[Award Winner] Atlas Walkthrough [Fractal Terrains & Illustrator]

[HandsomeRob]

Step 7. The Graticule
Unfortunately, I don't know of an easier or more accurate way to do this step. To get a nice grid of latitude and longitude lines, I turn on the graticule image I created in FT way back at the beginning, and trace it with the pen tool. I really wish I knew of a better way to handle this step, but I don't.

Step 8. The Typemask
In order to prevent ugly crashes between type and linework, I've set up the layers in my Illustrator file to handle a clipping mask for type. To make this mask, create a new layer and copy all of your type into it. Outline the type (Type > Create Outlines) and give it a stroke (usually 1 pt). Outline the stroke (Object > Path > Outline Stroke). Now copy your map frame into this layer, select all on the layer, and Divide (using the Pathfinder pallette). Ungroup, deselect the outer frame, and delete. What you will have left is a compound path including the map frame and a half-pixel buffer around all the type objects. Move this into the Type Mask layer and set it as a clipping mask (Object > Clipping Mask > Make). The linework around type should disappear if you've done this properly.

And that's it! The final map is attached below. Thanks all and feel free to bombard me with questions.

-Rob

[Badger]

Well.... I did it.... I went and bought the Adobe Creative suite with Illustrator and CS 3 Extended .... so I expect I'll be trying this tutorial out soon... whenever I get it in the mail that is ... and then get it set up ...

Great tutorial by the way...

[aeronox]

Wow, getting Adobe CS for mapping.

$_$

[Badger]

ya.. not just for mapping, my wife and I have a publishing company we started, so it will have other uses...but $_$ is right... almost made me sick spending that much... however, it came in today and so far... it's money well spent. Well, spent, anyway

If I had spent that much on a program just so I could use it to make maps... well, I'd either be a little slow in the head or uber-rich... I'm working on the latter and I've always been the former...

[HandsomeRob]

Of course, if you can get it with an educational discount you would be silly to pass it up. I bought a full edition of CS2 for $200 when my wife was in school. That's a great deal. I think it retails for something like $1200.

-Rob

[Midgardsormr]

Of course, it violates the license to use an educational edition for professional work, so if you go that route, you're limited to using it solely for personal use. Not that Adobe would probably notice, but if you've started a publishing company, it's probably best that you paid for a standard license.

Hope you're enjoying yourself!

[Badger]

a discount off $1799 would have been nice... they are very proud of their creative programs... that is FO' SURE...