Artisticaly impaired needs to find...

[lensman]

I need to find a tile based mapping system that basically I can drag and drop on a hex grid, because I lack even the most remedial understanding of CAd programs.

I have CC2, 2 years old copy, and failed to make anything presentable.

Anyone out there have any leads for me?

[RPMiller]

Personally, I think you have the best solution already. The newest version of CC2 is really much more user friendly. I would do some very rough sketches in CC2 of symbols that represent the map tiles you are looking for and make them hexagonal. Use the snap point on it at an end point and you will be able to drop and rotate them as you see fit. In fact, you may consider posting the question to the CC2 list and I bet you will get some great help for this. I may even consider doing some once I finish my conversion project.

What type of symbols would you be looking for?

[lensman]

Great suggestions
I will have to invest in a copy of the new CC2

Really I would need the following Tiles:
Deep Sea
Shallow sea / lake

Forest
Plains
Hills
Mountaains
Desert
Jungle
Swamp
Unexplored

Walled City
Tilled Agriculture
Iron Mine
Gold Mine Silver Mine

Special Material
Intense Magic

see simple . Snap those in combination voila

[cboscari]

I have CC2, and it is a great program (and the new pro veresion is easier) but I would also take a look a NBOS Fractal Mapper 6.0 as well. It is much easier to use than CC2- but there is no question that the maps don't look as good. If others are getting a print out of your maps, this might be important to you. The trade off is of course it takes miniutes to do what takes hours in CC2. It is also about half the price.
Worth a look, although it isn't tile based...
Chris

[RPMiller]

Originally posted by lensman
Great suggestions
I will have to invest in a copy of the new CC2

Really I would need the following Tiles:
Deep Sea
Shallow sea / lake

Forest
Plains
Hills
Mountaains
Desert
Jungle
Swamp
Unexplored

Walled City
Tilled Agriculture
Iron Mine
Gold Mine Silver Mine

Special Material
Intense Magic

see simple . Snap those in combination voila What is interesting about this is that there are currently symbols for all these. Are you looking for a top down view, or a pseudo isometric view?

[RPMiller]

Also, how big do you want the hexes to be? If you tell me the size you are looking for I might be willing to whip something up for you in CC2. I'm thinking of some generic type symbols that are hexagons that will do what I mentioned.

[zornwil]

There's also Dungeoncrafter at www.dungeoncrafter.com, it does NOT have a hex view but you can print out onto hex paper or you could take the output into a program that you could superimpose a hex on, like Photoshop.

[lensman]

Originally posted by Durnin
Also, how big do you want the hexes to be? If you tell me the size you are looking for I might be willing to whip something up for you in CC2. I'm thinking of some generic type symbols that are hexagons that will do what I mentioned.

Just a top down view, isometeric I assume is fraught with difficult.

Size of hexes, 21 mm. Not sure.

Durnin do this for me and you have my eternal thanks. But figure out something I could offer in exchange. I am not sure what could equate to the massive benefit I would receive but name it and I'll try.

[RPMiller]

Originally posted by lensman
Just a top down view, isometeric I assume is fraught with difficult.

Size of hexes, 21 mm. Not sure.

Durnin do this for me and you have my eternal thanks. But figure out something I could offer in exchange. I am not sure what could equate to the massive benefit I would receive but name it and I'll try. Err... what real world scale? In other words is the hex representing 10 miles or 1 mile or what?

As for the exchange I'll have to think about that one. What I'm going to make for you isn't going to be a best effort, but it will be a start and perhaps later I'll make it cooler, but I'm in the middle of a conversion project for a publisher.

[lensman]

Real world scale: 10 Km

[RPMiller]

Originally posted by lensman
Real world scale: 10 Km Stay tuned...:)

[RPMiller]

Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten, and am still working on your symbols. I just got a bit sidetracked by life's events.

[lensman]

No worries.

[lensman]

No worries.

[JohnTaber]

Hi Gents: I use AutoRealm. I think it works neat and it is freeware. I have not used CC2 so I can't do a comparison...sorry... Here is the link...
http://www.gryc.ws/autorealm.htm

[nlubofsky]

Does AutoRealm print out hexes?

Thanks!
Nick

[JohnTaber]

Hi Nick: Just plain hexes without a map? Is that what you are asking? Yeah...Autorealm can do that. It can also print hexes under or above maps.

If you have DH#9 examine the maps in my adventure. I did those with Autorealm. ;)
John T>

[nlubofsky]

Those are great maps in your adventure. I'm definitely going to have to check out AutoRealm. Can it print out the maps at the standard 1" per hex to use as battle mats?

Thanks!
Nick

[JohnTaber]

I have not tried that! Wow! GREAT IDEA! DUH! I'll give it a try and let you know if it works!

[JohnTaber]

WOW! YOU CAN DO THAT WITH AUTOREALM! Thanks for the suggestion!

The only trick is to adjust the Grid size BEFORE starting the map. That way the scale of the objects on the map are correct. For example, I played around with the zoo map from my adventure. It was NOT done with this in mind so it does not print correctly. It prints really tiny (i.e. a cage is not the correct size). I would not have had this issue if I realized that this was possible... ;)

VERY COOL! :cool:

[nlubofsky]

How do you set AutoREALM to do that? I'm having trouble. I'm trying to set it to 1 hex/inch, but it's not working. It's confusing, because there are two places to set scale and I don't understand how they work together.

Thanks!
Nick

[nlubofsky]

I think I figured it out. I set it to 1.732 hexes/inch in the "Graph Paper" panel and then "B" to 2 meters in the "Properties" dialog--

Nick

[nlubofsky]

For some reason, 1.5 hexes/inch prints out as one hex per inch. Go figure.

Nick

[JohnTaber]

I noticed that too??? I think it depends on the printer but I'm not 100% sure. Now that I have learned AutoRealm I think it works pretty well. Especially for the cost (i.e. FREE). :)