VargrCorsair
SOC-7
Hi, does anyone know any programs that can be used to make deckplans? I'm running off of Vista and I'd like the program to be free.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Deck plan programs?
- Thread starter VargrCorsair
- Start date
VargrCorsair
SOC-7
None. Haven't had any luck finding any.
What software are you good at using in the meantime? Are you a drafting person? A sketching person? A graph paper person? Excel spreadsheet box drawer?
VargrCorsair
SOC-7
Well, I'd rather use a more graph paper format, and not so much with the spreadsheets.
VargrCorsair
SOC-7
Thanks. I think I still have that on my computer. Is there any others?
VargrCorsair
SOC-7
I'll check out Inkscape, but I've had my try with GIMP and it really didn't work with me.
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
gimp? Eeeewwwww. At least, until I can figure out how to do something as simple as put a rectangle down, I won't use it for actual drawing. (I can't do that stuff freehand - if I could, I'd be doing it freehand.......)
Personally, I got MS Visio cheap because it was on the machines at work. (MS sometimes offers mostly free copies for folks through their work licensing agreements.) I love it for deckplans because I can be very precise. I can save it off as any number of image filetypes.
There are some houseplan programs out there that you could work with if (like me) you can't freehand draw a straight line in your computer. Sometimes, the older version is offered free or very cheap. Advantages there include many of them allowing you to a 3D "render" that you can walk around or "fly through".
Personally, I got MS Visio cheap because it was on the machines at work. (MS sometimes offers mostly free copies for folks through their work licensing agreements.) I love it for deckplans because I can be very precise. I can save it off as any number of image filetypes.
There are some houseplan programs out there that you could work with if (like me) you can't freehand draw a straight line in your computer. Sometimes, the older version is offered free or very cheap. Advantages there include many of them allowing you to a 3D "render" that you can walk around or "fly through".
VargrCorsair
SOC-7
Houseplan programs? Sounds cool. LibreDraw seems like a promising candidate. If the program takes too much time to make a deck plan then pen and paper, don't bother mentioning it. My constraint is time, that's why I'm looking for a program.
I mentioned it because there are people using it... Not because I like it. (Gimp sucks, as far as I'm concerned. But in the hands of one who likes, knows, and is experienced with it, it can do wonderful stuff.)
I use Sketchup.
Neat thing with Sketchup: you can have different colors on the different sides of a given face; I pull 3D walls, and black between, usage-based color on the "room" side, and then take section plane images (with perspective off) to make the plans.
Midgardsormr
SOC-10
The proper program kind of depends on how you think. Visio is a good choice, and there's a free open source alternative in OpenOffice Draw. I've not used it, but it's out there. These have a sort of CAD-like process. And QCad is another possibility in that vein.
Inkscape would by my tool of choice if I didn't already have Illustrator. It's a vector-drawing program. It takes a little time to learn it, but the important tools are the shapes, booleans, and pen tool. When you know those three things, you have at least 95% of the software mastered.
If Gimp was offputting because of the interface, I am given to understand that there is a plug-in that makes it proper single-window software and makes it behave more like Photoshop. I still don't like it even then because its noise renders are too regular and recognizably Gimpy.
In the commercial software area, you get a few more options in things like Cosmographer, which is another CAD-like program specifically designed for sci-fi mapping. If I recall correctly, Fractal Mapper or another program from the same company produces some nice deckplans.
Inkscape would by my tool of choice if I didn't already have Illustrator. It's a vector-drawing program. It takes a little time to learn it, but the important tools are the shapes, booleans, and pen tool. When you know those three things, you have at least 95% of the software mastered.
If Gimp was offputting because of the interface, I am given to understand that there is a plug-in that makes it proper single-window software and makes it behave more like Photoshop. I still don't like it even then because its noise renders are too regular and recognizably Gimpy.
In the commercial software area, you get a few more options in things like Cosmographer, which is another CAD-like program specifically designed for sci-fi mapping. If I recall correctly, Fractal Mapper or another program from the same company produces some nice deckplans.
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
Note - I *am* using gimp, but not for deckplans and such things. Like I said, I can't figure out how to do something like a rectangle in it. I'm figuring out the interface to it, thanks to lots of tutorials out there.
To be honest, if I need something quick and dirty, I often open PowerPoint and hash it up in there. Especially if I want to use the wordart feature.
To be honest, if I need something quick and dirty, I often open PowerPoint and hash it up in there. Especially if I want to use the wordart feature.
Campaign Cartographer with the Cosmographer add-on are outstanding. You can see a ton of user created examples on the ProFantasy web site, along with a free viewer you can use to print them out.
CC Map Library
It does a lot more than deck plans too:
World hex maps
T5 Star system maps
All sorts
Simon Hibbs
CC Map Library
It does a lot more than deck plans too:
World hex maps
T5 Star system maps
All sorts
Simon Hibbs
Brian Smaller
SOC-12
I use MS-Paint and PAINT.net. PAINT.net is free and very cool.
chrwhite2002
SOC-7
Autorealm
I used a program called autorealm to design a few years back. Kinda like CC.
I used a program called autorealm to design a few years back. Kinda like CC.
