Want a mapping program to slightly modify the real world

[NewJeffCT]

What I would like to find is a mapping program/software where I can take a topographical map of Earth as it is now and then modify it in a few areas – like, adding in a large island of Atlantis in the Atlantic and something similar in the Pacific (or, maybe move Australia to where Hawaii is?) , maybe add in a few land bridges - connecting Alaska to Siberia; another South America to Africa; and another Europe to Greenland to Canada.

Is there anything out there like that?

Thanks

 

[NewJeffCT]

there's nothing out there that can do what I want?

 

[Henry]

Moved to Software/Computers Forum - likely there will be more response there than here.

Might I suggest something like Paint Shop Pro? Alternately, if you have AutoRealm (free mapping program) or Campaign Cartographer, or DunDjinni, doubtless someone has released a map of earth in these programs by now which you could modify. I'm almost 100% certain there is one at the CC2 forums.

 

[Aristotle]

You could do this with almost any graphics program. Adobe Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, or GIMP could do it; and so could other programs. THoe first two should have "free for 30 day" trials, and GIMP has been ported to Windows and is available for free (AFAIK). Of course the final quality of the image will greatly depend on your skill with the software.

I have the whole line of Profantasy mapping products, and have found most of them too difficult and time consuming to bother with, but Fractal Terrains is a *great* piece of software. I highly recommend it. I'm not sure if anything else out there does quite the same thing so easily. It can be a real life saver if you run games that hop from planet to planet frequently too.

Fractal Terrains allows for some editing (I'm told the editing control is much better in the newest release), and it ships with data sets to give fairly accurate topographical maps of Earth and Mars (and maybe the moon, I forget). You scan supposedly import other data sets too, but I've never experimented with that.

 

[Maerdwyn]

Consider Profantasy's Fractal Terrains - It includes topographical data for Earth that can be very easily manipulated. I'll try to post an example if I get a chance later on tonight.

edit - weird. Aristotle's post didn't show up until after I posted mine, even though he posted first. Anyway, suffice to sy I agree with him on FT.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

You may also want to take a look at the programs out there for rendering fractal terrains, some of them at least with read USGS data, and can render real world terrain from that. The program I used many years ago was Vista Pro, but that was in a previous century, and besides the Amiga is dead. But let me look...

Vista Pro is still made, now for Windows XP. http://www.andromedasoftware.com/cd213.htm

Sir Arthur C. Clarke was so impressed by the program that he flew the designers to Sri Lank to show him all the bells and whistles. You can create a map by viewing fron straight down onto the chosen area.

The Auld Grump, who will likely order the program now that he knows that it is still around...

 

[Maerdwyn]

This is a quick an dirty FT example from about 5 minutes of work. You can make the new landmasses a lot prettier and logical with some tweaking.

 

[NewJeffCTHome]

This is a quick an dirty FT example from about 5 minutes of work. You can make the new landmasses a lot prettier and logical with some tweaking.

Wow, that is perfect - exactly what I'm looking for. I'll have to look it up online somewhere.

Thanks

 

[Maerdwyn]

cool

www.profantasy.com

note that while Profantasy's basic product is Campaign Cartographer 2 Pro, and that most of the products on he site are add-ons for it, Fractal Terrains is a stand-alone program, so you don't need CC2 as well.

If you do have CC2, you can import any section of a world you've made in FT and add mapping symbols for as much detail as you want. Enjoy!

 

[NewJeffCTHome]

cool

www.profantasy.com

note that while Profantasy's basic product is Campaign Cartographer 2 Pro, and that most of the products on he site are add-ons for it, Fractal Terrains is a stand-alone program, so you don't need CC2 as well.

If you do have CC2, you can import any section of a world you've made in FT and add mapping symbols for as much detail as you want. Enjoy!

Thanks - it looks like from the profantasy site, I'd be able to just print off some stuff from FT and then make the symbols myself, no?