Vector vs. Raster - when to use which?

[Redrobes]

Sure, my comments were more directed to GP and this line :-

created in Xara Xtreme, with never touching a raster application

C'mon, its part raster application too.

Edit -- actually Nomadic, your aware of what you find best between the two types which is great. Its the knowing that counts and not dismissing one over the other that is important and knowing when to go 3D or use an effect etc. Its about being aware of your tool set and your comfort with each. Chgowiz asked when to use this or that but the answer is dependent on each person and their ability and comfort with them. I use a significantly different set of tools to everyone else here and all I suggest is that people try out different stuff - at least try a raster and vector app or use the raster and vector parts of one app and try some 3D and a stamping token based tool etc. Each have their own pros and cons and no one app has it all. People who say 'I do everything in xyz app' (which is usually PS actually) are missing out.

[Gamerprinter]

@Nomadic - I wasn't critizing your process or what best works for you. My disagreement was based on the general state that raster is more real and vector is just faster... what works for you, works for you, I'm not criticizing that. (Vector is faster no matter whether you're creating line art or working with images and photographs)

@Redrobes - I guess I should rephrase that, in my mind a raster application is an image editor (like Photoshop or GIMP) and Xara is not an image editor. Its true it can incorporate raster images in its functionality - and its power to feather, bevel, add transparency in layers is vastly superior than to other applications in its same class.

However, there are many things I can do with Xara, that I couldn't do with other apps like CorelDraw and Micrografx Designer (my original vector app.)

I've also qualified myself saying that I do use Raster apps as need arises or using 3D apps for specific needs. Still Xara is always in my production workflow, though sometimes I use only Xara to create maps.

GP

PS: to avoid pixelization, I always use as high a resolution an image file as I can whether a painted texture or photograph. I try to obtain large format 300 dpi graphics for all my textures when possible.

[Nomadic]

@Nomadic - I wasn't critizing your process or what best works for you. My disagreement was based on the general state that raster is more real and vector is just faster... what works for you, works for you, I'm not criticizing that. (Vector is faster no matter whether you're creating line art or working with images and photographs)

Yea I know, I was actually trying to avoid someone doing this (why I stated that I personally did it that way). But I am bad about not clarifying that my statement is a personal view. So people still had a bit of trouble understanding that I wasn't saying "raster=real vector=fast" I was saying "for me raster is better at real and vector is better at fast".

[Chgowiz]

... at least try a ... stamping token based tool

What is that? There have been times when it would have been easier to "stamp" the patterns rather than futz with a layer/mask.

[Gamerprinter]

Lots of the lower end mapping apps are stamp based tools. Dundjinni is probably the best of that class of application.

GP

[Chgowiz]

Lots of the lower end mapping apps are stamp based tools. Dundjinni is probably the best of that class of application.

GP

:forehead slap: Duh. I should have known that, as I've used Dundjinni before. I was hoping for something a bit more flexible in terms of output (and something I can use on Linux!)

[RobA]

@Chgowiz-

Dungeonforge can run under wine and is a nice little stamp/tile mapping program (though it has its own limitations...)

-Rob A>

[Chgowiz]

@Chgowiz-

Dungeonforge can run under wine and is a nice little stamp/tile mapping program (though it has its own limitations...)

-Rob A>

That program is receiving a lot of discussion on the Swords/Wizardry forum the past two days, as they're doing a 3 day megadungeon project. Thank you for telling me that it runs under Wine, now I have Yet Another Program to go check out. *chuckles* May we live in interesting (or at least, mutiple tools options) times.