# Best mapping software for D&D-type games?



## Ruin Explorer (Jul 9, 2008)

Kind of feel I'd get a better response in the main forum, but posting this here (also posted on RPG.net):

I'm looking at buying a new mapping software, as I can't find my CC2/DD2 CDs from the late '90s, but I'm not sure what my best option is. I see stuff like Campaign Cartographer 3 (but does that even do normal maps?), Dungeon Designer 3, Dundjinni and others, and from their websites I'm unable to work out which one would be remotely best for my needs (as they all seem keen to assure me that they're "great", "powerful" and "pretty" and in full colour, but none of that is particularly what I need)

My priorities, in order, are:

1) Program must be downloadable. Not waiting weeks for mail, esp. as it's unreliable in my area.

2) Cheaper is better.

3) All I really need is a quick program for putting together indoor and outdoor encounter areas, and I'd prefer them to be as printable as possible (i.e. greyscale/BW/blueprint, not complicated colour nonsense). It needs to print the 5' square grid on the map. Ideally I'd like to be dropping and dragging rooms and corridors and so on, not hand-drawing them.

4) As user-friendly as possible. User-friendly beats super-powerful.


----------



## Redrobes (Jul 9, 2008)

I write ViewingDale and it could do all of those things no problem. Of course I am biased but I am also a member of the Cartographers Guild which has a huge amount of maps of different styles and states, techniques, and advice and the members use everything out there including just pencils so you can see which ones you like best and ask which are fastest, easiest etc too. If your particularly interested in ViewingDale then ill post some more links but the website has most of it covered.


----------



## Xorn (Jul 14, 2008)

I used Dundjinni for awhile, which is a nice and easy program to use, but I've been happier with CC3/DD3, just because I don't need do to any post-work to my maps, and the vector-based mapping is actually a lot better.  I don't think the printing could be much easier.  I put "black & white", put 1" = 5' in the scale (literally) and hit print.  (Oh, and specify how many pages to tile horizontally & vertically.  You get something like this:

Quick Print

Here is a map of the first room of Keep on the Shadowfell--I was just tinkering around with the CSUAC textures that are out again, and needed a room to model it after.  I spent about 30 minutes making the map, if you count all the time I was fiddling with lighting for the second map.

Keep Area 1 w/ CC3
Keep Area 1 w/CC3 (using Wall Shadow - Points of Light effect)

There is no postwork done on this map at all.  (Note that I did not use sheet effects on the printout above, I was just testing out the tile printing feature.


----------

