D&D 5E Mapping tool--what's the current state of the art?

[Sabotender]

Hmmm... I wonder if something like a map editor in Civ V would deliver what I'm looking for? Or Endless Legend? Has anyone used a videogame's map editor to create D&D maps?

I have used Unity3D for a dungeon once, built all the rooms and placed monsters etc. I also made some small scripts for panning the camera and moving creatures and players. I also made it so I could switch between player and DM view (with a password) so that I could move monsters and toggle fog-of-war.

Actually I kind of wen overboard and made it possible to switch to first person per "entity" to check line of sight, different camera filters and lighting settings for those who had darkvision. Also the wizard could turn on Detect Magic to have a filter over all magical traps and items

but then again, I am a game designer / coder by trade

I have also considdered using editors from games, but most of them dont offer the speed i want. I have used RPG maker for region maps sometimes, and tried using Neverwinter Online too.

 

[aramis erak]

Thanks all. Hexographer comes close to what I had in mind, though it doesn't offer a true zoom: all it does is magnify (move the "camera" closer and farther from the map). It doesn't actually change the detail level. !

Wrong! well, mostly.

In the paid version, at least.

You can select "create child map" and it generates a zoomed in version. Which is a separate map, that you can then tweak further. It doesn't retain linkages, tho, so it's not quite the same as using CC2/CC3/FM... but it does make detail maps much easier to make.

 

[Zaruthustran]

Oh! Hm, I'll have to reconsider Hexographer.

Yep, looks like a paid feature. Still, the second look made me appreciate it more. Particularly the easy to use and attractive-looking river tool.

Still missing a CTRL-Z feature, as far as I can tell.

 

[Dargrimm]

Well, it is not hex based but freehanded and probably not what you are looking for, but with Ortelius you can make really gorgeous maps. It is expensive though (unless you don't mind the watermark)

 

[aramis erak]

Oh! Hm, I'll have to reconsider Hexographer.

Yep, looks like a paid feature. Still, the second look made me appreciate it more. Particularly the easy to use and attractive-looking river tool.

Still missing a CTRL-Z feature, as far as I can tell.

Undo? yeah. That is missing. As are ctrl-key shortcuts, cut & paste, and "make parent map".

But it does hex maps really really well, in what is pretty much the classic late TSR styles.

If you're going to make use of it, do read the manual - there are a number of features that are not evident.

 

[Saeviomagy]

A tutorial for how to do infinitely zoomable pictures using google maps is here:
http://blog.mikecouturier.com/2011/07/create-zoomable-images-using-google.html

It should be possible to make an art package that zooms in and out and lets you add detail at any level, but none of the apps out there seem to cater to this presently.