D&D General Mapping Tools

[Zaukrie]

There are a ton of mapping tools out there. While I own and like Dungeondraft, I'm thinking I want a tool(s) that links locations.......maybe. Also thinking I want 3d (again, maybe) pictures/maps. (need to be able to use it commercially, at least some of it)

Anyone have tools they love? I am not a fan of CC's look.....so that one is out for me.

Here is what I'd like:
Ok for commercial use
Isometric capability
animated (nice to have)
linking of maps
from world to dungeon
3D would be great (nice to have?)

thanks,

 

[The Green Hermit]

Going off of this, I would like something that easily lets me create a printable map. We game in person, not on the computer.

 

[MNblockhead]

If you don't like CC then you may want to consider getting a number of less expensive, more focused, and simpler tools.

E.g.,

• easy dungeon building: Dungeonographer (Inkwell Games)
• easy isometric maps: Dungeon Buildter by Hobbyte: Dungeon Builder - The Isometric Map Maker | Hobbyte
• easy overland/realm maps: Worldographer (again, Inkwell Games)

Currently, I'm running a massive mega dungeon that comes with over 100 maps. It'll be a while before I feel the need to make my own maps. When I do, I doubt I'll go back Campaign Cartographer. I'm not creating professional maps for publication.

I think my next map-making program will be Dungeon Fog. It allows me to create maps that I can then export and import into Foundry (my VTT) and the walls, doors, etc will be recognized so I don't have to trace everything in the VTT.

 

[MNblockhead]

Going off of this, I would like something that easily lets me create a printable map. We game in person, not on the computer.

This is what I liked about Dungeonographer. The export features allow me to size things at the appropriate scale for printing. It was really easy. In some ways it is too simplistic. But it is very practical for quickly building dungeon maps for print or VTT.

It has been a few years since I've used it and there is a lot more competition on the market. I backed the developers newer Worldographer product which kinda mergets dungeon maps and overland maps. But I didn't use it much. I'm just not making maps from scratch very often these days.

 

[The Green Hermit]

This is what I liked about Dungeonographer. The export features allow me to size things at the appropriate scale for printing. It was really easy. In some ways it is too simplistic. But it is very practical for quickly building dungeon maps for print or VTT.

It has been a few years since I've used it and there is a lot more competition on the market. I backed the developers newer Worldographer product which kinda mergets dungeon maps and overland maps. But I didn't use it much. I'm just not making maps from scratch very often these days.

I run published adventures, so I don't need them all that much for local/dungeon interaction. It's the cities that drive me nuts. Everything I can find Online is either too busy or not busy enough -- or prints in a blurry mess.

I will have to check out Worldographer.

 

[MNblockhead]

I run published adventures, so I don't need them all that much for local/dungeon interaction. It's the cities that drive me nuts. Everything I can find Online is either too busy or not busy enough -- or prints in a blurry mess.

I will have to check out Worldographer.

I used to use Inkwell's Cityographer. Not sure if Cityographer has been rolled into Worldographer. But I really liked how quickly I could put together a city.

If you take the time to come up with lists of races, occupations, things that might be for sale, etc. it can populate the stores and homes and make inventories and prices lists. It will provide some stock fantasy data out of the box for this, but I found it worth making custom lists for my campaign.

The actually maps when fully randomized won't blow you away. For larger towns and cities you'll want to manually create. But it was awesome for villages and small towns. If the party came to a village, I could create the map with all buildings populated with NPC on the fly.

For larger towns there were not set-piece locations, I ended up doing away with elaborate maps and instead use the excellent process laid out in Vornheim: The Complete City Kit.

 

[The Green Hermit]

I used to use Inkwell's Cityographer. Not sure if Cityographer has been rolled into Worldographer. But I really liked how quickly I could put together a city.

If you take the time to come up with lists of races, occupations, things that might be for sale, etc. it can populate the stores and homes and make inventories and prices lists. It will provide some stock fantasy data out of the box for this, but I found it worth making custom lists for my campaign.

The actually maps when fully randomized won't blow you away. For larger towns and cities you'll want to manually create. But it was awesome for villages and small towns. If the party came to a village, I could create the map with all buildings populated with NPC on the fly.

For larger towns there were not set-piece locations, I ended up doing away with elaborate maps and instead use the excellent process laid out in Vornheim: The Complete City Kit.

What is the difference between the pro version and the free version?

 

[tenkar]

Free and for use commercially:

One Page Dungeon by watabou - random dungeons
Perilous Shores by watabou - random terrain
Dungeon Scrawl by ProbableTrain- dungeon mapper - can do isometric

 

[aco175]

I just spend half an hour with Dungeon Scrawl and it looks rather cool to make fast, easy maps. I did not see anything you could add to maps except doors and stairs, straight only though. I would have liked to see statues and spiral stairs and maybe some other things like chests, bunks, and fireplaces.

 

[Scott Christian]

I have never seen a better program than Inkarnate. It is incredible and worth every penny. Regional, city, world, and battle maps. And it is relatively easy to learn. Let me rephrase that: It is beyond easy to make a descent map for say Roll20. It takes patience to make a good map if you are not artistic. And if you practice and are artistic, the maps are awesome.

Inkarnate - Create Fantasy Maps Online

Here are a few I made, and I promise, I am the most visually non-talented human on the planet. The first took about 4-5 hours (maybe 6-8?). The second, a battlemap, took me less than an hour.