Is this map possible with CC3?

DarkSar_Chasm

Hola folks,

New to CC3 (still) and came across this wonderful map. I would like to use this type of map for my campaigns and was wondering if this type of map is possible with CC3, City Designer, Dungeon Designer, or Fractal Terrains? - the programs I have.
thanks.

Ralf

This is a wonderful, and it's certainly possible to create something like it in CC3. It's not straight-forward though, as there is no specific style matching it - you'd have to create your own style. A map of this detail and artistry will always take a good amount of work, no matter what tool you use to create it.

As a starting point, see this style in the Annual Vol 1 for example:

It uses a similar layout, but a very different style.

DarkSar_Chasm

yes, but that will work.. Thank you very much.

jaerdaph

And perhaps combine that with the Jonathan Roberts Fantasy Overland style from March 2011 of this year's annual:

Terraformer_Author

Of course you can do that, all that you would have to do is to create your world map in Fractal Terrains 3 using the right projection - and also using the Terraformer 0.50 add-on, then import the exported FT3 image into CC3 and slap a template on it that you can make yourself - maybe from a high rez image of an old public domain map image that shows the same type of projection. You just white out (or black out) the map areas on the image - make an alpha image (transparency image) of the old map art borders - and layer it in CC3. Heck for that matter you could do the whole thing in FT3 and just do you text labelling in CC3. When you download the Terraformer add-on - make sure to look at the included PDF User's Manual and read over the "OVERLAYS" section, and when applieing the color schemes - I would suggest using the Image Climate "ICJS0001", and the Lighting and Color file (.lgt file) "T_199_BLUESEA_001".

Google or do a Yahoo search for old world maps, or look around over at Wikimedia Commons for a good old Public Domain map to use as an overly / template / layer.
Below is an example of a map that you can edit to use as an overlay, I found this map on the net - it's watermarked by a dealership that sells prints of old maps - but if you were to find an image of the map without a watermark, then it would be Public Domain because of it's age. This is just an example of what you can find out there.

When selecting a projection to use in FT3 - make sure to choose one that causes the same types of POLAR distortions that you would see on one of these old maps. You could even create seperate FT3 maps of your world - one of the EASTERN hemisphere, and one of the WESTERN hemisphere (both maps being properly distorted), paste them down side by side on a fresh white background in Microsoft Paint - then overly a border made from an old PD map on top in a seperate graphics app (like The GIMP or Photoshop). I would like to do a tutorial on accomplishing this kind of thing - but it would have to be a bit in the future because I am very busy with other projects and also with personal and business life stuff to.

By the way - you can do this stuff with FTPRO 2.3+ if you don't have FT3.

Terraformer_Author

The below graphic demonstrates how you would prepare both the color image of the new overlay, and the transparency (alpha) image. Some graphics applications read white instead of black as transparent - so keep that in mind. You can also - of course - create your own overlay from scratch - as opposed to finding an ancient map on the net - but the general principle is the same.
All in all - your not going to be able to accomplish this kind of thing in two or three clicks - but there are definitely several ways to accomplish this. When hunting maps on the net to make into an overlay, try to find some that are pretty big / High Resolution, and output your maps from FT3 / FTPRO so that they are also within the same ballpark size wise.