What software do you use for deckplans?

[Scott Martin]

What drawing packages do folks here use for doing deck plans?

I'm looking for a package to handle this, and while I would prefer freeware / Open Source software, I have no problem spending some cash for a decent software package.

I really don't want to use Visio or AutoCAD to do deckplans, but I do want to be able to use circular and oval forms, and superimpose a 1m or 1.5m grid.

Thanks in advance

Scott Martin

 

[Mickazoid]

I use Adobe Illustrator. It's $499, or $169 or so for the 'CS' limited edition (which I believe is perfectly usable).

And it also can open the pdf format and make them totally editable. Excellent choice for sharp print-ready work.

 

[RandyT0001]

Here is on old thread about it:

http://www.travellerrpg.com/cgi-bin/Trav/CotI/Discuss/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=000712

You could also look here for some answers:

http://x.webring.com/hub?ring=deckring

 

[marvo]

I use Photoshop Elements which is certainly not the best but I am very familiar with the program and it works for me. It doesn't do such a good job with curves or vectors but it does let you split your plan into layers. I use one for the grid, one for the hull and walls, one for furnitures and fittings and one for annotations. This lets you hide or display any selection of layers for printing to a PDF etc.

 

[Golan2072]

I use Paint Shop Pro 7, which is enough for CT-style deckplans.

 

[aramis]

I use two:
Appleworks (free on apple hardware) for the Draw Module. There may be a windows version.

CC2 (3 just came out... $40). CC2/3 can be thought of as AutoCad Light Gamer Edition. It's based upon FastCAD... and while it is a bit of a learning curve, it has excellent tutorials, and for the nuts, Traveller Mapping grids. It does hex or square grid overlays with little difficulty and high automation.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

I use M$ Excel....

 

[jfetters]

Excel! Yikes!

Wow, how do you manage that?

I use CC myself, but definitely not a fan of the learning curve...

 

[DaveChase]

I use blank paper or grid paper depending on if I am doing profiles or deck plans

A good .5mm mechanical pencil, a soft erase, several templates of shapes, and an accurate drafting ruler used over a drafting table.

Dave Chase

 

[BillDowns]

Dave, that's the old Mark 1 wet-ware Brain, right?

 

[Scott Martin]

Hi Dave

That's my current method, but the only useful way to get them on a website is scanning them, and this results in large files (and long wait times) for download

Curves are a PITA with this method for anything other than circle segments, so if I'm going "high tech" I'd like the option to do better curves...

Scott Martin

 

[mbrinkhues]

There's a program called AutoRealm that is geared specifically for RPG's. Free Software Found here and has IIRC deckplan symbols.

 

[marvo]

Originally posted by Scott Martin:
Hi Dave

That's my current method, but the only useful way to get them on a website is scanning them, and this results in large files (and long wait times) for download

Scott Martin

Hi Scott,
What format are you scanning the files to? You should be able to reduce the file size by using different settings. Here's a couple of tips:
1) Never use .TIFF for posting, use .jpg with a medium to high quailty setting.
2) Scan to grey scale, not full color.
3) Use a lower resolution, for hand drawn plans I find that 150dpi or even as low as 72dpi works fine.

 

[fredofmars]

I have used AutoREALM for several of my deck plans. It works fairly well.

 

[Michael Taylor]

I use Freehand MX for deckplans - manual but it works.

 

[Scott Martin]

Originally posted by Marvo:
Hi Scott,
What format are you scanning the files to? You should be able to reduce the file size by using different settings. Here's a couple of tips:
1) Never use .TIFF for posting, use .jpg with a medium to high quailty setting.
2) Scan to grey scale, not full color.
3) Use a lower resolution, for hand drawn plans I find that 150dpi or even as low as 72dpi works fine.

A deck plan in native Jpeg or Gif format will easily (and readably) fit on 1024x768. A scan at 150 dpi of 8 1/2 x 11 (a reasonable deck plan size) comes to more than double the size (even in greyscale) and still tends to be grainy. Add to that the fact that my handwriting stinks at the best of times, and it looks more and more like I should just go to digital deckplans.

OK maybe I'm overly anal retentive

Scott Martin

 

[BetterThanLife]

You guys are going to laugh at me. I, lately, have been using Daz Studio or Carrara and Davo's Excellent Sci-Fi Construction set. The deckplans are top view but I can also give you 3d view as well when I am finished.

Of course it helps that Daz|Studio is free.

It is available through here.

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

I use MS Paint. It's there, it works, and it's like having a sheet of paper and a box of colored pencils. Simple, neat, and precise -- nothing fancy.

Scale is usually 1 Pixel per 15 Centimeters, so that a 10-pixel square comes out to 1.5 meters on a side, and 2 squares equal 1dTon.

I first set up a grid, with a light blue line every 10 pixels starting at point 0,0. Then I draw in black. When the drawing is done, I use the paint-bucket "Fill With Color" function to erase the grid that lies outside of the ship.

Fancy curves are difficult, and the 'jaggies' can be a PITA, but I'm not trying for publication quality anymore.

To print a single drawing all on one page, I'll Edit/Select all, Edit/Copy the entire drawing, and then Edit/Paste the drawing into a Word document, which (surprise!) has the descriptions of the ship, building, or city shown in the drawing.

I always save the original artwork in bitmap format, as this seems to be the lowest common denominator for drawings; much as an ASCII format is the lowest common denominator for text files.

"It works for me" is the key phrase here.

 

[Pickles]

I used to use a little package called TurboCAD which gave AutoCAd-like performance as far as deckplans were concerned.

Now I use AutoCAD and CorelDraw.

 

[GypsyComet]

I also use ClarisWorks/AppleWorks, though I'm always looking for a viable replacement. My criteria (explained at http://members.aol.com/gypsycomet/pointers.html) are such that few programs work much better than Appleworks for me.