Maps, yet again...

[ravenseye]

Howdy Folks.

I've been reading with an inordinate amount of interest the various threads about mapping for RPG's here. They've all got me jazzed up to make maps now, and I already have some of the tools I'll need to do this.

My Question(s) are these...

1) I have Corel Draw 11, Microsoft Publisher 2003, Adobe Acrobat 5 and assorted other related tools at my disposal for creating images, sheets and other gaming related product. Should I even invest in something like CC2 to create maps, or can I get by with the aforementioned tools?

2) Does anyone know of a good freeware CAD package that is available? I've heard enough people say that CC2 is CAD-like so mayhaps I can use something free and be able to get the same results that CC2 offers. (I know there's a learning curve to CAD, but I learned Adobe's tools on my own, so I am trainable )

If anyone can offer any help, I would truly appreciate it!
Thank thee kindly!
-Mike

 

[SubMensa]

Personally I use a combination of different programs for my mapping.

Photoshop and illustrator for the most part if I am doing overland maps, and simple floor plans and cave complexes and such. I assume you can do the like in Coreldraw, though my experience with that program is limited.

Regarding a CAD based program, I might recommend Autorealm as a good FREE program to cut your teeth on.

I also use Fractal Mapper by NBOS as a CADish program as well. This one you have to pay for, but I've found it personally worth it. Try the free trial and decide for yourself.

For old school dungeons like those found in early D&D modules you can try out Dungeon Crafter another free program that is cheap at twice the price. It's great for sewers as well.

Also check out Phineas's Dungeon Maps o' the Week which I understand he does in MS paint for the most part.

As well as Campaign Cartographer which you mentioned which has recently lowered it's price.

Do yourself a favor and also check out the Art Gallery, Cartography & Miniatures Painting forum. You will find many people very willing to help a starting mapper, as well as a couple of people willing to give you some straight feedback where needed.

My recommendation: try out the free programs, give them about a week to try working through some of the learning curve and decide for yourself. I have heard of people who only use MS Paint (see above) and are completely happy with the results. I have also heard many people swear by Campaign Cartographer.

Enjoy!

 

[Phaedrus]

IIRC Phineas is using CC, not Paint. And definitely give his stuff a look, it's very good.

 

[ravenseye]

I've been drooling all over Phineas' maps on the other board. He's what got me all sorts of drooling over here!!

Thanks for the links! I will be poking and prodding for a bit with AutoRealm to see what it can do..

-Mike

 

[argon_the_red]

Personally I use a combination of different programs for my mapping.

For easy and beautiful non-CAD maps I recommend Dundjinni. Download the free demo at: www.dundjinni.com

 

[Hand of Evil]

Most of the programs have demos available, I recomend you download and play around with to see which one is more up your alley.

 

[ravenseye]

I've downloaded AutoRealm and I have begin to peek into its dark corners now...

It is definately a handful to use, and I totally feel it is capable of what I want it to do...just a matter of poking and prodding it more

I will post something I have done with it later on tonight to let y'all see what I've cooked up so far

I don't think I'll be at Phineas' level for quite a while, but, I will get there!

-Mike

 

[3catcircus]

Howdy Folks.

I've been reading with an inordinate amount of interest the various threads about mapping for RPG's here. They've all got me jazzed up to make maps now, and I already have some of the tools I'll need to do this.

My Question(s) are these...

1) I have Corel Draw 11, Microsoft Publisher 2003, Adobe Acrobat 5 and assorted other related tools at my disposal for creating images, sheets and other gaming related product. Should I even invest in something like CC2 to create maps, or can I get by with the aforementioned tools?

2) Does anyone know of a good freeware CAD package that is available? I've heard enough people say that CC2 is CAD-like so mayhaps I can use something free and be able to get the same results that CC2 offers. (I know there's a learning curve to CAD, but I learned Adobe's tools on my own, so I am trainable )

If anyone can offer any help, I would truly appreciate it!
Thank thee kindly!
-Mike

Ask yourself the following question: "Can I draw free-hand using a mouse? Does it look *good*?"

If the answer is yes, then Corel Draw and/or Photoshop will be all you need. If, like me, the answer is "No - I can't draw a straight line with a ruler..." then check out Autorealm - its free.

However, I highly recommend getting the full CC2/CD2/DD2 suite - it *is* a CAD program - I can crank out outstanding looking maps with it every time I use it. It has a high learning curve, but *feels* professional in its use, unlike Autorealm. The only shortcoming is it is 2D-CAD, not 3D-CAD, so you can't actually give your maps and drawings a set of 3D coordinates, but CC2 Perspectives is an add-on that give some neat isometric views.

 

[DaveStebbins]

I've downloaded AutoRealm and I have begin to peek into its dark corners now...

It is definately a handful to use, and I totally feel it is capable of what I want it to do...just a matter of poking and prodding it more

The help files at http://autorealm.sourceforge.net/chm/html/auto3mnn.htm look like a pretty passable tutorial. Have you tried looking through those?