working on a topographic map and seeking advice

[arch-fiend]

This is my first attempt at creating a world map, I’m rather new to the attempt but I tried researching as much as i could about geology in order to do it as accurately as possible. But I’m inexperienced in the tools, techniques, and programs you here work in. the map I’ve made currently was done completely within adobe flash c3 as it is the program I have the most experience using.

The map I’m currently seeking help on is actually a practice map that I already decided I didn’t care to use any longer as I didn’t use any of the knowledge I later learned on (my 2nd map I calculated plate tectonics for). Currently this map is going to be used for me to learn what I need to make the 2nd map look proper. The first map I also plan to use for a general purpose map for D&D and any other games that I DM a campaign for. The 2nd map is going to be the world map for my own table top rpg I’m working on that I plan to get to a publishable level at some point. Personally I find it important to know information on this project such as the elevation and climate of any given point of the world, perfectionist that I am.

Right now I know a few issues with the map I have such as the mountain ranges and ocean trenches appearing randomly in places that don’t make sense and mountain ranges looking like a single solid geological feature including the mid ocean range. Another issue is the random plateaus everywhere that don’t really make sense. So far I haven’t considered how precipitation and erosion would affect the terrain and eventually form rivers and canyons yet either. I also think my coast lines are a bit, simple.
prometheus map wip.png
Anyway right now I simply what to know what I can do with what I have now to make my map more realistic or if I should completely start over. I’m willing to switch to a different program from this point if it allows me to keep what I’ve already done as a guide. I recently got the Wilbur program because I believed it was good for mapping topography and it does a decent job taking a gray scale image (which I can convert this into) and converting it to a map on there if anyone has any suggestions for using that that can help but I found that the minor difference between the majority of the continental crust (which is at an elevation of 500m to 0m on average and the continental shelf at -100m becomes an issue with simply using a erosion filter over the entire thing (not that it would fix most of the problems its just that I tried that already). I also don’t know how to use Wilbur very well either I should add.
prometheus map wip older.png
I also have this map without any mountain ranges added and without the sea floor mapped so if my best hope is honestly starting without those parts of it then could you give me any advice for creating mountain ranges and sea floor mapping? The white lines and red line surrounding the continents are the mountain ranges and continental shelf respectfully. Note: I also added more mountain ranges and changed a few others on this one simply because I felt the other was a bit lacking so I might use both at some point even though they are only a minor difference.

Again I’m willing to switch to a different program in order to get best results but I'm trying to make a purely topographic map right now.

[Azélor]

Well, first, welcome to the Guild! Your definitely not the only perfectionist around.

While tectonic is not really my cup of tea, some people are pretty good with this. Personally, I just emulate what others are doing on the matter so I can't really give advices.

Here are some good links:

http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...ad.php?t=31774
http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...ad.php?t=27652
http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...ad.php?t=27576

[waldronate]

I also don’t know how to use Wilbur very well either I should add.

You are not alone in your mastery of Wilbur. I'm not sure that there's anyone who knows how to use Wilbur very well. http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...ad.php?t=29412 does have some advice on working with Wilbur that you may find useful.

Wilbur is basically an image processing toy with some terrain image I/O that can do some hypsometric tinting and bump mapping to get its pictures. It's put out by a programmer who needs to get off his lazy behind and push out the new version that's been sitting partially complete on his hard drive for a few years now. Ah well, just more time, I think.

I notice that your shown images don't seem to be a whole-world map. Information on scale or projection would be helpful in offering advice because techniques for realism vary with the scale and resolution of the map. The real world uses resolution at the Planck scale (or smaller, depending on your physics model) across the whole of the universe, observable or not (again, depending on your model) and has effectively unlimited time to realize the desired result. Most of us don't have that kind of time or resources available and we have the further constraint that we need to produce comprehensible results, meaning that we need to make decisions about what we want to show. You need to help with information on what you want to show, because otherwise I'd just be guessing about techniques that would help.

[waldronate]

If you ever want some inspiration for tectonics, watch videos of magma pools. You'll see plates cool and sink on one edge, dragging the rest of the plate under, leaving new glowing edges behind. There's usually no direct analog for hotspots, but the idea is the same.

[arch-fiend]

hey fellows, thank you for your advice but i feel like part of my post was a bit misunderstood, this part here

The map I’m currently seeking help on is actually a practice map that I already decided I didn’t care to use any longer as I didn’t use any of the knowledge I later learned on (my 2nd map I calculated plate tectonics for).

what i meant to say by that is, the maps i've shown you are ones that i did before i was even considering the difference in plate boundaries and that plates move across the surface of my planet at all. if i decided to go back and rework this map to compensate for plate movement and boundary types it would be completely different looking and not really be worth my time. in fact i did make a 2nd map (one you don't see) in which i made new plates and calculated both their moments and the effect that would have at various plate boundaries. however because that map is still in an infant stage ill take what i can learn here so far and use it later on it.

what i really want to know is how various geological features should look and additionally what i need to do to make them look that way with a topographic style for my map.

@waldronate actually this map is 100% world map with a scale about equal to that of earth (because i'm not ambitious enough to try changing that much about the planet) i suppose it might have helped if i included lines of longitude and latitude on this map. i'm not really sure what details i should or shouldn't show with this scale. ill mention that the pictures of these maps have the same resolution as the final product i want to have 2512x1254 (why the odd resolution? eh just sorta came out that way) ultimately i only have a very basic idea of what i'm doing, i know my goal is "make a realistic-like topographic map of an alien world" but i don't know everything that means other than what it shouldn't look like. things i know are wrong are coastlines to neat and straight when they shouldn't be, mountain ranges that look like individual mountains instead of hundreds of thousands. i'm looking through the tutorials you provided with Wilbur, they look interesting.

edit: does Wilbur allow you to use a filter over a selected area only?

[johnvanvliet]

not bad

a good early start

my background is with full planet maps ( for 3d rendering) so the first things i notice tend to be with those aspects .

so it looks like you are using a Mercator projection ( great for shipping and ocean navigation ) but it has a problem near the two poles
and from the size about -180 long to 180 long and +65.5 north to -65.5 south
-- the Earth 65.5 N to 65.5 S -Mercator
mer.png

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_map_projections
Mercator
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercator_projection


most Topographic maps are black and white 16 bit (-32767 to +32768 values or 32 bit floating point) images
( 8 bit copy of the 16 bit DEM ) - Simple Cylindrical
test.png
and have false color copies mage for viewing on 8 bit ( 0 to 255) image editors and computer screens and printed on paper

a good tool is to play around with "The Earth"
http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org/
https://csdms.colorado.edu/wiki/Data:GTOPO30
GTOPO30.png
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/topo/gltiles.html



Wilbur is great for adding erosion and different types of noise

i input a 32bit float BT ( binary terrain ) image erode the section i am working on



as for software i use programs that are mostly Multi Operating System
run on Linux , Apple, BSD, and Windows

Nip2 ( supports 8,16,32,128 bit data )
Gmic ( supports 8,16,32,128 bit data )
GDAL
Qgis
Gimp 2.8 ( 8 bit only)
the IN TESTING!!! Gimp 2.9.3 ( supports 8,16 and 32 bit data )

Wilbur ( MS windows only ) i run it in WINE ( Wine Is Not an Emulator -- recursive acronym )

[arch-fiend]

@johnvanvliet actually i thought i was making a equirectangular map

also i have another question about wilbur, how do i save/make an image of a map i'm working on in the wilbur shader texture? you know the way the map looks when using that in the program?

i'm not against grey scale pictures but i think if i show anything here those wont have the detail that anyone would like. though i suppose everyone here is kind of use to looking at grey scales by now.

[waldronate]

edit: does Wilbur allow you to use a filter over a selected area only?

Yes, Wilbur allows for operations just on a selected area and offers the usual election operations you'd find in a painting program (select all, draw a selection, load/save as image, invert selection, expand/contract selection, feather, and so on).

[waldronate]

also i have another question about wilbur, how do i save/make an image of a map i'm working on in the wilbur shader texture? you know the way the map looks when using that in the program?

File>>Save As, then select any entry with "texture" in the name. Those operations save the visible image. The operations save the height data. I recommend using the MDR format for saving height data because it's very fast to operate with and preserves the full dynamic range of the data in Wilbur as well as the map info.