The CG List of Mapping Software (continued):
Title: PD Particles
Vendor: Project Dogwaffle
Web Site: http://www.thebest3d.com/pdp/
Type: Partical Based (Raster)
Focus: General
Platform: Windows
Price: $19 USD
Description:
particle based paint system called Optipustics, natural FX brushes used to create realistic plant life for use a map-objects in most mapping applications. Uses alpha channels, varying degrees of transparency, includes: mass, gravity, splits, follow mouse, alpha and fades. Can be used as a standalone paint program.
Examples:
(PD Particle tutorial in software discussion category)
Title: RPGMapMaker
Vendor: Francois Menneteau
Web Site: http://fmteau.club.fr/rpgmapmaker/rpgmapmaker.htm
Type: Raster/Tile Based
Focus: Mapping
Platform: Mac
Price: $37,- (through KAGI)
Description:
RPGMapMaker is a tool for drawing maps with polygonal grids. This kind of maps is used in Role Playing Games, but of course can be designed for any other purposes.
Examples:
http://www.cartographersguild.com/at...6&d=1205348942
Title: ViewingDale
Vendor: Viewing Ltd
Web Site: http://www.viewingdale.com
Type: Raster/Symbols
Focus: Mapping
Platform: Windows
Price: £25 boxed, includes worldwide P&P. (~ $49USD)
Description:
ViewingDale is a mapping program, zoom browser for maps and VTT. It maps at no fixed scale meaning that you can have multiple icons or maps on screen at all different scales / resolutions. Grids in square and hex. Maps are created by placing clip-art/images within the map environment handling opaque, cut out and semi transparent icons with grouping
Examples:
Vendor Gallery
Title: Xtreme 3.2
Vendor: Xara LTD / Magix AG
Web Site: http://www.xara.com
Type: Hybrid Raster/Vector
Focus: General
Platform: Windows/Linux
Price: $79 USD / Free Linux version
Description:
This unique hybrid raster/vector application is built on a very fast rendering engine, one of the few apps allowing you to perform post-edits on objects with special effects already applied, powerful transparency, edge feathering, beveling and drop shadows with add-on photoshop plug-ins. Animation and web graphics features round out this all-purpose DTP application.
Examples:
January Challenge - a thousand welcomes, October Challenge - Temple Transformation
------ Not Alphabetized after this point ------
Title: planetgenesis
Vendor: Open source(David Burnett, Did Datta, Colin Paddock(?))
Web Site: http://planetgenesis.sourceforge.net
Type: Raster Based
Focus: Fractal
Platform: java(works on Mac, Windows and presumably Linux)
Price: $0.00 USD
Description:
A noise engine based around a node interface. It has a wide selection of noises including fractals and multifractals(built on straight, ridged and billowy perlin or perlin simplex basis functions), worley noises(a variety of voronoi-based noises), fault noise, and a variety of terrain features and gradients.These can be modified with a number of functions such as absolute, clamp, craterize, scale, sine, logarithm, mask(a threshold function), and even a really disfunctional and slow erosion. These can also be combined using simple arithmetic, exponentiation and a number of distortion methods.
It outputs planar landscapes or spherical planets as 16-bit png or sgi images, povray meshes(slowly), terragen files and YAFRAY landscape meshes.
Examples:
Just about every map by su_liam has some pG in it somewhere, but here is a specific example.
Title: Terraform
Vendor: Open source(Robert Gasch and David Bartold)
Web Site: http://www.firedrake.org/terraform/
Type: Raster Based
Focus: Mapping/Fractal/3D
Platform: X-Windows(works on Mac and, I believe Windows)
Price: free
Description:
Terraform is an open source interactive height field generation and manipulation program, giving you the ability to generate random terrain and transform it. Terraform runs under Linux and other UNIX systems under the X11 Windowing system. It uses the GNOME desktop platform and thus has a (more or less) consistent graphical user interface which doesn't require use of the command line.
Terraform allows you to generate random terrain using a number of algorithms and then selectiveley change the terrain using a variety of transformations. Where possible, the transformations provide a real-time preview, giving you instant feedback on the effect of any parameter changes.
Examples:
None Yet.
Title: YeOldeMapMaker
Vendor: ThinkingImpairedStudios
Web Site: http://www.yeoldemapmaker.com/
Type: Tile Based
Focus: Mapping
Platform: Web Based - Flash App. Flash version 8 required
Price: FREE!
Description:
-Design grid-based (DnD style) RPG maps using premade walls and objects
-Print maps for free directly from your browser. (Maps span two 8.5"x11" sheets of paper)
-Save maps privately or publicly to your account for later use (Free to signup)
-In a rush? Load a public map, edit it to your needs, and print it in a snap
-Public maps can also be saved as new maps under your own account!
Examples:
Check out one of the many public maps from the site!
Title: Wilbur
Vendor: Slayton Software
Web Site: http://www.fracterra.com/software.html
Type: Raster
Focus: Terrain / Height field
Platform: Windows XP or later; 64-bit version available
Price: $0
Description:
It allows an individual to play with terrain data (height fields). It can import data from and export data to many popular file formats. In addition, it allows the data to be modified with a number of image processing operations as well as height field painting tools.
Examples:
Fun With Wilbur
Title: Relief Map Generator
Vendor: Greenfish
Web Site: http://greenfish.extra.hu/downloads.php
Type: Fractal
Focus: Terrain Maps
Platform: Windows
Price: 0$ - FREE
Description:This utility generates random images which resemble real relief maps. The randomized maps contain settlements with random names, hills, plains, lakes and seasides. The program can generate random town names (which are fictious and do not exist anywhere), or pick them randomly from a provided text file. The generated images are public domain and can be used anywhere.
Examples:
http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/9051/harta1.jpg
Title: It's full of Stars
Vendor: Claus Børnich
Web Site: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaver...sweb/index.htm
Type: who knows
Focus: Star System maps
Platform: Windows
Price: 0$ - FREE
Description: (From the website) It's Full of Stars is a utility program for creating star maps and solar systems. Using 3D graphics it displays both starmaps and the solar systems with planets and moons in orbit around the star. A quick and easy to use point-and-click interface, room for lots of data, as well as several 3D rendered objects. Animation of orbits, placing of routes, generation of random systems, as well as guides and other functions make this a very useful utility for astronomer, writer and gamer alike.
Examples:http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaver...sweb/index.htm
Title: Ortelius
Vendor: Mapdiva, LLC
Web Site: http://www.mapdiva.com
Type: Vector
Focus: Mapping
Platform: Mac
Price: $99USD STD EDITION
Description:
Ortelius is a map illustration program for Mac OS X. Features specialized cartography tools, hundreds of symbols and styles, feature labeling, scaled drawing, and ability to maintain map attribute data, GIS shapefile import, more.
Examples:
See Website