How to choose a tool for mapping?

[nichendrix]

I'm a begginer in map making, mostly Sci-Fi, and from time to time Fantasy and Modern stuff stuff too, back in the day, when I've played a lot, I usually used either doing it by hand or using vector/CAD software CorelDraw/Illustrator and AutoCad to make my maps, but it's usually very time consuming, so I was thinking about choosing a map tool, is dedicated software like Campaign Cartographer 3+Cosmographer 3 and Fractal Mapper 8.0+Astrosynthesis 3.0, or any other dedicated software still a good choice or I would best invest my time how to improve my Photoshop/GIMP skills to do it with them (which I think is as time consuming as CorelDraw/Ilustrator)?

After over a decade without regular playing and DMing, I'm completely at a loss at what to look into to make maps to my games.

[rebelandarunner]

I know exactly of the problem you're talking about.

Years ago, I had worked with a LARP to help them develop their maps and used Adobe Illustrator (versions 88 and 3.X). At the time, my fantasy gaming was done using canned milieus (Greyhawk, et. al) and I never needed to worry about mapping my own world.

About 20 years ago, I've been working on developing a notion for my own gaming world. I began with sketches which I traced in MS Paint. To say they were bad would be an understatement. However, since I refuse to throw out most of my gaming stuff, they were shoved into a folder called "Gaming World" buried in the recesses of my hard drive. Fast forward to 6, maybe 7, years ago, I decided it was time to move forward with all of the ideas I had.

The first thing I decided to do was investigate software to do this all electronically. Ha! I was going to get on top of this and do it right so I looked into some of the GIS packages which were available at the time. Didn't take me long to realize that I didn't have the time to learn a new technology so I opted to go with what I knew, which was the vector desktop graphics route as well. The problem was that Adobe Illustrator was still ridiculously expensive for my purposes.

I looked at what my options were and selected Inkscape. It's not the most robust program, but it was the first one I found which met my requirements and my price point (in this case, free). While I wouldn't recommend that you plan to use Inkscape for a major gaming world mapping project, its strength lies in the fact that it allowed me to autotrace the scans of the maps I had made over the years, saving me HOURS of manual tracing coastlines. It also allowed me to edit and save all of my work in SVG files.

After the project became too cumbersome for Inkscape, I found that Autodesk had released its iDraw product into the public domain and was being sold as a new package called Graphic. I picked up Graphic and it's been a much easier project since. I've figured out the beauty of using layers to store content and it's allowed me to make some very rich maps without too much effort.

There are other packages out there, Affinity Designer is one that comes to mind, which probably do as much (maybe more) than Graphic.

[Kellerica]

I'll personally always recommend Photoshop as a mapping software. It takes a little time to get really comfortable with it, but once you do and combine it with a graphics tablet, there is no limits to what it can do for you. This is also a fantastical place for learning this stuff; I can honestly say that everything I know about using Photoshop today, and I dare say I'm getting pretty handy with it these days, I have learned from the tutorials on this Guild. I knew practically nothing about it going in.

As far as vector software goes, I for one can give a warm recommendation for Affinity Designer. I use AfDe for pretty much all my vector needs and I really like it. I kinda prefer it to Illustrator, it just is less troublesome with some essential little things.

I know a lot of people use the ProFantasy software for mapping, but I've never really used any of those, with the exception for Fractal Terrains which I own for the occasional inspiration boost. So I'm not the best person to say yay or nay on them. Many people do like them though, so I doubt they are too terrible.

My very biased personal view on this, feel free to ignore this PS nut

[Bombastus]

I found a mapmaking website called inkarnate a few days ago, but it seems pretty limited. Does anyone else have an opinion on it?

[waldronate]

I found a mapmaking website called inkarnate a few days ago, but it seems pretty limited. Does anyone else have an opinion on it?

Describing Inkarnate as "pretty limited" sums up my experience with it quite nicely.

[Diamond]

Yeah, Inkarnate is pretty small potatoes. It's fantastic if you're just getting started in mapping, and it has its uses as a fast-and-dirty on the fly mapping tool, but I'm with Kell on the PS bandwagon. You could also try GIMP, which is a free, open-source version of PS.

[Mouse]

I recommend making a collection of apps according to what each of them can do and your mapping needs over time.

Its more about filling your toolbox with useful tools than choosing to do everything with just one app - something that was originally pointed out to me way back in the beginning by Korash

[PaperGriffin]

I'd echo what Mouse has said; find a piece of software you enjoy using and supplement it with other software/tools. Speed will come with experience as you draw more maps and get more familiar with your chosen tools.

[ladiestorm]

If you can afford it, and if you have the time to learn the program, CC3+ is a good program as well. I noticed you mentioned it in your post. The one downside I've seen for a lot of mapping programs out there, they are based on your own ability to draw. Well, I'm a writer, a gamer and a crafter. One thing I am NOT, is a visual artist. My best hand drawn maps would look crude against a third grader. One of the things I like about CC3+, and I do use it exclusively, is that I can craft maps that make me look as if I have decent artistic talent, even though I don't.

But if you do have artistic talent, then you can make CC3+ do some amazing things! If you want a good example, take a look at some of Mouse's work. I know that now days she uses more than just CC3+, but you should see some of the maps she came up with using only profantasy products. They are nothing short of amazing. Her work can also show you the versatility of CC3+.


What it really boils down to, is to check out the different programs, and figure out which one would work best for you. I chose CC3+ because it had what I needed to produce the maps I want to produce, in a way that I couldn't do with photo shop or other programs. Photoshop is great if you have artistic talent. Gimp is good for that too. I know Mark Oliva uses Fractal Mapper 8, you could ask him what that program is like. Find the program, or programs, that best suit your skills and talents.

[Phergus]

I think Mouse nailed it in that you should put several tools in your toolbox as no one tool is always going to be the answer.

If you have no experience you might look at Wonderdraft. A nice little, and inexpensive, program for creating maps. Browse the reddit for Wonderdraft and take a look at all the maps posted by first time users of it. https://www.reddit.com/r/wonderdraft/

Inkarnate is fine for what it is but realize that most of the good mapping assets and features are only available through a subscription and it is web-based. They also automatically retain some rights to anything you produce with it.