Does Dundjinni have a CD version anymore?

[jpstod]

Well since you have talked with her..What are her plans on DJ ? Upgrade..Not Release any More Art Packs?

Win 98 or XP ...either Way I want to be able to Use DJ..

Well How about just getting the OLD DJ Forum Art where it can be Found >>>> EASILY. Hate having to hunt and piece together sets..Art packs are great because they are arranged already

Been trying to get on DUNDJINNI site but ain't been able to

[Mark Oliva]

Well since you have talked with her..What are her plans on DJ ? Upgrade..Not Release any More Art Packs?

Any announcements that are to be made are Mindy's to make, not mine, not Bogie's, not anyone else's.

Win 98 or XP ...either Way I want to be able to Use DJ..

Great. Nothing should stop you.

Well How about just getting the OLD DJ Forum Art where it can be Found >>>> EASILY.

??? I have no problems there.

Hate having to hunt and piece together sets..Art packs are great because they are arranged already

I agree. But only the individual owners of the art or someone who has their explicit permission can consolidate it into an art pack and make it available ... something like Cecil Solomon did with the CSUAC. I have neither the time nor sufficient interest to do that. You seem to have the interest. Maybe you have the time too. If so, you'd do a real service to Dundjinni users. As you can see from the many Dundjinni battlemaps that appear here, a lot of people still use Dundjinni.

Been trying to get on DUNDJINNI site but ain't been able to

??? I haven't had those problems. In fact I just checked this minute, and it seems to be working fine.

However, the problem in this thread really lies elsewhere. You've said twice in these forums that Dundinni is "out of business." That simply isn't true. It's both wrong and damaging to the owner when you make untrue statements like that.

[Peter 67]

How difficult is it to get Dundjinni loaded on to a windows 8 machine? As I really wanted this software

[Gamerprinter]

Personally, though I find the fan created content for Dundjinni as great resource material usable in many mapping and graphics applications, Dundjinni itself is little more than a glorified image stamping program. I've got it. Though the software was given to me by the developers when I visited their booth at Gencon 2007, because I provided an RPG map printing service, and I'd already been setup to print Campaign Cartographer maps (which is the reason Dundjinni gave it to me for free). I played with the program for about 3 days and decided it was seriously under-powered and under-capable as far as creating custom map work, so I've never used it again. To me the lowest-end graphics applications run circles around Dundjinni as far as capablity goes. Like I said, the images included in the base program are really nice, but the application itself is kind of "meh", in my honest opinion.

[Mark Oliva]

Dundjinni itself is little more than a glorified image stamping program.

SNIP

To me the lowest-end graphics applications run circles around Dundjinni as far as capablity goes.

I have Dundjinni too and I don't use it either, or at least haven't for some time. However ... I have difficulty with such a blunt erasure of the program. Dundjinni can be excellent for doing battlemaps and other encounter scenarios, but it starts to run into difficulty when one wants to do overland maps or maps of cities or villages.

That not withstanding, some of the graphically finest battlemaps posted by guild cartographers were and continue to be made with Dundjinni. It's certainly true that Dundjinni is a tile stamper, but in the hands of someone who knows how to use the program (see Bogie's contributions for examples) it'll match the quality of some of the better maps I've seen here from users of Photoshop or The GIMP. And with Dundjinni, one can make those maps in about 20% of the time that it takes to do the same with Photoshop or The GIMP.

[Gamerprinter]

As with my previous post, this is my opinion only, I am not judging the qualities of a given software for all its potential users, however just to me (only), I find any graphics program usable for map work that is not able to create the detailed map objects (trees, structures, etc.) within the same application is inferior as a workspace. This means programs like ProFantasy Campaign Cartographer and despite its add-on annuals that contain addtional map object sets falls into this "inferior" (to me) software. I cannot create a mountain, city symbol, or tree fill within CC3, I can use content created outside the program and use it as map objects to come up with fantastical and professional results. However, because applications like CC3, Hexagrapher, Dundjinni, among many others cannot create the content used in a map, they feel (to me) like half a program - its missing half the needed capability. I acknowledge that with the right map object content, all these programs can have fast and aesthetically pleasing results - this applies to Dundjinni as well. Since none of these programs can do the entire job - I find all such programs "meh".

I will acknowledge that aside from simple 3D extrusions, which Xara software has such capability, I will sometimes use 3D specific software to create complex map objects that are difficult to replicate in a non-3D environment, but that is the only exception to being fully capable software used in my production process. Aside from 3D content creation, all functions used in creating map objects and maps are done in the preferred application I use. I hardly ever need to leave Xara, to get the entire map created. This is how I define all best applications for cartography - if they cannot do the bulk of the entire job, I won't use them and I will rate them as "inferior".

A further caveat regarding map object content (for me only), I never use content created by someone else. Every tree, rock, plant, table, kitchen utensil, everything in my maps is created by me. Even if its perfectly legal for me to use third party content to create professional, aesthetically pleasing commissionable maps - I only ever use content I create.

As an aside, I have absolutely no problem with running circles around Photoshop and GIMP, I would argue that I can create any map in Xara in 50% or less time it takes to do an equivalent map in those mentioned programs (from anyone using those applications, not just me). Aside from capability, the primary reason I prefer Xara is that its extremely fast and easy to use.

[Mark Oliva]

As with my previous post, this is my opinion only, I am not judging the qualities of a given software for all its potential users, however just to me (only), I find any graphics program usable for map work that is not able to create the detailed map objects (trees, structures, etc.) within the same application is inferior as a workspace.

SNIP

I certainly have no problem with your preferences. However,

I cannot create a mountain, city symbol, or tree fill within CC3

I'd have to argue that you may not know how to do it, but it is quite possible to make mapping objects like those you've mentioned with CC3 and Fractal Mapper 8. Our project group has made about 1,500 mapping objects with FM8 that are free for download in versions for Photoshop, The GIMP, Dundjinni and FM8. The CC3 version is not yet complete and only partially released.

Aside from capability, the primary reason I prefer Xara is that its extremely fast and easy to use.

Out of curiosity, I looked at the Xara web site. Which Xara programs do you use? I've had good experiences with other types of software from Magix AG, but I know nothing about Xara. I thought the web site could be more informative.

[Gamerprinter]

Well I use Xara Designer Pro, but I also do some web work (in my day job) and the Pro version includes features that aren't necessary for cartography. Xara Photo & Graphic Designer includes only those features needed to create maps and is significantly less in price than the Pro version, at $89 instead of $249 for the Pro version.

Xara has been around for over 15 years, originally as a UK based software company, Xara had been combined with CorelDraw as Corel/Xara about 12 years ago, though that relationship didn't extend beyond a single release. Xara had created many web specific applications like Xara MenuMaker that allowed you to create customizeable buttons with Java code built in which was my first introduction to Xara products. Soon after they released XaraX1 which was the first version of Xara Designer Pro. I have since upgraded to Xara 4, then 5, then currently I use 9 (though as mentioned 10 is released, and rumors of 11 is coming soon).

Magix bought Xara about 3 years ago, though the development team still operates in the UK. While most Magix products are targetted to the non-professional market, Xara products while usable to anyone due to ease of operation, is much more a professional graphics application than the rest of Magix stable of products.

You could visit Talkgraphics.com which is a Xara fansite, though Xara developers and other Xara team members are there often. I have a thread in the Xara Graphics Chat forum called Creating Maps with Xara Xtreme, (Xtreme was what the software was called up to version 5) that could serve as a portfolio, as many of my maps are posted there - incidentally, that thread is the most viewed thread on Talkgraphics website, with over 70,000 views more than #2 thread.

Xara Designer Pro has earned many industry awards, best software of the year awards and great reviews.

[Mark Oliva]

Thanx! Sounds interesting. I'll take a look at the things you suggested.