Campaign Cartographer 3 (CC3) is a fantasy mapping software by ProFantasy, and it is the software used to create most of the maps on this website.

The nice thing about CC3 is that it’s very easy to get started making maps. There are templates to build on and the toolbars are packed not only with drawing aids, but actual mapping elements. So, unlike general graphics programs like PhotoShop or Gimp, you don’t have to be an artist to make a mountain – you just have to select the type of mountain you want and then place it wherever you choose on your map.

CC3 vs. PhotoShop

If you’re already accustomed to using programs like PhotoShop, it may take a little while to get used to CC3, which is based on FastCad. When you want to do something in PhotoShop, you just pick the tool you want to use and go to town. When you want to do something in CC3, it’s a little bit different. First, you choose your tool. Then, you choose the object you want to modify. Then, you right click and select what action you want to perform from a menu. The most common selection is aptly named “Do It,” but there are other choices as well (cancel, combine, etc). I wouldn’t say this is a bad thing, just that it’s different than what many people are accustomed to. And, I admit, this took me a little while to get used to. But once you’ve made a few maps, it will become second nature.

PhotoShop is made for professional design work, and the options it gives you are pretty much unlimited. That’s great if you’re trying to make professional-grade artwork that looks completely unique. Of course, to get to that point, you’ll have to be a pretty good artist and take the time to master the program and develop your own style. There is nothing “out-of-the-box” to make a quick map in PhotoShop, but you can probably find a tutorial for just about anything you want to do.

CC3, on the other hand, is made specifically for mapping, so it’s pretty quick and easy to bang out a nice-looking map. It contains many different styles. Any given style will have matching terrain features, architecture styles, etc. There are a few styles baked in to the standard CC3 installation, but you can get a lot more by purchasing additional symbol sets and the Annuals.

Similar to PhotoShop’s filters and layer styles, CC3 has sheet effects to let you blur, add shadows, apply transparencies, etc. The options aren’t as diverse as PhotoShop, but there are plenty of effects available to do some advanced things with CC3. But since the symbol sets and Annuals do such a good job of providing out-of-the-box mapping styles, you won’t find too many people needing or even wanting to learn the advanced features.

Since Campaign Cartographer is such a niche product, it doesn’t have the wide-spread adoption that PhotoShop enjoys, so you won’t find tutorials all over the Internet. But ProFantasy has a forum and a mailing list where both users and ProFantasy staff actively discuss issues and help each other out. In the few years that I’ve been a ProFantasy customer, I have had both email and phone communication with staff and owners – it’s nice to know you can reach out to a real person when you need help.

How to Master CC3

Even though Campaign Cartographer is easy to get started with and doesn’t require a lot of artistic ability, don’t expect to make professional-looking maps on your first try. To get to that level, you will need a significant amount of knowledge and experience. You’ll need to learn how to use sheet effects to blend and blur and cast shadows and all that good stuff. As with any other program, you must commit to putting a little bit of time into learning the advanced functions. And, although you don’t need artistic ability, it helps if you have an artistic “eye” – i.e. you know what looks good. Personally, I have neither artistic ability nor an artistic eye (and I’m partially color blind), but my maps turn out OK.

The first suggestion I would give you is to pay close attention to the user manual, which is available for download in your account registration area. Create a new map and follow through the manual step-by-step. You heard me: Every. Single. Step. Read it in the manual and then physically perform that function on your map. Yes, this will take time – possibly a few days – to get through it all. But by the time you finish, you will have mastered most of the technical skills you need to make really great maps.

My other suggestions is to get a hold of some .FCW files (.FCW is the file extension for CC3 maps) and study how the sheet effects work to change the way the map looks. Here is a sample file you can start with (in order to view this file, you must either own CC3 or you can download the free CC3 Viewer). Probably the best way to do this is to purchase the Annuals, which contain pre-made templates and effects you can use to make different map styles out-of-the-box. Each style also comes with one or more sample files, so you can just open them up and study the sheet effects.

For instance, here is a map with the effects off:

sheet effects off

Next, activate the sheet effects. The dialogue box will show you what settings were used to create each effect.

Activate Sheet Effects

Here is the image with all effects activated:

sheet effects on

Add-Ons

CC3 also has several add-ons that you can purchase to enhance the program. City Designer and Dungeon Designer are two popular ones. Even though you make cities and dungeons with the standard CC3 installation, the add-ons give you more powerful tools, symbols and styles to take your mapping to the next level.

There are several other add-ons as well – I’ll save the specifics for another post – but needless to say, CC3 offers a lot of functionality for multiple types of maps.

Conclusion

Campaign Cartographer 3 isn’t a full-blown graphics package like PhotShop, but if you’re just looking for something to make beautiful maps quickly then it’s probably the best program out there.

To find out more about the capabilities and benefits of CC3, you can visit the ProFantasy website.

If you found this review helpful, please consider sharing it with others using one of the Share buttons below…

Post from: Fantasy Map Maker

Campaign Cartographer 3 Review

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One day when I was a young’un, I visited the Orlando Public Library to check out some books for school. They had a small room with used books that they were selling for $1 each. I started combing through the bins and shelves to see if I could find anything interesting.

That’s when I came across a teal, hardcover book – no jacket – with a squiggly 8-pointed star inside of a diamond engraved on the cover. The spine read, “The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien.” Other than the absence of a dust jacket, it was in near-perfect condition.

As I started to flip through the book, I noticed that the pages in the back seemed to have a gap between them. That gap, as I soon discovered, was a huge fold-out map of Beleriand – the ancient coast of northwestern Middle-Earth – before the land was sundered and engulfed by the sea at the end of the First Age.

I was mesmerized.

Of course, I bought the book, and still have it to this day. Best buck I ever spent.

I still remember reading it for the first time, constantly flipping between story and appendices and map, immersed in the excitement of discovering a new world and new mythos. That was the day I fell in love with maps and realized the power they have to bring a story to life and to transport me to that other world.

It also made me want to create my own worlds, my own stories. And, naturally, maps were needed to help define those worlds. Lots of maps. Town layouts scribbled on notebook paper; battle maps and building schematics on graph paper; overland maps spread across 20 sheets of typing paper that occupied most of the floor space in my bedroom. Thanks to Tolkien, maps and fantasy played a key role in developing my imagination, which has brought me a lot of joy over the years.

So that’s my story… What’s yours? I’d really like to hear it, so I’m going to throw in a little incentive to help loosen the tongue.

How to Win a $25 ProFantasy Voucher

In the comments below, please tell me what is your favorite map, or a map that influenced you greatly. Also, share with me why you like it so much and/or how it influenced you. Feel free to link to the map if it exists somewhere on the Interwebs so we can all get a good look at it.

On December 24^th, I’ll pick one commenter and send him/her a $25 ProFantasy gift voucher that can be used toward the purchase of any ProFantasy products. It’s that easy – just leave a comment for your chance to win.

Update

Thank you all for sharing your stories, I thoroughly enjoyed reading them.

I enjoyed them so much that I couldn’t pick just one as the winner. So, in the spirit of gaming, I rolled the dice (well, virtual dice from my Gametable install).

And the Dice proclaim Anthony Toohey to be the winner.

Merry Christmas to you all, and happy mapping!

Post from: Fantasy Map Maker

A Tale of Silmarilli and a Free $25 Campaign Cartographer Gift Certificate – Merry Christmas

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Do you have a cartographer or fantasy enthusiast in your life and don’t know what to give them for Christmas?

The folks at ProFantasy came through with a solution just in time for the holidays. They now offer gift cards so your special someone can choose their own products.

There are a few things I really like about ProFantasy vouchers:

1. They don’t expire
2. They can stack with other vouchers
3. You can use some now and some later, if you so choose

I actually had a voucher code from a couple of years ago. I had used half of it to purchase Dungeon Designer 3 and some symbol packs. About 2 years later, I wanted to get City Designer 3 and some of the Annuals. Fortunately, I still had the voucher, and it still worked. Hooray for non-expiring gift cards!

For those of you in a table-top gaming group, this would also be a great gift for your Dungeon Master so (s)he can make PC-slaying battle maps even faster.

Click here to check out the ProFantasy gift vouchers.

Post from: Fantasy Map Maker

New For Christmas – ProFantasy Gift Vouchers

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This is a guest post from Keith Rogers Gordon, who is currently working on a novel called The Keys of Illath. Please note that the maps in this post are all copyrighted by Keith Rogers Gordon.

The Keys of Illath is a cross-genre journey that draws from the realms of fantasy, science-fiction, action-adventure, unsolved mystery, martial arts, epic romance, spiritual exploration and magical possibilities – all while (hopefully!) transcending the expected forms and attempting to arrive at an entirely new understanding of who we are, and what we’re capable of.

Hello! First off I’d like to thanks the fine folks here at FMM for a chance to share these maps. This is an original ‘world’ map that I (Keith) made to accompany an online novel that I am in the process of writing. It was made entirely on Photoshop, and since it was my first map it took several hours to figure out the right way to create the coastlines and stack the layers (of which there are 60+ !). The mountains were hand-drawn, and then actually photographed and edited. Throughout the process I relied on a few different tutorials on-line to create the right look for me, and I hope to make a tutorial of my own in the not too distant future. There are other maps available at illath.wordpress.com, as well as music, art, and of course the chapters of the novel-in-progress! Feel free to check it out. I only ask that (since they accompany an original, copyrighted novel) the place names on these maps be respected and used fairly. Thank you.

The Keys of Illath (click to enlarge)

Andan (click to enlarge)

Eldeholm (click to enlarge)

And here is some sample music from the Prologue:

Make sure to check out The Keys of Illath.

Post from: Fantasy Map Maker

The Keys of Illath

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MapTool is a popular Virtual Table-Top application for remote role playing. It’s a great tool to have when you and your friends grow up, get real jobs, have kids and move to far corners of the country and/or world.

In this tutorial video, Avotas shows us how to take your CC3 maps and make them compatible with MapTools.

Post from: Fantasy Map Maker

How to Use Your Campaign Cartographer Maps in MapTool

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Emerisia - Fantasy City Map (click to enlarge)

Not enough detail? Then click here for the extra-large version (caution – big file).

Emerisia is a densely-packed port city. Made with the Fantasy Cities Annual of Campaign Cartographer 3.

Post from: Fantasy Map Maker

Emerisia

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Until now, whenever you clicked on one of my maps the image popped up in a “lightbox.” It looked pretty and professional, but had some drawbacks – mainly that it slowed down the page a bit and the image wouldn’t display any bigger than your computer screen. So if you wanted to view full-size images, you had to right-click + “view in a new tab.”

I just removed the lightbox functionality to see if it made any difference in the viewing experience. But before I commit to anything, I’d like to get your opinion in the poll below.

[UPDATE: The poll is now closed. Thanks for your participation, and see my comment below...]

Please also leave a comment and let me know which option you like and why.

Post from: Fantasy Map Maker

Poll: How Do You Want to View My Maps?

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The Cartographers’ Guild is running a map-making competition for September-October – Mapping the Big Apple Challenge. The top 45 maps will be featured in a gallery exhibition at the Soho Gallery for Digital Art, with prints available for public purchase (70% of the price after print costs go to the artist).

Here are all the details in their own words:

The Cartographers’ Guild, in partnership with the Soho Gallery for Digital Art, presents Mapping the Big Apple. The challenge is to create a map inspired by New York. From early drafts of the streets of New Amsterdam, to the grid layout of Manhattan when Central Park was first proposed to the iconic New Yorker cover from March 29th, 1976 – New York has always inspired cartographers and artists with its streets and avenues. And not just cartographers. Manhattan has been destroyed in more ways that any other city. From the monster of Cloverfield to the ice age of The Day After Tomorrow – New York has taken it all. Now it’s your task to take this iconic skyline and represent it in your own way.

In this challenge you must create a map inspired by New York. It must be letter sized (11″ by 8.5″) or larger and a minimum of 150dpi. Beyond that, your imagination can be your guide. It can be anything from an ant colony in central park to an airship shipping lane map with a terminus on top of the Empire State. As long as New York is involved in some way, your map will be eligible.

The contest will run until the 31st of October, after which there will be a round of public voting. The top 45 maps will be included in an exhibition at the Soho Gallery for Digital Art that will run in Manhattan from the 16th of November until the 12th of December. As part of the exhibition, the gallery will sell prints of the maps to the public, with 70% of the price after print costs going to the artists. The top three entries will get pride of place at the center of the gallery and the winner will have their work used in publicity material for the show.

All successful entrants will get a special badge as recognition of their work being in the show. The artists who have the top three maps will get a golden compass. There will be more prizes during the two months that will be announced as we go forward – so keep an eye on this forum for other opportunities!

In contrast to previous challenges, each artist may submit up to three pieces.

If you’re new to the site, each challenge entry must have it’s own thread in this forum.

• The thread title should start “September-October Challenge: “
• More WIPs generally make for more votes – don’t be shy about putting up early sketches
• Use the attachment manager to put up WIP images (the paperclip at the top of the advanced editing window).
• Put ### Latest WIP ### before every thumbnail so that the thumbnail scraper can put together a thumbs page for the challenge.

A few other notes about the contest:

• All entries must be submitted on the Cartographers’ Guild before the 31st of October.
• Ranking of the entries will be by public vote on the Cartographers’ Guild.
• Each artist can enter up to three pieces.
• To enter a piece you must be willing to sign a contract with the gallery that certifies that you are the copyright owner for the map, or that you have the right to show it and sell copies.
• The gallery show is conditional upon more than 45 entries. If fewer than 45 maps are entered into the competition the show will be dependent upon agreement of the gallery – so encourage your friends to enter. Please feel free to post this around the internet at other art sites you frequent. The more the merrier.

Good luck and happy mapping!

*** –> Click here to join the competition <– ***

Post from: Fantasy Map Maker

New York City Map Contest

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The judges’ decisions are in and all scores from the mapmaking competition have been tallied. It was a close race, and all contestants should be proud of their effort.

I know everyone just wants to know who won, so I’ll save the rest of my comments for the bottom of the post. Here are the winners:

1^st Place – $100 ProFantasy Voucher

The Land of Mórthyr, by Warren Godone-Maresca

The Land of Mórthyr, by Warren Godone-Maresca

Here are some of the judges comments:

That’s a beautiful map! I dig the way you’ve done the sea texture around the coast.

This is a very striking piece. Both textures and font-pick are great giving it a nice authentic look.

I like the consistency in the symbols used. They all contribute to an overall style that ties the piece together.

2^nd Place – $50 ProFantasy Voucher

Lands of the Shan'Gali, by Joachim de Ravenbel

Lands of the Shan’Gali, by Joachim de Ravenbel

Here are some of the judges comments:

Very striking and original. I keep wanting to look at the cool mountains and not the buildings.

Very smart piece.

I love how it tells a story in itself. As usual, your cut-away maps blow you away with their detail.

3^rd Place – $25 ProFantasy Voucher

Two participants came in a dead tie for 3^rd place, so it looks like I get to pony up another $25 to make sure they both get the rewards they deserve.

Gragmoor Quarry, by Nick Pelletier

Gragmoor Quarry, by Nick Pelletier

Here are some of the judges comments:

Perfect example of a functional map, and it proves that maps without all the ‘arty-stuff’ can look great.

A good map that has everything I expect: organic looking village structure, legend, compass. Easy to read, good layout.

[I]t’s a great map that clearly lays out an interesting location. I could pick this up and use this in a game with no trouble at all.

Lune Fi - Latoon Regional Map, by AkherQursan

Lune Fi – Latoon Regional Map, by AkherQursan

Here are some of the judges comments:

Very stylish with a strategy video game look.

That’s a wonderful map, with great typography.

I love the textures and color palette you used. Also the mapping elements you used are very refreshing giving it a real fantasy look.

Closing Comments

First of all, let me thank the judges for all their help. Not only were their cartography skills instrumental in scoring the contestants, but I believe they provided excellent feedback that will help the contestants improve their own skills.

As I said before, all the participants did a great job in this contest. The remaining contestants were not far behind the 3^rd place winners. I hope you all enjoyed the competition and learned from the process and feedback, whether you ended up with a prize or not.

To the winners – I will send your voucher codes to you shortly, via the email you used to submit your map.

Thanks again to everyone one who judged, participated and even those who just observed. If you have any suggestions on how to improve for the next contest, please leave them in the comments below.

Post from: Fantasy Map Maker

Mapmaking Competition Winners

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All the entries have been posted and it’s time for everyone to cast their vote. Even if you’re not a judge, you can still rate each map. Just click on the links here to visit the page for each map and use the stars below each post to rate it.

Here are the contestants:

Gragmoor Quarry, by Nick Pelletier

Kins’Rin, by Duncan Peterson

Lune Fi – Latoon Regional Map, by AkherQursan

The Free Kingdoms, by Sven Myrin

Dungeon Stronghold of a Planar Lord, by Mrrkyllothur

Nyhem, by Pär Lindström

The Land of Mórthyr, by Warren Godone-Maresca

Lands of the Shan’Gali, by Joachim de Ravenbel

Mount Celestia – Lunia, by Shessar

OK, now get out there and vote!

Also, please leave (civil) comments and criticism for the artists on their posts. Participation in mapmaking competitions are great if you win, but they’re also a good chance to get feedback.

Our judges will also be checking out the maps over the next few days. Prize winners will be announced next Wednesday, August 25^th.

Post from: Fantasy Map Maker

Mapmaking Competition – All the Entries are In, So Let the Voting Begin!

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