Chris Mentzer asked “Where can I find a mapmaker program to make designing Fantasy worlds easier?”
I use Photoshop but that program is not easy to understand, which can be a bit frustrating. Let’s look at other map making software. Most of these aren’t free. This list is by no means exhaustive. I haven’t had the chance to use these programs.
Check out:
Cartographer’s Guild: List of Mapping Software
Role Playing Games: What’s the best software for mapmaking?
During my research I started to notice a pattern, some fantasy map making software start out strong in terms of chatter on forums then I find out the program’s last review was at least 4 or 5 yeas ago.
When you’re researching software, pay attention to when the reviews/comments were written. If you can’t find any chatter written in the past year or two then the program probably hasn’t been updated and may not work with your operating system, unless you’re using an older computer. Reddit and Cartographer’s Guild seems to be a good place to ask questions about map making software. If you find a promising software, ask about it on a forum or group before you buy it.
If you want to find examples of maps created with the software, do a Google Image search for “(Software name) map example.” YouTube is also great too.
Campaign Cartographer 3
Software Review: A look at Campaign Cartographer 3 Plus
“The Free & Open Source Image Editor…Whether you are a graphic designer, photographer, illustrator, or scientist, GIMP provides you with sophisticated tools to get your job done. You can further enhance your productivity with GIMP thanks to many customization options and 3rd party plugins.”
GIMP looks like Photoshop. It’s a free alternative to that program but it doesn’t look like it’s easy to use or maybe it is simpler with the right tutorial.
Do you have any map making software to add?
If you have any other world building questions email me at [email protected]
