Quick question- map element basic research

[Runninghead]

Hi,

Just a quick question, hopefully:

So much "map furniture" on old maps but you can't research it if you don't even know what it's called.
I've boned up on windroses and added some in to my first proper map now (though it's nowhere near finished).
It's inspired me to add more "map furniture" so... any recommendations/info on these major elements, suitable for a newb?

I'm particularly interested at the moment in those scale frames- kind of chequered, that you see on some old maps, but any response welcome.

btw: I'm playing with procedurals and found a neat way to generate circles (in Photoshop) where lines on the windroses cross:



Select the windrose line layer (mine are pale blue lines on black, set to screen).
Copy it in to an Alpha Channel, make a selection of the Alpha channel.
Go Refine Edge and blur the selection so only the points where the lines cross are visible.
Use Shift Edge, Feather and Contrast to assist you here.
Click OK, and maybe do it again if you can't get it all done in one go- basically using this you can make a selection that looks like perfectly round discs, of various sizes, positioned over where the windrose lines crossed.
Make a new layer ad fill your new selection, set it's Fill to 0% and add a Stroke layer effect to draw your circles.
If it looks too neat you can rasterise the layer and roughen it or scuff it up with a layer mask.

You can even use this trick in conjunction with OldGuy's tutorial on roughening coast lines to generate new islands at exactly the points where the windrose lines cross, which seem more authentic to me.

Try it? Like it? Up my Rep!