Best Mapping Software

[arbados]

Hey All:
FIRST POST!!!

I used to be a very happy Dundjinni user until they closed shop quite some time ago. They offered a great product and to this day I'm saddened that they folded as their mapping program was the best and easiest I've ever found! I still wonder why such a great mapping system folded? Their system was simple, but quite beautiful.

Now, with all that being said, I was curious if any of you knew or used any good mapping tools? If you do I'd love to hear what it is. I'm looking for world building as a primary, but also without question specific buildings and locations as well. I've been really struggling locating anything that equals my previous Dundjinni! I'd be very happy if someone took up the reigns of Dundjinni such as the Tact-Tiles were finally brought back by a KS'er. I'm looking for somewhat simple, but very detailed. I like very nice looking maps with great realistic looing detail.

I really appreciate any assistance.

John

[Mark Oliva]

I'm assuming you're aware of Campaign Cartographer 3+ and Fractal Mapper 8 (with 64-bit FM9 in development), and that neither fllls your bill. In that case, you probably want MapForge (http://www.mapforge-software.com/), the successor to Dundjinni. It's a new program developed by Heruca, who was one of the top contributors in the good ol' days to the Dundjinni forum.

[MidcenturyMr]

Yeah, this is my first post as well. Interested in the same topic. There's a lot out there online when I try and search for software. I'm looking to dip my feet in the water here and want to try making Fantasy maps for RPGs (like D&D / Pathfinder) and am looking for simple software that a beginner could use to make landscape, dungeon, city and building maps with grid marks for minis. Would you still suggest MapForge for that? I'll mostly be doing city maps and building layouts and am looking to create a specific building, so finding pre-made maps isn't an option anymore.

Thanks!

[Mark Oliva]

(I'm) looking for simple software that a beginner could use to make landscape, dungeon, city and building maps with grid marks for minis. Would you still suggest MapForge for that? I'll mostly be doing city maps and building layouts and am looking to create a specific building, so finding pre-made maps isn't an option anymore.

Before this thread dies, a lot of folks probably will chip in and tell you to go for their favorite mapping program. Some things to think about:

You probably have a 64-bit computer. It's likely that you have more than 4 GB of RAM. If you choose a 32-bit mapping product, keep in mind that your computer will be able to perform only 32-bit calculations and it will be able to use only 4 GB of its memory. When making larger cartographic maps, these limitations can be a colossal paint in the a**.

For a reference on my comments: I have MapForge, Campaign Cartographer 3+, Dundjinni, Fractal Mapper 8 and The GIMP. I've made maps with all of them. The cartographic program of my choice is Fractal Mapper 8. If I'm biased, which some may think, that will give you a clue as to where my opinions head.

Dundjinni was created first and foremost for making dungeon plans and battlemaps. It became problematical when one tried to use it for mapping worlds, cities or large geographic areas.

MapForge just went from beta testing to full retail version a few days ago. It's a bit like Dundjinni but ... from my limited beta experience ... better. How good it will be with city, overland and world mapping remains to be seen. Although it's brand new, it also is a 32-bit program, which means it will use only part of your computer.

Campaign Cartographer 3+ probably can do more than any of the other mapping programs on the market. It also has a huge learning curve. Based upon what you say you're seeking ... simple software that a beginner could use ... it might not be your best choice. A lot of users have a lot of problems with CC3+. For a sample of the kind of trouble users have, take a look at a few pages from the official forum: http://forum.profantasy.com/. CC3+ also has the problems of being 32-bit only. The manufacturer, ProFantasy Ltd. in London, has said that CC4 might be available as a 64-bit program, but there's no timetable for CC4.

Fractal Mapper 8 is a very competent and quick-to-learn cartographic program, but it cannot do everything that CC3+ does. Extensive free tutorials are available, and one can reach a rather advanced user level with about three days of learning time. It too is available only as a 32-bit program, but the manufacturer, NBOS Software, is in an advanced stage of development of the new 64-bit FM9. Release tentatively is planned for later this year, according to NBOS. Reduced price updates from FM8 will be available.

My guess is that the majority of the people here use none of these cartographic programs. I think the largest user groups here work with The GIMP and Adobe Photoshop. Neither is a cartographic program. Both are graphical programs with a high learning curve that can produce beautiful maps. The GIMP is freeware. Adobe Photoshop is a very expensive program, far more expensive than any of the other software products mentioned here.

Testing the mapping programs:

I believe that MapForge is offering a trial version, but check the homepage to be sure.

CC3+ is not available in a test version, but ProFantasy offers a two-week test period with the full product. If you're not happy within those two week, you can get a full refund.

NBOS offers a full test version of FM8. It does just about everything that the full version does except saving maps. You can install all of the free add-ins in the test version and do all of the exercises in the tutorials. It has no limit on time usage.

I don't know if there's a test version of Adobe Photoshop, but I rather doubt it. You don't need a test version of The GIMP, because the full version is free.

Hope this is some help.

[Azélor]

Many software including games especially smaller studios, still make 32 bit programs. Sometime they sell it as 64 bit, till someone figures out it's only using one core.
Despite 32 bit is outdated, many apparently can't take advantage of the 64 bit architecture yet.

Mark is right, many people here don't use software specifically made for map making.
The reason I and many prefer to use these despite their complexity is that they allow to overcome any limitation that the other mentioned software have.
You can basically do anything you what, once you figure how to do it.

Other software suggestion:
There are a few people who began using Krita recently, which is apparently a better option for making maps than Gimp or PS. I have not tested it so i cannot confirm. The main issue would be that you won't find many tutorial for making maps with this software. But at least those you will find won't be outdated.
You also have vector based programs like Inkscape (free) and Adobe Illustrator (not free) but from a map maker perspective, these are not the most intuitive tools to make maps. Not many people use them to create maps, but they are great for designing logos, flags, heraldry or elements to be incorporated into the map.

[heruca]

Other software suggestion:
There are a few people who began using Krita recently, which is apparently a better option for making maps than Gimp or PS. I have not tested it so i cannot confirm. The main issue would be that you won't find many tutorial for making maps with this software.

Interesting, I hadn't heard of Krita before. Will have to check it out to see if it's worthwhile for someone who's already learned Photoshop.

[selden]

Many software including games especially smaller studios, still make 32 bit programs. Sometime they sell it as 64 bit, till someone figures out it's only using one core.
Despite 32 bit is outdated, many apparently can't take advantage of the 64 bit architecture yet.

Unfortunately, you're confusing two different features. Being multi-threaded and using 64 bit addressing are completely separate from one another. 32 bit programs can make use of multiple cores (be multi-threaded) and 64 bit programs (programs which can address more than 4GB of main memory) can be still be written in such a way that they are limited to using only a single core.