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Thread: New to mapping and looking forward to it!

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  1. #1

    Default New to mapping and looking forward to it!

    Hello,
    Im new to using a pc to create maps and Im glad I found this site/group. I'd like to create area maps to help give my groups reference to the world they are exploring but my Real interest is in creating dungeon maps for use with miniatures (1" square grid style for D&D). I dont know what program would work best for a noob to create the maps for miniatures though.
    So hi glad to be here and hope to chat more with the guild as time go's by.

  2. #2
    Community Leader Jaxilon's Avatar
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    Welcome to the guild. I had never done any digital work before I joined here myself a few months ago. There are lots of good tutorials but for starters you will need to decide what software you want to use. There is a thread here that goes into some of that. It sort of boils down to a couple things: 1) Price (free - skyhigh) and 2) Artistic talent.

    If you are looking for free and have some talent I would say get the Gimp and have a go at some of the tutorials.

    Also, take a look at some of the other artists around here and find what styles look good to you and then take a look at what software they are using.

    Have fun, I know you will learn a ton and have some frustrations along the way. I still fight with getting what I want into the digital realm but I keep getting better at it so don't give up!
    “When it’s over and you look in the mirror, did you do the best that you were capable of? If so, the score does not matter. But if you find that you did your best you were capable of, you will find it to your liking.” -John Wooden

    * Rivengard * My Finished Maps * My Challenge Maps * My deviantArt

  3. #3
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Steel General's Avatar
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    Welcome Aboard!
    My Finished Maps | My Challenge Maps | Still poking around occasionally...

    Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.



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    Community Leader Guild Sponsor Gidde's Avatar
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    Welcome! The gimp is great for mapping, but doesn't tend to like to print to exactly 1" squares (at least not on my machine, though it could certainly be user error). So I make the maps in Gimp and then export them to something with finer control over print size, like OpenOffice's drawing tool.

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    Community Leader Facebook Connected tilt's Avatar
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    I use Illustrator and Photoshop for all my work - they have perfect control over everything - including your wallet
    working on a battle map right now - I'll post it in a WIP thread soon, and I'm making that in Photoshop
    regs tilt
    :: My DnD page Encounter Depot free stuff for your game :: My work page Catapult ::
    :: Finished Maps :: Competion maps - The Island of Dr. Rorshach ::
    :: FREE Tiles - Compasses :: Other Taking a commision - Copyright & Creative Commons ::
    Works under CC licence unless mentioned otherwise

  6. #6

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    Thanks for the greeting, money is an issue at the moment so I may have to start off with a free ap like GIMP then work up from there with time. I'm truely looking forward to taking the ideas in my mind and translating them to printed paper. Have any of you tried to do 1" grid maps on poster sized paper? I'd like to do that insted of standard paper cutouts for my dungeons eventually.

  7. #7
    Community Leader Guild Sponsor Gidde's Avatar
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    What I do (since I can't afford printing or a poster-sized printer) is print 8x10 tiles of my poster-sized 1" grid maps, and then cut them out and glue them to a sheet of posterboard to get ready for game. It's a bit more time intensive, but MUCH cheaper

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    Community Leader Facebook Connected tilt's Avatar
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    yep, you can get far with a spray can of glue and a normal desktop printer ... I've been making a series of 4x4 inch tiles (see signature) and they are ment to be printed, cut out and preferably glued to cardboard for solidity. But you could also just use the jpg's stick them together in photoshop and add more stuff. I also made 2 pits, a secret door for the same tiles - and plan to add more ... but there are just so many things to do
    regs tilt
    :: My DnD page Encounter Depot free stuff for your game :: My work page Catapult ::
    :: Finished Maps :: Competion maps - The Island of Dr. Rorshach ::
    :: FREE Tiles - Compasses :: Other Taking a commision - Copyright & Creative Commons ::
    Works under CC licence unless mentioned otherwise

  9. #9
    Community Leader Guild Sponsor Gidde's Avatar
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    Hmm, so the spray glue works? I've been using glue sticks since the can is kinda pricey for not knowing whether it'd work. I'll have to pick one up.

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    Community Leader Facebook Connected tilt's Avatar
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    love spray glue (and no - its not the smell *lol*) - there is a little waste everytime you use it, since you have to finish of by turning the can upside down and spraying the nozzle empty, but its not much. And the layer you get is thin and therefor often easier on the paper
    regs tilt
    :: My DnD page Encounter Depot free stuff for your game :: My work page Catapult ::
    :: Finished Maps :: Competion maps - The Island of Dr. Rorshach ::
    :: FREE Tiles - Compasses :: Other Taking a commision - Copyright & Creative Commons ::
    Works under CC licence unless mentioned otherwise

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