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Best free tool to draw/create dungeon maps?

Started by Phantom Black, October 02, 2014, 06:11:33 AM

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Phantom Black

October 02, 2014, 06:11:33 AM Last Edit: October 03, 2014, 08:03:19 PM by Phantom Black
What are your choices to create/draw dungeon maps in the style of Dungeon Crafter?

I'm really bad at free-hand drawing so i'm looking for a tool/program
similar to Dungeon Crafter which helps me make maps easily that are simple yet not barebones.

Any ideas?

Best regards,
PB

p.s.: No sophisticated web-apps please, those make my desktop crash. And no 3D, please, i hate 3D.
Rynu-Safe via /r/rpg/ :
Quote"I played Dungeon World once, and it was bad. I didn\'t understood what was happening and neither they seemed to care, but it looked like they were happy to say "you\'re doing good, go on!"

My character sheet was inexistant, and when I hastly made one the GM didn\'t care to have a look at it."

dragoner

#1
October 02, 2014, 10:07:12 AM
I monkey about with autorealm: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AutoREALM
The most beautiful peonies I ever saw ... were grown in almost pure cat excrement.
-Vonnegut

Omega

#2
October 02, 2014, 03:31:10 PM
Usually I use graph paper. Pretty simple from there and doesnt need a PC on to access.

But on the PC my go-to prog to make maps back in the early 90s was Unlimited Adventures, Now remade as Dungeon Craft. Worked great as both electronic graph paper and as a visual cue walk through of a dungeon.

Recently I started experimenting with Minecraft as a visual dungeon simulator just for my own illumination. I wanted to see what Keep on the Borderlands looks like and how exploring the caves would feel like from an actual viewpoint.

JeremyR

#3
October 03, 2014, 03:02:45 AM
Grid Cartographer, maybe?

http://www.davidwaltersdevelopment.com/tools/gridcart/

Has a pro version but the free one is pretty decent.

Honestly, I've found it's easier to just use a paint program, make a few squares and standard room sizes and corridors, and simply copy and paste them.

Lynn

#4
October 03, 2014, 04:24:37 AM
Experimenting with using 3D tools to make maps, using 3D objects with pretty high resolution texture maps.

There's a freebie set of objects you can get here - Dungeon Floors FREE Edition  that works with Poser / DAZ Studio, Vue or Shade (and includes 3DS versions which work with just about anything.

This free set just includes 5' x 5' and 10' x 10' tile units, but it does include some lovely texture and normal maps.
Lynn Fredricks
Entrepreneurial Hat Collector

Kashirigi

#5
October 03, 2014, 11:36:43 AM
What about Google Sketchup?  Making rectangular style dungeons is trivial if you use the offset tool. Add a couple of textures, set to top view and you're done.

Here are all the steps to do this:

1. Set to top view
2. Draw some rectangles in the shape of your dungeon
3. Using the offset too, offset the squares to create walls
4. Using the pull tool, pull the walls up to the desired height
5. Select all, add a texture

As a proof of concept, this image took me less than 5 minutes from the time I thought about using Sketchup to the time I posted this.

You can make it much better very easily; there's a whole warehouse of stuff to add, and you can make as detailed or as simple as you like. You can view from any angle, walk through it, or send it to a professional level renderer (a good free one is Kerkythea).

Gronan of Simmerya

#6
October 03, 2014, 12:04:22 PM
Graph paper and a pencil.  Yes, I'm serious.
You should go to GaryCon.  Period.

The rules can\'t cure stupid, and the rules can\'t cure asshole.

Exploderwizard

#7
October 03, 2014, 12:25:20 PM
Quote from: Old Geezer;789916Graph paper and a pencil.  Yes, I'm serious.

Since the OP did mention that free hand drawing was problematic lets toss in a ruler and maybe one of those circle template sheets for round stuff. :)
Quote from: JonWakeGamers, as a whole, are much like primitive cavemen when confronted with a new game. Rather than \'oh, neat, what\'s this do?\', the reaction is to decide if it\'s a sex hole, then hit it with a rock.

Quote from: Old Geezer;724252At some point it seems like D&D is going to disappear up its own ass.

Quote from: Kyle Aaron;766997In the randomness of the dice lies the seed for the great oak of creativity and fun. The great virtue of the dice is that they come without boxed text.

Kashirigi

#8
October 03, 2014, 12:29:08 PM
That's completely true, but the OP is looking for a particular style and can't draw, so that's out.

That said, for fantasy especially, hand-drawn maps are much more evocative for me. I find 3D renderings of dungeons all have that same sort of artificial look about them, and don't seem to bring across the feeling of damp and the smell of old potatoes like a good, old-fashioned hand rendering does.

Kashirigi

#9
October 03, 2014, 12:53:16 PM
I made this just for you, OG.

Lynn

#10
October 03, 2014, 01:09:21 PM
Quote from: Kashirigi;789932I made this just for you, OG.

A lot of people don't realize that toon rendering or other non-realistic rendering is available. Sketchup has always been a good architectural visualization tool for this. That's a good example.

Ive thought someone should write a type of non-realistic render script that applies some random variable over time and volume - ie simulate the effects of the artist drinking a beer every 30 minutes, switching to Scotch, then back to beer, that sort of thing ;-)

What it really comes down to is where a 3D tool is strongest as compared to others.

The awesome thing about using a 3D tool is reusability. Ive had discussions with RPG designers at a few different shows who've asked me about the cost of getting 3D work done. Usually they've balked because they are used to paying sub-minimum wage - but they don't quite seem to get that they can reuse the objects again and again, re-render with a different look, etc. That $$ vs $ job ends up with stuff that can be reused in many projects and look original (rather than groanworthy repetitions of the same art piece).
Lynn Fredricks
Entrepreneurial Hat Collector

Phantom Black

#11
October 03, 2014, 08:04:57 PM
Thanks for the answers so far, but i've added that i don't want 3D, because i hate 3D.
Rynu-Safe via /r/rpg/ :
Quote"I played Dungeon World once, and it was bad. I didn\'t understood what was happening and neither they seemed to care, but it looked like they were happy to say "you\'re doing good, go on!"

My character sheet was inexistant, and when I hastly made one the GM didn\'t care to have a look at it."

Philotomy Jurament

#12
October 04, 2014, 12:27:03 AM Last Edit: October 04, 2014, 12:35:34 AM by Philotomy Jurament
Well, my first choice is still graph paper, pencils, and rulers/templates, but if I were using the computer I'd go with the GIMP. SketchUp would be on the list, too.
The problem is not that power corrupts, but that the corruptible are irresistibly drawn to the pursuit of power. Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito.

Omega

#13
October 04, 2014, 12:48:56 AM
What about using random dungeon generators and then building odd of those or using them flat out?

Also here is a tutorial for using GIMP to make dungeons.

http://www.cartographersguild.com/tutorials-how/2461-%5Baward-winner-%5D-creating-old-school-map-gimp.html

Seems more effort than just scribbling on graph paper though.

Theres also a GIMP script to randomply generate cave systems.

Kashirigi

#14
October 04, 2014, 01:32:55 AM
Although it's possible do do Sketchup work in 2D, here are some more unusual alternatives:
http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/hexpaper.htm
http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/flagstone.htm
And, arguably most importantly, http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/blueroom/uresia-maps.htm
Which is a nice tutorial on woodcut effects which works just as well in gimp as in Photoshop.
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