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Thread: Hi Everyone - Need Some Help Please!

  1. #1

    Default Hi Everyone - Need Some Help Please!

    Hello,

    About Me: 31/F/PA, I go by Ellie. Not sure what other information would be of interest, lol.

    I am trying to find some information about a program I could use to create a map for my employer. He owns a campground and currently they are using a hand-drawn (unattractive and unprofessional) map. My task is to find a program to create something a little nicer and more professional. Think: maps at Six Flags. I need to be able to indicate nearby roadways and then to give more detail on the campground itself (lots, features such as playgrounds, bathrooms, dumpsters, and the waterway that runs along the border of the campground). Can anyone point me in the right direction, please?

    Thank you in advance!

  2. #2

    Default

    I think you have a couple options.

    One is AutoRealm, i have never used it but i think it can do six flags type maps. Plus autorealm is free. Another open to consider is offering it as a job here in the map making requests section (all the way at the bottom of the forum list.) I would imagine something like what your looking for wouldn't cost too much.

    Other wise, GIMP is a free program if you wanted to try the hand drawn method. I'm not sure if there is much else for programs that would work. I'm sure some one else could offer some better advice.

  3. #3

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    Thank you, Lokiie. I appreciate the input. I will look into those two programs you mentioned. I think my boss is set on MY doing it (free of charge aside from my salary, LOL) and while I love my job, I don't think I will lay out money from my own pocket for it!

    If anyone else has any input, suggestions, etc... they are appreciated! Thank you!

    - Ellie

  4. #4
    Community Leader Korash's Avatar
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    Default

    I think I would go with Inkscape (also free) instead of either Autorealm or the Gimp. Inkscape is a vector graphics program, but with an easier interface than Autorealm (at least as of the last time I looked at Autorealm about 10-15 years ago) I think that the learning curve is a bit steep with the Gimp if this is going to be a one-offish sort of thing. Don't get me wrong, the Gimp is a great prog, but might be a bit complicated for what you need.

    Good luck with your project and Welcome to the Guild, The Mappiest Place on the Web.
    Art Critic = Someone with the Eye of an Artist, Words of a Bard, and the Talent of a Rock.

    Please take my critiques as someone who Wishes he had the Talent

  5. #5

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    Welcome to the Guild Ellie. GIMP, Inkscape and Sketchup are all free programs that might be useful to you for this project. Best wishes.

    Cheers,
    -Arsheesh

  6. #6

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    To give you a little context for the options that have been presented, Gimp is what we call a "raster editor," which means that it works with grids of pixels. It is good for images that look photographic or have complex textural detail. The satellite style on Google maps is a good example of raster imagery. An image created in a raster editor is locked to the size it was originally created; you can make it a little larger, but not much before it starts to lose quality.

    Inkscape and other vector editors create images based on mathematical formulas. They typically render smooth, crisp lines, colors and patterns. The map style on Google Maps is a good example of vector graphics. A vector image can be scaled freely without losing quality, but great complexity and texture is more difficult.

    Sketchup is used to create relatively simple 3d graphics (although there are some power users who can make stunning photoreal images with it). If you have the Google Earth plug-in, you can see such 3d objects in major cities on the map.

    Whichever route you choose to go, feel free to post a Work in Progress (WIP) thread here and ask questions. You should find plenty of people willing to offer advice and assistance as you develop your maps.

    Welcome aboard!
    Bryan Ray, visual effects artist
    http://www.bryanray.name

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