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1. #Profantasy map editor how to#
2. #Profantasy map editor software#
3. #Profantasy map editor series#
4. #Profantasy map editor free#

#Profantasy map editor how to#

Rather, this is about how to use vector tools to make a map that you can use for a fantasy novel. I may make some mention of this, but it’s not the focus. You can learn elsewhere how mountains interact with forests and rivers I think it’s easier to find information on that than it is to find a tutorial on vector mapmaking. This will not be the subject of this series. More specifically, how to make your map look like a natural continent. The thing I want to talk about last is how to make your map look good. No it’s probably better to stick with Inkscape and Affinity Designer. The coastline patterns repeat constantly, and the results look unnatural at best.

#Profantasy map editor free#

Another free application I’ve tried is called AutoREALM, and it’s terrible. However, the interface is torture to work with, and to make things worse the export functionality is just plain broken. Coastlines drawn in Campaign Cartographer tend to look great, and there are loads of other features to make mapmaking easier. What About Campaign Cartographer and AutoREALM?Ī popular choice for this job is ProFantasy’s application Campaign Cartographer 3, which is designed for just this purpose. If you want to learn mapmaking entirely in Inkscape, please check out my book: How to Make a Fantasy Map. I’ll be working mostly in Affinity Designer, as that’s what I mainly used when I first wrote this article. There are a number of them available, but for this map I’ll be using two of them: What you will need is a vector editing software. You can draw the initial sketch that way if you want, but it’s not necessary.

Since we’ll be doing this all on a computer, you won’t need any pens, pencils, erasers, or paper. Secondly, I don’t think anyone put even the slightest effort into making Martin’s map look pretty. First of all, vector art was still in its infancy when that map was drawn. The good news is that the reasons for that map’s ugliness are apparent.

Just look at James Sinclair’s map for A Game of Thrones and you’ll see what I mean his map looks like it was made in Powerpoint. After all, fantasy maps made with vectors tend to look kind of… awful. Some among you may be wondering why I’ve decided to work in vectors.

#Profantasy map editor series#

This series of guides is going to assume you know the basics of vector editing, and if you don’t there are numerous videos on the internet to teach you. Vector files don’t become pixelated the more you zoom in the way pixel images do, but as you can imagine, creating them isn’t as intuitive. Essentially what this means is that you tell the computer that “this line should start here, curve like this, and end here,” and the computer renders this as a curved line. Vector images, on the other hand, consist of a lot of mathematical equations, though you won’t need to know anything about math to work in vectors. Raster images consist of little dots called pixels each one’s a different colour, and when you put them all together in the right order you get an image. A raster image is the sort that you’re probably used to on the internet they include. Vectorsįirstly, for those unfamiliar with image editing, I think I should explain the difference between vector images and raster images. Although the beginning steps may take longer, the medium will be more forgiving of mistakes later on. Instead I will show you how to make a map using vector tools.

For this tutorial, we’ll be using neither. There are many books that will tell you how to draw maps with a pencil, and there are many videos on YouTube that will tell you how to do it using Photoshop or GIMP.

#Profantasy map editor software#

There are many media one can use to draw a fantasy map, from photo-editing software to good old-fashioned pen and paper. After spending weeks on my practice map, I finally made something I was happy with, and I’ve since started work on the map I’ve been unable to make for so long. Eventually I decided to just practice making maps till I figured out a method that worked. I even got stuck on my story because I needed to know where things were. In my search for a way to quickly and easily make my map, I looked at countless applications. For my part, I’ve needed to make a map for the world my book is set in for a while now. There are reasons one might need a fantasy map besides just writing, of course perhaps you’re running a campaign for your favourite tabletop role-playing game or maybe you just want to try making maps. Therefore, let us begin my guide on how to make a fantasy map. I hope this series of articles proves useful to you. After making a few maps of my own, I thought I’d share what I’ve learned here. On top of that, there are mountains, rivers, trees, towns, castles, and so many more things to consider.