The initial research

[Hai-Etlik]

It sounds like you might be getting into the realm where GIS would actually be a good idea than massive overkill. Campaign Cartographer and friends are essentially just specialized graphics editors. Real life maps are largely produced with GIS software, though finishing touches may be done with graphics or layout tools. A GIS allows for shifting data layers around, altering their symbolizaton, and overlaying them to produce new data (such as intersecting temperature and moisture to get an aggregate climate layer.)

Probably the hardest part is going to be the DEM (Digital elevation model). Making a DEM that looks good is a lot of work and need yet more specialized tools. There are a lot of quick and dirty DEM/Heightfield generators out there but they all suffer from well, looking like quick and dirty terrain generators. They generally rely on various kinds of recursive noise generators based on fractals or the Perlin algorithm which all give overly consistent and unnatural looking results. In particular, they don't vary in frequency the way real landforms do. They also lack tectonic effects and usually erosion effects as well.

I've written a partial introduction to QuantumGIS (an Open Source GIS) in the tutorials section if you want to give it a try: http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...-for-using-GIS

[Blather]

Just started receiving my Profantasy software today. Looks like I got everything but the Campaign Cartographer 3 disc, of course. That will not arrive until Monday of next week.

@Hai-etik: Thanks for the info. GIS sounds a little more in-depth than I need to go. As this project is currently for my own personal use and not public. I will probably not get that far. The elevation map is more for me as a DM/game referee. Being somewhat familiar with what differing climates occur at elevation it is more of a storytelling tool than needed for the verisimilitude of the world. I do however love the tutorial you have given. If I were a more technically minded individual I would give it a try.

If I understand correctly, Fractal Terrains is one of the types of noise generating programs you are talking about. Part of my plan is to get the general outline of the world completed. Block off the varying terrain types and then use FT3 to build the noise map. I have had a few suggestions as to how to use the noise map and an image editing program to generate a basic contour map.

Coming SOON!

I will start doing some more hand drawn outlines for scanning tomorrow and will start posting some general information as the terrain types develop.

[Blather]

Here I have done the first hand drawn map layout. This contains the basic outlines of land masses. I plan on using this map to stage out some of the larger details of the world. This would include mountain ranges, major rivers, canyons, volcanic activity as well as the various climates.