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Astrosynthesis vs Cosmographer

Has anyone used either Astrosynthesis or Cosmographer to create star maps?

I'd like to create a custom map that will be used used to slide an existing campaign into the traveller universe. I've taken an existing BMP map and put it onto hex map. Now, I'd like to transfer this map onto an electronic and editable format.

From what I've been able to gather, the two programs I listed are the most common for this use.

I have a demo version of Astrosynthesis. It's pretty neat but I'm not sure if I can flatten the map and place it on a hex (for ease of use I'f like to print out 2D maps if possible). The one thing I've been able to figure out is this program is pretty easy to use and the 3D feature is cool (even if I prefer printing a flat route chart).


I can't get a demo of Cosmographer at all so I have no idea how easy it is to use. I do know it is used for Traveller, so this means I get the hex map printing. It's also much more expensive.

I guess I'm looking for a general idea on what people here have to say aboout either (or other) program.

Astro synthesis is (I believe) a stand alone product but RPGNow lists Cosmographer as a CC3 addon. If that is the case, it means an 80 dollar buyin ve a $32 for Astrosynthesis. I'd still consider the purchase but it's got to be much better for that much more.

Thanks in advance!
 
Astrosynthesis is a 3D star chart tool. I think you can produce 2D node maps from it, and it will generate stars for you.

Cosmographer is a plugin for the Campaign Cartographer mapping tool (currently CC2 only, but if you buy CC3 you also get CC2Pro on the CD). The tool is extremely powerful, being based on a CAD engine. It has a steep learning curve, but is well worth the effort. The Cosmographer plugin has symbol sets for deckplans, planetary maps, and star charts. You draw all of these yourself, there's no generation tool.

I suppose it depends what you want. I can recommend Campaign Cartographer as a mapping tool. I've used it for years though, and I am fairly familiar with the oddities of the interface. If you decide to get this, I recommend doing the tutorials. You will be able to do a lot more than just the star charts.

However, it's the expensive option, if you only want the star charts then Astrosythesis may be more for you.

IF you want something more Traveller oriented, have you considered Peter Trevor's Traveller Universe? If you like the look of it, send Hemdian a private message on the forum.
 
They are not mutually exclusive either. Cosmographer is designed to produce 2D maps, star charts (specifically Traveller star charts.), planetary maps, (again Traveller templates) and starship deckplans (using official Traveller symbols). It will take input from Fractal Terrain Pro. (And give you really nice Planetary Maps.)

Now Astrosynthesis does 3D Astrographical maps. It doesn't use Traveller data, though several people have attempted to come up with a script that will give Traveller UWP's for the systems created.

Further Astrosynthesis can use Fractal Terrains for creating Planetary surfaces. (Which can then be output to Cosmographer and Traveller World maps.)
 
I've used Cosmographer, it's very nice. Most of my newer planetary maps are drawn with it. I've used some of the Cosmographer ships & stuff for background for some of my Character Artist drawings. I've also redrawn several of my ship deckplans with Cosmographer. I not real good at it, I'm not a computer person, so I'm learning.
 
I would recommend a combination of CC2/3 and the free tool "gal2cc".
Gal2CC pushed "Galactic" data into sector or subsector map templates and also supports layering of the drawing obejcts.
Basically You don't even need the Cosmographer add-on to to this, as the templates contain the important symbols.
 
Originally posted by TheEngineer:
I would recommend a combination of CC2/3 and the free tool "gal2cc".
Gal2CC pushed "Galactic" data into sector or subsector map templates and also supports layering of the drawing obejcts.
Basically You don't even need the Cosmographer add-on to to this, as the templates contain the important symbols.
Thanks for the advert, TheEngineer - glad you like it! It was written long before Cosmographer, so uses a different scale. I have an upgrade stalled in the works which should include a Cosmographer compatibility option.

The current release version can be downloaded from my forms and charts page.

HTH,

John
 
My aplogies for getting back so slowly (work intruded). As it turns out, the tool I needed was simply Galactic. I'm literally just taking a map and transposing it on a grid with UWP codes so that the players can transition to Traveller. I'm still working on the conversion but Galactic seems to have pretty much all I need for the job.

I do want to get the more powerful tools down the line but I can wait until I have the dough to spend. For now, I'm pretty happy.

Thanks again!
 
Originally posted by MtD:
My aplogies for getting back so slowly (work intruded). As it turns out, the tool I needed was simply Galactic. I'm literally just taking a map and transposing it on a grid with UWP codes so that the players can transition to Traveller. I'm still working on the conversion but Galactic seems to have pretty much all I need for the job.

I do want to get the more powerful tools down the line but I can wait until I have the dough to spend. For now, I'm pretty happy.

Thanks again!
MtD,
Where did you find Galactic? I've been looking for it.
 
I don't know about Cosmographer, but I invested heavily in CC2 a couple of years ago and promptly smashed my nose on the vertical face of the learning curve. You need a LOT more spare time than I have.

It is currently one of the more expensive ornaments on my bookshelf.
 
Originally posted by Icosahedron:
I don't know about Cosmographer, but I invested heavily in CC2 a couple of years ago and promptly smashed my nose on the vertical face of the learning curve. You need a LOT more spare time than I have.

It is currently one of the more expensive ornaments on my bookshelf.
If you're registered on the Profantasy website, you can get the complete cartography suite manual. It's available on the right hand side bar in the registered users section. This goes in to more detail than the quick guides you get with the software. If you go through this manual, you will get to grips with the majority of the tools available to you and become familiar enough with the interface to start creating your own style.

It can't be stressed enough with this tool - you must do the tutorials. If you don't you can get lost and frustrated very quickly (unless, perhaps, you are a CAD expert). Once you get the familiarity with the way things work, it's well worth the effort to start with.

Also, register with the cc2-l mailing list at http://groups.yahoo.com/. The CC2 community is very friendly and helpful. However, do the tutorials first as all you'll get if you haven't is "Do the tutorials".
 
The learning curve is one reason I was glad to get Galactic. I needed something easy just for a single Quadrant to stitch to the Gateway domain and get my players into a much larger environment to explore (it's the first step down the road in dropping the unsupported D20F in favor of T20).

OTOH, I want to design starship plans, so a CAD program is going to be a requirement.
 
Originally posted by Valarian:
you can get the complete cartography suite manual.
<snip>
It can't be stressed enough with this tool - you must do the tutorials.
I got the manual, even went to the trouble of printing it out for ease of reference. I also tried the tutorials. I just didn't have the TIME that this program demands. I have a few short hours a week for gaming, only a fraction of which is available for design. I spent most of each session trying to remember what I'd learnt last time.

I'm not anti-profantasy, BTW, I LOVE Fractal Terrains, it's very intuitive. If only their other products would allow me to zoom in and put details on the worlds with equal ease!
If Cosmographer is CC2/3 based, I'd have to go with Astrosynthesis myself.


What I need for deckplans/vehicles is something with the simplicity of MS Paint, but with just a few more features:
the ability to measure lines without counting pixels,
the ability to blend shapes,
the ability to snap to grid, to lines, to curves,
the ability to shade with gradients, and ideally,
the ability to use an isometric (triangular) grid.
And that's it, really, anything else is just a waste of money and learning time to me.

If you find anything along these lines, MtD, let me know.

Thanks for the Galactic link, Valarian, is B needed as well as C, or does C incorporate B?
 
I bought Traveller Universe a year or so back and I thought it was very promising. I'd say it's the best star-charter I've seen from a Canon Traveller point of view. It's only drawbacks are that it's TOO canon for my liking; I can't change size and shape of subsectors easily, or insert house rules or go 3D, but its biggest problem IIRC is it depends on Galactic/Heaven and Earth for effective inputs - and I can't get hold of H&E 1.0.8. (the one that lets you edit your creations) The only copy I found doesn't load. :(

I think Peter was working on these limitations and if you're reading this, mate, I'm ready to buy an update anytime, but if you have as little spare time as me...

I'm currently using Tom Bont's Navigator which is a free download that all my players can access, it's simple, adaptable and 3D. It's very skeletal though, and some features are unfinished.

Thirtieth Anniversary, and we don't yet have a generator (or even an interfacing set) that will create a 2D or 3D TU from sector down to street/deck level, using Book 6 generation and allow for the insertion of house rules.

Perhaps it's asking too much?

Seems you just can't beat pen and paper - pity it takes so long that way.
 
Originally posted by Icosahedron:
Thanks for the Galactic link, Valarian, is B needed as well as C, or does C incorporate B?
There are three Galactic links at the site. The first is the application, the other two are patches. I think you need all three. I don't think the C patch includes the B patch.
 
Originally posted by Icosahedron:
I-clip-
I'm currently using Tom Bont's Navigator which is a free download that all my players can access, it's simple, adaptable and 3D. It's very skeletal though, and some features are unfinished.

-clip-
Where can one download Tom Bont's Navigator?
 
Originally posted by Icosahedron:
I can't get hold of H&E 1.0.8. (the one that lets you edit your creations) The only copy I found doesn't load. :(
If you have HE108beta.zip then you have to download and install HE 1.0.4 first, then copy the contents of HE108beta.zip over the top of it. Does that work?

Regards PLST
 
Originally posted by SGB - Steve B:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Icosahedron:
I-clip-
I'm currently using Tom Bont's Navigator which is a free download that all my players can access, it's simple, adaptable and 3D. It's very skeletal though, and some features are unfinished.

-clip-
Where can one download Tom Bont's Navigator? </font>[/QUOTE]I got it at the Classic Traveller Yahoo group.

I'd be interested to host it on my own Yahoo group, since all my players use it, but I've no idea how to contact the guy for permission. :(
Can anyone else help with this?
 
you can get an essentially 2d map in astrosynthesis just by setting the z axis to 1 parsec. or edit all the coordinates for each system to place the z axis at identical #.
 
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