Seenar Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 I am looking to build a map of a world. Anyone have any ideas on software that would let you build a world map to scale? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vondy Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 Re: Map Software I am looking to build a map of a world. Anyone have any ideas on software that would let you build a world map to scale? You might consider sending a PM or E-Mail to Kieth Curtis. He's done several RPG maps professionally and might have some good advice. David "Outing Kieth" Queenann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vondy Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 Re: Map Software Also, this thread discusses a program: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39863 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Squirrel Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 Re: Map Software I recommend you use Campaign Cartographer 2 as it lets you scale in and out accordingly. It also has a layer's option so that you can print a GM map, shut off the GM layer and print a player map. The downside is the program has a bit of a learning curve to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 Re: Map Software Quite a bit of a learning curve. I have the DOS version. Wonderful program. I just need a newer/Windows version of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 Re: Map Software Do the CC2 maps assume a flat world, or can you set the radius (and shape? maybe? please?) of the planet and you can get the section of the non-flat surface, with resultant geometry done right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Long Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 Re: Map Software I, too, recommend CC2; it's a great program that I use to do all my mapping. In answer to Cancer's question, I'm not aware of any basic function that lets someone do what you're describing. However, I don't have or use either (a) Fractal Mapper, or ( the Cosmographer expansion for the program, and they might have such functionality. I'd suggest sending your question directly to the ProFantasy folx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithcurtis Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 Re: Map Software Do the CC2 maps assume a flat world' date=' or can you set the radius (and shape? maybe? please?) of the planet and you can get the section of the non-flat surface, with resultant geometry done right?[/quote'] I would love the ability to do this. I believe there are expensive Illustrator plug-ins for this sort of work. Keith "human Illustrator plug-in" Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 Re: Map Software Hmm. I'll have to check this out. I've had demonic thoughts of a fantasy world where the planet is topological genus more than 0 (I'd love to have it be 2) ... though perhaps much of that is my own demented geekdom there. The math would be less simple that way of course.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithcurtis Posted January 2, 2006 Report Share Posted January 2, 2006 Re: Map Software I'm not familiar with this terminology. Can you explain? Keith "please no Worlds of Tiers" Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gojira Posted January 2, 2006 Report Share Posted January 2, 2006 Re: Map Software Do the CC2 maps assume a flat world' date=' or can you set the radius (and shape? maybe? please?) of the planet and you can get the section of the non-flat surface, with resultant geometry done right?[/quote'] Hmm, what does this mean? Are you talking about making a map on a globe, and then having the software give you a mercator projection map? Or do you actually want a globe you can spin around? Linky: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercator_projection Ignore the bit about "and shape." No way do I want to even know what you plan to do with a donught shaped world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted January 2, 2006 Report Share Posted January 2, 2006 Re: Map Software I'd like to make a fantasy world which is a solid with two holes in it. A spheroid has no holes (genus 0); a torus or donut has one hole (genus 2). I've thought about what a donut-shaped world might look like ... Ringworld is one possibility, though there the orbit center is the same as the object center, and that's not what I have in mind. The genus 2 world I'm toying with has two holes in it. Start with a sphere the size of a baseball, then put your fingertip at latitude 45 N, longitude 0, poke thru to latitude 45 N, longitude 180. Poke the second hole thru from latitude 45 S, longitude 90 W, to latitude 45 S, longitude 90 E. Smooth it out, but keep the holes. The world map then is on the surface of that solid. Sailing from Europe to China is a bit more complex on such a world.... To make my other question clearer ... a flat map is what you have if your world has an infinite radius, OR the part of the world you're mapping is much smaller than the world. My question could be reworded: does CC2 offer useful map projections for maps which encompass a large portion of a (spherical) world's surface? And, does it give useful point-to-point great circle distances between places which are far apart on the (spherical) world's surface? Those can be expressed in nautical miles (a nautical mile is actually an expression of angle, not distance, on the Earth's surface) or in any "normal" unit like statute miles or kilometers if the radius of the world is specified. Looking at the examples there in their web site, it looks like it does have more than one option for projections for a full-world map, but I couldn't find technical language describing those. I'll keep poking around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gojira Posted January 2, 2006 Report Share Posted January 2, 2006 Re: Map Software I think I know what you mean. I've never used the CC2 program so I can't say for sure. What I'd like to know is: does CC2 start with a sphere and then develop a projection? Or does it just make a "flat map?" I assume the latter. Just looking at the website briefly makes it seem like a flat map only program, no fractals in site. What would be neat is if CC2 offered actual projections from a sphere. Mercator projects, a few more like Winkel Tripel, polar projections. Plus some "gamer projections" like a flat map and a projection onto a 20 sided isohedron. Ok searching around led me to an interesting site with lots of links. Check out NBOS which does at least do fratals and spheroid projections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted January 2, 2006 Report Share Posted January 2, 2006 Re: Map Software What may be best is the use of a ray tracing program - you could map the texture to a solid shape. Lightwave, 3DS, Pov-Ray (free), Poser, Xara3d (free), Bryce or even one of the render engines being worked on at sourceforge.net There would be a certain amount of bleeding and overlap, depending on the projection used to put it on the map (UV or other) - but it would give a good visual representation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susandwyer Posted January 2, 2006 Report Share Posted January 2, 2006 Re: Map Software Cancer, That would definitely be an interesting world. Why would such a place make a more interesting place to game in when it is so hare for 'normal' minds to conceive? I think the only person who could draw a map for such would be MC Escher or Sir Pendrose (if he could draw). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdoc Posted January 2, 2006 Report Share Posted January 2, 2006 Re: Map Software What may be best is the use of a ray tracing program - you could map the texture to a solid shape. Lightwave, 3DS, Pov-Ray (free), Poser, Xara3d (free), Bryce or even one of the render engines being worked on at sourceforge.net There would be a certain amount of bleeding and overlap, depending on the projection used to put it on the map (UV or other) - but it would give a good visual representation. You CAN do this - in fact I have - see attachments. Technically it's really easy. But the distortion at the poles (or the top of your Flat map, which ever direction that is) is extreme. I got around this by just not having any land there, so the distortion is invsible. But if you wanted to have some, you'd have to either deal with is or draw your map using a rducing projection. cheers, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayapuppies Posted January 2, 2006 Report Share Posted January 2, 2006 Re: Map Software I use Fractal Terrains Pro to get my world generated. Then I take "snapshots" of the various land masses at various levels of altitude and convert them into CC2 maps. Very simple, very quick...at least until I have to map out cities...I suck at cities. Here is a globe I created with FT (before Pro came out): http://www.kamarathin.com Here's the map rolled out flat: http://www.kamarathin.com/world_creation/maps/big%20map/zoom_map.htm You can click on each of the thumbnails to get a closer look. Here's a zoom in on one of the continents. There is a single hotspot on each map so that you can see how you can zoom in with FT, take a snapshot, import into CC2. http://kamarathin.com/kamarathin/maps/maps.htm Yoou'll have to forgive the quality of the maps. Keith "Ace Cartographer" Curtis, I am not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seenar Posted January 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2006 Re: Map Software Thanks guys! This is what I need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted January 3, 2006 Report Share Posted January 3, 2006 Re: Map Software Almost certainly no one would care but me. Unless someone decides to try sailing to China. Then they have a few extra options.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithcurtis Posted January 3, 2006 Report Share Posted January 3, 2006 Re: Map Software Almost certainly no one would care but me. That should be the World Maker's Lament. Keith "or Credo?" Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted January 3, 2006 Report Share Posted January 3, 2006 Re: Map Software Actually, I did have the stray thought last night that a genus 1 world (a simple toroid) would do fine, as long as its rotation axis passed through the toroid rather than through the hole. There could be some really strange-looking lunar eclipses in such a system. The projection onto a flat map becomes a lot easier, too, while preserving some of the strangenesses of a world with a hole. I'm liking this idea more and more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Long Posted January 3, 2006 Report Share Posted January 3, 2006 Re: Map Software That should be the World Maker's Lament. Agreed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithcurtis Posted January 3, 2006 Report Share Posted January 3, 2006 Re: Map Software Actually, I did have the stray thought last night that a genus 1 world (a simple toroid) would do fine, as long as its rotation axis passed through the toroid rather than through the hole. There could be some really strange-looking lunar eclipses in such a system. The projection onto a flat map becomes a lot easier, too, while preserving some of the strangenesses of a world with a hole. I'm liking this idea more and more. What if the axis of rotation were circular, running within the body of the torus? It's a fantasy world, right? Perhaps the surface is elastic, or water, dotted with islands. You'd want to travel when you were inside the torus, since distances would become correspondingly smaller. The map would be a nightmare, but if you go with the island idea, you'd only need to worry about ditsances between. If you want to go furhter along that route, the islands could be immense floating structures. The torus could be water, straight through to the "core". Deep diving animals could go through the torus. The sea might also glow slightly at night with filtered sunlight, depending on depth, clarity and solar intensity. Where would you place the primary? In the center, which would make it not a real star but a heat/light source? In that case, day would be the time to travel. Actually, the floating islands idea might even make mapping easier. You could work with landmasses on a scale that requires minimal distortion. All you would need to track would be relative positions, which could change perceptably over a small interval of time. They could be constructed of some fantasy earth/rock combo with a Specific Gravity slightly less than water, or just honkin' big pieces of pumice with trees and soil on top. Maybe they are vast rafts of floating plant matter. Keith "It would certainly be unique" Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoresLost Posted January 3, 2006 Report Share Posted January 3, 2006 Re: Map Software Thanks Guys, now I am wondering how a mobius strip would work for a world surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted January 3, 2006 Report Share Posted January 3, 2006 Re: Map Software I've always been fond of Ringworld, myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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