World Map Basics

[Torq]

Hi all

I'm trying to get a decent base for a world map I'm putting togther for my new campaign. The idea is to take sections of the world map that are most relevant to the campaign events, magnify them and add more detail. To start with I want a simple but large map with continents and seas labelled, and only major topography included. This is my effort so far. Please give any comments, advice or criticism.

Torq

[ravells]

Wow! What method did you use to create it? In particular, how did you get the stroke on the coastline? The colour choices are stunning and the coast fractalisation and land mass distribution is really believeable. What sort of scale were you aiming for?

The only thing is the mountains where you've got the plateau effect going (which suggests clippling on the heightmap), but it's a really minor quibble.

Did you do this in Gimp? I can't wait to see more.

You know, this is one, when you've got it finished, to definitely consider professionally printing.

Ravs

[Torq]

Hi Ravs

Thanks for the kind words. Its all done in GIMP, but the height field is done using Terranoise (Thanks Arcana for posting it). The heightfield is essential because its used on almost every layer.

First I colour select an area in the sea, udjusting the threshhold to get the right amount. I then paste that selection over a new layer containing the land texture and clear the selected area. The land texture is actually a very blurred and colourised version of the farmland texture that you posted. Its had a few noise brushes painted over it.

The sea is a layer below that is simply done using the Filters-Render-Clouds-Plasma, which creates a muli-coloured noise pattern and then colourising it to blue.

The stroke on the coastline is simply that, a 0.7 pix wide solid black stroke following the line of the selection taken from the heightfield, on its own layer.

I then applied height fields three times, firstly to the surface texture. Then I copy a section from the heightfield using the colour select with some feathering, to correspond with the middle ranges in height and paste this to its own layer. Ajust the colour levels to the selection ranges from black to white again. Another layer is used with the same selected area, filled with a brownish rock texture and then the new height field is used to bump map it. The process is repeated for the highest areas using a grey rock texture. Before applying the bump map some lowering of each layer's opacity may be necessary.

After reading and following RobA's Gimp tutorial I also make a black/white layer from the land selection, just in case. You never know when you might need a layer mask, but I havn't needed one so far on this map.

As to scale, I dont know. Big man, really big! I suppose it should be roughly half the size of the surface area of the earth.

Cheers
Torq

[Eilathen]

Wow, absolutely awesome, Torq. I love the style.

This is a section from a world-map? If so, can we see the whole world-map? I always like to know how to position detailmaps in the whole picture

[Torq]

Sorry Eilathen, but this is as scaled out as it gets. I suppose it cant be the whole world because it doesn't link up with itself, but I haven't done anything with a wider lens. Thanks for the compliments though.

Torq

[pyrandon]

This is awesome, Torq! Can't wait to see more!

[RobA]

It has a very relaxing palette. Also, the mountain scale works well with the area you cover - not over extended, at all.

-Rob A>

[landorl]

I like the colors that you have used also. I do have to agree that the mountains, and even some of the hills have a bit of a plateauing look to them. However, I do love the textures, it gives a feeling to the contours of the land.

Great job so far!

[Torq]

Here is a more detailed look at the Nort-Western section of the world map. The same technique and the same height map have been used to show more topographical detail, hopefully this has been done better this time and will get rid of the plateau effect some of you picked up.

Torq

[ravells]

Oh my word! Looks utterly beautiful. I really like the way you've got those subtle folds of land on the plains. The mountains look a lot better too!

Even though this is a 'realistic' map, there is something really painterly about it - I love the way you have captured that feel.

Fantastic!