
You can get GIMP for free, which is almost as good as Photoshop. Some things you can't do, and some things are just a bit harder to do, but mostly it will work.
Just to correct one small note - maptool does now come with image libraries. You just go to File->Add To Reosurce library and there are some image libraries there that can be immediately downloaded into your install of maptool.
However maptool is not designed to create maps for print - you can only save out screen shots of your map - so you won't be able to easily produce maps for printing without a lot of stitching bits together. On the other hand - for pbp games you only need screenshots so that's fine. For online play it works beautifully.
Otherwise you can always use photoshop or Gimp - I put together a Gimp tutorial for making a battlemap. There are also loads of tutorials on different tools over on the Cartographer's Guild. This is a vital source if you want to make your own maps.
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Just to correct one small note - maptool does now come with image libraries. You just go to File->Add To Reosurce library and there are some image libraries there that can be immediately downloaded into your install of maptool.
Actually it does, the image library is a seperate 2gb free download via bittorrent. I just don't have the link anymore.
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Just to correct one small note - maptool does now come with image libraries. You just go to File->Add To Reosurce library and there are some image libraries there that can be immediately downloaded into your install of maptool.
However maptool is not designed to create maps for print - you can only save out screen shots of your map - so you won't be able to easily produce maps for printing without a lot of stitching bits together. On the other hand - for pbp games you only need screenshots so that's fine. For online play it works beautifully.
Otherwise you can always use photoshop or Gimp - I put together a Gimp tutorial for making a battlemap. There are also loads of tutorials on different tools over on the Cartographer's Guild. This is a vital source if you want to make your own maps.
The Cartographer's Guild is a GREAT source to improve mapmaking skills. I lurk there and my skills have grown tremendously. I think if I had the time I could actually try and make a go of doing it professionally. I just don't have the time and money to wait before it pays off. And my current job, driving 18-wheelers cross country, makes it a bit problematic to even get a foot in the door.
Adventures take place in the intestines of petrified wyrms, or on the deck of a storm tossed ship. /snip/...Where in the past it was fine to have black and white maps (or blue and white if we’re going really far back) with distance measured in 10 foot squares, now published adventures have glorious full colour maps.
Yeah about that :p
I grew up on those blue and white maps, and dude we were raiding other planes and crawling around in the guts of the giant spider mechanoid thing in Q1.
They worked fine!
I do like the modern eye candy though, but must be a pain printing out so many battlemaps for players to use once.
(And we walked to school in the snow with no shoes, 20 miles uphill, both ways...)
On a sidenote, it was a great tutorial.
Thanks. Pleased to hear it was a useful read. I'll be doing some more in due course. What would you prefer next? An outdoor battlemap tute or a town tute?
And for those like Shifty who yearn for days of yore - I have you covered!
I even have the colour code in there for the right shade of blue :)
Re: raster drawing programs vs. mapping programs:
I've made maps in CC3 and in Photoshop and the GIMP (which is now what I use for my raster drawing exclusively). Ultimately I chose to use CC3 as my primary map maker, as it is easier to go in and change certain aspects around. The only way to do that in the GIMP is to remember to put everything on different layers and never delete the large, layered file (CC3 files are of course also large, but they automatically put everything on layers and sheets for you).
The fact that CC3 is a vector program also is very valuable--I can make an area map that is very detailed, then zoom in onto one country, add a "country view" sheet, and add extra details to that one country for a regional map--and whether I export the large area map or the small regional map, detail is preserved perfectly.
Also with the vectoring... the fractal properties you can use are also great--it's nice to be able to instantly generate a randomly jagged coastline with the click of a button. You can't do that in the GIMP without very advanced knowledge/macro programming.
The GIMP is an awesome program that I use for other things, and I have seen people make some gorgeous maps with them, but personally I definitely prefer dedicated mapping programs for mapmaking. And at least for my own maps, now that I have the hang of CC3 (which of course is the catch), my CC3 maps look better than any map I ever made in the GIMP/Photoshop.
Just my 2 cents. Honestly, I think people should use for mapping whatever they feel most comfortable with.
If one already has access to the Adobe suite, Illustrator could also be used for maps, as it is a vector-based program as well.
Which takes some time to master, as does CC3.
I will do this.
Someday. *shakes fist at the sky*
So far I've been making my maps mostly from Photoshop, using scanned images of the dnd 4th edition dungeon/wilderness tiles and anything else I can find. They come out looking pretty sweet once I finish touching them up, but its kind of unnecessary if it's just for reference. Great for importing into maptools cause then the PCs can see the slick map I just slaved over for a few hours...
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Something to consider when making map is the final usage. Is it a map the players will look at just once ever? Doesn't need a LOT of work put into it. Is it actually a map you will have to redraw on the battlemap? Needs very LITTLE work put into it...
Someone mentioned the eye candy modern maps in full color and fantastic detail. These maps are real cool and totally useless. A complete waste of money in my opinion.
Why?
Because you have an amazing 3inch by 3inch map that is gorgeous in detail being hand drawn by a GM who failed kindergarten art class onto a battlemap that is 4feet by 4feet.
In an average group of four players and a GM that means that 4/5 of the people in the game will never, ever, even once, see that gorgeous map. That means that 4/5 of the buying public will only ever see the crudely drawn map and that will be the extent of the exposure.
I know companies spend money on the maps so they can look professional, and yet amazingly 4/5 of the consumers will still think the maps look like crap because they never see the good stuff.
It completely confounds me why publishers do not release copies of the maps in high quality and high definition for use of the groups. Some will always use the crudely drawn maps, others will actually use printouts, and some will actually print them out full size. But the exposure of their work will be MUCH greater.
So consider the final use of your map before you start working on it. Odds are you can just draw it on graph paper and be done with it.
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Man, looking at some of these maps makes me feel old school for hand drawing my maps for my homebrew setting.You're not alone. :p
Yeah but do you really NEED the awesome fluffy maps?
Aren't they just gonna end up hand drawn on a big battlemap anyway?
Okay world and city maps I can see be useful. The rest though????
Don't get me wrong though! I use Photoshop to make even my basic combat maps and size them to scale and print them out. :)
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Yeah but do you really NEED the awesome fluffy maps?
Aren't they just gonna end up hand drawn on a big battlemap anyway?
Okay world and city maps I can see be useful. The rest though????
Don't get me wrong though! I use Photoshop to make even my basic combat maps and size them to scale and print them out. :)
'Course I don't need 'em. I actually prefer the older style of mapping anyways (good example would be the maps for Castle Whiterock - I love 'em!), lot less in the way of extraneous details for me to forget to draw.
'Sides, since I stick to the old map styles, it makes it easy to transfer my hand-drawn maps to Excel and the players never know the difference. :p
I think there are times (although not as often) when the awesome fluffy maps are nice to have. Some of the maps I made I was pretty proud of and printed out for use (2 maps) during an adventure, so my time wasn't wasted. In general I'd agree it's not necessary, but it's just one of many dm tools to "spice" things up for the players.
And for those like Shifty who yearn for days of yore - I have you covered!
I even have the colour code in there for the right shade of blue :)
Awesome respect to the Old Skool.
Bravo that man, Bravo!
And maybe some of us make fluffy shiny maps because that's what makes us happy.
No reason to be disrespectful or haughty to people who like to do things a different way. And Krome, I'm talking to you there. A lot of people put hard work into stuff like maps because to them, it's something that they enjoy and it helps make their game experience that much nicer. And by the way, there ARE people who print those maps out and use them as custom battlemaps, handouts for players. They DO get used.
Just because you don't see it useful--it's not cool to put down the people who do.
As I said--whatever makes anyone the most comfortable in making the maps they want to make. I've done everything from full color battlemaps to scribblings with pencil on graph paper and it's all good.
If one already has access to the Adobe suite, Illustrator could also be used for maps, as it is a vector-based program as well.
Which takes some time to master, as does CC3.
I will do this.
Someday. *shakes fist at the sky*
Map in Illustrator. Finish (effects/detailing) in Photoshop.
Great Caesar's Ghost, that's awesome!
I remember fondly your Dark Sun city map, in which the city was based on the human kidney, or was it the liver?
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And maybe some of us make fluffy shiny maps because that's what makes us happy.
No reason to be disrespectful or haughty to people who like to do things a different way. And Krome, I'm talking to you there. A lot of people put hard work into stuff like maps because to them, it's something that they enjoy and it helps make their game experience that much nicer. And by the way, there ARE people who print those maps out and use them as custom battlemaps, handouts for players. They DO get used.
Just because you don't see it useful--it's not cool to put down the people who do.
As I said--whatever makes anyone the most comfortable in making the maps they want to make. I've done everything from full color battlemaps to scribblings with pencil on graph paper and it's all good.
lol
never was disrespectful or haughty. I said I print out the maps all the time myself.
You obviously completely missed the point. People were going ooh and ahh over those pretty maps. Yet MOST of the time those pretty maps are not used. Now if people are wanting to go out and buy software to make pretty maps, and then the map never gets used it seems a big waste.
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If one already has access to the Adobe suite, Illustrator could also be used for maps, as it is a vector-based program as well.
Which takes some time to master, as does CC3.
I will do this.
Someday. *shakes fist at the sky*
Map in Illustrator. Finish (effects/detailing) in Photoshop.
Freakin awesome dude! Very very nice.
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Map in Illustrator. Finish (effects/detailing) in Photoshop.Will finish this someday. DAMN YOU JOB!
Wow very nice.. that reminds me of a Realms city or two. :)
Blimey Kruelaid. That's really lovely.
As for the pretty vs non-pretty debate. I know that games companies see pretty maps in a similar way to interior illustrations. They could have them in pen and ink but it improves the quality of the product to have them in lovely detail. An interior illustration certainly doesn't get seen by the players (in most cases) but I'd certainly not want them to drop them from the product.
I find that a good coloured map can help the GM understand a region well - especially if the combat area is complicated or has many levels. This can be hard to do with line art. More than that, colour and style can really set the tone of an area. That helps the GM to run the adventure for the players.
As for the fact that only 1/5 of the public see them? Well that's true. But it's that 1/5th that have to sell the whole adventure to the other 4/5. And I'll bet you that GMs spend a lot more time looking at the map than the players do.
Pretty maps improve my quality of life. The fact that maptool allows me to show them to my players is extra icing.
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And maybe some of us make fluffy shiny maps because that's what makes us happy.
No reason to be disrespectful or haughty to people who like to do things a different way. And Krome, I'm talking to you there. A lot of people put hard work into stuff like maps because to them, it's something that they enjoy and it helps make their game experience that much nicer. And by the way, there ARE people who print those maps out and use them as custom battlemaps, handouts for players. They DO get used.
Just because you don't see it useful--it's not cool to put down the people who do.
As I said--whatever makes anyone the most comfortable in making the maps they want to make. I've done everything from full color battlemaps to scribblings with pencil on graph paper and it's all good.
Hey, I reread some of my posts and wanted to apologize. I can see where you get me coming off snotty. That was NOT my intention at all. For ages I have been hounding James and others for high def maps we can blow up for games. I DO print maps even for one shot fights because I like the looks and feel it gives to the game.
I was trying to point out that most people do not do that however. So spending money for a map making program when you might never use the maps would be a waste. Unfortunately I really failed to convey that idea and came off sounding like an ass.
So, again, sorry about that, and thanks for calling me out on that.
Hey, I reread some of my posts and wanted to apologize. I can see where you get me coming off snotty. That was NOT my intention at all. For ages I have been hounding James and others for high def maps we can blow up for games. I DO print maps even for one shot fights because I like the looks and feel it gives to the game.I was trying to point out that most people do not do that however. So spending money for a map making program when you might never use the maps would be a waste. Unfortunately I really failed to convey that idea and came off sounding like an ass.
So, again, sorry about that, and thanks for calling me out on that.
This i have a lot of respect for Krome. Thats kind of the nature of posting on forums, sometimes a post might not seem that way when you write it, but to others they might see it differently. I don't think you sounded like an ass though :)
Here's some of my fluffy maps I did in
photoshop, some I printed out, some I
didn't: Shrine
WaterTemple
Witcheslair
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I don't know that you need "hi-def" maps. I print mine in 20 dpi and they work fine. Most of the digital maps in the PDFs or Web Supplements I've downloaded have been 20-25 pixels/square, which makes them perfectly sized.
Holy smoke you're kidding! lol must be the photographer in me. I think it starts breaking down at about 180dpi and usually print mine at 300dpi. lol
I also go to Office Depot and use their ink and not mine! lol
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Here's some of my fluffy maps I did in
photoshop, some I printed out, some I
didn't: Shrine
WaterTemple
Witcheslair
REALLY NICE WORK!
Krome: :) I know what you mean. 50px per grid is the very lowest I'll go with 100px per inch my favourite compromise, but 300 per grid would be nice. Unfortunately you'll never get a cartographer to map a dungeon at 300px per 5'. That would make even a 100' square map an 18 megapixel image, and that's a pretty tiny dungeon...
50-100px per grid maps are doable. I try to make sure all of my commercial work is done at 100px per grid so that they're easy to print out (if you'll forgive the plug, but it does seem pertinent to the discussion).
Amael: They're really sweet. Nice work indeed.
Actually it does, the image library is a seperate 2gb free download via bittorrent. I just don't have the link anymore.
Is this it?
http://rptoolstutorials.net/imagelib.htm
The "Mapping Objects" link on there? It's 2.92 gb.
AFAIC, for the eye looking down at a tabletop, 72 dpi should be fine.
A 300 dpi print is insane--WTF Krome!--on a illo map you'd need a magnifying glass to tell the difference between 300 and 150. A photo, that's different.
Krome--thanks for that, and for the clarification. I absolutely agree that none of it is necessary. And in a gamer's world where so many people use digital tools to help with their game prep, it's nice to have a reminder that while all of that is cool, it isn't always needed.
Where I've been coming from on this thread is someone asked for recs for the software--may as well offer the advice! (And advice and three bucks will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks. ;) )
Amael -- those are amazing maps. Truly jealous of your talent.
Thank you, I spent a good amount
of time working on them, those are the
ones I'm happiest with.
Hey does anyone know of a good (and ideally free) map making software to download. Looking primarily at buildings and dungeons, but if it can do terrain then that would be awesome
DTiles is awesome for making your own dungeons.