(Photoshop) Create a dungeon floorplan in minutes (dial-up killer)

[Torq]

Great Tut Duvik.

Arcana, when can he have a competition creating this sort of map? It seems that the number of VT heads is growing on the forum (:


Torq

[Duvik]

Heh, glad you all think it's useful and take heed of the suggestions made by Kalmarjan... they are all well deserved and... my only excuse for those errors is...

These maps were created over a year ago as I practiced the the techniques I had been pieceing together from around the net. I've gotten a little more skilled and pay more attention to the little details. Here's a screen shot of another more recent map I am working on that uses this technique...

((note... i still need work on torches and doors but, you can see a lot of improvemnents over those first maps i posted.)) The attached map is of small scale and was designed for the following event... The Kobold's Key

[RPMiller]

Where did you find those beds? I'm looking for such a bed right now actually.

[Duvik]

homemade, i can post a copy of just the beds if ya wish, won't be til tomorrow though, I'm off to bed... started a new job today and got knowledge overload...

[Duvik]

nevermind, if yer looking now... i know how it is... here's the bed as a png... you'll have to clear drop shadow yerself though,,, i had merged the layers for bed...

[RPMiller]

Thanks! If you happen to have the original or remember how you made it that would be even better. I'll make do with this one for now.

[Duvik]

just a quick note on how i made the bed...

it consists of 4 layers:

1: bottom layer, transparent

2: bedpost layer ((just make four circles of similar size after you draw the mattress and space them at edges... color them a light brown and then use layer effects to give them bevel and texture))

3: Mattress layer ((simply use the Rounded Box tool to draw the shape and color the sheets whatever color you want and then play with various Satin settings until it looks like sheets are ruffled a bit))

4: Pillow Layer ((another Rounded Box that is colorized and satinized))

Once you have created all the above layers and objects... and you have a good looking bed made up, you just merge all the layers that make up the bed and apply a drop shadow. Make sure you set your background to transparent before saving. ((I usually keep a dark BG while drawing and then just hide the BG layer before saving. Oh yeah, save it as a png or gif else the transparency won't apply. ((png preferably, gifs suck at rendering drop shadows))

[RPMiller]

I actually avoid merging layers as much as possible to make future editing easier. For example, what I would change with your directions above is after step 3 I would use the selection tool to select the transparent layer but use all layers. This would give me the outline of the bed including posts. I would then invert the selection, create a new layer and then fill it with whatever color. I would then use that layer to create the drop shadow and move it to the bottom. This would also give a nice appearance of height to the bed.

I always forget about that Satin Filter's usefulness. I really need to use that more often me thinks. Thanks for the step by step on the bed! I'll rep you when I can do it again.

[Rynam]

I have photoshop CS and I have wanted for a long time to draw out maps with it, but I really don't know how to use everything. I was looking for a video tutorial that had somebody using photoshop to make a dungeon map, cuz every single tutorial i find is for a world overview map. If anybody can put a link up that would be really helpful, I've spent the last week looking a tutorial. If I can get one that shows me how to do everything from beginning to end for a map, then i can make maps and scenario's for my friends and I. Thanks.

[RobA]

Hi-

I quickly followed the tutorial using GIMP. Attached is the result.

Here is a markup of the steps with the GIMP changes in bold:

Step 1: Decide on your overall map and grid size and open your file. I'll be using a 45px grid on a 20x20 square map. ((900x900 px for image dimensions))

see the Grid Tutorial for making a transparent grid layer
(filter->render->pattern->grid)
Optional: turn on grid snap (view->snap togrid) and set grid to 45px as well (edit->preferences->default grid) This seems to have to be done before creating the image(?)

Step 2: Create a new layer. fill it with your grid pattern, and reduce it's opacity to about 10-20%... just enough to see it while you draw your floorplan.

Step 3: Create a layer 'under' the grid layer and name it 'floor'

Step 4: On your 'floor' layer, you have a few options for drawing but... for beginner's, we're going to use the rectangular Marquee selection tool (see Appendix 1 for method to draw natural looking cave systems). Using this tool, start drawing your rooms and connect them with hallways and corridors. The gridlines will serve as an easy guide for judging measurements and placing doors.

Either select the whole floor area at one go, using shift and alt to add or subtract from the selection, then fill the whole thing with a nice grey, OR fill each selection at a time and build it up that way. PS fill with foreground shortcut is ctrl-,

Step 5: Once you have your floors shape all filled in... use the magic wand fuzzy select tool and select the entire floor. Or right click on the layer icon and select “Alpha to selection”

Step 6: Set your brush size to 5px and a hard stroke.
Don’t bother with this as it is taken care of in the new step 8

Step 7: Create a new layer, name this one 'walls'

Step 8: On your walls layer, choose the marquee tool again, your previous selection of the floor layer should still be visible. Right click the image and select, Stroke (position: outside)
Edit->Stroke Selection. Expand the line style, and set it to 10 px, square cap, miter join, antialiasing on, then click Stroke. Now Edit->Clear the selection. This leaves you with a 5 px stroke outside the selection.

You now have a nice wall surrounding your floor

Step 8: Switch focus to the 'floors' layer and then use your magic wand again. Or right click on the layer icon and select “Alpha to selection” This time, once you select the floor area, right click the image and choose, 'Select Inverse Invert' This will select everything 'outside' of the floor.

Step 9: Switch to the Grid layer and click the ol' Cntrl-X... this will erase all the grid lines that are outside the floor and allow you to add texture, title, map key, or whatever you wish on the external area of the map.

Step 10: Switch back to the 'floor' layer and apply a nice texture to it... stone, marble, whatever you wish. If you want to add different textures to separate rooms... you'll need select each room area on that layer and 'Layer via Cut/Copy' to another layer.
TIP: Check the Lock Alpha Channel check in the layer palette. This will allow you to fill, paint, apply filters, distorts, etc. and not fill the empty areas.

Step 11: Here's where it'll start to look nice... Give the wall a bit of drop shadow, bevel, and texture. Play with the settings a bit and find a style you like.

Here’s where GIMP’s lack of layer effects makes things tricky. These techniques are whole tutorial in themselves…Google search for the Layer Effects Script-fu which automates some similar functions to the photoshop layer effects.

Step 12: Create a new layer and name it 'doors'

Step 13: Draw yerself a little door symbol that is one grid space wide and about a 1/5th grid space wide or so. Play with the bevel and emboss, texture, and color until you get the look of whatever sort of door you are placing in that area.

Step 14: Copy the door you make and paste it where ever you need using new layers for each door, and eventually merging all doors to one layer.

Step 15: Optional -- you can play with drop shadows and strokes on the grid layer to achieve some nice grout lines on tile that double as grid markers. Also try changing color of grid and transparency... some folk like saving maps with grids, some don't... If you just wan't groutlines for tiled floors to match up, you can always just cut out the room area from the grid layer and tweak it or hide it for each section.