Best Mapmaking software

[calebhand]

Can you use these as battlemats?

I've been looking at some of the map making softwares, but I haven't seen one that can be used for an active battlemat. Are there any that you can display, on a big tv for instance, and move characters/monsters around? What about having features for shading out places without light sources?

 

[heruca]

Most virtual tabletop software can be used this way, by running it on a laptop hooked up to an HDTV. Just make sure you use a VT that allows for dynamic map creation and has a good Fog of War feature. The less interface clutter on the VT, the better.

 

[Vascant]

YACGM (Yet Another Cartographers Guild Member) here, I use Adobe Photoshop and love it. Gimp also works if price is an issue and understandably.

If you do go in these directions I cannot recommend enough a Wacom tablet, using a mouse is okay for doing small tough ups and such but as soon as you need to do something serious or want decent results.. Get one.

Finally, there will be a learning curve... expect it. It has taken me years of playing just to finally get some level of decent maps (imo of course). It is worth it though, no longer will you be offering your players stick men on graph paper and your maps will have a personality which will be the first step to setting the mood for the encounter and dungeon. As they say, first impressions are everything

 

[Hand of Evil]

Always a hard question to answer, because everyone's mapping needs are different and a lot; is how much time you put into mapping. I say download demos and find the best software for your needs and the one you like.

Top of the line is Campaign Cartographer but even now, still has a learning curve to it.

NBOS is an alternative: Fractal Mapper v8.0

Paint programs like Photoshop can be costly and take some time.

Look to the Cartographers Guild!

 

[jcayer]

No love for maptools yet?
I moved to it from Dunjinni. Being a virtual table top, you can place tokens, do lighting, all of that jazz.
On top of that, it's java based so it should run natively on the Mac.

 

[Mark CMG]

NBOS (. . .)Fractal Mapper v8.0

(. .) Photoshop (. . .)


Look to the Cartographers Guild!

That's me in a nutshell. I use NBOS for the broad strokes then work things over with Photoshop. Creatiing whole cloth in Pphotoshop just starts me adrift with no initial rudder, so it helps if I can at least get some idea out quickly using NBOS.

As repeated above, The Cartographers Guild is a plce to explore for unlimited inspiration and tips.

 

[nedjer]

The hold-up with mapping ain't the software or the layout. Inkscape, SumoPaint (good, cutdown, online Photoshop alike) and such like will give great results for free if Coreldraw and Illustrator are too much/ expensive.
(Strongly recommend vector followed by filters in raster software to get resizing and easy re-use of vector elements).

The hold-up is in putting together good quality icon sets, as it's making the symbols that takes time. I get regular visits to Thistle Games from The Cartographers Guild for the pdf 'fantasy icons' inside RPG Treasure's zip and installer versions. These can be adapted quickly to give styled icons, e.g. on the Renegade pages at Thistle Games. However, I stopped short of terrain and dungeon features, because they're tricky to weight and brush - and I've too much on to find time.

When someone puts together a set of high quality basic symbols as vectors, making maps will be cheap, easy and fast. Otherwise, it's a lot of work - after you've mastered the software. The 'value' or purpose of specialised software like CC is not, therefore, in the drawing or CAD features, but in providing ready made symbol sets.

 

[Dexamalion]

When someone puts together a set of high quality basic symbols as vectors, making maps will be cheap, easy and fast. Otherwise, it's a lot of work - after you've mastered the software.

I know you guys are looking for PC based solutions, but if you are after cheap, easy and fast I'd like to throw my app, Dungeon Mapp into the ring. I designed it to be as quick as possible (as in "map a room in the time it takes the DM to describe it" quick).

Derek