Mapping software

[aramis]

All I need are some rudiementary top down maps. Black and white, I'm thinking. Nothing color. No fancy stuff. Just plain vanilla C-Trav.

It can do that.

That's actually easy to do.

But if you want a cheaper alternative without the hex-grid and tri-grid features, you can use google sketchup, autorealm, or any of a half dozen others, too. Many of which are free.

Reasons to use CC or FractalMapper are:
1) support of common gaming grid styles (Hex, Triangle)
2) hex-numbering
3) extant symbol sets for making "Looks like X" maps

 

[Blue Ghost]

Yeah, my old Autocad program can handle it, but I thought there might be in CC that would make the process swifter and sleeker

 

[Mithras]

Serious: I opened a black+white hex grid downloaded from the web, then spent a pleasant evening with MS Paint. Wonderful results!

 

[Sturn]

All I need are some rudiementary top down maps. Black and white, I'm thinking. Nothing color. No fancy stuff. Just plain vanilla C-Trav.

AutoRealm is free, easier to start using then CC, and has several grid overlays (hexes, squares, etc) that you can easily overlay and do size adjustments.

 

[ravells]

You could easily use the drawing tools in microsoft word or open office to make subsector maps - the symbols are very basic and there's no magic involved. The best part is that they will print properly as part of a word document - you won't have any resolution problems.

Sure it's a little more fiddly than using a dedicated graphics program, but I found it much easier in the long run, than trying to import Cosmographer generated sector maps into word which just ruins them.

An alternative would be to download the starter edition of Serif Drawplus (free), and use that - very intuitive and easy to learn vector drawing program. If you want to incorporate your map into a word document, save it as a wmf.

Good Luck

Ravs

 

[Mithras]

This is my work with MS Paint:

 

[Blue Ghost]

You could easily use the drawing tools in microsoft word or open office to make subsector maps - the symbols are very basic and there's no magic involved. The best part is that they will print properly as part of a word document - you won't have any resolution problems.

Sure it's a little more fiddly than using a dedicated graphics program, but I found it much easier in the long run, than trying to import Cosmographer generated sector maps into word which just ruins them.

An alternative would be to download the starter edition of Serif Drawplus (free), and use that - very intuitive and easy to learn vector drawing program. If you want to incorporate your map into a word document, save it as a wmf.

Good Luck

Ravs

Essentially I want final product to look like an LBB, albeit in PDF format.

 

[BeRKA]

Nice map Mithras.

More blank maps here:
http://zho.berka.com/maps/

Blue Ghost: With the post tool at traveller maps, you can do LBB styled maps. As an example, look what I did for Foreven Sector:
http://zho.berka.com/stuff/pdf-files/

 

[aramis]

Essentially I want final product to look like an LBB, albeit in PDF format.

Use a vector graphics program (Inkskape, Ilustrator, etc), format your page for 5.5x8.5", half inch margins. Then trim to visible when done, save as png, svg or wmf (depending on wp program).

In your WP program, same paper size and margins. Use a vertical sans serif font bold font... First line indent is 0.25" line spacing looks to be about 1.1 for most fonts, and justified. The following list of fonts and sizes are REALLY close on my Mac, visually close on shapes, or near exact but wrong stroke weight, and nearly duplicated the first para of Bk4 with the linebreaks...

• Charcoal CY - Regular 9 *
• Lucida Grande - Bold 8.5 **
• Microsoft Sans Serif - 9.5 **
• MS PGothic - Regular 10 *
• Nadeem - Regular 9 **
• News Gothic MT - bold 9 **
• Sathu - Regular 9.5 *
• Stone Sans Sem ITC TT - Semi 9 **
• Tahoma - Negreta 9 *
• Thonburi - (Regular or bold) 9 **

Of these, I'd use MS Sans Serif, Lucida Grande, Tahoma, or Thonburi. But I'd generally also take them up a point (and to a whole point), for easier reading than the LBB's had.

To assemble the resulting PDF as a booklet, just use booklet printing in Acrobat Reader. Print backs, load back into printer, and print fronts. Fold, then staple (needs a longarm) or stitch. Print cover on 110# card for durability. If really a stickler, and you have access to a guillotine cutter, trim outside edge square.