Should I? Shouldn't I? Need advise from professional commissioned mappers

[Mark Oliva]

Cc3 and cc3+ are the only professional quality software specifically designed for making maps that I know of besides the software used for GIS type maps.

I have and like CC3 and CC3+ too ... but "the only professional quality software specifically designed for making maps ?" Oh, C'mon now!

[Tonnichiwa]

Are you seriously suggesting that it isn't? It is made off of fastCAD. That alone makes it professional level software. And I'm sure you are aware that it is not just a mapping program but it is also a full vector graphics program. This is what the company has said about it in their very own documentation.

Also, I said "that I know of". Do you know of others that are considered professional level software?

[ladiestorm]

Well, the point is now moot... As Josiah mentioned, the gentleman in question found a mapmaker, apparently I took too long. Of course, I only found out about it yesterday.

But hey, I will continue to do what I'm doing, and maybe something else will come of it. And next time, I won't waste time agonizing over it!

[Mark Oliva]

Are you seriously suggesting that it isn't? It is made off of fastCAD. That alone makes it professional level software.

<SNIP>

Do you know of others that are considered professional level software?

The contention that FastCAD makes a mapping program professional is your definition alone. If you like that definition, fine. I would think that a first criterion for defining what a professional program is, would be that a noticeable number of professional cartographers use it.

If you look at what professional makers of fantasy RPG maps are using, you'll seldom find anything made with CC3, CC3+, FM8, Dundjinni, AutoRealm, MapMaker, MapTool, etc., etc., etc. These are programs for and used largely by amateurs, and some of them - CC3 and CC3+ - are excellent in that respect.

Almost all professional digital cartographers use The GIMP or Photoshop. A few started with CC3 and moved on from there.

What I think: Inflated, exaggerated boosting of one certain program helps neither newbies here in the guild nor the program itself.

[Tonnichiwa]

I am going to have to disagree with you on what defines a piece of software as being professional level. I'm not going to disagree with you that a majority of professional mappers use photoshop or gimp for making maps. However, many architects and designers use fastCAD. FastCAD is specifically designed to give functions to the software user that they need to produce manufacturing drawings for the majority of industries in the world such as aircraft design. In Profantasy's case, what it seems to me is that they took fastCAD and re-programmed it to specifically design maps. However, underneath the hood it is still fastCAD. Yes, there are functions that don't work exactly like fastCAD does, but in the end it is still a professional level program.

Professional level program does not mean a number of professionals use it. It does mean that it offers a number of features that makes it so that a professional can use it to get their job done and fastCAD, even if re-programmed a little bit, certainly does do that.

I know that when it comes to fastCAD it is not easy to use as I was going to school for Computer Aided Design and Drafting and that is what we used in class. I also know that because of how difficult it is to use, a lot of people who are used to using something like photoshop find it far too difficult to use fastCAD. Some people in class just could not wrap their head around it. I have seen people on this site and other sites complain that cc3 and cc3+ have the same problem. They are so used to using photoshop that they just can't wrap their head around cc3 or cc3+. I think that is why most people use photoshop instead of cc3, not because cc3 is not professional quality software.

Almost all artists grow up using photoshop or use photoshop when they go to school for digital art. Some people also learn using Gimp. But that doesn't mean that something like Corel Draw or Auto Desk isn't professional level software just because professionals decide to use photoshop or gimp instead. The same goes for cc3 and cc3+

Also, I didn't say it was the industry standard as far as professional level map making software goes, just that it is professional level map making software.

I would just like to quote something from their own documentation about it. This comes from the Cartographer's Annual may issue of the year 2010.

"We will be doing something a little different this month, looking at ways to leverage the functions of cc3 for things besides maps. Campaign Cartographer 3 is a full-fledged vector graphics package and as such the possibilities for its use are endless. You can do flowcharts, mind maps, even whole character sheets in cc3."

[J.Edward]

Okay guys - not getting into that discussion - but, as this is ladiestorm's thread and related more to getting into commissions and info related to that and perhaps less about the software used, maybe we can wrap up that debate on the merits of particular software. I'll just throw out this - the end product and the cost - that's what clients care about, generally speaking. They don't really care how you get there, mostly.
Some clients have a need for editing the map in a given program, but usually the software you used is of little concern to them.