I'd like to include some maps in my next RPG sourcebook. Ideally, I'm thinking of some blueprints for houses, maybe a few rudimentary maps of towns and rural areas. This is for a modern setting.

Does anyone know of free software that I can use to create such illustrations? I have Photoshop, but my skill is lacking (believe me, I've tried).

Thanks!

Quote from: RChandlerI'd like to include some maps in my next RPG sourcebook. Ideally, I'm thinking of some blueprints for houses, maybe a few rudimentary maps of towns and rural areas. This is for a modern setting.

Does anyone know of free software that I can use to create such illustrations? I have Photoshop, but my skill is lacking (believe me, I've tried).

Thanks!

Ouch! If it was for your private use, I'd say snitch them from Google Images. I'm a trained draughtsman, so I make my own for sales purposes. I use various commercial programs - from painting programs to draw programs to CAD programs - depending on the complexity of the output.

-clash

I find myself in a debate right now regarding the FtA!GN! sourcebook and a map of The Setting, the game setting for FtA!; but my debate is in whether or not to include a map, or leave the specifics of terrain up to each GM and his imagination.

RPGpundit

I started looking for this a few years ago when I wanted to plan out how I'm going to (someday) finish my basement.

Most free software (or even the $9.99 bargain bin stuff) I found for doing design/blueprints is so difficult to use and low quality that I gave up.

Now if you're looking for general layout and such, there's AutoRealm. It's more geared towards fantasy, but you might be able to make it work (and I haven't researched, lately, if folks have made modern add-ons).

Holy mackerel!

That's exactly what I was hoping to find. A thousand thanks!

-- Rafael

Like so?

Those are terrific. Did you create them?

Quote from: RChandlerThose are terrific. Did you create them?

Yep.Top one is a city for Tern System Planetary Guide for Nebuleon SFPRG and the second one is for Supers Inc.

Both use a combination of PS6 and CC3 with City Designer and SS2.

I really liked the way the city map came out....Jim saw the other maps for Supers Inc right? I though I showed them to you at a game day...maybe.

Ufortunately I now notice you were looking for free software and these packages are anything but cheap. CC3 is essentially an overpowered cad program and PS6 is no piece of cake either.

Bill

Bill,

I can't recall, unfortunately.  I can't recall last week for that matter.

Even if I did, I'd love to see them. Perhaps the Maps for the Maps Obsessed thread - or even d20 Haven!

Have you checked out the dunfalcon maps? I'm slogging my way through learning these.  One of my issues (among many, I'm sure), is that I don't know how I would use PS to augment CC.

Thanks,
Jim

Nice maps. I perfer to use adobe illustrator for my maps.  Hey in fact, im working on one right now for my game system!  I Just think its so much easier to control everything with illustrator than it would be to fiddle around in another program.. any ways... heres where im at now, should take me just a few more days to get a reall feel for the thing, then i can start the fiddly work! Enjoy!

could you elaborate a little on how Adobe Illus. works for you, and how you go about using the program for specific map drawings, i.e. the benefits and ease of this program over others please?

Sure thing. Illustrator is a vector based program. This means that it draws using complex math. When you draw a line, curve or what have you the resolution stays the same if you increase or shrink anything you create in it.
It's very precise, and basically a Autocad program but for 2D objects, which maps are great for it.

Anyways, I draw using the pen or pencil tool. This creates what is known as a path (a line thats a mathmatical equasion) the pen is more precise because you control each lenght of line that you draw, where as a pencil is not, it draws a line and the program automaticaly paths a smooth line for you, so dont fear if you cant draw very good with a pencil with this program. =D

If you look at photoshop, the pen tool is sort of like the one there, but better becuase you control each segment of the path, instead of having to draw a rectangle or line that can only be straight or various degrees. In illustrator you can alter also the anchors (a fancy term for the end of each line) curve. You can basically sraw a straight line with the pen tool, then click on the end and fan it out with the mouse to make a curve. Its Very easy to do this, and even if you cant do that they have a ton of preset shapes you can place as well, and edit them as well.

Finally I think the biggest thing illustrator has over photoshop is the ability to fill in areas or change the stroke (the width) of the lines) which is super easy, as easy as slecting a new color in the color palete like phot shop but instead of having to hit the fill paint bucket you can do it for each object. The newer cs3 can also do a ray tracing of a picture and convert it into a editable photo or a b/w logo thats solid.

The benifits of this program also extend further, as this can make for an excelent one page at a time word processor. In fact, indesign is pagemaker + illustrator in function, but illustrator also has some photoshop plug in effects that indesign doesnt have.

ALso, most graphics now a days are made in eps (encapsulated postscript) form if they look high tech and the lines are increadibly smooth. Is easy to spot them if you work with the program alot, like I do on a dialy basis.

you can place pictures from other formats into illustartor and raw over them, i think much easier than in photoshop which is in my opinon only really godo for special effects honestly. Like a flare, or what have you, though i have seen amazing things people can do with it, and id like to learn more with that program, but currently illustrator is my favortive becuase its super easy to use and has a ton of features.

I hope that helps.

So I fiddled around with the map a bit more, I see tht its going to take me some time inorder to get all the detail I want on this map, but so be it. Its a work in progress. Here is phase two:

I use CorelDraw to get stuff like this

http://www.ibiblio.org/mscorbit/beta/Campaign_Map_Ghinor.jpg

or this

http://www.ibiblio.org/mscorbit/beta/Campaign%20Map%201.jpg

However this works and it is free.

http://www.inkscape.org/

It has the needed drawing tools, vector based, and has layers.

I also use CorelDraw but it is probably overkill for my capabilities or time, although you can do amazing things with it.

I'd suggest you invest in a pad that allows you to draw with a pencil like tool.