How to create a map of my fantasy world
Brand new to the software, brand new to the forum. I have purchased FT3 and CC3+. I see there is going to be quite a learning curve and am a bit overwhelmed.
I have a hand drawn map of a fantasy world - basically a mercator projection - that I want to create (very broad brush strokes at this point...).
Can this map be imported to the FT3 software?
If not, I see it can be imported to CC3. Can it be imported from CC3+ to FT3?
Or do maps only flow from FT3 to CC3+?
What would be the best way for me to turn that hand-drawn sketch of my world into a finished world on a "globe"?
Any and all guidance is appreciated at this point...
SMVance
I have a hand drawn map of a fantasy world - basically a mercator projection - that I want to create (very broad brush strokes at this point...).
Can this map be imported to the FT3 software?
If not, I see it can be imported to CC3. Can it be imported from CC3+ to FT3?
Or do maps only flow from FT3 to CC3+?
What would be the best way for me to turn that hand-drawn sketch of my world into a finished world on a "globe"?
Any and all guidance is appreciated at this point...
SMVance
Comments
I am up way past my bedtime right now (its 4 am for me), but if no one else has given more specific helpful instructions by the time I get up again I will try to sort out a rough workflow for you.
For starters I would suggest perusing the FT3 Help tool and getting to grips with the various different kinds of world you can generate. It's under the Help menu. Just pick Help Topics.
After that, and a few hours playing, I would suggest Joseph Slayton's 'Tutorial for Cartographer's Guild', which is the second pdf in this comment here:
https://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=29412&p=260403&viewfull=1#post260403
Right click the link and open in new tab if you don't want to lose this page
It doesn't built an entirely new world, but it has a lot of really important information in it about the right brushes to use, and how to use them, when you are sculpting a world - and believe me, the right brush is incredibly important if you don't want to ruin your work!
I hope that helps
That thread I sent you to? It also has a lot of tutorials about a free app called Wilbur - another app created by Joseph Slayton. It's free, and it does the erosion of land masses a lot better than FT3. FT3 is a world builder. Wilbur is an erosion tool. You can export back and forth between FT3 and Wilbur by MDR file (binary data), if you are interested in that level of detail. Eroding things in Wilbur makes generating worlds much easier because you don't have to hand draw every single mountain range. You just have to have a lump on the map where you want one.
I am in the middle of writing a tutorial on how to use FT3 and Wilbur to generate a world starting with one of the randomly generated fractal worlds in FT3. It should hopefully be in this year's Cartographer's Annual around and about October, and while it isn't starting from scratch the way you want to, it will contain all the information you might need to use FT3 in combination with Wilbur if you are interested in doing it that way.
2) I decided what size each map was. I was using 8.5" x 11" 5mm hexagon paper. I decided the maps covered 185 x 234 miles each.
3) So I loaded an overland map style, and set the map size for 185 x 234 miles.
4) added a sheet and layer called bitmap.
5) import is under the Draw menu. Click on that, or use Ctrl-I ( eye) keys. Click the upper right corner of the template.
6) Hold down the control key left mouse button as you move the pointer to the lower left corner of the map.
7) When the pointer reaches the lower left corner, click the mouse button. Let go the control key.
The imported map should stay in place.
Use it as a guide to draw, or trace, the map. Large maps, don't use symbols on continent level. If a small regional map, a color for the forest and a few symbols will do.
Using too many sybols, or fractalizing too much, at large scale like a continent or hemisphere can cause redraw slowing way down, or other problems.
Small areas, like around a castle, symbol density can go up.
For a continet, I would use a very few anchors, or words, to show seaports and large cities.
Villages and hamlets are for small scale maps, say under 20 miles across.
Here is my tutorial entrance page. Most say for CC2, but they are basically the same.