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ESRI ARC Map layer for world maps?

david.wendelken

david.wendelken

SOC-12
Just picked up an eval copy of the ESRI ARC GIS software product.

Anyone have the hex layer for the different sized world maps already done up?

Or just a hex layer?
 
I have a hex layer somewhere. I will try to remember to dig it up tomorrow when I am using a real computer. The problem is that ArcGIS doesn't support icosahedral projections other than Dymaxion, if I recall correctly.

I created a hex grid more as an overlay for UTM.

On the other hand, there's not much point in a hex grid if you're using GIS software, unless you're going for retro feel.
 
I am glad someone does I went looking for my copy of ARCgis, and it looks like it is on a dead machine with all of my documentation. Which pretty sad to say as I do happen to have a certificate and taught it for a couple of years a while ago.

Honestly I just use Campaign Cartographer and/or Illustrator now days when I am doing plain old cartographic work. Though I still think a GIS system for Gaming is a great idea, just a bit on the expensive side.
 
infojunky said:
Honestly I just use Campaign Cartographer and/or Illustrator now days when I am doing plain old cartographic work. Though I still think a GIS system for Gaming is a great idea, just a bit on the expensive side.
Click to expand...

QGIS is free and open source, and for most things I prefer it to ArcGIS. Combine it with Wilbur and you can do some fantastic stuff. I wish there was an open source alternative to CityEngine, though.
 
Kashirigi said:
QGIS is free and open source, and for most things I prefer it to ArcGIS. Combine it with Wilbur and you can do some fantastic stuff. I wish there was an open source alternative to CityEngine, though.
Click to expand...

Cool going to look at it then....
 
I'm curious why people who play Traveller are so keen on icosahedral hex maps. I don't think I've ever used them in a game. All the world maps and images I've ever used have been in various real-world projections. I've used Fractal Terrains that way a few times.

So far as I can recall there are no actual game rules that use the hex grids for anything, but I've seen references to T5 that indicate it does have rules along these lines.

Simon Hibbs
 
simonh said:
I'm curious why people who play Traveller are so keen on icosahedral hex maps. I don't think I've ever used them in a game. All the world maps and images I've ever used have been in various real-world projections. I've used Fractal Terrains that way a few times.

So far as I can recall there are no actual game rules that use the hex grids for anything, but I've seen references to T5 that indicate it does have rules along these lines.
Click to expand...

Well, you can print out an icosahedral projection map and turn it into a 3D object very easily, so you can have a globe of your planet. It's possible to do make spheres from other types of maps, but it's much more labour intensive.

Hexmaps also have an illustrious tradition in wargaming.

As for practical use:
1: Six directions map nicely to a d6. If someone gets lost and heads off in a random direction, it doesn't get much easier than this.
2: By having one major terrain feature in a hex, mapping is very easy
3: Non-linear distances are easy to calculate just by counting hexes
 
Icosahedral is a real world projection - just not in the linear presentation! See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion_map ...

I like it because it's a minimal distortion, readily visualized, and easily hex-gridded projection.

It's also not too dissimilar from the Goode Homolosine.

Note that several Sci-Fi games use the icosahedral projection - tho' they can trace back to Traveller origins: Space Opera (FGU), 2300 (GDW), Battletech (FASA), just to name a few.

For fantasy gaming, I usually don't worry about the projections.

One could, however, make use of an octohedral projection, a dodecahedral projection, or even a rhombic tricontahedron. Of these, only the octohedral and icosahedral lay flat and retain a linear equator, and parallel lattitude lines throughout.
 
By complete accident, I found a script that I presume comes with QGIS (seeing as I didn't install it) called "Hex Grid from layer bounds". It does exactly as advertised, and you just put the size of the hex in.

It doesn't get any easier than that. There's clearly a gamer amongst the QGIS developers . . .
 
Kashirigi said:
By complete accident, I found a script that I presume comes with QGIS (seeing as I didn't install it) called "Hex Grid from layer bounds". It does exactly as advertised, and you just put the size of the hex in.

It doesn't get any easier than that. There's clearly a gamer amongst the QGIS developers . . .
Click to expand...

QGIS??? What's that?
 
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